It has grown on me!

Thursday, January 30, 2025

How to Cook Datemaki: Perfect for New Year's

As I mentioned in my previous entry, “Traditional Japanese Foods I Ate During This New Year's Holidays,” I made Datemaki (伊達巻) on New Year's Eve. Datemaki is a Japanese rolled omelet made with fish paste and often enjoyed as part of traditional New Year dishes. It was pretty easy to cook using hanpen (はんぺん), a traditional Japanese fish cake. Hanpen is white and has a fluffy texture. Today, I'm going to share how to cook Datemaki with you.

Hanpen (はんぺん)

Ingredients

4 Eggs

110 g of Hanpen

1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Mirin

1 Tablespoon of Sugar

How to Cook Datemaki

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Heat oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Then, pour the mixture into the pan.

Cook one side until it is browned. Then, flip it over, cover the pan with a lid, and cook until the other side is browned.

3. Take it out of the pan and trim the edges to make it square.

4. Place plastic wrap over a makisu (巻きす), which is a sushi rolling mat. Arrange all the pieces on top, as shown in the photo below. Then, roll it up.

Secure the roll with rubber bands. Then, refrigerate it overnight.

5. Remove the makisu and plastic wrap.

6. Slice into 2/3-inch pieces.

7. Serve and enjoy.

These are also my entries you might like.

■What I Ate Traditional Japanese Foods for This New Year's Holidays

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My entries related to cooking can be seen here.

My entries related to my favorite recipes can be seen here.

My entries related to foods my husband cooked can be seen here.

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★You can find my recipe entries through my Pinterest.

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Embarking on Our Yakushima Adventure: The Journey Begins

Japan Air Commuter JAL ATR

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband and I visited Japan last year. One of the highlights of our trip was hiking on Yakushima Island, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site and the inspiration for the Studio Ghibli film "Princess Mononoke." At Fukuoka Airport, we boarded a small regional turboprop airliner and flew to Yakushima Airport.

Information Sheet for Yakushima Island

While flying to Yakushima Airport, a flight attendant provided us with an information sheet for Yakushima Island. It included must-visit spots with a map and recommended cafes and restaurants to enhance our visit.

Information Sheet for Yakushima Island

The View from the Window

From our window, we could see the island below as we flew over it.

Yakushima Airport

Japan Air Commuter JAL ATR

I've heard it rains almost every day on Yakushima Island. On the day we arrived, it was cloudy and drizzled occasionally.

Yakushima Airport

Yakushima Airport was the smallest airport I've ever been to. Despite its size, it serves as the main gateway for tourists visiting the island.

Yakushima Airport

At the airport, there were several warning signs emphasizing hiking safety. It is a common occurrence for hikers to get lost or fall each year, necessitating rescue operations. Unfortunately, these incidents can sometimes result in serious injuries or even fatalities, highlighting the importance of being well-prepared and cautious while exploring the island's trails.

Yakushima Airport

Mountain accidents often occur during winter. Even though Yakushima Island seems to have warm weather, it frequently snows in the mountains from December to March. Snow makes the trails slippery, making winter hikes difficult.

Yakushima Airport

Car Rental

Thankfully, the rental car company picked us up at the airport, and we rented a Nissan Note e-Power, a fuel-efficient compact car. On Yakushima Island, I highly recommend renting a small car because some roads are extremely narrow. Driving through the Seibu Rindo forest path, in particular, can be very challenging.

Nissan Note e-Power

Next time, I'll share about the place where we stayed on the island.

These are my entries you might like.

♥Hotel Room Tour and Review - Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan

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♥How to Purchase Japanese Affordable Eyeglasses at Zoff

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     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.

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     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Exploring Mikadukiya: Delightful Croissants at Fukuoka Airport

Mikadukiya

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband and I visited Japan last year. We stayed at a hotel near Fukuoka Airport. After checking out, we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Yakushima Island. While at Fukuoka Airport, we decided to try Mikadukiya (三日月屋), a popular bakery that specializes in croissants.

Mikadukiya (三日月屋)

2nd Floor in Fukuoka Airport Domestic Terminal

Mikadukiya

There were so many kinds of croissants to choose from. We picked the Yomogi (よもぎ) and Azuki (あずき) ones, which were 276 yen each.

Mikadukiya Yomogi Croissant

This is a Yomogi croissant. Yomogi (よもぎ, ヨモギ) is Japanese mugwort, often used as an ingredient for mochi. When I was a child, I loved the yomogi mochi my grandmother made.

Mikadukiya Yomogi Croissant

My husband and I enjoyed a Yomogi croissant while flying to Yakushima Island.

Mikadukiya Yomogi Croissant

The Yomogi croissant had azuki, sweetened red bean paste, in it. The earthy flavor of yomogi pairs perfectly with the sweetness of azuki and the buttery croissant. It was so good!

Mikadukiya Cafe

There is also Mikadukiya Cafe, which sells croissant sandwiches and soft serve. It’s located in the food court, just across from Mikadukiya Bakery.

Mikadukiya Cafe Menu

Since my husband loves azuki, sweetened red bean paste, he ordered an Azuki Whippedcream Croissant Sandwich for 454 yen. He couldn’t resist the combination of creamy whipped cream and sweet red bean paste in a flaky croissant.

Mikadukiya Azuki Whippedcream Croissant Sandwiches

Mikadukiya Cafe Menu

I thought their soft serve was very affordable compared to the one we had at Haneda Airport. That's why I decided to order the Royal Chocolate Soft Serve for 373 yen.

Mikadukiya Royal Chocolate Soft Serve

It had a nice, rich chocolate flavor. I really loved it. Every bite was a delightful treat, making it a perfect choice.

Next time, I will write about Yakushima Island.

These are my previous entries related to Hakata's restaurants.

■A Tempura Lover’s Guide to Hakata: Two Must-Try Restaurants in Fukuoka, Japan

■Hakata’s Udon Gems: Two Must-Try Udon Restaurants in Hakata, Fukuoka

■Top 3 Seafood Restaurants to Visit Around Hakata

■Best Breakfasts in Hakata: 3 Must-Try Restaurants

These are my entries you might like.

♥Hotel Room Tour and Review - Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan

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Thursday, January 9, 2025

Traditional Japanese Foods I Ate During This New Year's Holidays

New Year's holidays, known as oshogatsu (お正月) in Japanese, are the most important holidays for Japanese people. Today, I'm going to share with you what I ate during this year's New Year's holidays.

Traditional Japanese Food for New Year's Eve

In Japan, it is traditional to do osoji (大掃除), a big cleaning, in late December before the New Year arrives. Indeed, my husband and I completed our osoji in late December. The last meal before the New Year was toshikoshi soba. It is a Japanese tradition to eat soba noodles, known as toshikoshi soba (年越しそば, 年越し蕎麦).

Toshikoshi Soba (年越し蕎麦)

This time, my husband cooked soba noodles with tempura shrimp. We bought our favorite frozen tempura shrimp from Costco and added yuzu kosho, a spicy Japanese condiment made from yuzu citrus peel, chili peppers, and salt.

Traditional Japanese Foods for New Year

Japanese New Year (Shogatsu) runs from January 1 through January 7 (O-shogatsu, 大正月) or January 15 (Ko-shogatsu, 小正月). Specifically, January 1 through January 3 is called sanganichi (三が日). During this time, people visit shrines, meet with family and relatives for the first time in the year, and enjoy traditional Japanese New Year's foods.

Osechi (おせち料理)

During the New Year's holiday, people in Japan eat Osechi (おせち) or Osechi Ryori (おせち料理). Osechi is a collection of auspicious foods such as chikuzenni, kuromame, kamaboko, and more.

On New Year's Eve, we spent the entire day preparing these Osechi dishes for the coming New Year.

Zoni (雑煮), Mochi Soup

During the New Year's holiday, it is a Japanese tradition to eat mochi. Specifically, mochi soup, called zoni (雑煮) or ozoni (お雑煮), is commonly enjoyed in Japan during this festive season.

This time, my husband made chicken zoni. We bought kiri mochi at Japanese supermarket before the New Year's holidays. You can also purchase Japanese mochi on Amazon.

Chikuzenni (筑前煮), Nishime (煮しめ)

Chikuzenni is considered a lucky food for New Year's Day because it includes a variety of ingredients, each with symbolic meanings. For example, lotus root represents a clear future, carrots are cut into flower shapes to symbolize growth, and chicken is believed to bring good fortune. The combination of these ingredients in chikuzenni is thought to bring prosperity and happiness for the coming year.

I cooked chikuzenni as part of our Osechi. I used various vegetables, konjac, and chicken. If you're interested in how to cook chikuzenni, you can check out my previous entry, How to Cook Chikuzenni, Japanese Simmered Chicken and Vegetables.

Grilled Cheese Mayonnaise Shrimp (海老マヨチーズ焼き)

Prawn and shrimp are called ebi in Japanese. Ebi symbolizes a wish for a long life because of their appearance. When you are very old, you might have a bent waist, similar to the curve of a prawn or shrimp.

Kuromame (黒豆), Sweetened Japanese Black Beans

Kuromame (黒豆) are black soybeans, and "mame" symbolizes working diligently and healthily.

Just like the previous year, I cooked kuromame again. You can check out my previous entry, How to Cook Kuromame for Osechi, Traditional Japanese Foods for New Year Holiday.

Datemaki (伊達巻)

Datemaki (伊達巻) is a sweet rolled omelet mixed with fish paste or hanpen, creating a fluffy texture and sweet flavor. It is considered a New Year's lucky food because its rolled shape resembles scrolls, symbolizing cultural knowledge and wisdom for the coming year.

I made datemaki for the first time, using eggs and hanpen. I will write about how to cook datemaki in a future entry.

Sweetened Chestnut Paste (マロンクリーム)

Chestnuts are considered a lucky food because they symbolize success and victory, bringing good fortune for the upcoming year.

People usually cook kurikinton (栗きんとん) for New Year's Day. However, since Japanese sweet potatoes were quite expensive, my husband decided to make sweetened chestnut paste instead. Sweetened chestnut paste (マロンクリーム) is a smooth and sweet spread made from chestnuts, often enjoyed during New Year's celebrations.

Happy New Year's Holidays!

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