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

Vegan Gluten-free Peanut Cookies ピーナッツクッキー天使のキッス

 

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。

January is the coldest month in Japan.

I am re-affirming it to myself recently.

But I’m not sure I feel so because it is metrologically really so or because of my age. 

I need to find the methods this and that to make myself comfortable to pass this cold season which I often wish to escape from.   

Fortunately I found some ways and I am still fit and active.  Hooray !!

Japanese New Year finished, but Lunar New Year is coming soon !

When it arrives, the spring is around the corner. 

Hotokenoza, one of the first wildflowers of the year that I found during my walk.

I would be able to smell the spring in the air and find the pretty spring wildflowers on the ground despite of the coldness which may last some more. 

Oinunofuguri, another lovely wildflower of the very early spring.

Today I am sharing a recipe which was created from my fond memory of Lunar New Year in Singapore.

Singaporeans celebrate the New Year with the variety kinds of cookies.  I used to love those cookies and wanted to learn how to make them from the first year I experienced it. 

At that time, internet was not popular at all even in IT advanced Singapore.  So I got most of the information from the newspaper, “Straits Times”.  I used to like to read it and spent hours to read it every day especially for the first few years there.   I learned so many things and got so much information about Singapore from it.  Without it, I probably was not able to actively immerse myself in Singapore. 

I searched “Cookery Class “section of the classified ad of Straits Times and went to learn how to make the cookies mainly from individuals by visiting their homes. 

MRT, the subway was not constructed yet, so I drove wherever I went and learned the map of Singapore too, of course without GPS to guide me.   Oh yes, I was very active looking for something new all the time.   

Though I was brought up in Japan during my childhood and live in Japan now, 21 years of my life in Singapore, starting to work, starting to have a family, starting to have my own business there influenced me so much.   Who I am now cannot be without those days.  

My life in Japan now is very quiet and frugal,  very different from the one of those days, but I can really appreciat what I have now and my mind is always peaceful and contentted.  

I treasure those memories in me as I probably can’t visit Singapore anymore.

Well I should stop my memory talk now…

Enjoy my recipe, the vegan peanut cookies and Baci De Dama (It is a Italian word meaning “Lady’s Kisses” and actually it is the chocolate sandwiched cookies.)

They are very easy to make and very tasty !

But are so fragile, so be gentle whenever you handle them until they go into your mouth !

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タグ：マクロビオティック ビーガン 天使のキッス ピーナッツクッキー マクロビオビーガン 旧正月 チャイニーズニューイヤー 米粉 小麦アレルギー グルテンフリー マクロビオティック料理教室 ビーガン料理教室 Japanese vegan macrobiotics Gluten-Free Japanesecooking Japanesecookingschool Vegancookingclass Chinesenewyear lunarnewyear peanutcookies bacidedama

Potato mixed with Pesto Giapponese 新じゃがの和風ペスト和え

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。

 ♫♬ One potato, Two potatoes, Three potatoes, Four, ♫♬

♩♪ Five potatoes, Six potatoes, Seven potatoes and More ! ♬♫

Do you know this song ?

This is the song that I often sing for small kids.

The lyric is very simple and the sound is rhythmical, so it is easy even for Japanese toddlers to sing along together.

I feel like singing this song more often these days.

Guess why ?

 

Because it is going to be the harvest season of the potatoes soon.

The potato leaves in my backyard look much more vigorous than last few years.  

I am anticipating the bigger harvest this year.  ( Yes, “bigger” not “big”.  My vegetable patch is small, and I could lay only a few potatoes in the soil in early spring. )

I can probably harvest them in fortnight.

The potatoes are sold all the year round in the shops.

But the harvest is usually only once a year, (in some areas twice is possible.) 

The new potatoes are fresh !

When the potatoes are fresh, I like to steam and eat them in simple ways.  

I am sharing one of such potato recipes with you today.

I named the paste that is to mix with the potatoes “Pesto Giapponese “ , following the recipe of “Pesto Genovese”.  

Instead of using Italian basil, I used daikon/white radish leaves this time. 

Actually, any kinds of edible greenery leaves from the wild can be used with no extra cost. 

In this way you can also enjoy the different flavors. 

I made Pesto Giapponese using the leaves of dandelion from my backyard previously and it tasted great too.

 

I also replaced the pine nuts that the original Pesto Genovese requires with the walnuts that I picked up from the riverbank towards the upstream near my town.

You can use any types of nuts but try to choose the one from where you live if it is possible,

and also check the date of manufacturing and make sure that they are fresh. 

Minding them is not only good for your health and well-being,

but also for other creatures and environment.

 

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タグ：くるみ タンポポの葉 オリーブオイル walnut potatoes pesto genovese 大根の葉 じゃがいも ジェノペーゼ 料理教室 ペスト macrobiovegan ビーガン macrotiotics 新じゃが Japanese Vegan Dandelion マクロビオティック

Vegan Shredded Chicken Salad Rice Harvest ビーガン棒棒鶏 新米

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。

October is the month of harvest of rice in Japan.

The diet of Japanese people changed drastically after the world warⅡby the influence of US.  

It became common to eat bread, meat and dairy daily since then, though it used to be rare for Japanese people to eat those foods before.  

The diet was westernized in short period by the government policy. 

 

Yet the rice still exists as a pillar of our diet.

The rice grains are hung for drying. 

The pastoral scene like this is rare and precious nowdays. 

I am very lucky to be able to see and purchase the sun dried rice in my neighbourhood.

I think one feels something missing if hshe finishes the day without eating rice at all.   

Japanese people are generally very particular about the quality of rice.  When you go to the normal supermarkets, what you can find in the rice section are usually only Japanese short grain rice.  But there are lots of varieties under different brands, which may make you wonder what the differences are.   

They are often categorized by the seeds and the prefecture where they were grown.   Each prefecture or region has different climate, different water, different humidity, different soil, different air, and all of those affect the growth, the taste and the texture of the rice grains.

I was born and raised in Akita where the rice quality is considered excellent.   However I still remember the moment that I first tasted the rice of Niigata prefecture at a small inn in ski resort, it was sooo good.  It tasted much better than the rice I had been eating.

Since then I sticked to Niigata rice whenever I purchased.

When I moved to Singapore, Japanese rice was not available there, so I had to go for either American short grain rice or Australian medium grain rice.   Their textures and tastes were very different for me.
I needed to find the methods to cook them to the satisfactory texture somehow, and eventually I found they can turn out to the similar texture as Japanese rice when I used the pressure cooker to cook.

 

The time passed, and after learning Macrobiotics, I stick to the philosophy to lead a life the way the nature intended which is to eat locally and seasonally.  Though I’m in the situation where I can buy Niigata rice easily, I eat the rice raised where I live.
I now know how to cook this local rice to its maximum level, which is also most suitable texture for me.
I came to think it is not only the kinds of seeds and the places of production which determine the quality of rice but the methods of preparation greatly affect the outcome. 

(In my online class in October, I am sharing the ultimate method of cooking brown rice.  Check the website if you are interested in learning how to cook the brown rice in the clay pot.　)

 

I just had my first shinmai rice（literally means new rice), yesterday.

Shinmai is a delicacy, and it is such an exciting moment to open the lid of pot after cooking.

“Beautiful !”  It looked much shinier than the one that I was eating until the day before.

I made lots of onigiri to enjoy this shinmai.

I think onigiri is the best rice dish to appreciate the umami of rice.

 

(Some of you might think why I made onigiri with polished white rice, but not with the brown rice. 

I eat brown rice together with miso soup for breakfast everyday but I want different types of rice for other meals, and I also simply want to enjoy shinmai with polished rice for lighter texture. )

 

Onigiri Lunch of soup, pickles and salad for my family

Simple typical  Japanese meal

Inside the pot is the soup with lots of seasonal vegetable.

Onigiri recipe was introduced already some time ago.  So visit this page if you want to learn how to make it.

 

This month recipe is again mock chicken dish to collaborate with Hachidory to promote the campaign to be compassionate to chickens.

(Visit my previous post for another vegan mock chicken dish, “Torisoboro”)

I am using the abalone mushroom to get the similar texture of shredded chicken.   It is salad with cucumber and sesame-based dressing.  Some of you may be familiar with the name of Chinese chicken dish, Bangbang Ji 棒棒鶏. 

The cucumber season is going to finish soon in Japan, so try it before the natural open field crops are out of your sight.

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タグ：Japanese vegan マクロビオティック Vegan chicken 棒棒鶏 Vegan Bang Bang Ji Abalone mushroom 新米 ビーガン棒棒鶏 エリンギ ビーガン料理 きゅうり macrobiotics Onigiri 米 おにぎり Japanese rice cucumger