Motsunabe

Motsu-nabe is organ meat stew, usually cooked with cabbage and nira (green vegetable like leek ). Motsu-nabe is kushu local food. This is my second time to challenge Motsu-nabe.

ReadyGo!

Tanabata

The 7th of July is Tanabata, what we call star festival. I am not sure what this traditionl event is exactly originated from, but I think it is a kind of Asian or Japanese myth. Two lovers, Orihime (princess Vega) and Hikoboshi (star Altair) are separated by a wide river (milky way). They are allowed to meet once a year on the tanabata night, only when the sky is clear. Unfortunately, tanabata is in tsuyu (rain season in early summer), so they could not meet in most year.

It is Japanese tradition that writing wishes on some tanzaku (small piece of papers) and hung on the sasanoha (bamboo leaves) decorated with colorful paper crafts. Every year, we can see sasanoha everywhere in the public places, and it reminded me tanabata is coming. It is quite strange I have not seen much this year. I can be because of Toyako summit. The security in Tokyo is extremely tight since a couple of weeks ago. We can see many police around there instead of sasanoha.

I cerebrated tanabata with this special warabimochi decorated for tanabata. Tanzaku and bamboo leaves image is decorated on the sweets. To cut in 4.

Juwari soba

I went to a new soba restaurant near my office. Sobo in this restaurant is Juwari soba. Juwari soba is 100% buckwheat noodle. Soba is usually made from buckwheat flour blended with wheat at the rate of about 80 to 20. It is said Juwari soba is difficult to knead and it need skill.

I had oroshi soba, which was arranged like salad. Yakisaba shusi (grilled mackerel sushi) and nametake ohitashi (boiled nametake-mushroom) were accompanied.

See this site to find how to make soba.
http://washoku-taste.blogspot.com/2008/12/toshikoshi-soba.html

Biwa

Biwa is one of my favorite fruits. Now is the season, but the best season of biwa is very short.
I don't know what is biwa in English.