Miso Soup with Eggplant and Okra, 茄子とオクラの味噌汁

日本語のレシピは　ビーガン、ベジタリアン情報満載の　Hachidory から　ご覧下さい。

The long hot summer has closed its curtain.

The autumn wildflowers which I farewelled a year ago has started greeting me again during my walk.

I also meet the various kinds of insects.  The early autumn seems to be the best season for them to live the fullest, some are flying actively, some are hopping joyfully, and some are perching on the grass quietly.

 

My second pleasure in the morning is the breakfast, the regular simple meal that also gives me the energy for the day. 

it is rice, Natto/fermented soybeans with grated radish, green onion and plum vinegar, seasonal vegetable pickles, Nori sea vegetable and Miso soup.

Miso soup definitely tastes better when the air is cooler.

My first sip of Miso soup gives me the great satisfaction.

 This is the plain miso soup without any other ingredients except dashi and miso.  I like this simple miso soup too.

 So I am going to share another miso soup recipe today.

But before going to the recipe, let me talk about Miso for those who are interested in knowing about it.

If you do not need the talk and want the recipe straight away, just scroll down to the next page.

 

Miso is the fermented soybeans fermented together with the salt and grains such as rice and barley which are fermented with koji mold which is named Aspergillus Oryzae in English.

(I’m now not sure if this sentence is appropriate or not to make you understand.)

Miso is a traditional seasoning and consumed daily even in this modern society in Japan.

The most popular miso dish is Miso soup and it often goes with a bowl of rice in Japanese cuisine.

It is also used for marinating vegetables, for seasoning the dishes, even for sweets making.

If you visit the supermarket in Japan, you will see various kinds of Miso displayed.  Some are pale yellow, some are brown, some are dark brown, and all of them showing catchy phrases on the label which might make you more confused, wondering what the differences are.

 

I’m afraid to say this, but unless you can read the description of
the ingredients which are usually written in the small letters on a small label or small area, you cannot know the minimum information about that particular miso.

I very seldom buy miso as I make it myself, but if I need to purchase, I would choose the one that the number of ingredients is three only.   As I mentioned earlier the traditional miso is made from only three ingredients, so all the other items other than those three are something unnecessary (but probably necessary for mass production and mass market.)

I hope my preference could be one of the gauges to decide which one to take for you.

These are my hand made miso.  The older, the miso’s color gets darker.

 

If you want to know more about the differences of Miso in details, and you can read Japanese, visit this page of “Hachidory”, where I contribute my recipes monthly in Japanese.

I am offering “Miso Making and Japanese Vegan Meal” in Airbnb Tokyo Experience. 

In this experience, we make miso together, and I give a casual lecture about miso, and you can also enjoy lunch of my hand made Japanese vegan dishes using miso.

So if you have chance to visit Japan, join me to learn more about miso and also how to make miso.

I hope I can see you in Japan some day !

The recipe that I’m going to share with you today is “Miso Soup with Eggplant, Okra and Fried Tofu” as the eggplants and okra are now seasonal.

But actually you can use any ingredients of your choice to enjoy miso soup.

Here are some examples.

Miso soup with pumpkin, carrot, onion and cabbage

https://kurinascooking.blog.ss-blog.jp/2022-10-19

 

Miso soup with sweet corns, cucumber and tomatoes

 

Miso soup with napa cabbage and fried tofu

 

Miso soup with eggplant, myoga and shiso herb

 

Miso soup with winter vegetables and sake lee

https://kurinascooking.blog.ss-blog.jp/2018-02-02

 Well let’s go to the recipe !

 

 

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タグ：味噌汁 茄子 オクラ 油揚げ マクロビオティック ビーガン グルテンフリー 酒粕汁 かぼちゃの味噌汁 白菜の味噌汁 miso soup dashi Japanese Cuisine macrobiotics Vegan Gluten free Airbnb miiso making

Soup Stock for Japanese Cooking 昆布だしといろいろなだし

日本語のレシピは　ビーガン、ベジタリアン情報満載の　Hachidory から　ご覧下さい。

 

The soup stock called “Dashi” is basic item for Japanese cuisine as most of the Japanese dishes require Dashi in its cooking process.

In traditional Japanese cuisine, the smoked bonito fish or dried small sardine are used together with the sea vegetable called Komobu. 

However in my vegan diet and cooking, I utilize only vegetables to make tasty Dashi.

Today I’m going to introduce you the several ways to make vegan Dashi, and share a recipe of  “昆布だしKobudashi / Soup stock from Kombu sea vegetable” at the end.

Those soup stocks are useful to make miso soup, soup noodles such as ramen and udon, simmered vegetables and so on.

Extend your Japanese cooking experience with those Dashi, and enjoy Japanese vegan food of your own !

 

The leftovers of the sweet corns after consuming the kernels.  
The soup is gentle and sweet, and I use this one almost everyday for making soup or cooking rice during sweetcorn season.

Ref. : Sweetcorn Rice

 

The cores of broccoli and cauliflower and the water used for blanching the flower parts of those vegetables and Komatsuna leafy green vegetables.

Rf.: Vegetable Shiokoji Ramen

 

If the soup is with various kinds of vegetables including root vegetable, just adding a small piece of Kombu is enough to make nice soup as those vegetables release their umami into the soup.

Ref.: Vegan Stew with Sake Lee  

 

 

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タグ：とうもろこし 出汁いろいろ 昆布だし sweetcorns seakelp GlutenFree Vegan macrobiotics japanesecuisine soupstock dashi kombu ブロッコリーの茎 とうもろこしご飯 酒粕汁 塩麹ラーメン マクロビオティック ビーガン グルテンフリー

Crepe Roll ロールクレープ Vegan Gluten-free

日本語のレシピは　ビーガン、ベジタリアン情報満載の　Hachidory から　ご覧下さい。

 

Not cold

The daytime is long

The fresh air in the early morning

The sweet corns

The cucumbers

Edamame

Those are the things that I like about the summer. 

I also like the moment that I see variety kinds of insects early in the morning. 

 

Some are active hopping from the grass to grass, some are flying from the flower to flower, some are staying quietly on the grass. 

The summer is the season that the insects exert their energies to their maximum.  They may not be aware, but they probably are enjoying the moment that they are living in this world.

Even the tiny insect excerts its powerful energy, and it is passed on to me. 

There is a sad culture in Japan.

That is to catch and cage the insects during summer.

These actions are considered good deed and the schoolteachers, parents and adults all encourage kids to do so. 

Maybe it is the most typical summer holiday school project in Japanese prime schools.
That is why you see many nets and cages stuck up on the shelves in the shops in Japan during summer.

 

“Let them be in the nature. 
They never want to be caught nor caged.”

Today’s recipe is not the sweet corns, cucumber nor edamame.

I am sharing a recipe which I frequently prepare for my lunch all the year round.

 

That is “Roll Crepe” or “Crepe Roll” whichever you name it.

It is easy to prepare, economical and convenient.

You can roll anything you want. 

The leftovers that you find in the fridge can be cleared, which would make you feel great too.

This recipe became my standard lunch recipe after I became intolerant to the gluten, and also sensitive to the yeast.
Since this roll crepe is more versatile than the bread, I do not have craving for the bread anymore.

In this recipe I am using the rice flour and buck wheat flour for the crepe dough, but you can use any flour of your choice. 

You just need to adjust the amount of the plant based milk.

Rather than relying on the measurement stated in the recipe, see and feel the consistency of the batter like the photo shown in the recipe. 

 

 

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タグ：マクロビオビーガン クレープ マクロビオティック ビーガン グルテンフリー ビーガン料理教室 子供英語料理教室 マクロビ料理教室 野菜たっぷり 豆腐クリーム ナッツ テンペ ビーガンレシピ Hachidory Crepe GlutenFree macrobiotics Vegan macrobiovegan buckwheet rice flour 米粉 そば粉 ブリットー

Japanese Miso Soup, Vegan ほっこり味噌汁

日本語のレシピは　ビーガン、ベジタリアン情報満載の　Hachidory から　ご覧下さい。

 

What do you like to drink first in the morning ?

 

For me it varies depending on the seasons.

These days I drink that.

I feel like as if I am revitalized when I drink it in the morning.

“Mnnn~, especially the first sip runs through my throat to all parts of my body giving me a great satisfaction.

 

Can you guess what is that ?

 

It is “Miso Soup”.

 

It is the Japanese traditional soup that has been cooked and eaten on daily bases by common people for hundreds of years.  

 

Unfortunately the diet of Japanese people have changed drastically after the world warⅡ, and the consumption of the traditional foods including miso dropped in a same way.

Soybeans playing the vital role in traditional Japanese cuisine

 

Miso, fermented soybean paste that I made

I hear that some foreigners and nutritionist say Japanese food is healthy and that is why the life span of Japanese people is longer compared with people of other countries .  
But I don’t think it is true anymore. 

My parents’ generations grew up with the modest traditional food.  The fridge which can prolong the lives of food, and the processed food which often contain unnatural ingredients were not part of their lives, and the transportations were not developed, therefore what they could eat were the seasonal local food only. 

It must have been very frugal, but what they were eating were genuine natural fresh food free from the chemicals.  

My parents enjoyed the western food and so called unhealthy food when they were grown up, but they had been brought up with the modest food when they were small and young, which built up the healthy physical foundation in them.   They passed away when they were 94 and 95 after leading healthy lives.  

But I don’t think I can be like them as my body does not have a good foundation.   The same can be said to other people of my generations and also to the younger generations.

Yes, we may be able to live as long as my parents’ generations did with the help of modern medications and medical devices, which might be able to prolong our lives somehow. 
However, I think it is not the healthy form of human being to rely on those things to maintain our health.     

I also think it is not sustainable to rely on them, though they are always praised and taken for granted by people and society.

 

I think eating healthy and leading a healthy life since our childhood can make us stronger. 

Rather than spending money for developing those technologies we should spend more for education to keep our body healthy and fit, and also for helping people to change eating habit and their lifestyles.  

 

As an individual we should try to lead our lives modestly, and try to live in accordance with the rhythm of the nature.  

 

Then someday, the fear would shrink in you, and you would not get upset even if you encountered the diseases, problems and whatever you are now afraid of. 

 

The purpose of life is not to become materially rich nor to live long. 

It is to live free from fear and anxiety, and to live happily until we say good-bye to this world.

 

We may need to make some effort initially to attain it, and also need to help others if one’s dignity is oppressed to the degree that it is impossible for him/her to make an effort.

 

I was going to talk about the coffee which successfully took the position of the miso soup among young people.

But I got off the track .

I will talk about it in other occasion.

But if you can read Japanese, visit “Hachidory” where I did not get off the track and finished writing about it.

 

Well, here’s the recipe of  “Sweet Miso Soupほっこり味噌汁”

It is the miso soup that can release the tense from your body.

I learnt this recipe in a macrobiotic school long time ago.

If you search, you’ll find an American doctor is also introducing it as a detox soup, and it seems quite popular among people who are seeking this kind of recipes.

 

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タグ：マクロビオティック ビーガン マクロビオビーガン 甘い味噌汁 玉ねぎ かぼちゃ キャベツ 人参 味噌汁レシピ Hachidory misosoup Pumpkin onion cabbage carrot Japanese traditional food MISO soybeans peach of mind

Spring, Soy and Japanese, Tofu Katsu recipe /豆腐カツ

日本語のレシピは　ビーガン、ベジタリアン情報満載の　Hachidory から　ご覧下さい。

 Fukujuso

The spring has come !

The coldest winter ever for me has finished at last !

The sigh is released from my mouth when I feel the spring breeze on my cheek under the warm sunshine. 

The wildflowers of spring melt my heart.

How beautiful this moment is !

 

I feel like introducing the recipe that matches this feeling.

But I will bring it forward to next month as I must fulfil my promise to write up “Tofu Katsu” recipe this month.

“Katsu” is a Japanese word originated from French word, cotelette which is a meat dish.  It became a popular home making dish after the world warⅡ.  I know that many people recognize “Tonkatsu”, the deep fried pork coated with the bread crumb as a Japanese food.  But it is definitely not a traditional Japanese food.

Japanese people were prohibited eating meat for the period of 1200 years by the rulers.  

It is not exactly correct to say all forms of meat were prohibited and none of the people were eating meat, but the perception of bad image of eating meat was cultivated during this period, so Japanese people developed the food using the plants. 

The soy was one of them.  It must have been the most important source of diet next to the rice.

During those times, there wasn’t such a study like nutrition.

However people knew from their experiences that the rice and the soy give them enough energy to grow and work.

That is why we have the foundation of soy products and variety kinds of soy originated food even now, though quite a portion has been taken over by meat and dairy products.

 

The recipe that I am sharing with you today is “Tofu Katsu”.

It is a tofu dish but is not a traditional Japanese food.

It is an adoption form “Tonkatsu”/Pork cutlet. 

So it looks like “Tonkatsu”, but tastes much nicer than that !

The outside is crispy and the inside is soft and tender !!

 So unlike real Tonkatsu, it is vegan, on top of that, gluten-free, on top of that, non-deep-fry.

As you already imagine, it is much healthier too.

Enjoy it with ready made sauce of your choice, such as vegan Tonkatsu sauce, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, enchilada, or simple soy sauce, of course, it would be even nicer with your handmade sauce.

 

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タグ：Soy TOFU tonkatsu Tofukatsu Japanesefoodculture macrobiotics Vegan plantbased japanesefood 豆腐カツ とんかつ 豆腐 日本人と肉食 春 ビーガン マクロビオティック Spring Gluten-Free 卵乳製品小麦不使用