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Post by Nagamochi on Jun 8, 2007 1:45:21 GMT -5
I have been kindly invited (read strong-armed by local baroness and cooks' guild) to present some tasty Japanese nibbles for the Baronial Open House on Friday evening of the Warriors and Warlords event in my kingdom.
As such I care to present 2 appetizer or snack type dishes. I already plan to bring abure-age: fried tofu pockets stuffed with garlic, scallions, and sesame moistened in tamari or shoyu. They're quick, easy, cheap, and above all, crowd pleasers.
My issue is trying to come up with a second dish. Though there are no hard set requirements as to what one can or should bring, I care to challenge myself a bit and have a documented period dish. I did some snooping through my own cookbooks and on-line only to find cursory information that wagashi are period, which leaves things still pretty darn vague.
At this point in the game, I'm getting mildly frustrated with the lack of info I'm finding. My big requirement is that I can document this dish as period. Any suggestions?
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Post by Noriko on Jun 8, 2007 14:09:47 GMT -5
Well, my old stand-by is rice balls but they're often quite large and filling, not really snack-like unless you miniturize them. Other snacks could be the ever popular edamame or pickles, though technically, pickled tended to be eaten as part of a meal and not as a snack. I recall reading a Japanese novel in which a character chewed on a piece of dried octopus as a snack and you might be able to find a similar food at a local Asian grocery. You also might find interesting fruits or sweets (adzuki bean pastries etc.) at the grocery as well. Hope that helps!
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Post by Tatsuya on Jun 8, 2007 15:22:15 GMT -5
+1 on the sweets. The azuki bean pastries Nori-hime refers to is probably Manju. You can find it at most asian markets in the mochi aisle. My favorite ones are labelled as "Daifuku". You can get these with and without the kinako (a soy flour sometimes mixed with sugar). Personally I prefer the ones with kinako. It gets a little messy so be careful. The non-azuki bean ones (for those that don't like red bean paste) are labelled "Suama". They often have colorful stripes on them. Either one should prove to be very popular. Now I'm not sure how period the dried snacks are but they are everywhere in an asian market. They are usually very salty and/or "unique" in flavor and require some adjusting for those not used to asian foods. Same with things like takuan (pickled daikon - radish) and edamame (soy beans). You can eat edamame alone like a snack but I am used to eating takuan with steamed rice and a little sprinkle of furikake. It's how my grandmother used to serve it. Just never, ever serve natto.
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Post by solveig on Jun 8, 2007 19:33:34 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! I have been kindly invited (read strong-armed by local baroness and cooks' guild) to present some tasty Japanese nibbles for the Baronial Open House on Friday evening of the Warriors and Warlords event in my kingdom. I am not yet clear about the context. Is this part of an SCA event or not? If it is part of an SCA event, then it would probably be best to at least attempt to bring more or less period stuff. There are two large categories of edibles which are separate from meals: 1. Okashi - These include various sorts of moist sweets: manju, mizu-yokan, &c. and dried sweets which also come in several varieteis and often intended for different purposes. 2. Sakana - (No this not the word for "fish") This is a large class of dishes which are designed to be consumed with sake. Another thing to consider is the actual date of this event. There is a tendency in Japan to coordinate dishes with seasons of the year. Incidentally, while your stuffed abura-age sounds yummy, I have never seen a dish quite like this in Japan. Regardless, I don't have a really clear picture of the event that you are trying to plan for. If you could explain a bit further, I might be able to help a little. Also, is this "pot-luck" affair supposed to serve as a meal? Or you looking for munchies for a party? Also what sort of practical considerations are there? Do these things need to be dry? Hot? Cold? Whatever. For that matter, it is possible to document kakigori to the Heian period. At least if you use Boston-Ivy sap for flavoring. If Boston-Ivy sap is too intimidating, I suppose that you might get away with substituting diluted hachimitsu.
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jun 8, 2007 20:52:40 GMT -5
I have been kindly invited (read strong-armed by local baroness and cooks' guild) to present some tasty Japanese nibbles for the Baronial Open House on Friday evening of the Warriors and Warlords event in my kingdom. If you re-read the original post, Nagamochi-dono clearly states that (A) this is to be served on the Friday evening of a weekend event; (B) he is looking for appetizer or snack recipes (munchies!); and (C) he is looking for a documentably period food.
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Post by solveig on Jun 8, 2007 21:26:21 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! If you re-read the original post, Nagamochi-dono clearly states that (A) this is to be served on the Friday evening of a weekend event; (B) he is looking for appetizer or snack recipes (munchies!); and (C) he is looking for a documentably period food. I know all that. However, that tells me little about the social context or expectations. As for documentably period, the dish which he says that he is planning on bringing does not even appear to be documentably Japanese let alone documentably period. Inciidentally, even though kakigori is documentably period, Sei Shonagon writes about loving the stuff, I am not at all clear that it would be appropriate for the gathering he is planning for. Finally, I am a big fan of manju, various sorts of dango, omochi, ohagi, and mizuyokan, but that is completely another matter. Look. I have at least two books on making "wagashi" sitting in my office. I have at least a shelf or two of books on Japanese food. I have too many options to choose from to make a suggestion without some clarification about what he is looking for. Like does he want something sweet or salty, damp or dry, solid or with an inside and an outside, relatively solid or soupy, &c. Note. We made sweets each month along with all the other stuff when I was in the monthly chaseki cooking group.
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Post by Nagamochi on Jun 9, 2007 2:31:05 GMT -5
Honorable Solveig! As for my first dish that I've decided on, I realize that it isn't period. My main focus for it is that it is a CROWD PLEASER. I cannot emphasize that enough. If you care to look into it further my key recipe for it is in Emi Kazuko's Japanese Cooking, page 190: Stuffed and Grilled Thin Tofu (Abura-age), ISBN 1-84309-430-4. As for the second dish, because as you said the 1st dish is barely Japanese, I want something just a WEE bit more authentic, thus my concern over documenting it. In regards to your concerns over context and expectations, I can see now how my previous post was a bit vague and appreciate your attention to such details. Firstly, for seasonal concerns, Warriors and Warlords (heretofore WW) happens on the weekend after July 4th. The social context and expectations for the open house is a fairly laid back meet and greet style of setup for an average attendence of 150-200. It is a moment for members of the local barony to show off their abilities particularly in the arenas of food and beverage. With everyones' kind contributions I would have to agree that offering something sweet would provide a pleasant counter-point to the piquant spice of my abura-age. Now mind you Solveig-hime, people will be milling around while nibbling so something doused in sauce or soupy wouldn't work. Though something that is finger food, relatively bite-sized, and semi-moist for a hot summer evening would work perfectly. If it can be made a couple days ahead and served cold, all the better. Does this clarify for your needs? Arigato gosaimashite, Nagamochi P.S. Tasuya-dono, why no natto? It slides down the gullet beautifully, no need to chew. ;D www.warriorsandwarlords.org
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Post by Tatsuya on Jun 9, 2007 11:42:27 GMT -5
P.S. Tasuya-dono, why no natto? It slides down the gullet beautifully, no need to chew. ;D Oh geez... I think I'm going to feel sick... (being required to eat natto at a young age made me develop a dislike for it's taste, texture and smell. of course, you could still offer it and laugh as everyone makes that face when they get a whiff of it ;D)
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Post by solveig on Jun 9, 2007 18:29:40 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! Does this clarify for your needs? Actually, it does help quite a bit. It sounds like either Daifukumochi or some sort of dango would work pretty well. In the first case, it would have some sort of powdery outside and be a bit squishy. The dango I am thinking about has a kind of a paste or syrup on the outside, but would be on a stick. In either case, you could make the things in advance. If I recall correctly, and I haven't been back to my office to check yet, the dango would be a bit more "period" for Japan. Incidentally, I do have a commercial wagashi cookbook in my office. However, since it is commercial, the instructions can be a bit sparse. One thing which I am still unclear about is whether you are planning on buying premade stuff or want to try making your own munchies for dish #2.
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Post by solveig on Jun 9, 2007 18:34:24 GMT -5
Noble Cousins! Greetings from Solveig! Oh geez... I think I'm going to feel sick... (being required to eat natto at a young age made me develop a dislike for it's taste, texture and smell. of course, you could still offer it and laugh as everyone makes that face when they get a whiff of it ;D) I voluntarily eat natto, but then I can be weird on occasion. Many years ago now, JC Comics (I think it was) had a series out about a monster Junior High School teacher and his class. In one of the episodes they had an extreme obstacle course for Health Sports Day. One of the things that they tortured the students with was eating natto. I think that uni was another of the things on the comic's ineddible list. Regardless, even twenty years ago, probably less than half the Japanese population still voluntarily ate natto. Regardless, natto has never, to my limited knowledge, qualified as a munchie.
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Post by solveig on Jun 9, 2007 21:23:24 GMT -5
Noble Cousin!
Greetings from Solveig! Well, I'm in my office at the moment, so I thought I would look up July in Sasaki's Chado Saijiki. One of the big ideas for July is to suggest coolness. Regardless, the sweets listed for July are:
Mizubotan Iwamorumizu Hasunekan Isosuzume Chigomochi Chimaki Tomoe Itomaki Nadeshiko Joshinmatsuba
Of the above, I think that Chigomochi would go over well if you like the idea of candy on a stick with a bit of soy sauce or even miso on it.
Hasunekan is basically candied lotus root.
Incidentally, a recipe for Daifuku mochi appears on page 95 of Niimi Koichi's, Wagashi Seiho Zensho. So, I could probably extract it and send it to you.
Another thought, I recently got a copy of "Kitchen de tsukuru chaseki no wagashi". In its section on Summer, it gives instructions for something it calls "warabimochi". It also starts with an introductory collection of sweets to make at home:
Azuki no kinton Ichigo tsutsumi Kuzu no chakin shibori Kuri no chakin shibori
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Post by Tatsuya on Jun 9, 2007 21:42:44 GMT -5
I voluntarily eat natto, but then I can be weird on occasion. Wow. Finding someone who eats natto is rare. Do you eat it plain (like I had to) or with some rice? And yes Solveig-sensei, I would appreciate it if you could post some of these recipies. I would like to try them out.
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Post by solveig on Jun 9, 2007 22:14:18 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! Wow. Finding someone who eats natto is rare. Do you eat it plain (like I had to) or with some rice? Sounds like your parents thought that eating it straight was good for you. Well, I have eaten it straight, but it's much more customary to eat it with rice. Did they at least let you mix mustard and maybe some shoyu with it? The mustard packets are often included in the natto packets after all.I'll see what I can do. How's your Japanese? Also, I think that I would prefer to email them or at least not publicly post them. That's too much like publication, and these books are copyrighted.
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Post by Tatsuya on Jun 9, 2007 22:31:12 GMT -5
Solveig-sensei, very understandable. PM sent.
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Post by Nagamochi on Jun 9, 2007 23:28:33 GMT -5
Preferably, I would want to make them. The idea of this particular open house is to not only showcase the foods and beverages, but also the abilities of the cook or brewer. However, if it comes down to it, such as time or budget do not permit, I'm not wholly above cutting corners and buying pre-made.
With that said, the dango sounds like the first dish I would want to try maiming, I mean, cooking. ;D Food on a stick often gets good attention/PR and is fairly easy to consume without getting messy.
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