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Per Se: Jackets required, huh?

maki — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:27:15 +0100

I’m in the New York area at the moment, doing some family things, required government-oriented paperwork and so on. Whenever I’m here I do like to treat myself to at least one interesting restaurant meal. So, this time around I thought of going to Per Se, the famed Thomas Keller establishment. I’ve never been to a Thomas Keller establishment.

I went to their pretty but so user-unfriendly Flash-only website (see my rant against this deplorable practice) and, after having to reload the site because it was coming up blank a few times, was dismayed to find that they require jackets (though not ties) and ‘no tennis shoes’ (I guess they mean sneakers…tennis shoes, how quaint) for lunch and dinner. I am travelling light and only have shoes of the ‘tennis’ variety, and my planned dining partner (who is a much more exacting and well-travelled gourmet than I am) is rather firmly anti-jacket, so it looks like Per Se is out for us. Bummer.

Now, I do go to some very good restaurants from time to time, in both Switzerland and France, with multiple Michelin stars and all that. In the past year or so I’ve been to several such places, including my favorite in Provence, l’Oustau de Baumaniere. I can’t remember the last time there was a jacket-required notice at any of them. The clientele was still neatly dressed, but not necessarily wearing a jacket.

So, what’s with this jacket required thing? Is it necessary anymore? Is it a U.S. thing, or perhaps an Anglo-Saxon thing? I think some London restaurants may still say this, though arguably the best 3-star restaurant in the UK, The Fat Duck (which is not in London) does not.

What do you think?

(Also, if you want to suggest a must-go-to restaurant in New York that I should check out that’s not Per Se, bring it on!)

More on the new theme

maki — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:41:03 +0100

Thank you for all of your comments about the new theme/event! I have been mulling over it, and I while I still haven’t decided on the name yet, I have more or less decided on what it will be:

It will concentrate on a particular ingredient, or in some cases a set/pair of ingredients, that are an integral part of Japanese cooking.
We’ll stay away from anything that is wildly expensive (e.g. tuna ootoro, wagyuu) since after all, those things are not really a part of home cooking. Most things should be obtainable by mail order, but perhaps not all - I haven’t nailed down the list yet.
There will be no substitutions. I suggest substitutions all the time, but for this particular theme I want people to not only learn how to cook something, but also how it should taste, look and so on. I think that variations and substitutions are most successful when you know how the original thing you are varying from should be like.

I hope it will be interesting to follow along with. As I said before, I plan to start the first round in January or so.

An idea for a new theme/event

maki — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:16:44 +0100

I know that I have sadly neglected this blog for some weeks now, as I struggle with completing the first draft of my book. (My main problem is I keep revising the recipes…but that’s another story.) I know that digging up things from the archives does not really constitute true updating! Anyway, I do have an idea for a regular theme or event of sorts, to commence probably in the new year (or when the book is further along in the birthing process).

The tentative title of the theme/event is Japanese Ingredient Focus Seminar (too formal?). I know that many Japanese ingredients are unfamiliar to non-Japanese readers. So the goal will be to become as familiar as possible with it, in a specific time period, say 2-3 weeks. I’ll announce the ingredient beforehand, so people have time to get a hold of it. Then we will try various recipes using that ingredient, from simple to not-so-simple.

How does this sound? Let me know if this sounds interesting to you. I’ll also accept suggestions for ingredients to tackle.

ETA: To start with the idea is to tackle some very Japanese ingredients, which may not necessarily be available at regular supermarkets, but should be available at Japanese or Asian grocery stores or by mailorder. I’ll list where to get the specified ingredient well in advance. (Some ingredients might include konbu seaweed, umeboshi, bonito flakes, lotus root, daikon radish, and so on.)

I am only what I am. I hope it's enough.

maki — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:19:04 +0200

My niece Rena at age 6, enjoying teuchi udon (handmade udon noodles).

I am occasionally asked via email or Twitter or even in person, to post a recipe that is Asian but not Japanese. In most cases, I have to say that I have no idea how to make it. Well that wouldn’t be exactly true: I could look it up online or in cookbooks and replicate a recipe here. But then, so could you. So could anyone.

Just because I am of Asian descent, does not mean I know anything about most Asian cuisines other than Japanese, and the Asian cuisines that have established themselves in Japanese culinary culture. For instance, certain types of Chinese cooking have been made popular by the resident Chinese communities in Japan (the city where my mother lives, Yokohama, has a vibrant Chinatown for instance). Because of the long and complicated history between Korea and Japan, not to mention attempts in recent years for the two countries to establish a closer cultural relationship, Korean cuisine is also well known and loved in Japan. So, I can tell you how to cook some dishes from those cuisines.

But then again, they are versions of those cuisines that are popular in Japan, and probably differ in varying degrees from the way they are in their countries of origin. The longer their history in Japan, the more they’ve been adapted to Japanese tastes. For example, Japanese gyoza dumplings differ quite a bit from the ones you get at Hong Kong style dim sum palaces. Japanese style steamed buns are also rather different from the originals. That doesn’t make them less tasty, but they are adaptations for sure, that have developed over decades.

I’ve never been to any country in Asia other than Japan - a situation I hope to be able to rectify soon. But the point is, my familiarity with most other Asian cuisines is far less than my familiarity with most European or North American cuisines. I have lived for most of my adult life either in the U.S. or Europe. I know more about Marmite or how to make a home-style Swiss fondue, than pad thai or pho. I love those dishes, but I don’t feel confident writing down how to make ‘authentic’ versions.

On the other hand, if you want a strong opinion about what makes for good himono (half-dried fish), or how handmade soba or udon should taste, or why nukazuke pickles are so tricky to get right…well you’re in the right place. And don’t even get me started on the whole subject of sushi or wagashi, or what makes a good Japanese style curry or tonkatsu.

My mother enjoying some mitarashi dango

I do of course like to experiment and try out new things as much as anyone. I’m fine with posting deviations of classic recipes, or something that is ‘of the style of’. But when it comes to writing down the directions for real classic dishes, I tend to stick to what I know, the dishes that I grew up with, or the ones transmitted to me by better, wiser cooks than I.

So, that’s why you don’t see much general Asian cooking here. You’ll see some results of experiments - Maki’s versions as it were. On the other hand, I have all the weight of the experience of the women (and some men) of my family behind the classic Japanese dishes I post here. They are hovering over what I write, for real (my mother and one of my aunts check out my site all the time and give me feedback, especially if I get something wrong) as well as in spirit.

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides iPhone App

maki — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:42:42 +0200

3 years ago, I mentioned a handy list of produce ranked by how much pesticide is used to grow them. The higher (=more pesticides) the ranking, the better it would be to stick to organically grown.

I recently got a new iPhone (yes…I’m the very opposite of an Early Adopter of tech gadgets) and discovered that the same list is available as a free iPhone app called DirtyProduce. Here’s a screenshot of the opening page:

It doesn’t do much beyond list the Dirty Dozen (the most heavily pesticide-treated fruits and vegetables), the Clean 15 (the last pesticide-used) and the full list of 47 produce items, but it’s handy to have around with you. Who knew for instance that peaches were the most pesticide-laden fruit or vegetable? I tend not to peel my peaches, and I ate, oh I don’t know, a few tons of them over the summer. I may start peeling them next season, or look for non-treated ones.

Anyway, if you do have an iPhone, take a look. And if you don’t, there is still the PDF list to print out and carry in your wallet.

EWG Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides

iSnack 2.0 (Vegemite 2.0) and other bad product names

maki — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:39:19 +0200

Emerging briefly from the fray: Long time readers of Just Hungry may know that I am a huge fan of mysterious dark brown yeast extract products such as Marmite. (See my exhaustive comparison of Marmite, Vegemite and Cenovis.)

As a fan, this story in today’s morning news regarding the name for a new, ‘milder’ Vegemite (apparently they just mixed some cream cheese with original Vegemite …how, uhm, original) almost made me spit up my morning tea. I mean, the name is just begging to be mocked:

Apparently, the iSnack 2.0 name caused such an uproar in Australia that it has been scrapped, deservedly. Of course, the skeptic in me wonders if this was really a stupid executive decision or a devious marketing ploy. It does remind me of the New Coke brouhaha of the mid-80s, about which similar skepticism still lingers.

What other silly food marketing or naming decisions can you think of?

And the winner of the Izakaya book is....(and a small update)

maki — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:28:29 +0200

The winner of the Izakaya Cookbook is… Mireia! (Ironically Mireia can’t consume alchohol that hasn’t been cooked, but hopefully she’ll enjoy the recipes and writing in the book anyway.) Congratulations to Mireia, and thank you to everyone who entered. Look for more great giveaways on Just Hungry in the future!

A small update

I’m in the throes of frantic ‘must-meet-deadline’ mode for my own book. If I meet my first deadline (in less than 2 weeks!!!), I should at least be able to take a shower…I mean, pull my head above water for a bit and update here. Until then, please bear with me!

(Incidentally, doesn’t it bug you when people say ‘please bare with me’? No I don’t want to take my clothes off with you. Geez.

I’m going off on a tangent. Back to work.)

Yep I'm working on a book

maki — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:39:59 +0200

A few of you picked on the vague hinting I was doing about this in my last couple of posts and Twittered/emailed me about it. I’ve been holding off on saying anything publicly because, as with my house hunt situation, I tend to be irrationally fearful of somehow jinxing things before they come to fruition, or something. But I am going to have to cut down my posting frequency drastically here for the next few weeks because a big deadline is looming in October.

So, here is the news: I am working on a book, tentatively titled The Just Bento Cookbook (subject to and very likely to change). It is due out sometime in 2010, date to be determined. It will be pubished by Kodansha International, the International/English language division of Kodansha Limited, the largest publisher in Japan. Kodansha International has previously published titles like Nobu, The Cookbook and Kaiseki. I scared shi…I mean, you know, very honored, to be in such company.

I’m in the throes of working on the first draft, which is due in October. So I am going to have to concentrate all of my writing efforts in that direction. Posts here will be sparse for a while, but I’ll try to point you to some goodies from the archives and such. Please be patient with me, as I try to make this baby as good as I can make it.

Since it is a bento cookbook, I’ve posted some details about it over there.

(The last two books I’ve reviewed and given away here, Izakaya and The Enlightened Kitchen are also from Kodansha International. They were sent over by my wonderful editor Cathy so that I could see what kind of quality to expect. I was blown away. If my book comes out half as good as those books in terms of the layout and photos and everything, I will be very very happy. By the way, my positive reviews were not influenced by my desire to get a book contract, since I had that in the bag way before I got to see the books!)

Roar! The Hungry Tiger is back!

maki — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:08:36 +0200

Back in 2003-2004, when Just Hungry was born, there were only a couple of hundred food blogs instead of the thousands that are in existence now. Of those, a well written, quiet little blog with lots of delicious sounding vegetarian recipes called The Hungry Tiger was one of my favorites. I wrote a short review of it back in March 2004.

The Hungry Tiger disappeared from public view for a while, and I lamented the fact that my favorite recipes such as vegetarian kibbe (lentil snacks) were gone from the web. Some months ago, I was able to get in touch with Ms. redfox, who kindly gave me password access to her blog. She’d locked it away since it was too close to her more serious academic career.

Well the good news is, The Hungry Tiger is back as a fully public blog, in a new home! Ms. redfox has organized her past recipes into easy to navigate categories. I have more favorites here than on any other food blog, such as preserved lemons, crispy onions, easy, copious cauliflower soup and of course, lentil snacks. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, you’ll find The Hungry Tiger to be a very delicious beast indeed.

(Sitenote: Most of the entries on The Hungry Tiger are refreshingly ‘old school’ with lots of text and no photos. It reminded me of the early days of food blogs, which happens to be just 5-7 years ago, when people just wrote up their recipes and food reminiscences. Nowadays of course, possessing a good camera and the ability to take beautiful bokeh food porn photos seems de rigueur, making the bar for entry high. But the older entries on The Hungry Tiger are a good reminder that it doesn’t have to be like that to make for great reading.)

The earlobe in Japanese cooking

maki — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:39:37 +0200

During a bout of procrastination, I came across this post on Serious Eats about making udon from an translated-to-English Japanese cookbook classic, Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji. You know this is a classic, since the original forward for it was written by M.F.K. Fisher! Anyway, the author of the Serious Eats post gets quite excited about the instructions in the recipe (which apparently calls for egg yolks…more about this later) saying to knead the dough until it’s the texture of an earlobe.

Actually, the earlobe (mimitabu 耳たぶ) is used quite commonly in Japanese cooking. What? you say? Well…here’s how.

As a gauge of texture. Touch your earlobe now. It’s soft and yielding, but firm and bouncy, right? (That is unless you have a very bony earlobe…) This is the correct texture for a lot of doughs. So, to see if your dough, whether it’s for noodles or buns or mitarashi dango or yatsuhashi. Therefore, many Japanese recipes call for dough to be kneaded until it’s mimitabu kurai no katasa (耳たぶくらいの堅さ; about the hardness/texture of an earlobe)　or mimitabu kurai no yawarakasa (耳たぶくらいの柔らかさ; about the softness of an earlobe).
To cool burnt fingers. The earlobe is supposed to be the coolest part of the human body. So, when Japanese people accidentally touch something hot while cooking, they instinctively touch their earlobe to cool it down fast. To me, it really does work! Give it a try next time you have an ouch! moment in the kitchen. (It doesn’t work with knife cuts, of course.) Of course you should correctly cool burnt fingers in cold water, after the earlobe grab.

So…(channelling the original Iron Chef)…next time you’re in the kitchen, remember this: Your earlobe is part of your cooking arsenal!

(About the egg yolk in the noodle dough: The only reason why I can think of to add egg yolk is for the lecithin, which can make the noodles a bit more slippery. But to me, that is not real teuchi udon (handmade udon, 手打ちうどん）: that’s egg noodles, which are…just different. I’m not too unhappy with my current udon recipe and technique, but can’t wait to get my aunt, who is the acknowledged master of teuchi udon, to show me how to make proper, slippery, chewy udon when I go to Japan in a few months.)

[earlobe photo by quinn.anya on flickr.]