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comfort food: washoku versus cottage pie

02/12/2017 by Chris

Imagining plates of cool sashimi and delicate confectionery, we Brits don’t often associate traditional Japanese cuisine (washoku) with comfort food. With the exception of ramen, most of the winter warmers well known in Japan are not yet familiar here. In fact, with winter temperatures rarely rising above freezing in some regions, Japan is home to many hearty meals and steamy hotpot-style recipes. Shabu-shabu, oden and yudōfu are just three Japanese winter dishes that I’d love to see more of in the UK.

It’s fair to say, however, that we have plenty of our own traditional comfort food. We certainly need it; this week it was revealed that the optimal outdoor temperature for growing well-adjusted humans is 22°C, a level of warmth which no British city reaches on average. Particularly now that Christmas is drawing near and the cold is starting to bite, it seems everybody is gravitating towards the heavy, familiar recipes of tradition. Even I am following suit. As a result, we have recently enjoyed some interesting fusion dinners such as this one.

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A post shared by chris (@nonjapanesecook) on Nov 29, 2017 at 7:02am PST

On my table today:

  • miso soup with shiitake, sweet potato and chives
  • soy simmered squash (follow link for the full recipe)
  • asparagus karashizu
  • cottage pie

Notes after the jump!

[Read more…] about comfort food: washoku versus cottage pie

Filed Under: what I'm eating Tagged With: asparagus, cottage pie, mushroom, parsnip, sesame, shiitake, soy sauce, squash, sweet potato, vinegar

autumnal eats: shigure-ni, takikomi-gohan and more

14/10/2017 by Chris

The nights are drawing in, and since September my menus have been gradually changing to counteract the chillier weather. More and more, I’ve been turning to those knobbly, underground, secretive vegetables – the ones we always abandon around April and rediscover towards Christmas. This time around, I’m also unearthing the meanings behind homely Japanese dishes such as shigure-ni and takikomi-gohan. Also featured in this post is a sweet treat I brought back from Japan to share with you – but don’t worry, it still fits with the root vegetable theme!

  • butaniku to yasai no shigure-ni / pork belly and root vegetable stew
  • takikomi-gohan / variety rice
  • miso soup with aubergines and chives – previously featured here
  • radish misozuke – previously featured here
  • kimpira parsnip / soy-simmered parsnip
  • BONUS SHOW & TELL: murasaki-imo yōkan / sweet potato jelly

As always, read on for more details and cooking tips.

[Read more…] about autumnal eats: shigure-ni, takikomi-gohan and more

Filed Under: what I'm eating Tagged With: aubergine, carrot, chives, green beans, miso, parsnip, pickles, pork, pork belly, radish, rice, souvenir, sweet potato, wagashi

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