Lotus Root Chips 蓮根の素揚げ

Here's a quize.

I am a vegetable.

I am long.

My flesh is white.

My skin is beige with some spots.

Do you know who I am ?

You don't know ?

Then, with these clues below, I guess many of you would know who I am.

I  grow in the muddy water.

I have lots of holes in my body.

Yes, I am

Another picture of me.

Renkon/ Lotus Root !

The Renkon season has come at last. 

You may be able to find it all the year round, but we can harvest it only from the autumn to the winter in Japan.

Unlike the vegetable I introduced before, Renkon does not grow in my town.

Therefore I have to buy it from my regular net shops that purchase the Renkon from the regions which cultivate them.

Renkon is considered very good for the resparatory organs, and effective to relieve the symptoms such as coughs and inflamation of lungs. 

We can enjoy different kinds of textures depending on how we cook it.

It is crunchy if we par-boil it for salad, and is crispy if we fry, and it can be  even chewy  if we steam,grill or fry after grating it.

In Macrobiotics we eat it even as a medicine, and have some recipes to maximize the effectivness of Renkon.

But there's one thing that I'm concerned .

The absorption rate of radiation is quite high compared with other vegetables.

Therefore I always buy it from the shops that conduct radiation check constantly, and consume it not as frequently as before.

However we do not have to  worry much as long as we stick to the good eating and cooking habbits.

For example, brown rice that I eat every morning can detox the poison to some extent,

Eating organic and fresh vegetables are powerful to revatalize our bodies compared with chemically raised weak vegetables,

Not eating processed food full of additives,

Washing and soaking the vegetables thoroughly,

Removing the scum thoroughly during  cooking etc. etc....

In these ways, we can always minimize the risks of not only radiation but also of other harmful substaneces which may weaken our body and cause our illnesses.

All right, I am introducing you the savory " Renkon Chips" today !

It is crispy and yummy.

I am sure you'd love it too !

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タグ：れんこん れんこんチップス マクロビオティック ビーガン Lotus Root Japanese cooking macrobiotics Vegan

Ginko nut and Hijiki mixed with sesame 銀杏とひじきの和え物

 日本語のレシピは　最後の方に　載っています。

 

The summer has ended and sentimental season has arrived in Japan.

The leaves are turning to pale and some are already falling.

The trees appear to be lonley wearing less leaves.

On the contrary our appetite grow bigger during this season.

Luckily we can harvest lots of staples such as rice, nuts and  fruits, which can satisfy our stomachs and hearts.

The rice  is ready to be harvested.

 The perssimmons' color is  getting orangier and orangier day by day.

The persimmon leaf is so colorful and beautiful.

 I picked up the chestnus which were still sitting comfortably in their husk.

 The Cosmos are at their best now and blooming everywhere in my town.

Isn't it wonderful ?

The nature always blesses us with her profound love if we follow the rule of the universe.

All right,  now I am going to pass you one of my nut recipes.

Which nut do you think I am going to show you today ?

It has double layered shells, and is protected tightly inside.

If you walk towards the tree, you'll notice its exsistance from quite far away as it smells so strong.

Its leaves are green until early autumn, but change to beautiful yellow color by late autumn.

The shape of the leaf is very unique and looks like a Japanese fan.

The nut tastes a little bitter.

If you are a Japanese food lover, I am sure that you have seen it in Chawanmushi.

I guess by now you know the answer.

It is ...

Can you tell what they are ?

Here's a closer look.   They are fallen off the tree and sitting still on the ground here.

Yes, they are ginko nuts.

Do you know that there are female ginko nut trees and male ginko nut trees ?

And only the female trees can bear the nuts.

It is easy to pick them up, but you have to be careful, as the first layer of the shell that we have to touch when we pick them up  can irritate our skin quite badly and you might have rashes on your hands.    So I advise you to wear gloves.

The ginko nuts have to be soaked in the water overnight.

The next day, peel off the first layer shell with the gloves on.

This layer is supposed to be very soft. (and also very smelly)

After removing the first layer,  dry them under the sun for a few days.

 The inner shell is hard unlike the first layer.

When you eat, crack the hard outer shell with the pench or the hammer, and cook in the boiled water, roast in the skillet or fry with the oil, in a way you want.

I have a special instrument to crack the ginko nust shell.

 

This is very useful when you have lots of nuts to crack.

Well, I am now passing you a very healthy ginko nut recipe.

Here you go !

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タグ：さやいんげん 銀杏 ひじき 胡麻 胡麻和え マクロビオティック ginko nut hijiki SESAME soy sauce mirin tahini macrobiotics Vegan

柿と蕪のサラダ

今年は　栗も　柿も　柚子も　大豊作です。

木の実や　果実が　豊作だと　心の中も、豊作気分になって　安堵感のようなものを感じます。

生き物としての　本能でしょうか？、、、

 

紅葉している　柿の葉も、たくさん落ちていて、目を引きます。

紅葉した柿の葉って、本当に　きれいです。

1枚、1枚の葉が　いろんな色合いを持っていて、秋の情緒を盛り上げてくれます。

見つけるたびに　思わず　拾い上げてしまいます。

そして　家に持ち帰り、翌日も　また　思わず　拾って持ち帰りを　繰り返している毎日です。

(残念ながら　その色合いは　翌日になると　色あせ、前日ほどの輝きがなくなります。）

 

柿の葉も　いつもの年より　きれいに見えますが、実の方も　今年は甘みが強く、味も濃いような気がします。

おいしくって、一個では食べ足りず、もひとつと、手が伸びてしまいます。

 

でも、よく言われるように、柿は　お腹を冷やしてしまので、食べすぎは要注意なんですけどね、、、。

おいしい柿をたくさんいただいたので、何か　お料理できないかなと、いろいろ試みてみました。

その結果、生の柿は、野菜と一緒にサラダにするのが一番合うなあと　思いました。

以前に　柿と水菜のサラダを紹介していますが、今日は、私の大好物の野菜、蕪といっしょにサラダにしてみました。　

水菜と柿のサラダは、くるみとドレッシングソースで　和えましたが、

（そうそう、このレシピには　玉ねぎの　うす～い薄切りも加えるのですが、レシピには、書き忘れています。　これから作る方は、玉ねぎを加えてみて下さいね。　）

今日のこのレシピは、もっとシンプルで、お塩するだけです。

と言っても、おいしい料理には、必ず　コツというものがあります。

ですから、おいしい蕪と柿のサラダを作ってみたい方は、どうぞ、こちらから　レシピをご覧くださいね。　

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タグ：柿 蕪 柿サラダ 干し柿 ビーガン料理 マクロビオティック料理 秋のサラダ 柿の葉

Chesutnut Soup 栗スープ

 

（ 最後の方に　日本語で　栗スープのレシピが　書いてあります。）

Chestnut, chestnut, chestnut...

I see abundant of chestnuts fallen on the ground this year.

Whenever I see them while I am taking a walk, I am tempted to pick them up though I know that I am not supposed to do so.

I must confess that I picked up  a few quickly  and let them accompany with the aorns and husk tomatoes that I picked up previous days on the counter of my living room. 

It was a joyful moment.

And they make me happy.

Last sunday, I had an occasion to pick up chestnusts freely getting permission  from the owner of the trees. 

Yes, I picked up so many of them, merrily like a small child,

saying "Ouch! Ouch !" now and then when I touched the husk by mistake.

 

But when I was back home and spread them on the floor, I realized I was too greedy.

I had to spend hours for preservation and for cooking,  removing the shells and peeling the inner skins.

Anyway I love chestnuts !

I like to eat the steamd chestnuts most.

To me, it is the easiest method to prepare and also to eat.

Just place the chestnuts and water in the pressure cooker and apply pressure for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the chestnut.

(You do not need to remove the shells for this.)

And wait until the pressure is released. 

You can cut the chustnut into half and dig out the flesh with a spoon to pop into your mouth.

I tranform them into other dishes too.

Steamed glutinous rice with chestnuts,

 chestnut cream,

 chestnut cake,

Chestunut doughnuts

This year I added lots of them into my moon cakes.

Oh yes, I make moon cakes every year after coming back to Japan as they are not available here.

However I have never been satisfied with my moon cakes yet, so I still can't introduce them in my class.

I've been experimenting this and that, as I do not want to use lye water, so much oil, and the eggs for glossing.  

Well, I hope I can suceed in making much healthier and beautiful looking moon cake one day.

Today, I am going to share my chestnut soup recipe with you.

Try it when you find chestnuts in supermarket.

(I saw them sold in Meidi-Ya, Singapore around this time two years ago.

But if you can't find them, you can replace  with other starchy vegetables such as potatoes or broccolis.)

Click the following counter to read a recipe of the next page.

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タグ：chestnut Chestnut soup 栗 How to peel chestnut Japanese Autumn 栗の皮むき 栗料理 栗スープ

新生姜のしょゆづけ：身土不二

私が住んでいるこの町の周辺には、有機農法でお野菜を作っている農家さんが　たくさんいらっしゃいます。

ですから、普段食べるお野菜も、料理教室で必要なお野菜も、ほとんどのものは、地元の新鮮な無農薬野菜でまかなえるんです。

四季の移ろいを　肌や目で感じることができて、野菜もおいしく育つ土地で、そんな農家さんにも恵まれて

他の国でマクロビオティックを実践している人には　羨ましがられるような環境です。

マクロビオティック料理では、身土不二と言って、できるだけ身近な所で取れたお野菜を摂ることを 奨励しています。　

1. 自分の庭で取れたもの、
2. 地元で取れたもの、
3. そう遠くない他の県で取れたもの、
4. 国産でも遠いところで取れたもの、
5. ある程度風土が似ている外国で取れたもの、
6. 気候がまるっきり異なる外国で取れたもの、

こんな順序で、身土不二から遠ざかっていきます。

日常的に食べるものは　１番から3番で　作るようにして　

4番から６番は　適度に摂ることを心がければいいんだと思います。

”適度に”　です。

実は、日本人の生活の中にしっかりと馴染んで　

毎日のように摂るのが当たり前になってしまった６番の食品、結構　多いんです。

「コーヒー」は　その最たるもの、

そして「カレー」「バナナ」も、頻繁に食べる人たちが　多いと思います。

日本の風土では　育たないそんな食べ物を　日常的に食べ続けるのは、決して

体にいいことはなく、地球規模で見た場合も　いつかズレが生じてきてしまうと

私には思えます。

おいしさばかり求める　グルメ志向の日本、飽食の日本、

社会のいろいろな問題が取りざたされますが、このような食べ物のことを　社会問題として取り上げられることはありません。

でも、私には、何よりも大切なんじゃないかなと思われます。

食べ物のことを大切に考えて、大事にしていけば、社会のあらゆる問題も解決していくんじゃないかと思います。

飛躍しすぎ！と　思う人の方が圧倒的に多いんだろうなあと思いながら、私が普段思っていること、ちょっと書いてみました、、、。

さて、今月のレシピは、今、どこの農家さんでも　たくさん収穫している新生姜を使ったレシピです。

（新生姜じゃなくても、普通の生姜でもできます。）

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タグ：新生姜 生姜 しょうゆ 身土不二 昔ながらのしょうゆ マクロビオティック 生姜ごはん アカモク ギバサ