Yesterday, I got some udo from a sister-in-law.
昨日は義理の姉からウドをもらいました。
I wanted to make tempura with the leaves, but I didn't have enough time, so I made kinpira with them all today.
葉っぱは天ぷらにしたかったのですが、時間がなかったので、今日、全部キンピラにしました。
And, today, I got this amount of kinome (young shoots of three-leaf akebia)from a neighbor!
そして、今日は、近所の人から、木の芽（三つ葉アケビの若芽）をこれだけもらいました！
I'm sure you will have to pay more than 1,000 yen to buy them at a local supermarket here.
As I have said several times in my blog, kinome usually means young leaves of sansho.
I simply boiled them all for a few minutes, and had them with ponzu and katsuobushi.
地元のスーパーで買えば、絶対に1,000円以上はします。
このブログで何回も言っている通り、木の芽とは普通は山椒の若葉を指します。
私は全部、数分茹でて、ポン酢と鰹節で食べました。
Local people here like to have boiled kinome with eggs (particularly quail eggs) and soy sauce.
地元に人たちは、茹でた木の芽を卵（特に鶉の卵）としょう油で食べるのが好きです。
I know this post is repetitious, but I just can't help posting about sansai when I get them!
同じことの繰り返しですみませんが、山菜を手に入れると書きたくなってしまうんです！
ウド looks like a plant growing here, often near rivers and on wet meadows. But it is not the same - I just researched it in the net. The taste of ウド is described as reminding on celery stalks. I wish I had time to go on a search for wild plants too but there is none and the season is almost over yet because it is totally hot and humid outside.
ReplyDeleteYou have really nice neigbours (and sister in laws) sharing their harvest/food.
Kiki: I can't describe what udo tastes like. It has its own distinctive flavor.
ReplyDeleteOsusowake おすそ分け is such a common custom in Japan. Giving friends, relatives, and neighbors お土産 (omiyage, souvenirs) after you return from a trip is also very, very common.
I am curious, Hiroyuki: are the quail eggs boiled or raw when eaten with kinome? Either way sounds absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteRuminating Roy: My bad! Raw eggs! I often forget that something taken for granted in one culture is not necessarily taken for granted in another.
ReplyDeleteOne photo here:
http://www.e-kome-sake.com/SHOP/78015.html
Some people like to use only an egg yolk
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mori/mizu/data/sansai/akebi/akebi.htm
Combination of egg yolk, katsuobushi, noodle soup, and mayo (optional):
http://cookpad.com/recipe/1450274
Hiroyuki-san
ReplyDeleteDo you ever cook using itadori (Japanese knotweed) shoots? To me it tastes just like rhubarb.
Akebi is quite commonly grown as an ornamental here. It is very interesting that the young shoots are harvested. I expect you eat the fruits too.
ReplyDeleteRhizowen: Yes, I did once, years ago.
ReplyDeleteI removed aku (bitterness, harshness, etc.) by soaking in water and pan-fried with pork.
Some people say that it tastes like rhubarb. I almost made itadori jam, but gave up at the last minute, as I described here:
http://hiro-shio.blogspot.jp/2011/07/for-those-who-are-interested-in-itadori.html
Rhizowen: Young shoots of akebi are a delicacy enjoyed by the people of Niigata and some other prefectures only.
ReplyDeleteI like the fruit, too.