Umeboshi Miso Paste 梅干しみそペースト

 

日本語のレシピは、最後の方に書いてあります。

It is the midst of rainy season in Japan.

In fact Japanese people do not call this season "rainy season".

It is called "Tusyu" and it literally means "Plum Rain".

What a sweet word, isn't it ?

For me it is indeed a plum season, not rainy season as I live in a town full of plum tress.

It used to be just an unpleasant season before I moved to this town.

But since six years ago, June turned to be one of the exciting months.

You can see how I am excited during the plum season from my last year's entry.

http://kurinascooking.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2016-06-24

Though all the plums were already fallen off the tress,

my home is now full of preserved ume in different forms. 

This year I made four jars of umeboshi/ dried plum preserved in salt.

They are waiting for the red shiso leaves to be accompanied.

I also made some bottles of ume jam.

The best part of jam is actually the seeds.

I love to mix them with water to make into juice.

The most fun moment comes after drinking juice, rolling the seeds in the mouth with my tongue.

The sweet and sour taste can last for some time in my mouth.

I tried the juice with mirin for the first time this year.

Mirin is a kind of sweet rice wine.

Since I totally stopped consuming honey since a few years ago,  I needed to try to make juice with other sweetners.

None of my trials were satisfactory, but this year's mirin version was tasty and I found it goes so well with plum juice.

(You need to evaporate its alcohol by boiling it first if you want to try this method.)

Today I introduce you very simple sauce using umeboshi/dried Japanese plum.

You can keep this for months in your fridge and it is very useful as it goes well with many kinds of vegetables and also with tofu. 

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タグ：Ume Umeboshi Japanese Plum Miso Vegan Macrobiotics Saitama Japan Cooking Class 梅干し　白みそ　きゅうり　大根　梅ジュース　梅ジャム　梅酢　マクロビオティック　ビーガン　料理教室　埼玉

Cucumber and Dried Radish Salad きゅうりと切り干し大根のサラダ

最後の方に、日本語の　レシピが　書いてあります。 

The tomatoes, the eggplansts, the corns, the Edamame/ green soy beans...

Those are all so called "Natsu Yasai", summer vegetables, and now they are in the midst of their season.

Most of the people who enjoy farming grow those vegetables in their gardens in Japan.

Do you know what vegetables grow out of these flowers ?

What about this ?

I guess this is the easy one to guess.

Those are the flowers of the vegetables growing in my garden.

The answers are here in a sequence of questions.

The tomatoes though they are still green.

Yellow pepper

Eggplant named Mizunasu/ water eggplant


The growth of my vegetables are much slower than the others as I do not give any forms of fertilizer, and let the nature take its course.

Among those summer vegetables, the cucumbers are especially now at their peak of their production.

My cucumbers  are growing almost as  same speed as others though they do not look neat like the ones you may see in the shops,  very curled and the top half is thinner and the bottom half is thicker.  

I love such cucumbers.

To me, they look much cuter and more adorable.

The other day my neighbour gave me some big cucumbers saying he should have pluck them the day before, and are now over grown.  

Most of the people who grow vegetables experience this and I often end up having too many cucumbers in my fridge. 

But it is the Yin vegetable and cool down our bodies excessively if we consume too much of them.

What I do with them is to try to cook in ways that turn them into more Yang state.

Today I am going to share one of the cucumber recipes which is not too Yin and make you feel better even on cool days.

All my friends, my students love this salad whenever I introduce it.

I bet you'll also love it !

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タグ：macrobiotics Japanse cooking 切り干し大根 きゅうり Daikon SHISO cucumber フレンチドレッシング 夏野菜 マクロビオティック ビーガン 青シソ

Salad with Japanese Plum 梅干し入りサラダ

梅干し入りサラダの日本語レシピが　最後の方にあります。

It' been rainy in Saitama, Japan as we are in the midst of rainy season now.

It is most wonderful thing about Japan that we have so distinctive four seasons.

Oh yes, it is not something comfortable to feel the humidity  and to have rain day after day.

But I still like this season very much.

Because the plums are fully grown by June and I can see those beautiful green plums everywhere in this town.

Lots of plums fall onto the ground.

Whenever I see those plums on the ground, I am tempted to pick them up.

 

In fact, I picked them up until last year, when I learned that is very bad to do so after having been scolded by the owner of the tree.

Yes, I was scolded, and felt like a small kid who never expected to be scolded by her behaviour which is full of fun.

Later my friend who was brought up in this town told me that she was often told by her mother when she was small never ever fix the shoe lace under the plum trees during this season even if you need to do so.

I think you can guess why...

In order to fix the shoe lace, you need to squat, and that posture looks as if you are picking up the plums !

So I try to close my eyes whenever I see the fallen plums on the ground this year. 

Those plums that I used to pick up are for me to enjoy their aroma, not for cooking.

I put them on the trays, and place them on the tables of all the rooms.   

Their colors turn to yellow and orange day by day, and the fregrance also change, from young sour smell to sweat sour one.

Their fregrance is so fascinating, glamarous and charming, and makes me feel floating up in the heaven.

I love this aroma most of all in this world !!

 "Plum Works" is another attraction for me.

Every June, I make plum juice, plum jam and Umeboshi which is to preserve plums with salt and shiso/red herb in a jar. 

Plum Juice

Umeboshi,  hard green plums transform into this soft red salty plums after being marinated in salt and red shiso leaves.

 

It is a happy moment as just seeing, smelling and handling lots of plums make me feel sooo good!

Umeboshi is ready to eat only half a year later, and it can be kept for hundred years.

All those Umeboshi that I made since I came back to Japan eleven years ago  are placed on the rack in my kitchen in the order of the year.

It is interesting to see them as each year's Umeboshi looks different, and tastes different.

For those cooking purpose,  I buy the plums from the reliable farmers who grow them by natural method or organic method. 

Most of the farmers in this town and near by town use pesticides as it is an industry of the towns and the plum trees have to be protected to be free of insects and not to be infected with common desease that plums are prone to.

The quality for another ingredients for Umeboshi," salt " is also important.

I use Japanese sea salt which is made in traditional way.

Those commercial Umeboshi that are sold in the normal supermarkets are often made with additives , and the salt used is made easy way with unnatural method.

(Same thing can be said for Miso, Japanese traditional fermented seasoning made from soy beans, salt and rice koji .) 

The third ingredients for Umeboshi is red Shiso leaves, which add up different kind of aroma to plum, and also beautiful red coloring.

I like the Umeboshi with lots of red Shiso leaves,

so I take another process to add them though it is an etxtra work.

 Umeboshi is being dried under the sun.  

This is also one of the important process in making good quality of Umeboshi.

Plum vinegar is a by-product of making Umeboshi.

 

This vinegar is so usuful, and it is trustworthy and indispensable ingredient for my cooking.

I am sharing the salad recipe with Umeboshi and plum vinegar dressomg today.

I know that you can get good quality Umeboshi and red plum vinegar at natural food shops in Singapore and KL, Malaysia, so go there to get them rather than Japanese grocery stores.

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タグ：梅干し 梅ドレッシング Umeboshi サラダ Japanese Plum 梅サラダ 梅 キビ 梅酢 キヌア

Shio-koji & Pickles 塩麹と夏野菜の塩麹づけ

(for English recipe, scroll down.) 

 

 

前回のシンガポール、Lohas でのマクロビオティックワークショップのブログで、書き忘れたメニューがありました。

Chay Sym チョイシム - 小松菜のような野菜の　塩麹づけです。

和食が好きという人は、日本で塩麹ブームが　起こっていたことも　ちゃんと知っていて、私がそのメニューに、塩麹づけを入れたのを　とっても喜んでいらしたようです。　

できれば　塩麹を　日本から　余分に持って来てくれないか　とのリクエストもあり、皆さんにお分けできるようにと、前もって作っておいた塩麹、そして　その場でお見せして　持ち帰っていただくためのの　乾燥塩麹を　準備しました。

日本人会の　”豆腐ときのこのキッシュ”　も、お豆腐は　塩麹漬けにしたので、たくさんの塩麹と米麹を　持参することになりました。　


塩麹、地方によっては　昔から使われていたものですが、全国的に使われていたものではないようです。

麹は、日本の調味料には、必要不可欠な食材です。

醤油、味噌、酒、みりん、酢　は、麹があっての調味料ですし、甘酒を作るのにも、麹が必要です。

まさに、魔法のような麹菌です。

最近になって　脚光を浴びるようになった　塩麹、しょうゆ麹 は、家庭でも 手軽に作ることができます。

私もこのブームで塩麹を作り始めたのですが、　今では、塩麹の大ファンです。

第一に、お野菜が　きれいな色合いで漬かるからのが　嬉しいです。

ぬか漬けも、味噌漬けも　おいしんですけど、どうしても色がくすんでしまいます。

でも、塩麹づけだったら、あざやか～な色に仕上がるんですね。

もう一つの塩麹の大きな魅力は、料理の味付けに お塩の代わりに使うと 塩だけでは 決して出すことのできない マイルドな塩加減に なります。

お塩だけでは、味がシャープすぎる、ちょっとだけ甘味料を隠し味に入れたいと　感じた時に、小さじで１～２杯入れると、「これでよし！」という味に　変わってくれます。


そんなスーパーフードな塩麹、簡単にできますから、是非　常備して　お料理に使ってみて下さいね。

作り方は　こちらから～。

　 

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タグ：塩麹 塩麹の作り方 夏野菜の塩麹づけ トマト ズッキーニ きゅうり パプリカ 青菜 Shio koji How to make shiokoji

茄子の味噌炒め / Fried Eggplant with Miso

今年の夏は　いつもの夏より　暑さが厳しいような気がしています。

こんな暑い夏には、陰性な野菜や果物が　食べたくなります。

陰性な野菜？　それ、なあに？　って思うかもしれませんね。

例をあげれば　陰性な野菜とは、トマトにきゅうりに茄子、陰性な果物とは　スイカなどです。

まさに　夏に旬を迎える果実たちです。

ところが、つい最近まで、マクロビオティックでは、ナスやトマトは　食べない方がいい野菜に部類されていたのです。

でも、今では、食べてもいいと言われるようになってきました。

どうしてなの？　真実って一つではないの？　って思ってしまいますよね。

その答えの　キーワードは　陰陽のバランスです。

マクロビオティックでは、非常に大切で、

一般の栄養学の概念にはない　考え方で、

マクロビオティックをマクロビオティックたらしめてるものでもあります。

夏に　これでもかこれでもかと実を実らせる　茄子、おいしく食べたいものです。

ということで、今日は、きっと皆さんにもおなじみの　”茄子の味噌炒め”のレシピを　公開します。

日本人にはおなじみのレシピですが、外国人には　そうでもないので、今回は　このあと、レシピを　日本語と英語　両方で　書き留めます。

世界各国で日本料理として出回るようになった　おみそですが、Miso Soup　以外には　その使い道を皆さん、ご存じないようですので、お味噌の使い方の参考になればいいなとも　思って、このレシピにしました。

It is the midst of summer in Japan now.

"Hah~" this sound comes out from my mouth now and then.

(this is the onomatopoeia for sigh in Japanese.)

Japanese summer is not like the one of my childhood any more.

The tempreture can now go up to nealy 40 centigrade where I live.

Yes, it is extremly hot and humid !

Today, I am going to introduce an eggplant recipe as it is in season now here, and there are plenty of them around me.

In old days, the eggplant was not recommended vegetable to consume as it is considered very Yin in Macrobiotic.   But with this extremly Yang weather, I think it is rather recommended to eat it to cool down our heated body.

Many people living here are enjoying farming, and the eggplant is one of the most popular vegetables to grow in summer. 

Everyday I need to cook them  as my neighbours give me some, and I also harvest my own ones which I planted its seedling for the first time this spring.

It is a fun and also a happiness to pik up the grown up vegetables which I planted the seed by myself.

There are plenty of ways to cook eggplans.

Nukazuke- pickles marinated in rice bran and salt mixture.  When they are mixed, the fermentation process takes place in accordance with time process, and it is a true traditional Japanese cooking method which benefits our health tremendously.  (I used the word "true" as I know many people consider non-traditional Japanse food, such as Sukiyaki, Ramen, Pork cutlet  traditional.)

Adding in Miso soup after slicing it to strips,

Steaming it and eat it with soy sauce and mustard paste, or adding into salad,

Making Singapore style curry...etc....

What I am introducing you today is probably the most popular way of cooking eggplant in Japan.

That is " Nasu no Miso itame - Fried Eggplant with Miso".

The combination of Eggplant and Miso (fermented soy bean paste) is perfect.

If you are wondering what else you can make from Miso that is left at the corner of your fridge after making Miso soup, try this recipe,  I bet you'd love it !

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タグ：マクロビオティック料理 甘酒 味噌 青紫蘇 茄子 MISO 茄子の味噌炒め Amazake eggplant macrobiotics Vegan Japanese Food