Yesterday’s little mystery was, of course, long leaves of konbu kelp drying in the sun.  Small boats head out from the shore with one or a few old men and a rake or plow like tool.  They drag up the plants up from the ocean floor and when they are loaded they head back in.  When they arrive a small group of (usually) old women drag out the plants, separate the leaves and spread them out to dry in the sun and wind.  After a while the slimy fat leaves end up as you would find them in the shop – thin, dry and rigid.  When I see all of the work involved I  really appreciate the food that I eat more.  Especially when it is hard physical work in a difficult environment.  Konbu is such a simple ingredient but there is so much involved... [Read more]

Walking throught he streets of sleepy little Wakanai on the northern tip of Hokkaido I stumbled apon this scene.  Not just this but about a kilometre of similar situations and it took me a while to work out what was going on.  Can you work it out? [Read more]

Check this guy out.  That is real stamina.  I am proud to say that this is me finishing off a tray of crab legs along with my share of a tray of prawns.  Hokkaido is loaded with seafood and none better than in Wakanai way up on the northern tip.  It seems like everyone up there is involved in fishing or at least supplying those that are involved in fishing.  As winter approaches I imagine that they are just about to wrap up their fishing season now as it has already started to snow up in Hokkaido.  It is a long cold winter for them up there.  Sitting around a kotatsu table with nothing but a mountain of frozen seafood to keep them busy.  [Read more]

This is the finished product resulting from my box of Hyderabadi Biryani  mix.  It was way too good.  Unfortunately my photo looks terrible.  I think I missed out on all of the chicken and my family must have kept that quiet. Chicken that was marinated in a curry paste and then cooked with a bunch of spices for a half hour.  Then all this was mixed in with cooked rice (I used Japanese rice) and then simmered for a few minutes. If anyone can find this brand of mix I would recommend them.  This is the third I have tried (all purchased in India) and they have all been exceptional.  The brand is Kitchens of India and they are made in Kolkata but I am not sure if they are available elsewhere. [Read more]

Thanks for your help with my little lemon curd predicament.  I did do a little searching around on google and found a stack of recipes for lemon curd that look a lot what I would call lemon butter – lemons and sugar and that sort of thing that I love to spread on toast.  Also a few recipes for Indian Lemon pickles that are obviously different.  I am guessing that the first type is what this recipe mix is asking for but I haven’t found a recipe for this style of thing on an Indian site yet.  Maybe I have some more searching to do. [Read more]