Japanese New-Year count down (-1)

We arrive at the last step of preparations for the Japanese New Year Osechi Ryouri.
You were thinking there were only small bits and no big piece. That’s true in a way. Japanese meal favor the variety. The more items the biggest luxury.
But there is something else. A roast… well a grilled fish.

Shio-yaki tai (salt grilled tai fish)

Making a traditional meal of Japanese Osechi (New Year good luck food). That was an experiment and I had a lot of fun doing it. As usual, don’t look for perfection. I am no expert…

Japanese New-Year count down (-9)

Second episode of preparing Japanese Osechi Ryori, the traditional New-Year meal. After the egg, the chicken….

It’s a terrine called Chicken Matsukaze.

Matsukaze, kaze the wind passing through the branches of matsu the pine… That gives good luck for sure. I don’t know more. It’s the name of this recipe of chicken….

Osechi 5 : chicken matsukaze

Matsukaze, kaze the wind passing through the branches of matsu the pine… That gives good luck for sure. I don’t know more. It’s the name of this recipe of chicken.

Chicken matsukaze

Adapted from the recipe “ichimatsu noshi tori” (chicken on a chessboard) of Mrs Suzuki.

Ground meat was used in the initial version. I used a full breast.
With a knife, cut a 300g of chicken breast in the smallest bits you can. It’s easier if the meat is very cold, slightly frozen. Put half of the meat in an oiled heated pan, ans stir-fry it till golden. Let it cool. (photo 1) In a blender, combine 1 small egg, the raw meat, 1 tbs of chunky white miso, 1 tbs of low salt soy sauce, 1 tbs of sugar. Mix it into a cream texture. Add the cooled cooked meat. Mix again slightly or longer, depending on the texture you wish. I think smooth is more traditional. I prefered chunky.

Put cooking paper in a square/triangular dish and fill it in order to have about a 5 cm height. (photo 2).
Bake covered with a foil about 20 minutes at 250 degree C. Take out the foil a few minutes before it’s done. After 15 minutes, start checking if it’s cooked with a pick. If the pick gets out dry and some liquid splashes out, it’s done. (photo 3)

With a serrated knife level the top and take out the “roasted” bits. Cover the half with sheet of paper to make a rectangle topped with white poppy seeds. Move the paper and cover the other half with powder flaked aonori green seaweeds. Let it cool. (photo 4).

When it is cold, cut regular bicolor band. Place them in reverse order in the box to form a checker pattern. Serve the 2nd to 5th day as taste is better after a little rest.

It was DELICIOUS !!!!! I didn’t know that dish. It’s this year’s Osechi discovery for me.

Osechi ryori compilation

DIY Classic Osechi Ryori

Making a traditional meal of Japanese Osechi (New Year good luck food). That was an experiment and I had a lot of fun doing it. As usual, don’t look for perfection. I am no expert.

The menu is highly related with Shinto religion. And New Year is the major Shinto event of the year, maybe the only one everybody kind of celebrates in Japan. Everything is symbolic. Most things are displayed to call good luck and prosperity.

Doors are decorated with kadomatsu that contain pine, oranges…

And the main activity of January 1st is hatsumode, the first visit to the Shinto shrine. For most people, that’s the only visit in the year. Look at this shrine. I live nearby and I see people getting in maybe once a month… except today.

I’ll detail the symbolism of the food, and the recipes, in other posts. These preparations are ancient Japanese food. In old times, cooking and serving a hot meal was a lot of work for the housewife and the maids. So, in order to free everybody of work for the celebration, the Osechi Ryori is prepared in the week before the New-Year (from 25th to 31st roughly). Then, it is eaten cold the 3 first days.

First floor (from the left) :
紅白なます　kohaku namasu (made of daikon radish and kintoki carrot)
紅白かまぼこ　kohaku　kamaboko (white and pink colored fish cakes)
鶏松風　tori matsukaze (chicken terrine, topped with poppy seeds and green aonori seaweed)
田作り　ta dzukuri (caramelized fish, and caramelized walnuts)

Second floor :
卵　tamago (front left – mosaic omelette)
数の子　kazu no ko (front right – sake flavored fish eggs, from Pacific herring eggs)
栗金団　kuri kinton (back left – sweet potato and chestnut puree)
豆　mame (back right – black and white sweetened beans)

Third floor :
金時人参　kintoki carrots
konnyaku
里芋　sato imo (taro)
shiitake mushroom

Shio-yaki tai (fish salted and roasted)

Mochi topped with a kumquat.
That should be a mikan orange, or a daidai bitter orange, but I have the miniature mochi totem. Mochi are blocks of sticky rice paste.

To be continued…

Osechi ryori compilation