Not aquainted and eager to learn about Junmai Sakes which event organizer say can be boiterous or gentle or sharp and dry.
The Joy of Sake Ohana is hosting a Junmai Sakes tasting at Sakamai Sake Lounge in New York on June 20, 2013.
Some appetizers will be served:
Renkon Chips, Pork Bun, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings Anchovy Cream Cheese, Uni Crostini, Ahi Poke, Oysters, Southern Fried Chicken Confit Seared Filet Mignon.
Tickets available Online
Tasting Sake for Tokyo Thursdays # 257
Looking for a Sunday afternoon quiet actvity, graphically inclined and in New York, sign up for Edo Pop Stencil Workshop at Japan Society.
On the Menu
Gain an artist’s perspective on Edo Pop: The Graphic Impact of Japanese Prints with a highlights tour of the exhibition. Take inspiration from street artist AIKO’s stencil mural and woodblock print imagery to make your own stencil prints using watercolors and fine papers with master printmaker Roni Henning. No experience necessary. Limited class size.
TICKETS
$75/$70 Japan Society members, seniors & students (includes exhibition admission and materials)
Email sdevegh@japansociety.org to register
Session takes place Sunday, May 19, 2013. Starts at 2 PM.
This activity is offered in connection to Edo Pop: The Graphic Impact of Japanese Prints exhibit running until Sunday, June 9.
Belated Tokyo Thursdays # 256
Previously:
Take Your Fish by the Collar, Buri Kama, Charcoal-Grilled Yellowtail Collar from Japanese Farm Food
Since I have not yet finished editing my interview with Nancy Singleton Hachisu (shame on me), I have to make up for it in a small way with a third recipe from her book Japanese Farm Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing, Fall 2012).
Charcoal-Grilled Yellowtail Collar
Buri Kama
Serves 4
In Berkeley, for the 2010 Soba Dinner preparations, one morning Kanchan, Christopher (my eldest), and Sylvan Brackett from Chez Panisse (and Peko-Peko Catering) all trouped across the Bay Bridge to check out the freshly caught fish at Monterey Fish. It was an early mission (very early), so Andrew and I chose to stay in bed. When we finally hooked up back at Sylvan’s cooking studio in Oakland, Kanchan regaled us with his tale of grabbing out fish guts (liver and eggs, to be precise) and yellowtail collars from the refuse pile due to be jettisoned.
He cackled with glee at his “finds” and shook his head over the American waste. While he did not serve those orphan parts at the Chez Panisse dinner, the cooks were the lucky recipients later that night. Kanchan simmered the eggs and livers in soy sauce- and mirin-flavored dashi. The texture was slightly crunchy on the tongue and mildly sweet in the mouth—lovely. And the boldly fatty yellowtail collars, broiled, were meaty and succulent. Good in the oven, these are even better on the barbecue.
1 yellowtail collar (9 ounces/260 g)
Sea salt
Grated daikon
Soy sauce
Prepare a barbecue using hardwood charcoal (the fire needs to burn down, so do this a good 45 minutes before cooking). The collar sputters a bit from its natural fish oils, so cook over low heat.
Lay the yellowtail collar on a small clean grate and set directly over the fire. Sprinkle lightly with salt from a foot (30 cm) above the fish (tatejio) and cook slowly for about 10 minutes. Flip carefully and salt the other side. Flip every 10 minutes or so and cook for a total of 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness and the heat.
Alternatively, broil slowly on a rack set over a foil-lined broiler pan in the third position from the top of the oven. Check after 5 minutes to gauge the broiler heat. If the collar is browning too quickly, move the rack to a lower position. Turn several times for even cooking and browning.
Depending on the broiler, this will take from 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer the collar from the grill to an attractive plate. Squeeze a few spoonfuls of grated daikon in your fist to remove excess liquid, mound on the plate next to the collar, and drizzle the center of the mound with soy sauce. Let people dig in with chopsticks as a convivial first course or snack with drinks before dinner.
Variation: Substitute the collar for a similar fatty fish such as salmon.
Taking fish by the collar for Tokyo Thursdays # 255
(* Recipe from Japanese Farm Food-Fall 2012- by Nancy Singleton Hachisu reproduced with permission of publisher Andrews McMeel, photographs by Kenji Miura, all rights reserved)
Two very different approaches to photography are on display at Getty Museum with Japan's Modern Divide (March 26- August 25, 2013).
Both surrealist influenced Kansuke Yamanoto and documentary style Hiroshi Hamaya "grew up during the brief Taishō era (1912–1926), a period of industrialization and experimentation that ushered in the modern Shōwa era (1926–1989)."
Kansuke Yamamoto was inspired by "Surrealist art from Europe and produced innovative, socially conscious photographs, poems, and other works that advanced the avant-garde movement in Japan."
In contrast, "during this time, between the international Depression and World War II, Hiroshi Hamaya began to document regional traditions and social issues, primarily on the country's rugged "back coast" along the Sea of Japan."
Japan in Black and White for Tokyo Thursdays # 254
Previously: Full Samurai Armor Suit, $5400 via Bureau of Trade 'Japan Rising' Collection
(Photo Credits: Top: Creator(s): Kansuke Yamamoto (Japanese, 1914 - 1987), Title/Date: Butterfly, 1970, Culture: Japanese, Medium: Gelatin silver print print, Dimensions: Image: 16.4 x 11.4 cm (6 7/16 x 4 1/2 in.), Mat: 25.4 x 20.3 cm (10 x 8 in.), Framed: 28.6 x 23.5 cm (11 1/4 x 9 1/4 in.), Accession No. EX.2013.2.190, Copyright: © Toshio Yamamoto, Object Credit: Private collection, entrusted to Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography)
(Photo Credits: Bottom: Creator(s): Hiroshi Hamaya (Japanese, 1915 - 1999), Title/Date: Man in a Traditional Minobashi Raincoat, Niigata Prefecture, 1956...Culture: Japanese, Medium: Gelatin silver print print, Dimensions: Image: 30.6 x 19.8 cm (12 1/16 x 7 13/16 in.), Accession No. 2009.34.18, Copyright: © Keisuke Katano, Object Credit: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)
The New York Times T Magazine calls Bureau of Trade 'A treasure trove for Japanophiles', it might be because the site calls its current collection 'Japan Rising'.
It would be a misconception to think of Bureau of Trade as exclusively Japanese as items offered could be from Africa and many other points.
You will probably not wear this Full Samurai Armor Suit at next social function you attend.
It is offered by Jay-Spenser.com who vouches for the authenticity of this $5,400 item.
Samurai Regalia for Tokyo Thursdays # 253
Previously: Tokyo Jazz Notes offers Up to Date Tokyo Jazz Concert Listings and New Jazz Releases
(* Image from 'Bureau of Trade' site)
My love for Jazz goes back decades so when i noticed a Jazz in Japan Blog List offered by Japan Blog Directory my interest was piqued.
I wish more than 3 sites were listed.
They are Tokyo Jazz Site by Mr. OK whose identity feels undeveloped. Jazz in Japan by Michael Pronko offers thoughtful comment on local musicians and scene.
If you are looking for up-to-date Tokyo Jazz concert calendar, I noticed that pianist Keith Tippett is playing the Pit Inn on March 17, and short reviews of new music releases like This is the life (February 2013) by trumpeter Kayano Yoshiaki then Tokyo Jazz Notes by Sean Smith, a British expat living in Japan since 1997, is the place to check.
Following the beat for Tokyo Thursdays # 252
Previously:
Vampire Bride to Flesh Pier, Girls Guns and Ghosts, Globus Film Series 2013 at Japan Society, NY
From February 27 to March 10, the Japan Society in New York "offers a retrospective of rarely shown films produced from the late 1950s to the early 1960s by mercurial, pioneering Japanese film studio Shintoho" with its Globus Fim Series 2013.
About the studio"
Founded in 1947 by employees of the Tokyo-based Toho Company during strike action (its name means "New Toho"), Shintoho promptly established itself as one of the major studios of the second golden age of Japanese cinema, specializing in low- (or no-) budget productions that have become absolute cult classics.
Selection for INTO THE SHINTOHO MIND WARP: GIRLS, GUNS & GHOSTS includes New York premiere of Vampire Bride (1960) on March 2nd.
Vampire Bride plot:
"Fujiko, a dance student with a horrific facial scar, seeks help from a sorceress in the mountains, who ultimately transforms her into a powerful monster. After undergoing a ritual that results in her temporary death, she returns to life as a fanged, hairy monster. Not long afterwards, her dance school classmates Kiyoko, a film star, and Eiko, a model, encounter Sayoko, a girl who is the spitting image of the presumed-dead Fujiko. Sayoko, it soon becomes apparent, is not a double, but the original in a new guise. But as much as Sayoko wants to live a normal, peaceful life, she cannot control the monster within her who wants payback against her tormentors."
More titillating is Flesh Pier (1958) is also having its New York premiere on March 2nd.
Synopsis:
"Another world of illicit pleasures lies beneath the glittering neon surface of Tokyo. Ken Utsui stars as an undercover cop investigating a call-girl ring operating out of a Ginza nightclub, where he is surprised to discover the boss's moll is his long lost love. He also recognizes a fashion model at the club—Haruko (Akemi Tsukushi), whom he knew as a reporter when he was fighting crime in Kobe. The sharp-eyed pianist, Teruo (Teruo Hata) senses something fishy about these two—and relays his suspicions to Rumi, who has Haruko confined in Teruo's room."
Sex, blood and B-Movies for Tokyo Thursdays # 251
Previously: Soy Sauce Broiled Dango Balls, Salty Tea Snacks from Japanese Farm Food cookbook
(* Image from Vampire Bride © C.E.C.-Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche, from Japan Society's program pages)
With Japanese Farm Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing, Fall 2012), Nancy Singleton Hachisu is not merely conducting a 'farm to table' exercise as she herself lives and works the land on an organic farm in Japan's northern Saitama prefecture with her Japanese husband and 3 sons.
Her advice is "cooking farm-to-table food from another country is easy if you...take care to understand the heart of the food."
I hope I have the chance to talk with her soon about her life in food in Japan
I chose as a first excerpt her salty tea snacks.
Soy Sauce–Broiled Dango Balls
Dango
Makes 6 sticks of 4 Dango
Not all tea snacks need to be sweet, and since farm work can be quite physical, salty flavors are also welcome. These dango were traditionally made unsweetened, brushed with soy sauce and slow grilled over a charcoal fire. If you have never smelled that indescribable aroma of gently caramelizing soy sauce intermingled with the tantalizing smoke from artisanal Japanese charcoal, well . . . you haven’t lived. For me that is the smell of Japan.
You will need six (6-inch/15-cm) bamboo skewers to make this recipe.
1 cup (175 g) rice flour for dango (joshinko )
3 tablespoons organic soy sauce
Sweet Soy-Flavored Sauce (optional, recipe follows)
Bring a large, wide pot of water to a boil.
Set a large bowl in the kitchen sink and fill with cold water. Drop the bamboo skewers into the bowl.
Measure the joshinko into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps and slowly add ¾ cup (175 cc) hot water to form a firm but pliable dough. Grasp the side of the bowl with one hand and knead the dough briefly with your other hand.
Divide the dough into 24 equal-sized balls and drop into the boiling water. After about 8 or 10 minutes, the balls will rise to the surface. Cook for another 4 minutes and remove from the boiling water by scooping up with a wire mesh strainer and dumping into the bowl of cold water in your sink. Run more cold water into the bowl to keep the overall temperature cool, but be careful the dango don’t flow out of the bowl and escape into the sink.
Prepare a small charcoal “hibachi”-style brazier (shichirin). The charcoal takes some time to burn down and the low embers are best for cooking. Alternatively, set the broiler rack on the third position from the top and heat the broiler.
Remove the skewers from the bowl before draining the cooled dango. Let air dry for a few minutes on a non–terry cloth kitchen towel. Pat dry if you are pressed for time.
Thread 4 dango balls onto each skewer so that they are gently nestled up next to each other but not smashed together. They should be centered on the skewer. Brush with soy sauce and broil or grill about 2 minutes on each of their 4 “sides,” brushing with more soy sauce each time you turn the skewer.
Serve hot from the grill with a cup of Japanese green tea for a midmorning or afternoon snack. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, dip in the sauce before serving.
Sweet Soy-Flavored Sauce
Mitarashi Sosu
Makes ⅔ cup (150cc)
Mitarashi sauce is almost like a glaze, though a bit thicker. I prefer my dango (page 358) a tad more austere, with just the taste of charcoal-caramelized soy sauce. But if you like a sweeter flavor, by all means dunk the dango balls in mitarashi sauce after cooking.
8 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon potato starch (katakuriko)
4 tablespoons organic sugar
In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce into the potato starch and pour into a small saucepan with the sugar. Stir to blend and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to keep the sugar from sticking on the bottom. Simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes until the bubbles are thick and the sauce is glossy. Remove from the heat. Keeps for several weeks in the refrigerator; warm before using.
Ratio: soy sauce : sugar : potato starch—8 : 4 : 1
On the farm for Tokyo Thursdays # 250
Previously: Renkon Gyoza on 28 Dollar 4 Course Dinner at Hapa Izakaya for Dine Out Vancouver 2013
(* Recipe from Japanese Farm Food-Fall 2012- by Nancy Singleton Hachisu reproduced with permission of publisher Andrews McMeel, photographs by Kenji Miura, all rights reserved)
Renkon Gyoza is one of the dishes selected by by Japanese style pub and restaurant Hapa Izakaya on its $28, 4 Course Dinner Menu, a special menu offered during Dine Out Vancouver Festival (January 15-February 3).
Currently with 3 locations in Vancouver and 1 in Toronto, this small restaurant group is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Japan flavored in British Columbia for Tokyo Thursdays # 249
Previously: In Year of the Snake, Celebrate Oshogatsu at Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, Jan 13
2013 is Year of the Snake and Oshogatsu, Japan's New Year's Celebrations are taking place on Sunday, January 13 at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida.
This is Morikami' "35thannual New Year’s celebration with the tastes, sights, smells and sounds that define the traditional Japanese New Year as well as our own" and an invitation to "celebrate the Year of the Snake for those born on 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, and 2013!"
A few things on the program:
Oshogatsu on the menu for Tokyo Thursdays # 248
Previously: Poems and Card Games, 100 Wakas, Japanese New Year Traditions
(* Illustration from 'Oshogatsu' program pages on Morikami Museum site)
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