See ya on the field.
Making tasty Tofu...from scratch
1. Soak soybeans overnight in water.
2. Add just a tiny amount of soybean oil, then boil until the beans dissolve.
3. Strain to remove the lees.
4. Boil the creamy white liquid again.
5. After boiling, add bittern using chopsticks. When the bubbles have disappeared, put into a cloth bag.
6. Finish by placing in a rice tub, where it will set naturally.
And there you have it, tofu in 6 easy (and time-consuming steps) making tofu yourself yeilds all sorts of authentic Japanese foods.
Kirazu is the strained lees left over after making tofu. Uba is the thin skin that forms on the surface when the creamy liquid made in the process of making handmade tofu is boiled (eaten as it is with soy sauce and wasabi).
Oboro-dofu is made by putting the liquid straight into a bowl without first putting it in cloth at the end of the tofu-making process. The liquid is then allowed to set. Oboro-dofu melts in the mouth, and its unique taste and texture have given it its name, which means "clouded tofu". Kori-dofu is tofu that has been sliced and placed in a bamboo basket. It is then left out on a cold night to freeze solid, and then dried in the sun. It is boiled before eating, and makes an excellent preserved food.
Rokujo is made by slicing a block of tofu into six pieces, sprinkling it with salt, and leaving it to dry in the sun in midsummer. The tofu becomes as hard as wood and turns a slightly yellowish color. Shavings of rokujo are as good as "katsuoboshi" (dried bonito shavings) for adding to soups.
Care had to be taken when making it though, as it could go off in an instant if it rained whilst it was being dried.
Genji member and IchiBan, Kei Swanson, is the author of a contemporary romance involving a Japanese National baseball player and his American interpreter. The story, THE WORDS OF THE PITCHER, is set in Cleveland, Ohio, and chronicles the trials and tribulations of being the first Japanese National to pitch in the Major Leagues in 30 years and the consequences of falling in love. It is available through all booksellers as well as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble online. It received a 4 star review from ROMANTIC TIMES MAGAZINE and was nominated for the DOROTHY PARKER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE as BEST DEBUT AUTHOR. It is published by Genesis Press.
She is also awaiting release of a Feudal Japan epic, THE SANEMATSU SAGA, a 3 book deal with RFIWest, Publishers. This is an historical set in 1480 Japan. The series, SEABIRD OF SANEMATSU, SEASON OF SANEMATSU, and SWORD OF SANEMATSU, will be released in e-book format as well as paperback sometime between April and July 2002. They can be ordered from the website for www.RFIWest.com or Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble online.
Lady Kei had been a member of the Genji yahoogroup since 1999. She is also a member of the Japan America Society of San Antonio and the Japanese American National Museum. Along with her Japanese culture groups, Lady Kei is a member of Romance Writers of America, the San Antonio Romance Authors, and Red River Romance Writers. In her other personae, she has been an obstetrical nurse for 25 plus years. Married to a career USAF member, she had traveled the world and U.S.in support of her husband and has a grown son.
You may read more about her at her website www.keiswanson.romance-central.com.
To join Clan Genji one must merely ask, but to BE Genji one must follow the five rings. Ok that sounds a bit Confucian or zennish but the five rings, starting with the first ring or “IchiBan” was developed to encourage members to learn, participate, and become part of both the Genji clan as well as the SCA. By following the five rings, or ranks, of the Genji, we can be assured that a SanBan, for example, can help a newcomer to our group and knows his or her way around the SCA and the Genji Clan.
The first rank is very simple. It is the IchiBan rank and it was established for the newcomer. Once a few requirements are met then they have proven they are interested and prepared to dedicate the time and effort of being a true part of the Genji. At IchiBan rank you are no longer merely a prospective member but are a true part of the clan.
There are two ways to acquire your IchiBan rank: The first is by having a Mentor or Sensei who is NiBan or higher and willing to take you on as student. Your honor and your Sensei’s are tied and bound. It is up to you and your Sensei to meet the requirements of garb and anything else you may need as quickly as possible.
The second, more formal way of becoming an IchiBan is by acquiring garb, getting a period name that will be acceptable to the SCA, and start participating in a few events. The Clan Master ( the highest ranking administrator in your Genji Shiro… in the Kitatate shiro that would be me, Arashi) then approves this and you are usually presented you genji favor with a single ring on it. In most Shiros there is also a Gempuku ceremony you undergo at this presentation event.
While it is extremely rare it should be pointed out that a shiro is not forced to accept a prospective member. This should be discussed with the Daimyo or GoBan council.
Tabemashou ka?
Now we've all eaten "Japanese" food, but how much of it was really Japanese? Is that Teriyaki chicken rice bowl really Japanese? Probably not, so then what is Honmono Japanese cuisine and more importantly can you make it? In this humble column I will try to help all of us misinformed nisei nihonjin learn how to make some simple, traditional, and tasty Japanese dishes.
Campfire Delight!
For most of Japanese history, and even today, the Japanese were cursed with very bad home designs. They use open rooms with thin walls and doors, and little or no insulation. Furthermore, many of their homes are built on stilts a few feet above the ground. If you ask anyone why the Japanese traditional homes are built above the ground you'll get the helpful response of, "It's Japanese style," or maybe someone will venture a guess about earthquake prevention. Problem is, most of Japan is REALLY cold in the winter.
What's this got to do with being above the ground (or Japanese cuisine for that matter)? Well, when the Japanese archipelago was being colonized way back in before we have a written history, some inhabitants traveled up from the Philippines island chain and settled in Japan. These colonizers came from the HOT muggy tropics where houses needed good airflow to keep cool, as well as preventing insect infestations. But what does this have to do with Japanese cooking?
As a result the Japanese home often focused around the irori (fireplace) and the dining, talking, and socializing was done around this fire. For this reason Japanese cuisine is packed full of wonderful dishes that can be made over virtually any hot, open fire. The dishes are quick, easy, and very tasty.
Onabe
Nabe is the Japanese word for pot, or pan. These "Nabe" or "O-Nabe" to be polite, come in various shapes and sizes and are very similar to the western Dutch oven. Heavy, thick cast iron pots with a wooden or heavy metal lid. The Nabe was traditionally hung over the hot fire with an ornamental hook, which was adorned with a wooden fish. It looks somewhat like a large gaff hook with a fish tied to a rope. The nabe was then filled with the meat, vegetables, fungi (mushrooms not mold), and other ingredients to make various dishes.
Ryouri hou
Now for the recipe for our Onabe, this issue I will teach you the common and tasty nabe, Sukiyaki. Sukiyaki is a nabe consisting of beef, tofu, mushrooms, onions, and a Japanese noodle called konyaku. Here is the recipe I use however, sukiyaki can be done in many different ways, so feel free to experiment (try adding kimuchee it's the best). So without further adieu..
Sukiyaki
Ingredients: (for 4 portions)
1 1/4 lbs thinly sliced beef (roast)
1 onion
2 large green onions
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
200g ito-konyaku (you can get this at Japanese grocer, one small pack will do you fine)
yaki-tofu (fried tofu)
Beef lard or Crisco
1-cup sake
3/4-cup sugar
1-cup soy sauce
4 eggs
Preparation:
Cut beef into 2-3 in strips. Cut onion in half. Cut halves into 5-6 size slices. Cut green onion into 2 inch pieces. Remove stems from shiitake. Boil itokonyaku. (Cut into an easy to eat size.) Cut yaki-tofu into 8 pieces. Soak tofu in water. Squeeze out excess water.
How to make:
Over HOT fire or portable gas burner:
Heat sukiyaki-nabe (pan or skillet) and cook the beef lard or Crisco.
Briefly cook beef evenly on both sides. Do not over cook. It should still be a bit pink.
Add in this order: sake, sugar then soy sauce. Add 1/2 of the ingredients except for the tofu. Next add tofu.
Note: In the Kanto region, warishita sauce is used. Cook beef first, then add warishita sauce into the pan and boil.
Warishita sauce:
Mix 1-cup soy sauce, 3/4-cup sugar, and 1-cup mirin. Boil then cool.
Itadakimasu!!
How to eat:
If desired, put raw egg in small bowl. Dip sukiyaki in it. Eat immediately, and do not overcook.
Well, that was great wasn't it!! Next month we'll go through another nabe meal called Niku Jaga, or meat and potatoes. Each month I'll include a small vocabulary list of the Japanese I use and a link or bibliography of where I got the recipes. This month's recipe can be found at http://hills.ccsf.org/~slee21/sukiyaki.htm I changed a few things to suit western taste, just a tiny bit, but feel free to
try it the 100% Japanese way!! Jikai made ni, Itadakimasu!!
Vocabulary list:
Tabemashou ka? – colloquial for shall we eat?
Nissei Nihonjin – literally fake Japanese
Nissei – means fake or imitation
Honmono – the real thing, opposite of nissei
Irori – fireplace
Nabe / O-Nabe – heavy pot or pan, usually cast iron
Ryouri hou – recipe, or literally method of food
Sukiyaki – Nabe made with beef, onions, tofu, and greens in sake, soy sauce, and
Shoyu – Soy sauce
Konyaku (ito-) – Japanese noodle made of konyaku potato
Jikai made ni – roughly, until next time
Itadakimasu – an honorific phrase spoken before eating a meal
yaki (as in yaki tofu) – fried or grilled, another common use is
yaki-niku – fried meat, and –
yakitori – fried chicken
niku – meat
tori – bird, or in this case chicken
the unofficial anthem of Northshield
Shield my kinsmen from their foes
and from the teeth of the wind
shield my kinsmen from sorrow and from
shame
until fate brings us
shoulder to shoulder
to stand as brothers again.
We are the children of the ice and snow
and of the golden plains and rolling hills
we are the children of the waters cold and wide and cool dark forests
we are the people of our home Northshield.
The winter tries to break us on its anvil
made of ice
but our blood beats hot and true as steel
not a drop of it is spilled on our pure
white snow
but what was brought by rivers
crimson rivers
crimson rivers of our foeman’s own.
we are the keepers of our future and our past
and the names of our heroes passed and
gone
on whose courage, strength, and wisdom
the Northshield stands
teach their stories to our children
to our children
until their names are written in blood
and bone.
Now we fly behind the hawk who leads
the way to war
for he flies in the fashion that we live
like a true and blooded spear poised at the
dragon’s side
we will face our foemen
to fight for the honor
to fight for the honor of our home,
Northshield.
Submitted by: Kitatate no Minamoto Arashinaga with permission .
With so many new members there has been a rush on getting everything from garb to armor. And for good reason. Events are coming up fast. Theres a lot of events coming up and you wont want to miss them simply because you don’t have a thing to wear.
So heres a shopping list as well as a few places to go to get what you need for a busy war season:
GARB:
You can get material and make garb or find someone who can do it for you. Tomo knows a lot about sizing and patterns, speak to her if your interested.
You can also get Hakama and Kimono from a martial arts supply store. If you go to Rising Sun in St. Paul be sure to tell them you are with clan Genji in the Sca. They know us and they are ex-SCA so they can help get you at least close to period garb. If you cant find rope sandals (waraji) you can find tabi at Rising Sun as well. Be sure to try them on, sizes are NOT in English.
ARMOUR
While garb is all you need to attend an event you may someday wish to join the chaos of our Bushi in battle. For this you’ll need armour. You can buy armour…just look online. Minamoto Armory does EXCELLENT work and is run by a Genji SanBan in Wisconsin. The link is on the clan website at
http://members.aol.com/arashisan . You can also make your own armour. To do this you need to decide what kind of fighting you wish to do.
HEAVY COMBAT:
Clan Genji participates in the full contact, full armoured fighting of the SCA using rattan, or solid wood, weapons. The weights and movements are as close as you can get to real armoured battle without killing each other. To do this you will need a helm (Best to buy one, open faced helms are cheapest at @ $70 and can easily be converted to a samurai helm). You will also need arms, legs, nodawa (neck) which can all be made frokm leather, steel or ABS plastic. The plastic is light and with a LOT of cord will look very authentic. ABS is available from Crown Plastic. I usually get the ¼” with one side textured. It runs about $80 for 8’ x 4’ ( Iv been getting these cut up into four sheets, weve used ONE of these for legs, one and a half to two for body and another for arms and nodawa. So you could team up and split the cost or use a whole sheet.
Youll also need cord. You can use parachute cord or braid (like they use for shoelaces.) There are links to dealers on the genji website. For braid in a LOT of colors you can check out lacesforless. They deliver in 4-5 weeks and for 144 yards the cost is @ $28-30. They can also be reached at (513) 821-1716.
Eventually youll want weapons. They can be found online or at events and cost about a dollar or two per foot.
HEAVY WEAPONS SUMMARY:
· HELM
· MATERIAL ( ABS Plastic , leather or steel)
· RATTAN WEAPON
LIGHT WEAPONS COMBAT:
This is something we do for fun. Its not recognized by the SCA but it’s a LOT of fun and the style dates back to the first shoguns. If you plan to participate youll need:
· Shinai sword ( available at martial arts stores for @ $25-30)
· Padded gloves
· Mask (fencing mask, Kendo mask, Shinai helm. Tora-san has contacts for used masks at @ $15. )
· Garb.
That’s all you need to participate.
Ganbatte Kudesai, see you on the field !
The following is not an al inclusive list. Events are not always posted this far in advance so be sure to stay in touch via this newsletter and the Genji E mail list.
| Fighter’s School | Madison WI | Feb 23rd |
| Gulf War | March 11-17 | |
| Bardic Madness | Minneapolis MN | March 16 |
| Dragons and Griffins | Northfield MN | April 20-21st |
| Baronial anniversary | Madison WI | April 27-28th |
| Castle Fever | Oronco MN | May 31-32nd |
| War of Lillies | Kansas City MO | June 7 – 16th |
| Tournaments of Summer | Medford WI | June 21-23rd |
| Muster of Steel | Northome MN | June 28-30th |
| PENNSIC WAR | Pennsylvania | Aug 2-17th |
| Armorgeddon | Sioux Falls SD | Sept 12- 15 |
Keep in mind that a lot of these events are camping events and, while some are far away, we do carpool and caravan if we vknow well in advance who is going. And of course the biggest event to plan for is Pennsic, 13,000 people last year so the distance is well worth the trip.
Dates unknown:
| Warriors and Warlords | WI |
| Quest for Camelot | |
| Mermaid’s Retreat |
If you can only make a few events, try to plan for the following:
FIGHT SCHOOL
CASTLE FEVER
LILLIES
PENNSIC
ARMORGEDDON
Deadline for the next issue is March 31, 2002. Thank you to all who have submitted to this first issue.
Kitatate no Tomosuzu
INDEX
MORE TO COME |