Eho-Maki

It's time to make a wish again :D

February 3rd is Setsubun. It is the day before the beginning of Risshun (spring season). On Setsubun, we cleanse away all the evil of the former year and drive away disease-bringing evil spirits for the year to come. This special ritual is called Mamemaki (bean scattering). On this day, it is customary now to eat uncut maki-zushi called Eho-Maki ("lucky direction roll") while facing the yearly lucky compass direction, determined by the zodiac symbol of that year.

The lucky direction of the year 2011 is south-southeast. If you eat Eho-Maki facing in that direction it will bring you luck. But just remember you have to eat all without speaking! You can speak after you complete it ;)

This year, since I was busy, I gave up cooking Eho-Maki and bought this gorgeous one last night. Luckily it was at half price!!!

I'm sorry but my darling always must wear the devil mask for the bean scattering. But one year, he was sleeping when I realized...
HEY!!! Wake up!!! LoL.



How to eat Eho-Maki.
He must close his eyes, though!



Good Luck :)

Please click below and vote for me.

My Accomplishments

Hi there! Time flies. As usual, these are my accomplishments in January.

On 1/8, my Edible La-Yu Shimeji received the honorable mention at shio-navi.com. shio-navi.com is the site to search & learn & evaluate about many different kinds of salt(mainly in Japan). They asked for recipes using shimeji mushrooms.


On 1/13, I had a call that I got a place at Marumiya's flavored rice sauce recipe contest. However the result was against my will that I regretted I have tried hard... Those contests are just about the luck of the roll, I know, but somehow I tried too hard... Silly me X(

On 1/14, I won the good idea award at metabo-help.com. They asked for recipes to fight metabolic syndrome using mannanhikari. Mannnanhikari is a rice shaped konjac food. By cooking the rice with mannanhikari, you can save calories (up to 30%)! My award winning recipe is Healthy Tomato Inarizushi.

On 1/17, my Bling-Bling Tuna Natto Roll won the special award at uchinogohan (my home) recipe contest. I like it's gorgeous look :)

On 1/18, I won a prize at the convenience store recipe contest. Not knowing where the result is posted...


On 1/23, my Stir-Fried Potato and Komatsuna (Japanese Mustard Spinach) Hot Miso Salad won the outstanding performance award.



Then FINALLY, on 1/24, I won the IH rice cooker that I mentioned last time. The theme was to create recipes that use GOPAN and the local ingredients. I will write about GOPAN someday later, but briefly saying, it is the bread made from rice grain. I submitted Ago Dashi Gopan Soup. Ago is local specialities in Hirado (Nagasaki). I bought the soup when I visited there :D The result is now posted on Sanyo's website!

I wish I won't get depressed easily. LoL.

Please click below and vote for me.

Cookpad VS Rakuten

Cookpad is the biggest recipe site in Japan, and have 920,000 recipe posts, 8 million visitors per day.

However, in October 2010, Rakuten (Japan's No.1 shopping site: currently 70 million users) have launched the same business called 楽天レシピ (Rakuten recipe) and now they have already reached up to 40,000 recipe posts, 4 million visitors per day.

Rakuten's strategy is an "added value". They give 50 Rakuten points (50 yen) per recipe post and 10 rakuten points (10 yen) per recipe report. Also they offer affiliate services linked to their Rakuten shops. On the other hand Cookpad offer nothing per post. Rakuten now say they will win out over Cookpad by the end of 2011. Their goal is to expand their food market throughout the recipe posts.

Blatantly, Rakuten copied the business style of Cookpad ... But that is the Rakuten's style... They simply snap at a chance to rise.

It may be the time for the change for recipe sites!?

Of course, I made my account at Rakuten to follow the growth of the recipe trade!!!

Please click below and vote for me.