Gohan,,,plain white rice

 I use electronic rice cooker,  of course, but, many of my friends uses DONABE ( cray pot), or
Le creuset to cook rice.

Rice  which cooked DONABE  or LE creuset is  really more  delicious than rice cooker, which is cheap. ( around 10000 yen )

If you have le creuset ,you don't need to buy rice cooker.
20cm diameter pot , you can cook 3 gou rice.

 We use 180cc measure cup (this is 1 gou)
for cooking rice.

Please use 'Japonica rice'.

Now, I like YUMEPIRIKA brand, I eat often.

Koshihikari, Akitakomachi ,Tsuyahime, are also popular brand.
We choose the brand.
More than 2500 yen per 5kg is so so good.

Choose good rice is very important.

Wash　rice　quickly.
If you buy 'musen mai' ( that is the rice which don't need wash', you don't need washing.

Drain the rice, and put it in the pot.
Water is 120% and a little more of that of the rice amount.

Soak the rice in the water more than 30 minutes.
(water must still water,)







Put on the gas  until the water boiling.

After boil, cover the pot with lid, and keep boiling with small flame for 10min.

Stop the gas, and keep 10 min. without open the lid.
DON' T OPEN,

And open, and mix the rice with scoop.


Don't mistake to buy MOCHI GOME.

MOCHI GOME is usually in the small package with mochi  picture or rabbit picture.

Rice is whiter than usual rice for GOHAN.


This is the web page of how to cook by le creuset.

Okonomiyaki at a festival stall

 It seems delicious. There were long quere.
This is Hiroshima style, I think....

Oknonomiyaki has several recepes to cook..

karume yaki

I was looking forward to go the festival  when I was small,
there are many things fascinate kids.
(there were not disneyland , many markets at that time)

What I like were cotten　candy , and karume yaki.


This is the photos of Karumeyaki (Honeycomb toffee)

The man  in the wiki photo is the same person I met yesterday at ASAO FUDO, I think.
Don't you think so?


We can buy often at the traditional sweet shop, but this used be  the sweet  what we buy at the festival market.

Sugar, and soda with special skill, this puffs suddenly.

Daruma ichi

Every 28th Jan, of the year, Daruma ichi
(Daruma Market) is held  at the asao fudo,.
 (30min. ride from Shinjuku station, and bus)

Daruma market is famous in several places. Takasaki city, Gunma pref is especially famous, but,it is far from Tokyo. This place is easy to go.

There are many stalls, and at the temple people buy DARUMA.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daruma_doll

And many put away old Daruma there.

Strolling the road is fun.

pickles press tub , tsukemono ki

This is Tsukemono-ki. Japanese quick pickles press maker.

I have a small one.

These are other pics.　　You can find  similar kind of this at the market easily.


Today, I cut radish and carrot, dried under the sun for a while, (
this don't need)

Sprinkle salt and sugar and vinegar and juice of YUDU citron ( it is OK , lemon juice). and dried cut Konbu. and  knead and mix.

Put this in the TUKEMONOKI  and push.

After several hours. vegetables are pickled well.
You can find the vegetables smaller.


There are many recipes , and all of them are easy to make.

Cucumber and ginger and honey and salt.

Turnip and turnip leaves and salt and Konbu,

Cabbage and shiso herb and salt.........etc..

There are also tukemonoki  made by glass, or pottery.

I use this for many years.

yudu daikon....quick pickles

In winter， we eat　' daikon' often.

This is Yuzu daikon pickles.

Yuzu is a kind of orange of special flavour. We use  that like lemon.

Cut  the daikon like that photo,  put in salt and suger and vinegar, and yuzu zest, 　konbu　and push for several hours.

There are convenient thing which can make pickles easily.
This time I didn't use this, but I often use this  to make pickles.

漬物器　 　（Japanese Pickle -Tsukemono Press )
Are there similar things in your country?

There are many recipes  to make pickles.
Using Quick Pickles Jar, you can make earlier.

I f you have time, dry vegetables for one day,  and make .
 Drying vegetables  under the sun, makes vegetables sweeter.

furikake and ochazuke

One of the easiest cooking with GOHAN is 'eat gohan with Furikake or Ochaduke'.
if there are these, we can  eat gohan  without side dish.

Picture left , is Furikake.
This is a kind of topping of Gohan, a little salty, eat with gohan.

Picture right, is Ochaduke, instant.
Serve the gohan in  a little big bowl, and put one pack of this on it, and pour hot water. That's all.

Both has many kinds.
One of most famous Furikake, is 'NORITAMA'
Most famous company of  instant ochaduke is 'NAGATANIEN'