Chasen Nasu

Hello! We have clear blue autumn sky almost daily since the last storm on Sunday! I enjoy walking to the station because there is a cool breeze outside :)

However, I am drowsy all the time. Last night, I couldn't stay up to finish my diary. Also, this morning, I couldn't wake up on time! It's too early to hole up...

Anyway, today I want to write about a traditional way to cut eggplant. Why I write this is because I want to translate my eggplant recipe which requires this preparation procedure ;)

The procedure is called "Chasen Nasu".
Nasu is eggplant. Chasen is a bamboo whisk for traditional Japanese tea ceremony called "sado". It is so named because they look similar.

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The image on the left shows the directions.
1. Use small eggplant. Put knife at the stem end, turn around, and make an incision around the stem end.　
2. Remove the stem part by hand. 　
3. Make thin lengthwise cuts in eggplant.
* Pictures are from tepore.
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By the way, there are many other traditional ways to cut and peel ingredients in Japanese cooking! This site shows some examples.

I heard of vegetable surcharge the other day, but still not seeing the effect on the prices. We can still purchase 5 large eggplants (when in season) for 100yen (approx. $1)! Hope things won't get worse all of a sudden...

Today, the gym is closed, so I am thinking of going out for a dinner with my boyfriend! Believe it or not, I go to the gym every day for an hour!!!

You all have a nice evening, too :)

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Tropicana 100% Fruit Sparkling

Hi! Today the high is 86F (30C) again. It is very hot and humid, but we finally see the blue sky!!!

Last night, it rained hard with thunder and lightning. Since the rainy weather made me and my boyfriend depressed, we had a quarrel over a trifling matter outside in the storm on the way back to home from gym :(
I believe we are fine now though...

Anyway, today my co-worker gave me Tropicana 100% Fruit Sparkling. Don't you think carbonated 100% fruit juice interesting?! It was released by Kirin Beverage (affiliated with the US Tropicana) on August 26th. It comes in 2 flavors: "Grapefruit" and "Grapes and Berries". I tried the Grapefruit one and was very tasty and refreshing!

Today, the weatherman said autumn weather is just around the corner! I hope it gets less hot soon :)

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Change in Garbage Collection

Hi! We are still in the 86F (30C) with lots of humidity! But while it's hot, we don't have to wear heavy clothes, which is good!!!

Anyway, how do you throw out your garbage?

We recently had a change in garbage collection. We used to throw plastics and rubber as noncombustible garbage, but from October, those are collected as combustible garbage! (I translated the image.)

The reason for the change is landfill shortage. They say there gonna be full after 30 years, so they need to burn up plastics and rubber. However, some people say that they have actually started to burn up those recently... so we've been meaninglessly separating those for a while... :( Anyway, I hated to separate plastics and rubber from combustible garbage because it's too detailed, so this change reduces my housework!!!

In our area (depending on the cities) garbage should be divided into 7 groups before you put them out. Some items will be recycled. The collection days vary according to the groups and the areas.

*Recyclable*
1. Paper (newspapers, cardboard and magazines)
2. Glass Bottles
3. Cans
4. Plastic Bottles

*Non-Recyclable*
5. Combustible Garbage (kitchen scraps, fallen leaves & branches, clothing, diapers, paper scraps, plastics, rubber, etc.)
6. Noncombustible Garbage (Metals, glassware, etc.)

*Large-Sized Items*
7. Items with any side 30 cm (12 inches) or larger.

We should put out our garbage by 8:00 a.m. on the collection day! Regarding the kitchen scraps, we need to cover garbage bags with fine-mesh nets to keep crows from pecking them open!

I now got used to this garbage rules, but when I first came back from NY, it was a pain in the neck!!!

Okay, I gotta see my orthodontist!
See you again next week!
Have a good weekend :)

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Mango Yogurt Soy Milk Mousse

Hi! Hace mucho calor today again!!! We keep high temperatures of 86F (30C) daily :( I hope cleaners won't start the summer clothing sale now. Because in winter, they started while it was still cold in April!

Anyway, before this hot weather ends, I will translate my "Mango Yogurt Soy Milk Mousse" which was introduced at the very bottom of this page on 8/29.

The recipe is very easy and healthy! You can substitute mango with any other fruit of your choice ;)

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Mango Yogurt Soy Milk Mousse

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 10min + 60min refrigeration time
Number of servings: 4

Necessary Equipment:
blender / mixer

Ingredients:
A
* 100cc soy milk
* 100g (3.5oz.) plain yogurt (unsweetened)
* 100cc fresh cream
* 3 tbsp. honey
5g (0.18oz.) unflavored granular gelatin
50cc water
1 fresh mango or any other fruit of your choice

Directions:
1. In a heat-proof small bowl, combine gelatin and 50cc water. Let sit 5 minutes until gelatin is softened. Microwave, uncovered, on Medium 500 W (50-60%) for about 40 seconds until dissolved. Do not boil. Otherwise you have to discard it.
2. Mix A and 1. in blender until smooth.
3. In a container, place bite-size cut fresh mango, pour 2., cover, and refrigerate for about an hour.
4. To serve, scoop 3. into a serving dish.
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Again, I'm drowsy now :(
Good night!

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The Premium Calpis

Hello! Today's high is 86F (30C) again! This steamy weather makes me very drowsy :( I couldn't stay up to finish my post last night...

Last week, I had Calpis after a long time! Actually, my co-worker gave me the premium one, "The Premium Calpis", to try it out.

Calpis (in carton) is a non-carbonated beverage concentrate. You simply add as much water as you like to suit your personal taste. (Bottles are ready-to-drink!) Calpis holds the top market share in lactic acid beverages in Japan. It is made from high quality non-fat milk with which is fermented with lactobacilli and yeast and then left to naturally mature resulting in a distinct and refreshing taste. It is all natural and doesn't contain any artificial colorants or preservatives.

As you may know or not, export version of Calpis is called "CALPICO" because in English-speaking countries Calpis may sound like "Cow Piss" :(

I used to drink Calpis almost daily when I was small because my mom kept it in the fridge, but I didn't like it that much... It is now improved but it used to react with saliva and leave white clump in your mouth, which was annoying.

I knew that "The Premium Calpis" has been out on the market since last year but I didn't even thought of buying it because of that clump dilemma. However, unexpectedly, "The Premium Calpis" was very delicious. It was rich like a yogurt!!! I hope it will be available overseas someday!

By the way, Calpis concentrate can also be used to create a variety of dishes!
2 years ago, Calpis held a contest and my "Calpis Banana Roll" using buckwheat flour and soy milk won the dessert prize!
Also, I have some more recipes using Calpis! I will list few of them here :)
- Calpis Lettuce Coleslaw
- Calpis Fried Bananas
- Calpis Blueberry Cookies

Next time you go to Asian or import grocery store, look for Calpis and try it out ;)

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Being Healthy

The cold front has moved through and today we finally have no rain! However, the lingering summer heat is so intense that the temperature went up to high 86F (30C)! Too hot for September!!!

Speaking of September, many groceries and commodities prices have increased because of the soaring gasoline and grain prices: Beer, cheese, noodles, beef bowl, refrigerator, car, etc. have increased...

Anyway, very very shocking bad news. On Saturday, my mother-in-law (I'm not married yet thought) was hospitalized after suffering a stroke at a ballroom dance school.
I still can't believe it! She was very healthy, worked hard at her age, and kept up with the housework... Now she can't speak and move! All on a sudden, Why she?! Life is unfair!!! I really hope she recovers. I want to talk to her again like before.

Being healthy (balance in taking care of health?) is not easy.

Today, I lost some contests :(
Very bad start, but I hope I can improve my luck!

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My Accomplishments

For the past few days, it is raining all over the country because the cold front is stuck over Japan. Yesterday morning, the probability of rain was 90%. However, I saw bright sunshine whole afternoon. Strangely, this sunsine encouraged me a lot :) I sometimes believe in probability and give up before trying something, but this shows the hope! Am I over the top?!

Today I will list the rest of my accomplishments this month.

On 8/12, I won My AJI award at Ajinomoto's rice bowl recipe contest using their umamichomiryo. Umamichomiryo is the seasoning that makes the food tasty. It is made of amino acid, which is the tasty flavor of tangle (an edible seaweed). My winning recipe is "Sausage and Vegetable Bowl". I used umamichomiryo to bring out the flavors of sausage and vegetables I used.

On 8/18, my "Japanese Spice Stir-Fried Beef, Mushrooms, and Asparagus" won the prize. The contest was held by Mercian (brewer) and they asked for the recipe that you can enjoy at home with their wines called uchigochi.





On 8/25, I won the outstanding performance award at metabo-help.com. Not the grand prize again... :( They asked for recipes to fight metabolic syndrome and help beat the summer heat. My award winning recipe is "Herb Chicken And Grapefruit Chirashizushi". I used grapefruit because it contains a fat-burning ingredient and it's sour taste goes well with sushi vinegar!

Then on 8/29, my "Mango Yogurt Soy Milk Mousse" was introduced at the very bottom of this page. I didn't win the prize though.

Yesterday evening, I left the gym ealier and that was right! It rained like cats and dogs for few hours when I got home!!! The forecast says the rain continues until tonight or tomorrow. I need to be careful.

I gotta go now.
Have a good weekend ;)

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Yakizakana (Grilled Fish)

Very humid outside! It is only high 78F (26C) but I feel very hot!

On Monday I used the fish roaster that comes with the stove. As seen in the left picture, it is very common to have the roaster in Japanese kitchen stove.

To tell the truth, I have just used it once, maybe few years ago... The reason I don't use it is because you need to wash it after each use... otherwise it smells fishy!

Last week, I won a free sample of grill cobble called "Ecotokukun". Usually we cover the grill plate with water, but you cover it with "Ecotokukun" instead. It prevents dirt and bad smell by absorbing cooking liquid. Also, it has a good insulation, so you can save one quarter of gas usage! Moreover, it cuts one quarter of CO2, which helps improve our environment.


I salt-grilled sanma (Pacific saury) and served with grated radish, lemon, and soy sauce. I always eat grilled fish outside at a restaurant, but now there is no need to hesitate cooking fish at home ;) No bad odor, no cleaning, saves a lot of time!!!

Today I went to the gym again.
I feel like I can go there everyday :)

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It's Not My Day!!!

Hi! I was going to write about my cooking stuff, but I am running out of time!

Today, I went to the gym after work as I planned. My boyfriend told me that he's gonna go out for a drink with his ex-co-worker (which means he doesn't need a dinner), so I did an extra work out! When I went back to the train station, I found the crowd, and it rapidly grew larger!!! Then there was an announcement about the injury accident or suicide which blocked the way home!!! Shit!!! They say they don't know when they can start the train..., so I took a different train, took a bus, and walked back to home!!! It was a two-hour journey! Another work out?! Such things have never happened on me, so I was very upset. Actually, I was carrying a big umbrella with me with my gym and office bags, because the rain was predicted tonight but it was off the mark!!! The forecaster apologized this evening. I saw while I was jogging... If I knew it earlier, I could have left my umbrella at work :( Oh boy!

I just checked the web and found that the train started after an hour! It was a tough decision because it doesn't make any change in terms of the time!!!

I think I let the stress out at the gym but gained again... I'm gonna take a hot bath and forget about all those hassles!

Will write about my cooking tomorrow!!!
See you!!!

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