Comments for Eating Japan!

Comment on How to make homemade miso (shiromiso) by Mathias Purtlebaugh

Mathias Purtlebaugh — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:17:36 +0000

Hey Sparkeysf! Thanks for the questions…

When I got my tsukedaru (wooden pickling bucket) home, I made sure to wash it carefully with warm, soapy water. Then I boiled some water in a kettle and poured it over the inside. That is really all the sanitizing that was necessary. I experienced no contamination issues… just normal mold growth and delicious miso.

Here is my post on the finished product – http://eatingjapan.com/2010/09/12/homemade-miso-decanting-japanese-shiromiso/

I’d love to see pics of the koji you made! I’ve never made koji before.

Thanks again! Hope this helps :)

Comment on How to make homemade miso (shiromiso) by Sparkeysf

Sparkeysf — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:04:19 +0000

Hello, I just noticed that you used a Japanese wooden container for your miso. I just finished making a couple kilos of koji. And, plan to use a container just like the one you have. Did you experience any issues with contamination? Did you sanizize the container? Or, is it not neccesary? I’d love to see pics of the finished product.
Cheers!

Comment on How to make miso soup with sardine stock (Shiro miso no iriko dashijiru) by Mathias Purtlebaugh

Mathias Purtlebaugh — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:04:48 +0000

Oooh, thanks for the heads-up on the Reply button thing… I think I got it working now :P

Good luck with your dashi! If you come up with any interesting variations I would love to know about them.

Thanks again!

Comment on How to make miso soup with sardine stock (Shiro miso no iriko dashijiru) by VT

VT — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:04:04 +0000

Hey Matthias, The reply button is not working but thanks so much for the fast reply. I’ve got a better idea of what dashi is now so look forward to experimenting. Thanks!

Comment on How to make miso soup with sardine stock (Shiro miso no iriko dashijiru) by Mathias Purtlebaugh

Mathias Purtlebaugh — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:54:26 +0000

You *absolutely* can, VT. In fact, most American Japanese restaurants use only katsuobushi dashi. My post on making this dashi is here – http://eatingjapan.com/2010/07/18/how-to-make-basic-dashi-japanese-fish-stock/ , but it is nearly the same as the one you shared, so of course feel free to experiment. You can use any dashi you like, and I highly suggest trying combinations of miso + dashi until you find a pairing that works best for you, either for everyday or for a special meal.

I recommend the shiitake dashi recipe for vegan/vegetarian folks, here – http://eatingjapan.com/2010/10/27/how-to-make-shiitake-dashi-japanese-shiitake-mushroom-soup-stock-recipe/

Thanks for reading!

Comment on How to make miso soup with sardine stock (Shiro miso no iriko dashijiru) by VT

VT — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:59:58 +0000

Hey, instead of using iriko, can you use Katsuobushi? Is one or the other better or are either fine to use? (http://www.lafujimama.com/2010/01/how-to-make-dashi/)

Thanks so much for your how to make miso guide – the pictures helped so much. Will try making it when I get the chance!

Comment on How to make nikujaga (Japanese simmered meat and potatoes) by Mathias Purtlebaugh

Mathias Purtlebaugh — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:21:32 +0000

That sounds really good... thanks for sharing! Shoyu is really just Japanese soy sauce... there are differences in the two, but there are so many different types of each that it is really up to personal preference. Chinese soy sauce, on average, tends to have a stronger flavor, so you may need to adjust for that. As far as cookbooks go, my absolute favorite is "The Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking: A Traditional Diet for Today's World". It is not a very well written cookbook, but it is so packed full of traditions surrounding Japanese cooking that it has been indispensable to me. I cannot recommend it enough. Tons of recipes, too. Another excellent one is "Japanese Homestyle Cooking". Hope you find these helpful! Thanks again!

Comment on Sweet Simmered Shiitake (Japanese pine mushroom) by Mathias Purtlebaugh

Mathias Purtlebaugh — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:40:45 +0000

That’s a good question! You totally *can* use fresh shiitake, however, bear in mind that they will not be nearly as flavorful as the dried. When mushrooms are dried, they take on an intense flavor profile that fresh mushrooms simply do not have. Since this recipe was developed with those intense flavors in mind, it may take some tweaking to get it tasting right. Fresh mushrooms contain a good amount of water, so that will thin the ingredients and weaken the flavor. If you end up trying it, let us know in the comments! I am curious to see how it turns out!

Comment on Sweet Simmered Shiitake (Japanese pine mushroom) by Bena nDR

Bena nDR — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:18:49 +0000

Can’t we substituted dried shitake with the fresh one? Coz I prefer the fresh one.. :<

Comment on Konnyaku kinpira recipe (Japanese yam cake and shoyu) by matt

matt — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:53:07 +0000

cheers, just made this and it’s tasting pretty awesome.

I didn’t do chunks though, i did thin strips – konyaku, carrot, and gobou (japanese root vegetable).
Also would definitely recommend at least a very small amount of red chilli pepper. I just used a half a one, and it adds a lot of character.