Traditional recipe

Bamboo miso soup ,Yashouma, Tekkamiso Eggplants, Ego, Sasazushi, Sobagaki

Yashouma
It is said that February 15th is the day when BUDDHA died.
Now ,we celebrate the day on March 15th, and make the rice cake special for BUDDHA named YASHOUMA.
( It becomes a little complicated to change a basis, although the lunar calendar was used. Therefore, we
consider that the same day of the next month is the day)
There is a legend about this cake.
The pupil of BUDDHA ( her name is YASHO) made this cake just before BUDDHA passed away.
BUDDHA was very glad and said "Thank you YASHO, this cake was very delicious(UMAI in Japanese) and
left the body.
It is related to YASHO and was named YASHOUMA.
It was made in the temple, and given to the person gathering in Buddhist service.
Recently it came to be made also at each home.


< Ingredients>

1kg regular rice powder
300g glutinous rice powder
6 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 cup of boiling water

< How to make>

1, Mix rice powder, sugar, salt and hot water in bowl and knead well.
2, Divide into a larger lump. Steam the dough about 15 minutes covered with a dishcloth.
3, Knead well again and divides into three, two of them are for white solid color and one is for colors
4, Put on colors. You can easy to dye the dough by Instant coffee powder and Food colorant,
you may use Mugwort(green), Beat (red), and Japanese pumpkin ( yellow) etc.
Color it deeply, it will be finished beautifully.
So this work is very hot that is better to carry out attaching water to hands.
5, Make some beautiful patterns.
Like the way which make a Kintaro candy and rolled sushi, make some thin cylindrical colored things and brings near and wrap the outside with lengthened white solid color in the shape of a board.
6, Steam it again about 15 minutes.
7, Cuts into the cold,furthermore round slices. (When cutting while it is still hot, to cut using thread is good)

Bamboo miso soup with Mackerel

Choose fresh mountain bamboo shoots. If not fresh, it has grown bitter and harsh.
Japanese people have a special fondness for the crunchy taste of this vegetable.
Crispy fresh, flavored bamboo shoot with oily and soft mackerel gives this miso soup a special country delight.
It is cooked only in spring. Some do for picnic lunch.

< Ingredients>
Fresh Bamboo shoot ( you can harvest the best ones yourself in the mountain of Ontario )
Canned Mackerel ( unseasoned),
Miso Paste

< How to make>
1, Peel and cut off hard part, Cut it slant and thin.
2, Put the bamboo shoot into cold water and boil .
3, Add whole mackerel, Boil until the fish is warm.
4, Add miso paste and serve.

Tekkamiaso of Eggplants

It is as Yakimochi ( baked rice cake) and ingredient of Oyaki bans.

< Ingredients>
5 or 6 eggplants,
2 green papers,
4 tablespoonful sake,
1kg miso( soybean paste)
2 table spoonful sugar

< How to make>

1, slice the eggplants th esize of easy to eat. Put into the water and remove the acum.
2, Fly up them with oil in flying pan, If it is finished, fly up with peppers.
3, season with sugar, sake and miso,
4, Dish up them with thin sliced labiates( Siso leaf)

Sobagaki ( Buckwheat paste)

Origin of instant food and this is more natural and healthy.
On the busiest harvest days, farmers often cook this traditional dish in the field for lunch.
All the family members, sometimes relative join them, work together and enjoy lunch like a picnic.
< Ingredients>
Buckwheat flour ( 180 grams for each)
Boiling water
Soy sauce soup( same one served for noodles)
< How to make>
1, Put buckwheat flour into a bowl,
2, Quickly stir the buckwheat with thick chopsticks (or a large wooden spoon) while pouring boiling water into it, Metal ware will stuck and be useless,
3, When the buckwheat dough is as soft as you like, put it into a table ware. put soy sauce soup,
Some eat with grated radish, ground sesame seeds, and sea weed.
You can add any food you like. It has to eat in hot is better if it was cool you will not expect a good taste.

Ego( Sea jelly )

Ego is a kind of seaweed.
They say that peddlers carried it from Niigata seaside area to inland of Nagano.
It contains much iodine that many people who ate Ego enjoyed longevity.
We usually eat it at the ceremonial occasions.
< Ingredients>
Dried ego
Salt
Soy source
Ginger, Wasabi or Mustard.
< How to make>
1, wash dried Ego to take off the waste.
2, Put in the pot, pour the water and soak in for about one hour.
3, Heat until it boils then turn down to simmer.
4, Mix with a wooden spoon until it is melted.
5, Scum and add a pinch of salt.
6, pour into a bat and leave it until it is stiff.
7, Cut it good size.
8, Put in soy source. Service with grated ginger, wasabi or mustard.

Sasazushi ( Sushi on the bamboo blade)

People in the north part of Otari often cook Sasazushi as one of the welcome dishes as the ceremonial occasions,such as festival or wedding.
The flavor of bamboo blade and colorful stuffs increase its taste. The bamboo blades also prevent the decay of the food.
< Ingredients>
Bamboo blade, Japonica rice, Egg, Shiitake( mushroom)
Canned tuna, Dembu ( powdered and seasoned fish, colored in pink)
French beans( Sayaingen), Pickled perilla seeds ( Sisonomi) and Pickled ginger.
< How to make>

1, Season steamed rice with Sushizu ( Vinegar 5, Sugar 3, Salt 0.5)
2, Add water, sugar and soy source( Syouyu) to shiitake mushrooms and simmer to boil. Slice them.
3, mix eggs and fly thin. Slice it.
4, Boil French beans and slice them.
5, Fly tuna stirring until dry.
6, Shape rice flat on the each bamboo blade in hand.
Decorate with egg, shiitake, tuna dembo, french beans, pickled perilla seeds and pickled ginger.
7, Pile the sasazushi for a while. So that the weight adds to the taste.