May 20, 2012

Udo Tempura/ウドの天ぷら

Today, I got kogomi from the neighbor who gave me kinome yesterday. I simply boiled them for two minutes like I usually do.
今日は、昨日こごみをもらった近所の人からこごみをもらいました。 いつも通り、ただ2分茹でました。
I also got gomoku (lit. five-item) gohan from a sister-in-law.
また、義理の姉から五目御飯をもらいました。
I also got udo kinpira and udo tempura from the sister-in-law.
義理の姉からはウドのキンピラとウドの天ぷらももらいました。
What was supposed to be a simple supper turned out to be a feast!
質素な夕食のはずでしたが、思いがけず、ご馳走になりました!

12 comments:

Sissi said...

Hiroyuki, thank you for sharing with us your wild pants "adventures". I suppose even if I go to Japan I might not have many occasions (if any) to taste these...

Hiroyuki said...

Sissi: That depends on the season. When you come to Japan in early spring, you will have opportunities to taste these and other sansai, fresh from the mountains!

tama said...

Hiroyuki-san, our book is almost ready for its birthday!! This is a very good year for bamboo shoots here in the US. What do you think of this video? can you explain for people in the US who dont read Japanese?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMp9v4y8i44&feature=related

Thank you!
Tama

Hiroyuki said...

tama: Thank you for reminding me. I'm looking forward to getting your book from Amazon.

The video explains how to remove "aku" (harshness) from bamboo shoots using rice bran. It's a very common procedure. Cut off the upper part diagonally, make a shallow, vertical cut, and then put in a pot of water with rice bran. Simmer for 40-60 minutes, and let cool.

A very fresh bamboo shoot does not require this step ("aku nuki" harshness removal), and can be eaten raw, much in the same way as sashimi.

Nemagari take, which I posted about recently, do not require aku nuki because they do not contain much aku. They are simply grilled or cooked in other ways.

tama said...

Thank you Hiroyuki-san. Hope you received Foraged Flavor.
I have a question from someone in the US that has a lot of euonymous fortunei.
(Latin name I dont know the Japanese one.) It comes from Japan and is sometimes called winter creeper in English. They want to know if there is any culinary or medicinal tradition to use this in Japan.
very best wishes!
Tama

tama said...

Hiroyuki-san, I forgot to ask you. Is there a way to "follow" the sansai section of your blog? Maybe not but it would be interesting for people in the US who are interested in home cooking with wild plants.....

Hiroyuki said...

tama: Yes, I received it yesterday (June 20) from Amazon! I think I will write a review in my blog or elsewhere.

Unfortunately, there is no culinary or medicinal information about the plant (tsurumasaki in Japanese) in any of the sites I've checked, like these:
http://healing.itp.ne.jp/flower_gardening/botanical/flower/detail.php?N-f/masaki0.htm
http://www.fri.hro.or.jp/rcard/087turumasaki.htm
I think the plant is for ornamental purposes only.

As for your next question, I am sorry that I'm not knowledgeable about these things. I hope someone who is familiar with Blogger features offers a good answer.

tama said...

Hiroyuki san , do you have a good recipe for utsubogusa....I have a lot of it flowering now?

yoroshiku onegai simasu...Tama

Hiroyuki said...

tama-san: I found one answer here:
http://www.okadanouen.com/zukan/utubogusa.html

新芽を揚げ物に、花を酢の物にして食べます。

Use young shoots for agemono (deep-fry dishes) and flowers for sunomono (vinegared dishes).

tama said...

Thank you! THe flowers seem a little coarse, did you ever try....

tama said...

thank you hiroyuki-san. the flowers seem a little bit coarse, did you ever try

Hiroyuki said...

tama-san: I didn't even know the name of the plant. I don't know how coarse they are, but I guess that when they are coated with tempura batter and deep-fried, they will be tasty enough.