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January 20, 2012 New Eating with the Seasons Part 1-Winter

Today was the first day of this winter that it snowed where I live.  I began thinking that this month will soon come to an end and that there is only one more month of winter.  Living in the USA I had an interest in eating with the seasons. I had various books on the subject as well as various books about Chinese Medicine. Eating seasonally is a very important part of keeping the body in balance according to Chinese Medicine. In the USA you can get any fruit or veggie you want pretty much all year round.  Though I found reading about the subject interesting I pretty much bought what I wanted to eat without paying much attention to its’ seasonality.  After coming to Japan, and finding a recipe that I wanted to make and going to the store to find that it is not being sold in that season, I was left a bit disappointed. But than my feelings changed, I found that waiting seasonally leaves you excited about the upcoming season and the new foods that you will be able to find on sale in the markets. For example, having persimmons and brown rice tea in fall and having juicy watermelon in the summer.  Japan is a country that is very attentive to the seasons. There are special words in Japanese for the first snow of the year, when the rice paddies turn yellow in the summer and so on.  In English it would take many words to describe the things happening in nature, that just take one word in Japanese. I enjoy being able to experience the four seasons.  I can eat various things as well as enjoy different activities according to the season;snowboarding in winter, picnicking under the cherry blossom trees in spring, eating kakigori(snow cones)in the summer while watching fireworks displays, and eating chestnuts in the autumn while taking a drive to see the changing colors of the fall leaves.  The interesting thing about Japan is also that they make special foods according to the season. For example, you can find wisteria soba noodles in the spring because wisteria is in bloom then. Many fall desserts and rice dishes contain chestnuts because they are in season. 

If you can get what ever you want to eat year round why would you care to eat with the season?  Well, seasonal fruits and vegetables are more nutrient dense, tend to be tastier, and are more economical.  When you buy something out of season, that fruit or vegetable is traveling a long way to make it to the supermarket near to where you live. That is expending energy on fuel, labor, etc.  and taking away support for the local farmers in your area.  Eating with the season also allows you to eat locally and support your local farmers.  Furthermore, as I mentioned above Chinese medicine values seasonal eating as a way of preventing illness and regulating good health.

As the seasons turn, I want to make various posts about what is in season. According to Chinese medicine winter is a time to eat protein rich foods, stews, soups, glutinous rice, sesame, and hot foods.  It is not the time to eat raw food as raw food cools the body too much.  Some salt is good but bitter flavors are the best for winter. Winter is a time to slow down and build up your body’s nutrient stores.  Ginger and cinnamon are good spices for generating heat in the body.

Winter Vegetables and Fruits

artichokes

avocados

bananas

boy-choy

broccoli

brussels sprouts

cabbage

cauliflower

chestnuts

cranberries

grapes

grapefruits

kale

kiwi

komatsuna

lemons

lettuce

mizuba/mizuna

mushrooms

oranges

parsnips

pears

persimmons

pomegranate

radishes

snow peas

squash

sweet potatoes

watercress

leeks

January 20, 2012 Mochi-Rice Cakes

Happy New Year! 2012 has come around and I had my first Christmas and New Year’s celebration in Japan. Though I have lived in Japan since 2007, I always travel abroad at this time. 2011 was a big year for me. I got married in September and then in October our son was born, so foreign travel was off the list, though I am hoping that we can be abroad next year.  Because my husband is Japanese, we celebrated in a semi-traditional style with his family. 

 New Year’s is one of the most important holidays in Japan. Starting at midnight on New Year’s Eve until the third of January,it is custom to go to a shrine or a temple to give thanks for the previous year and pray for a good upcoming year. When we went on the first, I was surprised to see long lines of people waiting to pray.  At the temples and shrines you can buy fortunes that give you advice and tell you about your luck, as well as various talismans to protect your home, ensure safe driving, and so on.  They also serve a drink called amazake that could be compared to the sweetness and thickness of egg nog, but without all of the spices.  It is made from rice. 

At the shrine that we went to, where you pray, there was a giant kagami mochi. It was a bit comical,because it looked as if people were praying to the mochi.  Kagami mochi is a decoration that you put up on the 31st and then eat on the 10th.  The kagami mochi at this shrine was on the news for being the biggest in Japan.  So here we have the point of this entry, mochi.  Mochi is made from pounded glutinous rice.  It comes in various flavors such as black bean and konbu(kelp).  My husband’s father is from Toyama. In Toyama it is custom to eat these kinds of mochi. His mother is from Sendai, and the custom there is a little bit different. They usually eat plain mochi with a variety of toppings such as kinako(soybean flour), macha(green tea powder), and anko(sweetened red bean paste) that I want to share in this post.  Mochi is known for being a good food for those who are ill because it is easily digested. It is also said to be good for promoting lactation and it is thought to be a stamina food.  When you buy mochi it is usually really hard and then when you cook it, it becomes very soft and stringy, almost like cheese. 

Easy Ways to Eat Mochiもち!

1.  Kinakoきな粉, Anko餡子, and Matcha抹茶 topping mochi! First put your mochi in the oven, on a grill or in a toaster oven.  You do not need to flip the mochi. Wait until it puffs up and then you are done and it is time to put on the toppings and eat! In a toaster oven, it only takes about three minutes.  After it has puffed up, roll your mochi in one of the three toppings listed above.

2.  焼きもちYaki Mochi. Yaki mochi is prepared the same as above but when the mochi puffs up you put a little soy sauce on top and wrap it in nori (laver) seaweed.

3.  Ozoni-Here is a link to a vegetarian ozone soup recipe.

http://theflirtyguide.blogspot.com/2012/01/vegetarian-ozoni-mochi-soup-recipe.html

4. Oshiruko/Zenzai-This is a sweet soup made with adzuki beans and mochi. It is a dessert.

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/mochi/r/oshirukorecipe.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Iy-0ncwzlA

5. You can also cut up mochi and add it to nabe, fried rice, okonomiyaki, or in any other soup that you like. My husband makes a delicious creamy soy milk soup that has pumpkin, leeks, cabbage, and mochi in it.  It you cook mochi for a long time it really thickens your soup and gives it a creamy texture.  Have fun and experiment with eating mochi is a variety of ways.  You can even bring it to a barbecue and cook it on the grill.

May 16, 2011 Vegetarian Nutrition Basics

        Being a vegetarian in Japan will require some efforts on your part. While you can buy some vegetarian prepared foods at super markets and find things at restaurants you will find you are on a diet of mainly rice and noodles unless you cook at home. Vegetarianism is a new concept in Japan and is not well understood yet. I am hoping to introduce foods to you that you can cook at home as well as introduce you to foods that you can find when you dine out. I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian so I do eat milk and egg products, but I do not eat meat or seafood. I will give recommendations to those of you who are vegan, although I will warn you that it is even more challenging to be vegan in this country. I am not a doctor so I am not an expert on nutrition. I just would like to share with you helpful information that I have collected along the way. The important things to take into consideration when having a vegetarian lifestyle are protein, iron, calcium, B12, and omega 3 oils.

PROTEIN (Intake one gram for each kilogram of body weight each day.)

  • Yuba- Yuba is a by-product of making soy milk. When making soy milk, the milk is heated to a very high temperature. This makes a layer gather on top of the milk. This is used to make yuba. Yuba is very low in fat and high in protein. You can eat sashimi yuba with wasabi and soy sauce or you can find fried yuba. You can add the fried yuba to stir fries or soups, or eat it with wasabi and soy sauce.   

  • Tofu-Tofu is made from soy beans. In Japan, you mainly find soft tofu or deep friend tofu. You can also find a tofu called abura age.  It is deep-fried and forms a pouch. You can fill the pouch with things such as rice or vegetables.  You can add soft tofu to stir fries, soups, or just eat it plain with soy sauce, ginger, or wasabi.  You can also find dried tofu. This can be added to soups.

  • Natto-Natto is fermented soybeans.  It has a very strong, smell much like blue cheese and is very sticky and stringy. It is very good for your health, as it lowers blood pressure, strengthens bones, and stabilizes blood sugar. Japanese people usually eat on rice or in a rolled sushi form.

  •  Beans- It is very easy to find adzuki beans, chickpeas, and soy beans. Other types of beans can be found at supermarkets geared to foreign buyers but they are a bit expensive. If you find already prepared beans at the supermarket you will find that many times, they are already seasoned with sugar. It contrast to the savory seasonings commonly used in Western countries.
  • Fu (Wheat Gluten) I have had some difficulty finding wheat gluten here but I have sometimes come across it when I go to a restaurant. Wheat gluten is made from wheat and is high in protein. You can achieve meat like texture without using meat by using wheat gluten. If you have difficulty finding it in the super market you can order it online. The foreign buyer’s club or Alishan are good places to find vegetarian or foreign goods. Here are the links to those websites.

http://www.fbcusa.com/cs/index.php

http://alishan-organics.com/

  • Textured Vegetable Soy Protein(TVP) While I have been unable to find this in a basic market you can find it online at the sites posted above. You can achieve a texture like ground meat. It is good for making veggie burgers or veggie lasagna.

 

  • Miso-Miso is made from soybeans. It is a fermented food.  There are various kinds of miso. There are varieties that are used to make soup as well as varieties that are eaten with raw or cooked veggies. It is high in protein and a good immune system strengthener. Japanese people eat miso soup with breakfast very morning.

  • Nuts- You can fins a variety of nuts here and nuts are high in protein. If you are watching your calorie intake you should be aware that nuts are very dense in calories. You may  prefer to eat them sparingly by adding them to oatmeal or salads.
  • Tofu Lees (Okara)-Okara is a white powdery substance that is a by-product of making tofu.  It is soy bean husks.  It is high in fiber and protein.  You can use it to make veggie burgers, put it in soups, or use it to make vegetarian gyoza or korokke. I will introduce korokke and gyoza later when I discuss Japanese food in further detail.

IRON (15mg/day)

When trying to get the most iron from the food you are eating you should combine it with a vitamin C heavy food or beverage. It will help with the absorption of iron. You can combine it with orange juice, or tomato juice to increase your absorption.

Red wine and caffeine reduce your absorption of iron, so this should be taken into consideration if you are trying to maximize your iron absorption.

  • Grains:cream of wheat ( I have never come across it in the super market so I would recommend buying it online.),whole wheat bread,oatmeal,brown rice
  • Nuts and Beans:pumpkin seeds, pistachios, tofu, chick peas, soy milk
  • Veggies and Fruits:potato with the skin, watermelon, green leafy veggies, beats, peas, green beans, broccoli, dried dates, raisins, sea vegetables
  • Spices:thyme, curry, cinnamon, garam masala, rosemary, paprika, sesame seeds
  • Others:molasses

CALCIUM (1,000mg/day)

If you are ovo-lacto you can get calcium through yogurt, cheese, and milk. In addition to that you can get calcium from the below. Vegans can get calcium from the below sources as well.

  • Veggies:dark green leafy veggies, boy choy, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, okra
  • Nuts:almonds
  • Spices:celery seed, dill, fennel, cumin, coriander, caraway, anise, mustard seed, peppermint, fresh basil
  • Other:soy yogurt, beans, molasses

B12 (2.4mcg/day)

There is some debate over vegans adequately in taking B12 without a supplement. While B12 is found in seaweed, miso, and algae many people say that it is not adequate and should be supplemented.

  • For ovo-lacto vegetarians B12 can be obtained by eating cheese(particularly Swiss and mozzarella), eggs, yogurt, whey powder, and yeast extract spreads like Vegemite or Marmite.           

 

OMEGA 3 (1.1 grams)

  • canola oil, flax oil/seed(never heat this oil), hemp oil( never heat this oil), pumpkin seeds, soybeans, soybean oil.

HEALTHY FATS

  • avocados, soy nuts, seeds, olives

 

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