Zawazawa Kitchen

Shiraae for Setsubun

I happened to be at Yazaike for Setsubun 節分 this year (technically Rishun 立春 as there is a Setsubun for each season). It was my first chance to meet A-kun and Yumiko's daughter Kanoka, which was great fun. As one could predict, I had to be the Oni (fat, hairy, bearded, gaijin - what more could one want in an Oni!) and Yoshie and Keiko, as toshi-onna (both born in the year of the rat), were more enthusiastic than necessary in pelting me with dried soya beans and shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (鬼は外! 福は内!).

But as a reward, I got to watch Keiko and Kumiko make shiraae, a traditional setsubun tofu dish of which I am quite fond.

• Momen dofu (fine grained tofu)
• Tsurigoma (ground white sesame seeds)
• Light brown sugar
• Rice vinegar
• Soy Sauce
• Mirin
• Carrots
• Konyaku 蒟蒻/菎 in the jelly form
• Shitake mushrooms
• Ginger

Simmer the momen dofu in water, put in a piece of kelp if you like, until it is guragura (shaky and giggly) being sure to take it out before it is sukasuka (starting to open up and show small holes). Then put on a rack of some kind and put on weights so that the excess liquid drains out (this takes about thirty minutes).

While the tofu is draining, simmer the peeled, sliced carrots, sliced shitake mushrooms and konyaku in a light dashi with some mirin and a hint of ground ginger.

Once the tofu has drained you need to pulverize it with mortar and pestle (preferably a mortar with corrugated sides) and once it is quite smooth add the sugar and tsurigoma (you can put in quite a bit of both) with a trace of rice vinegar.

To serve, mix the knoyaku and vegetables in with the tofu and serve in small bowls.

Honmono no Keiko-mama Chicken

We are in Japan for Hiroko Ota's funeral. It is very sad to see such a vibrant, beautiful person die so young. The ceremonies were held at a Soto Zen temple Chokokuji, affiliated with Eiheiji near the Nezu Art Museum. Hiroko's grave will be at this temple. Nisei and Risa were a tremendous help to their mother (and father) in her last days, at no small cost to themselves. Yoshie was also able to spend a lot of time with Hiroko at the end, for which we are thankful.

We are staying at Yazaike, which among many other benefits means eating Keiko-mama's cooking. There are so many good things to eat here, this morning we had very good miso soup and abura-age (deep fried tofu skins, the one's used in kitsune soba) braised in soya sauce and mirin (I will try to get the recipie).

Apparently Kasumi called last week and asked for the recipe for Keiko-mama Chicken. So we can all have it, here it is.

• Chicken thighs (preferred) or breast
• Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• White Wine Vinegar
• Parsley (or another herb)

Keiko recomends thighs rather than breast as they have a fuller flavour and are moister. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel off the skin, trim the yellow fat and remove any bones (you can add them to a stock if you are making stock). Season with salt and pepper and put in an oven proof pan. Grate garlic (lots of garlic) into the panko, mix and spread over the chicken. Splash on olive oil and sprinkle with parsley or another herb (Mommy like rosemary, I would try basil). Bake at 350 until crispy brown, dress with wine vinegar and serve. Keiko likes a bit of mustard with this.

Keiko recommends serving this with finely chopped cabbage. I watched her chop cabbage this morning. She takes a leaf and folds it into multiple layers, then cuts it very thin. It is good with any fried food (think of how sliced cabbage is served with tonkatsu). You can put on tonkatsu sauce, or sesame dressing, or just a bit of the vinegar.