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Post by Anna May Belle on Mar 27, 2012 15:41:36 GMT -5
Hello! This is my first post on the Tousando boards, though I've read through them many times, especially the Wafuku section. While I'm not involved in SCA myself, I've recently become involved with a similar group called Way Of The Sword, a boffer group in Florida. While they do have some other cultures involved (Vikings, Romans, etc), the primary cultural influence is Japanese. At the moment, their level of Japanese authenticism has been on the level of 'weaboos who hit each other with foam sticks'. I was invited into the group as a cultural adviser, to elevate them to the level of 'Japanese enthusiasts who hit each other with foam sticks'.
At our most recent practice, our Shogun's consort mentioned to me that at the last campout, she spent the whole weekend cooking for the clan, and she was hoping some of the other ladies would pitch in at the next campout in June. Her back is in horrendous condition, so I can't imagine how anyone could ask her to be on her feet over a grill all weekend.
The issue we've come upon is that their camp ground has very few resources, and allows for very few to be brought in. Anything that must be kept cold must be able to last in an igloo cooler, or be bought once we get there. There is no electricity, no open flames are allowed, and the only cooking surface they're permitted to use are the grills installed at each camping space. A cursory search on the internet revealed no results, so I decided to come here to ask...
What are your favorite Japanese recipes, cooked only on an open flame, to feed roughly 30 people on the cheap?
I know, it's a tall order, but I figured I'd ask! ^^ Any help infusing this bunch with a little Japanese culture would be much appreciated!
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Mar 27, 2012 17:23:47 GMT -5
Here are two you can make ahead of time and eat cold at the event:
Onigiri, made ahead of time. Use sushi rice, stuff with umeboshi or other pickled veggies.
While not period, I shred teriyaki-marinated chicken into my rice pot and form into balls by hand. It makes a nice protein hit for active folks and my friends have pronounced it "crack," so I end up making it a lot. If you put it into plastic containers while the rice is still warm, the condensation inside the container will keep it from drying out. I've had it last several days in a cooler this way. (Don't pack in zip locks - it's too easy for them to get squashed against each other and lose their shape.)
Soba noodles can also be prepared the night before and kept cool in zip lock bags. Just add a some sliced green onion or furikake seasoning and a little dipping sauce.
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Post by Anna May Belle on Mar 27, 2012 17:55:34 GMT -5
I appreciate the starting tips! I just recently found out at their last campout, they ate alfredo pasta, spaghetti, hotdogs, and the like. I think this will be a good way to infuse a little culture (and nutrition) into their diet. The onigiri could also be especially good for day two or three of the camp out; us gals can be making riceballs starting after breakfast while the menfolk are beating each other with padded swords, and have onigiri ready for them by the time they return.
By the way, I must say on a personal note, your website has been a godsend for us! Our group has already gotten inspired by your writings on homemade taiko, faking fabrics, and the House of Cheerful Monkeys.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2012 7:23:11 GMT -5
As long as you have some way to boil water, you can make soup! Take a small bowl, put a dollop of miso paste in the bottom and mix in about a tablespoon of bottled soup base (ask for "tsuyu" at the grocery). Then, add a few cubes of tofu and some dried wakame seaweed. Stir in boiling water until the bowl is mostly full, then top with some shredded scallions. Miso soup! Buy frozen udon noodles at the grocery. These come as a stack of single-serving packages. Put a single package in the bottom of a small pot, and add just enough water to cover. Put this pot over the fire until the water boils. Chop up some vegetables like scallion, radish, carrot, seaweed, mushrooms (dried shitake mushrooms last forever and can be reconstituted as needed), etc. When the noodles are ready, pour the noodles and water into a large bowl and stir in two tablespoons of soup base. Add some of the chopped vegetables. Then add tofu, shredded cooked meat, egg (raw would be traditional  , but scrambled is fine), sliced kamaboko (fish cake), or whatever for protein. Serve! One thing I've been meaning to try is to make the noodles to order, and provide the "mix ins" as a salad bar kind of thing so that people could customize their noodles to taste. |
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Post by Sō Haruko on Mar 28, 2012 10:17:53 GMT -5
Pickled veggies are also a good choice -- the extra salt and vinegar helps to keep them preserved. Since you have access to coolers, it wouldn't be hard to make some a day in advance and bring them in that way. I've found most of the recipes in _Easy Japanese Pickling_ to be just that, and they're very tasty. You can find it on Amazon here: www.amazon.com/Easy-Japanese-Pickling-Five-Minutes/dp/4889961135/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332947473&sr=1-1My favorite recipe from there is super-easy, but has a very short make-ahead time -- make them no more than an hour before you eat, or they get too soggy. Take radishes. Cut an X in each radish as deeply as you can without breaking it. Stuff the radishes with a mixture of miso paste and minced garlic. Wait half an hour for the radishes to soften slightly. Set them out and watch them disappear. (; |
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Post by Anna May Belle on Mar 28, 2012 11:01:26 GMT -5
I appreciate the tips! I'll price some of the ingredients at an asian grocer around here and see what we can swing. The clansmen will be paying $35 each, but I think that's expected to cover carpooling gas, lots and lots and lots of bottled water, food for three days, sunscreen, bug spray, stocking the first aid kit, and any other necessary goods.
I may also give kasutera a shot.
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Post by solveig on Mar 28, 2012 20:15:36 GMT -5
As long as you have some way to boil water, you can make soup! Take a small bowl, put a dollop of miso paste in the bottom and mix in about a tablespoon of bottled soup base (ask for "tsuyu" at the grocery). Then, add a few cubes of tofu and some dried wakame seaweed. Stir in boiling water until the bowl is mostly full, then top with some shredded scallions. Miso soup! You can leave out the soup base if you get miso with "dashi" already in it. The label may say "dashi iri" or something like that. |
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Post by Anna May Belle on Apr 4, 2012 10:18:51 GMT -5
I've been discussing Japanese recipes with the group the last couple of days, and one issue that's come up a few times is salt intake. This is a primarily combat group, who will be running around in armor, in an open field, in Florida, in the middle of the day. Keeping up the water intake is important enough, we don't want to do too much salt into their diets over the weekend, which is a tall order when you're dealing with soy and pickled things. I must say, though, the topics of cold soba/somen and onigiri have gone over quite popularly!
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 4, 2012 11:33:01 GMT -5
I've been discussing Japanese recipes with the group the last couple of days, and one issue that's come up a few times is salt intake. This is a primarily combat group, who will be running around in armor, in an open field, in Florida, in the middle of the day. Keeping up the water intake is important enough, we don't want to do too much salt into their diets over the weekend, which is a tall order when you're dealing with soy and pickled things. I must say, though, the topics of cold soba/somen and onigiri have gone over quite popularly! They do make low sodium soy sauce.  |
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Post by Sō Haruko on Apr 4, 2012 12:41:08 GMT -5
When you're running around and sweating, you're also excreting salt. (Ever wonder why sweat is salty?) Salt intake is actually almost as important as water intake when you're working hard.
I wouldn't worry about the soy sauce and pickled veggies. They'll help replenish the salts you lose while fighting. Make sure folks stay well-hydrated, offer foods that aren't salty (fresh fruit's always a good choice) in addition to foods that are, and you should be fine.
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Post by Anna May Belle on Apr 4, 2012 14:14:35 GMT -5
My experience with low sodium soy sauce has been "What's the point?" XD I also just found out moments ago that at the new camp ground we'll be using, we'll have access to a kitchen and electricity. I would rage, but I'm just happy I get to bring my rice cooker and make use of a fridge.  |
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 4, 2012 15:38:52 GMT -5
I also just found out moments ago that at the new camp ground we'll be using, we'll have access to a kitchen and electricity. I would rage, but I'm just happy I get to bring my rice cooker and make use of a fridge. I have a rice cooker. It's called a lidded stock pot. |
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Post by Sō Haruko on Apr 4, 2012 15:47:34 GMT -5
Last year I spent what sounds like an exorbitant sum of money on an overly excessive fuzzy logic rice cooker (a 3-cup Sanyo), and it was worth every penny of that exorbitant sum. I can tell you that there is nothing better than setting the timer on the cooker the night before, and waking up in the morning to hot fresh rice. A total lifesaver when you're stuck in a hotel room for five days and don't want to eat out all the time. (: Similarly, it does make kitchen prep a lot easier for dinner -- plug it in, fill it up, set the timer, and go do the rest of your dinner without worry and without needing to pay any attention to the rice.
With respect to Saionji-sensei, I did make rice in a saucepan for *years*! And it's not that hard. But it is SO nice to not have to watch the pot *at all* and have the rice be ready and perfect exactly on time, every time.
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 4, 2012 16:05:47 GMT -5
I have so little counter space I tend to be pretty minimal on appliances.
Besides, making rice for one goes almost as fast as with an electric cooker. (I do those in an even smaller pot).
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Post by Anna May Belle on Apr 4, 2012 16:30:59 GMT -5
I just figure the ricemaker method will work better for cranking out lots of onigiri. Cook a pot, dump it out, set another pot up to cook while it cools, and by the time me and the gals are done forming what we've got into triangles and spheres, the next batch should be up! Plus I love my Aroma rice cooker, it handles 8 cups at a time and also has a steamer on top which works great for a lot of things. My favorite is steaming mini potatos!
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, but scrambled is fine), sliced kamaboko (fish cake), or whatever for protein. Serve!
