I was really excited to try the koshari at Abou Tarek, one of the most well-known restaurants in Cairo.
The koshary dish at Abou Tarek. This is a small portion and I had a hard time finishing it.
Koshari (koshary / kushari) is a typical Egyptian dish. It’s very filling and is originally a peasant/lower class food. It is still very inexpensive (think $1 USD or less) with giant portions. It has rice, macaroni and vermicelli noodles as a base with cooked lentils and chickpeas on top. On top of that is a light, red sauce and fried onions. You can also add a lemon garlic sauce and/or hot sauce. I like both. And koshari is vegan so how exciting is that?
The restaurant is located in a busy area. I took this picture from the second floor looking down at the street where these men were enjoying the national pastime of people watching.
My first koshari was delivered to my house from Zooba; the restaurant also makes a whole grain version with wheat pasta and crushed wheat that I’d like to try. I’ve also had it from the local chain Koshary El Tahrir. But the one at Abou Tarek in downtown Cairo is the best because they make everything fresh, including frying the onions. The crispy onions make it magical.
Takeout from Koshary El Tahrir. This was dinner and then breakfast the next day.
I have to admit, the ingredient list of koshari doesn’t sound that impressive, but put all together, it works. I usually have pasta, lentils and red sauce at home so it’s easy to make my own quick version.
The changing of the seasons in Cascadia are marked by important events. We know springtime is right around the corner when you spy someone in a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops on a sunny day even though it’s only 42 degrees outside. The beginning of fall is accompanied by talk of Ducks and Beavers while waiting in line for a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.
In Japan, each new season is marked by the blooming of flowers. Cherry blossoms and wisteria in the spring, irises and hydrangea in the summer and now red spider lilies are popping up in gardens all over town.
Red spider lilies at Kinchakuda-Manjushage Park in Hidaka City
In nearby Hidaka City, an annual festival is held at Kinchakuda-Manjushage Park along the Koma River to celebrate the blooming of the lilies. The vibrant red flowers are in strong contrast to both their spring-green stems and the green canopy of the meadow in which they grow.
Click any photo below to view as a slideshow. Scroll down for festival details and video from the day.
Outside the Orugon Dou (オルゴン堂) natural yeast bakery, one of the many interesting buildings in old Hidaka.
Every once in awhile, a white lily would poke its head out amongst its red brethren.
Local food, beer and crafts a plenty at the Kinchakuda Festival in Hidaka City, Saitama.
This pair in full costume were being filmed both by a professional photographer and videographer. In 2014, a dozen films and television shows were filmed in Hidaka City.
The girl has a “you’re kidding me, right?” look about feeding her carrot to the donkey.
Many people took advantage of the beautiful weather and scenery to spread out a picnic.
A young girl feeding grass to one of the horses at the neighboring farm. The farm is right on the edge of the park and is open to the public during the festival for rides and pets.
Captured with the GoPro, this horse would do a lap around its pen, returning back to the rail to see if anyone had brought a treat. Usually a child with a carrot or grass wasn’t far away.
A large black swallowtail butterfly was a popular target for the point-and-shoot photographers.
Looking out over the meadow of lilies.
A view of the Koma River with red spider lilies growing beside the bridge.
Only in Japan: Komatsuna (Japanese mustard greens) and apple frozen yogurt. Odd, but tasty!
The path winds through the middle of the flowers, letting visitors get right up close and personal.
Thanks to the passer-by who snapped a photo for us. It almost looks like there’s nobody else there…
Red spider lilies at Kinchakuda-Manjushage Park in Hidaka City
One of the many jangseung (Korean totem pole) found throughout Hidaka. The city has a long history with Korea, dating back to the settlement of refugees in the 8th century.
First stop was lunch at Alishan Organic Cafe, one of our favorite cafes in Japan. Choosing from a smaller festival menu to handle all the visitors, we had donburi and seasonal veggie curry. It’s right next to the park, so if you visit the festival, check out Alishan!
Locally-made miso paste and soy sauce mixed with rice. Unique and delicious!
Looking out over the meadow of lilies.
Several cartoon-style dolls were arranged beside the path near Koma River. Everyone with a camera stopped to snap some photos of the very strange, yet also very Japanese, scene.
The Kinchakuda Festival (website in Japanese) runs every weekend from now through October 4, 2015. They have lots of great local food vendors, live music and the nearby farm offers horse rides and a petting zoo.
For two magical weeks, spring boldly announces its presence all over Japan in the form of sakura—the blossoms of the Japanese cherry tree. Families and friends come together for viewing parties and everyone has a bit more pep in their step. Then, as quickly as they arrived, they begin to fall like snow, replaced by green buds and the promise of warmer days. Enjoy the view!
Part of the large cherry tree grove at Kawagoe Aquatic Park
Our own private hanami (cherry blossom viewing) at Kawagoe Park included homemade vegan sausages
Sakura-inspired beverages come and go as quickly as the blossoms themselves. Pictured are two sakura-flavored beers and a sakura-flavored rosé wine.
This fancy cat dressed up in her best pearls for the Nakameguro Sakura Festival in Tokyo
Tri-colored “sakura” dango—mochi balls on a stick—at Tokyo’s Nakameguro Sakura Festival
The sun sets behind the sakura in Kawagoe Aquatic Park
Lanterns and blossoms at the Nakameguro Sakura Festival in Tokyo
Watch the video in full-screen mode to get the full sakura experience
Sampling local food, the cooking classes, street food and fresh fruit and vegetable markets were probably the highlight of our trip to India and Nepal. Check out Indian food part 1 here.
In India, our travel group attended a cooking class in a small town called Orchha. Our host spent an evening teaching us how to make some of her favorite dishes. These included masala chai, roasted eggplant, potatoes and spinach, yogurt sauce, rice pilaf, and chapati bread.
In Kathmandu, Nepal, we spent an afternoon with a Nepalese couple that runs a cooking class in a home setting. We were the only two people in the group so it was nice to be able to ask a lot of questions and do every part of the cooking—from prepping to eating! We made tea, momo dumplings, lentil soup, vegetable curry, rice, mustard greens, fry bread and rice pudding.
In both of these settings, women finally took center stage as leaders—in the kitchen. Neither of the women finished their schooling. Each had incredible stories of arranged marriage, financial hardships, raising children and becoming ‘discovered’ by tour leaders who encouraged them to make a living by showcasing their country’s food to tourists.
The meal today comes with a side of social commentary. Skip ahead to the recipes if you’re not interested. While these women make money with little to no education, most women do not. They depend on their husbands. The scales are so unbalanced in favor toward men in this society and its economy, that it’s hard to stomach.
The message I heard was, “All women can do is cook and have kids so if they can make money at the same time, why not?” Yes, women should have the ability to choose. If a woman has culinary talent and she has a desire have kids, that’s great. But if that’s her ONLY choice and she was robbed of an opportunity to further her education, which may provide her some other options, that’s nothing to be proud of.
I will also add that women do ALL of the cooking in this society. Men, when questioned, expressed no interest. Why bother when my woman does it? The women cook. Men eat first. Then, whatever is left over, the women and children eat. In Nepal, the man came to sit and eat with us while his wife cleaned the kitchen.
In most of the urban city centers, there was a noticeable lack of women. I felt eerily outnumbered at times. Where are all of the women? At home, where they belong? In the Delhi Metro, women are assigned to ride in a separate car. This is similar to Japan and I understand the reason—to avoid sexual harassment. (Side note: I’ve never had a problem in Japan, or India for that matter. Maybe because I’m white and traveling with a big ol’ man to protect me.) Anyway, the separate car is not my issue. The issue is out of the whole entire train, just one car is for women and it was barely full at rush hour while the men in our group were packed shoulder to shoulder in their car. Where are all of the women in the middle of the workday?
India, instead of viewing women (half of your population) as a deficit, find a way to see them as an asset. Both genders working=everyone wins. The International Monetary Fund is working on an initiative to equalize pay for men and women. It states India needs, “… to boost presently low female labor force participation.” Source.
I understand that’s my privilege as a white, educated, Western woman to have these ideas and that not everyone agrees. I don’t pretend to know everything and I don’t want to make light of these women’s accomplishments. Changes are made slowly within the norms of each society. At least the men in both of these situations have some realization that their wife has earning power. Small steps for womankind.
I’ll get back to the food. Below is my adaptation of Vandana Dubey’s recipes of Aloo Palak and chapati.
Potatoes, spinach and spices served with whole wheat chapati flatbread.
Aloo Palak (Potatoes and Spinach) Serves 2-4 people
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 fresh chiles, chopped finely
1 lb. fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 lb. – 3/4 lb. raw potatoes, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1-4 – 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder (you can substitute cumin powder)
Directions
Step 1: Steam or boil the diced potatoes for about 5-7 minutes. You want them pretty done—firm, but not falling apart. Like you’re making potato salad. Set these aside.
Step 2: Heat oil in a large sauté pan and then add cumin seeds, garlic and chilies. (We don’t have fresh chiles in Japan so I used dry ones that I let hang out in some boiling water for a few minutes.) Fry for 1-2 minutes on medium high heat. Don’t let your garlic burn…you are infusing the oil with flavor here.
Step 3: Add your potatoes and the salt, turmeric, chili powder and coriander/cumin. Stir and incorporate all of the spices.
Step 4: Add the chopped spinach and toss about. You just want to wilt the spinach here for a couple of minutes. Don’t overcook.
Step 5: Turn off the stove. Enjoy! Serve with rice or chapati. We also had some raita, or yogurt, to take the edge off the spice.
Note: You can adjust the chiles and chili powder to your liking. Same with the salt.
Chapati Makes 8 chapati
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt (1/16 tsp)
Directions:
Sift flour onto a flat plate and add salt.
Sprinkle water onto flour and knead into a smooth dough.
Make golf ball sized balls, flatten by hand then roll into thin pancake, coating in extra flour to keep from sticking.
Fry chapati on a flat, unoiled frying pan for about a minute on each side, then place bread directly on gas flame until it begins to puff up. Repeat on other side.
Below is a video of Viktoria making chapati with Vandana.
As of last weekend, I’m officially in the middle of my late 30s. And where better to spend a birthday that in one of the greatest cities on the planet. We spent the entire weekend in Tokyo with no real agenda, which ended up being an action-packed three days.
Instead of a long rundown of events, please enjoy some photos from the weekend.
An unexpected dinner with our Airbnb hosts Yusuke and Hiroki at Rokumonsen, a monjayaki (or monja as it’s commonly called) place in Asakusa.
Yusuke (one of our Airbnb hosts) scrapes the monja off the griddle. The mixture of cabbage, cheese, mochi and sauce cooks to the griddle and is basically a gooey top with a crispy bottom.
A rarity: nobody in front of Kaminarimon Gate at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa
Akihabara Electric Town. These blocks are filled with video arcades, electronic shops and maid cafes. A little something for everyone.
My birthday lunch! Vegan buffet at Loving Hut in Chiyoda. This was plate one of three or four… the food coma set in at some point.
The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Museum at Tokyo Dome. This was one of my favorite things we’ve done recently and will warrant its own post in the near future.
Tokyo Skytree and the Asahi Beer Hall flame sculpture from the Asakusa side of the Sumida River. The locals call the Asahi sculpture “kin no unko” (金のうんこ) or “the golden turd.” Our host didn’t know the English translation and I’ll never un-see his pantomime that clearly translated said meaning.
The view from the front of our home away from home. Not too shabby.
Birthday drinks on the 13th floor of a restaurant overlooking Asakusa.
The main hall and pagoda of Senso-ji Temple as seen from a nearby restaurant.
This playground near Tokyo Skytree had an awesome metal-roller propelled slide. We only saw adults use it in the short time we were there. Video below.
A shark swimming in the tank at Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo Skytown. The window of the tank doubled as a projection screen for a flyover movie of the city.
Sumida Aquarium had a great penguin exhibit.
Penguins swimming in the tank at Sumida Aquarium
The first exhibits at Sumida Aquarium are jellyfish illuminated by changing colors. It was truly impressive.
Sumida Aquarium did its best to recreate native environments for the different species of sea life in its keep.
Looking up from the near the base of Tokyo Skytree, which at 634 meters is the tallest structure in Japan, the tallest tower in the world and the second-tallest structure in the world behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa Tower.
A trip to Tokyo VegefoodFesta last weekend led to a completely random and awesome day in Japan’s capital city.
Dodging the rain outside the 2014 Tokyo VegefoodFesta at Yoyogi Park
The rain was just heavy enough to keep the crowds thin at Yoyogi Park, where two separate festivals were taking place simultaneously. VegefoodFesta is an annual beacon for Tokyo-area herbivores, offering a few dozen booths with 100% plant-based eats, fresh produce and responsibly-made goods.
Takoyaki, a fritter that usually contains a piece of octopus, was vegetarian-friendly at VegefoodFesta
I love these kinds of events because it’s an opportunity to get a taste of traditional Japanese foods without the fear of meat or fish sneaking into the dish. There were vegan versions of takoyaki (octopus fritter), tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) and Japanese curry (usually has chicken).
A vegan tonkatsu sandwich. The breaded pork cutlet is a popular food in Japan.
One booth made “hie of fish” sandwiches, using Japanese millet (hie/ヒエ) to create a fish-like patty. They also offered an “American Dog,” which was a corn dog that replaced the “dog” with a large chunk of burdock root (gobou/ごぼう).
Our friends from Loving Hut were on hand with three separate booths featuring their meatless version of yakitori (meat on a skewer). Mana Burger was right by the gate and I had one of their veggie burgers in hand within moments of entering. I was looking forward to visiting them on our trip to Fukuoka, but they’d closed up shop. In July, they reopened in Yokohama and made the short trip up to Tokyo for the festival.
The main stage at Fiesta de España featuring IAMDIVE
The other half of the festival grounds was hosting Fiesta de España. I’d pretty much eaten everything in sight at VegefoodFesta, but there was still room for some Spanish red wine and a churro. We watched a couple songs from Seville, Spain folk-dub-shoegaze duo IAMDIVE on the main stage before heading out.
The trees are turning in Yoyogi Park
We walked across the street and into the actual park area of Yoyogi Park. The leaves are in full autumn mode and the park grounds had transformed from summer green to fall yellows and reds. The park was crawling with photographers and models, taking advantage of the short-lived landscape.
The trees along the streets of Roppongi Hills light up blue…
… then they change to red. We felt bad for the guy who had to hang all those lights!
After wandering around Harajuku for a bit, we hopped on the train for Roppongi. The trees along the streets near Roppongi Hills are wrapped tight with lights alternating from blue/white to red every few minutes.
The Roppongi Hills Christmas Market
Inside the Roppongi Hills complex, a small Christmas market featured small ornaments and German food and beer. Christmas in Japan is all about the secular and is very Western in terms of music and decor.
The heart in the pond at Roppongi Hills. Tokyo Skytree lights up the night sky in the background.
The Tokyo night was brightly lit between the trees and the shining Tokyo Skytree tower in the skyline. Everyone was in good cheer—maybe because “Whisky Hills 2014” was hosting 300 yen (about $2.50 USD) whiskey tastings.
A metal cone with changing lights set up in 66 Plaza at Roppongi Hills
All the walking around worked up an appetite. We (barely) found the nearby Chien Fu vegetarian Chinese restaurant. A nondescript sign led to an elevator to the shop. We entered the dining room with its ornate tables and decorations. Everyone was dressed up for a night on the town. I felt a bit like a drowned dog after tromping around in the rain all day, but they didn’t seem to mind. We split a sweet and sour “pork” dish, spring rolls and an eggplant dish.
As we left, the sweet old man who greeted us when we came in asked “Vegetarian?” We said yes and his face lit up…. “Very good!!! Vegetarian… very good!”
I’ll say the same for Tokyo on that day… “Vegetarian… very good!”
School is back in session, so October has been about settling back into routine and planning the next round of adventures. But Japan is still throwing twists and turns our way. Here’s a few interesting tidbits from the last couple weeks:
Phun with phones
One of the reasons we decided not to get phones in Japan is, frankly, there’s not really anyone to call here. The international plans are expensive and the video chat technology is way better for keeping in touch with family and friends back home. But, there’s the occasional need to make a local call, so with a little finagling, I can now make local phone calls from my computer.
However, there’s still the problem of the language barrier. I’ve been running a lot over the last few months. It’s a great workout, but it’s also high impact and leads to a lot of aches and pains, so I decided to schedule a massage. I got a recommendation from one of the GTFs for a local masseuse and decided to try and schedule an appointment over the phone. As usual, I wrote out my script and dialed the number.
Gogo wa yoyaku dekimasu ka? Do you have an appointment for this afternoon?
The voice on the other end of the digital line indicated that she didn’t have any availability today. I asked about the following Monday and that I was available anytime. She seemed to say that anytime on Monday would be fine. Itsudemo daijōbu desu.
Monday morning, I headed over to the massage place. As I walked up the stairs, I saw someone leave the office. As I approached the door, the office was dark and locked up. I’d been bitten by the Japanese cultural characteristic of never saying no.
But, as usual, it turned into a positive. I wandered around the floor and found another massage studio right around the corner. A small, one-woman operation called Sun and Moon. We established that an appointment that day couldn’t happen since she had a dental appointment. We began to set a time for the next day, but both of us were a little unclear of the details.
She asked me to follow her across the hall to a shop owned by a couple from Nepal who both spoke English. After settling the details of the appointment, the man asked me to sit and have tea. We sipped Masala chai and talked about Nepal, Japan and America. I mentioned that we’d like to travel to India and Nepal. He offered his brother’s home if we needed a place to stay. We chatted in English for about 30 minutes before I headed out.
As usual, for every frustrating experience, several positive experiences follow that highlight the kindness of the people we encounter everyday. The following morning, I had an excellent massage. She served me a cup of green tea at the end of the appointment. I told her I was a runner, so zenbu ga itai ne! Everything hurts! She laughed, said she could never be a runner and asked if I was running the Kawagoe Marathon, which got a laugh out of me. When we hit a snag in our conversation, she grabbed her phone and translated from Japanese to English… Did it hurt?
In fact, nothing about this particular experience hurt at all.
Blue beer
Don’t adjust your sets. This is Abashiri Brewery’s Okhotsk Blue Draft, colored with blue seaweed. The accompanying meal is shiitake mushroom french dip sandwiches on homemade rolls.
The beer section of the local grocery store rarely surprises me anymore, but a shock of blue caught my eye the other day. Hokkaido’s Abashiri Brewery is playing with color as well as flavor with their Okhotsk Blue Draft. The beer pours a greenish-blue (I backlit the glass to see more of the blue color), but instead of using dyes or other horrible chemicals, they’ve achieved this naturally. The water comes from melted icebergs that have floated into the Sea of Okhotsk. The color comes from blue seaweed and gardenias. It’s categorized as a “vegetable beer” thanks to the use of Chinese yams (which have copious health benefits).
How’s it taste? Well, it’s light and bubbly with a subtle beer flavor. But it’s blue! Abashiri also makes green and red beers using plant pigments for the coloring.
Blood moon
August’s blood moon in the sky over Kawagoe
I know I’m a couple weeks behind on this one, but the blood moon from the lunar eclipse visited us at a reasonable hour. While Cascadians had to get out of bed early to see the sight, we got to see it around 8:30 p.m. and managed some good pictures before going to bed.
Most of the posts on Cascadian Abroad are very positive and reflect our experiences honestly and accurately. Some of the more difficult experiences (that, again honestly, make up only a small part of our time here) are usually couched with humor and sarcasm. But it hasn’t all been easy.
A few weeks ago we had an e-mail dialog with a woman back in the U.S. who was deciding whether or not to come to Japan to teach next spring. It was an interesting thread as it really made us think about the experience so far and what we wish we would have known before we made the decision to come to Japan. Her and her fiancé are in a similar position as we were back in our decision-making process, so we were happy to provide some information.
Had we known these things in advance, it wouldn’t have changed our decision to come and actually might have expedited our decision while helping us better prepare for the move. I’d like to share some of those things today.
Finding a job in Japan will be difficult
Since her spouse was also leaving a career in the U.S., they had questions about finding work. My visa allows me to work up to 28 hours per week, but finding a part-time job isn’t an easy task. Most English-speaking jobs in our area still require at least business-level knowledge of Japanese. I’m still working up to toddler-level Japanese, so most of those opportunities are off the table. The couple of contacts I’ve made have projects that are “in the works,” but they are moving on Japan Time, which is akin to Island Time.
Not very many people speak English
Americans are pretty ethnocentric (although I think it’s not just Americans), so prior to coming to Japan, we got a lot of “Don’t worry, they’ll probably speak English.” That may be true in parts of Tokyo or other large cities, but where we live, it’s just not the case. Some people learned a little bit in school, much like we speak a little bit of Spanish or French or whatever language class we took for two years in high school. Those who know a little are more than happy to try and communicate with you, but (no duh!) I’ve found that I need to learn Japanese to communicate in Japan.
Our adventure started in a whirlwind fashion, but I think if we had more time it would have been helpful to take Japanese classes in the U.S. with English-speaking teachers. When you’re starting from scratch, or rebooting nearly 20 years removed from high school Japanese, learning in-context is tough, especially with a language not based in a Latin/Roman script.
People will stare at you
One thing that alternately annoys me and fascinates me is that we stick out like a sore thumb in our neighborhood. Some people are interested, some stare with suspicion, some children cry and scramble into their parents’ arms (all true stories). The suspicious stares are a little hurtful as is the feeling when a mother hastily grabs up her child when you walk by, purely because of the color of your skin (and, yes, it feels odd to write that as a Caucasian person).
Mostly though, people are really kind to us. We were coming home from a walk today when a man came up to us and, in his best English, invited us to “this town’s festival.” Our neighborhood had a little carnival in the park. A few people smiled wide at us and greeted us. A man gave us a ticket for a kakigōri (Japanese shaved ice). A couple days ago, the druggist who helped me find cough medicine last week remembered me on our next visit and asked if the medicine helped. Many people are interested in where we’re from and I wish that I knew more Japanese to be able to answer all of their questions.
Ship a BUNCH of your favorite things
We had the opportunity to ship two large boxes about six weeks before we left the U.S. Add in a couple checked bags and our carry-ons, that’s all we would be bringing on our adventure. Trying to figure out what you’d want or need in a place you’ve never been is tough. I have way too many pairs of socks and nice pants and we’re all out of Kirkland Signature Natural Creamy Peanut Butter already. Japan’s customs restrictions mean we can’t ship a lot of our favorites products from the States, which isn’t that big a deal because it’s pretty spendy to do so anyway. But, being forced to adapt, I’ve perfected a shiitake mushroom “beef” jerky and veggie bratwurst!
Let go and enjoy the adventure!
I’ll admit, I was way too uptight about some of the little things. Leaving behind everything you know isn’t easy, but the things we’ve seen over the last five months have made it all worthwhile. I know my poor wife gets a lot of “How’s Robert doing?” questions, expecting to find me huddled in a corner crying. My answer? I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef two weeks ago, saw the Sydney Opera House last week and climbed to the summit of Mount Fuji four days ago.
One of my favorite weekend activities back home was walking around weekend markets. There was no shortage of options in our neck of the woods and we frequented several. It’s fun to snack on unique homemade treats and see local craftspeople selling their goods. Music is everywhere, from full bands to middle school violinists. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday.
With all the gardens in our new neighborhood, the lack of farmers markets strikes me as odd. I’m guessing most of the gardeners must sell their veggies to local restaurants and stores. Some have unmanned stands set up. But no farmers markets.
Leave it to the world’s largest city to save the day. Every weekend, farmers markets spring up throughout Tokyo. A couple weeks ago, we hit a pair of them: Taiyou no Marche (Market of the Sun) in the Chūō ward and the United Nations University farmers market in the Omotesando district.
The Tofu Tofu food truck offered three varieties of tofu burgers
Taiyou no Marche was the larger market of the two and we stepped off the train around lunchtime. Food trucks lined the path from the train station offering a variety of good eats. We checked out all of our options, but decided on Tofu Burgers from the TofuTofu truck—or more accurately, Volkswagen Bus. The lady taking orders gave me a half-hug when we approached. Food made with love… literally. No joke… layered in salsa and cheddar with an awesome fresh bun, I could have eaten this thing all day long.
The Addictive Masterpiece Tofu Burger (絶品 やみつきとうふ バーガー)
Fueled up, we wandered up and down the aisles of the market. Fresh veggies and Japanese wine (with copious samples) around every corner. One booth was milling freshly-roasted sesame seeds into oil right at the market.
These beets went into an awesome borsch a couple days later
The find of the market, however, was beets! I know, right? Beets! Maybe they’ll show up in the stores later in the year, but this was the first beet sighting in Japan so far. The man at the booth spoke decent English and asked how we prepare them. My amazing wife turned into Bubba from Forrest Gump, listing multiple ways to prepare them. The man said his favorite method was to grill them, but we put them into an awesome borsch.
Most of the booths offered samples, but one was more memorable than others. The Natural Meal Lab had samples of their granola. As we were tasting, a Japanese TV crew walked up. I think I’d dropped an oishī (delicious) to compliment the granola lady and the TV guys seemed to like that. It took three takes to get a shot of them panning from the granola display to me tasting it and saying “Mmmm…. oishī!”
Me being filmed by Japanese TV. Can’t wait to see the treatment if they actually air it because Japanese TV is hilarious!
After ensuring our fame on Japanese television, we hopped back on the train and headed for Omotesando. The United Nations University hosts a farmers market every weekend. It was a little smallerthan Taiyou no Marche, but had some great food options.
Anadomikan are Japanese oranges and taste like a cross between an orange and a grapefruit
One booth sold anadomikan, Japanese oranges that are big like a grapefruit and have a slightly more bitter flavor than a regular orange, but pack the awesomeness of both fruits. The lady kindly explained this as she doled out samples.
Falafel and deep-fried soy nuggets… my, oh, my!
Like the last market, several food trucks circled the booths. We had a couple snacks, including deep-fried soy nuggets (holy smokes, these were naughty!) and a falafel sandwich with chili sauce.
This kid was taking advantage of the free samples
Japan is well-known for its kawaii culture, but there was actual cuteness all over this market. Little kids took part in the free samples and the dog-friendly market made it feel like a day in Portland. What appeared to be a dog adoption clinic was being held in the back of the market, which was a nice contrast to the puppies for sale (at $5,000 USD each) in the pet store next to the market.
Puppies everywhere!
On any given weekend, there’s at least a dozen farmers markets around Tokyo. The access to farm-fresh vegetables filled another gap in our Japan life and I’m sure these market trips will continue throughout the summer.
I’ve been on a Middle Eastern food kick lately. I found myself longing for one of our favorite restaurants back home and I must’ve had it bad, because it informed half of our meals this week. Happy. Healthy. Life. posted a recipe for Curry Chickpea Cool Cucumber Wraps last week and the tahini cucumber salad reminded me of an impulse purchase I made a few weeks back.
I’d been on a passive search for tahini, but finally decided to look up the Japanese word for it. For those not in the tahini fan club, it’s a paste made from sesame seeds. It’s kinda bitter on its own, but is the primary flavor in hummus and baba ganoush.
Behold the power of sesame paste! NERIGOMA!
Anyway, with Japan’s status as one of the world’s largest importers of sesame seeds, it seemed like tahini should be on the shelves. Turned out it is and with its very own Japanese name: nerigoma (練りごま). There were two options: the standard light-colored paste and (my impulse buy) a jar of black sesame seed paste. I justified this purchase by telling myself that, since dark-colored foods are good for you (it’s a real thing), I’d be doing a disservice NOT buying it.
But what to do with it… ? I usually make hummus with garbanzo beans, but the idea to use the prevalent-in-Japan black soybeans (kuromame) popped into my head. Mix in the black nerigoma and we’re in superfood heaven!
By the time I finally got around to making this, the local gardens were starting to sell the fruits of their labor and one had a bag of Japanese eggplants for 100 yen. Black hummus… baba ganoush… maybe make some falafels… did I put too much thought into a single meal? Perhaps…
While a delicious meal, admittedly, it’s not the most photogenic meal.
Usually bana ganoush and hummus have a lot of olive oil. I chose to omit those from my recipes since they add a LOT of extra calories. Frankly, I didn’t miss them. This was easily the simplest and best batch of baba ganoush I’ve ever made and the hummus is unique in a good way.
Japanese substitutions:
I used Japanese eggplants, which are skinnier than your standard eggplant. They’re fairly easy to find in the U.S. nowadays and I think they work better for baba than your usual eggplant.
I used nerigoma, but it’s roughly the same as tahini. The seeds used for nerigoma are toasted, which gives it a slightly different flavor, but tahini will probably be easier to find.
Baba ganoush usually uses lemon juice, but I used a mix of lime juice and rice vinegar instead. This was just because I had those things in the fridge and hadn’t bought any lemons. I really like what it did to the flavor.
The black soybeans were really dry, but I didn’t want to add copious amounts of oil and also didn’t want to neutralize the flavor with water, so I added the miso liquid to stay with the Japanese theme. You could use oil or add vegetable broth to get the consistency right.
Tip: If using a blender, I suggest adding the wet ingredients to the jar first. It seems to help the beans work their way down to the blades.
Baba Ganoush
Ingredients
3-4 Japanese eggplants
2 tbsp sesame paste (tahini or nerigoma)
3 garlic gloves
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Prep
Puncture the eggplants several times with a fork.
Put the eggplants under your oven’s broiler until the skin begins to blister and turn black, then flip and repeat on the other side. This takes anywhere from 7-10 minutes. The skin should be charred and the inside of the eggplant should be soft.
Set aside to cool.
While the eggplants are cooling, peel the garlic, chop the parsley and set up your blender or food processor.
Cook
Peel the eggplants. The best way I’ve found is to slice the eggplant down the middle, then take the flat edge of a knife and scrap the flesh off the skin. Make sure the skin is completely removed as the texture can be unpleasant.
Put the eggplant flesh in the blender. Add the garlic cloves, sesame paste, lime juice, rice vinegar, cumin and salt.
Blend until smooth.
Chill for at least an hour before serving. Serve with fresh parsley garnished on top. You may also choose to drizzle olive oil on the top for added richness.
Kuromame Hummus
Ingredients
1/2 cup black soybeans
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp black sesame paste (tahini or nerigoma)
juice from 1/2 medium lemon (about 2 tbsp)
1 tsp miso paste mixed with 1/3 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
Kuromame Hummus Prep
If you’re using dried soybeans, soak them overnight. Then put in a saucepan, cover with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until they reach the soft side of tender.
Set up your blender or food processor.
Kuromame Hummus Cook
Add the garlic, sesame paste, lemon juice and a couple tablespoons of the miso liquid to the blender.
Add the soybeans, cumin and salt.
Blend until smooth. Add miso liquid 1 tablespoon at a time if the mixture is too dry until it reaches the desired consistency.
Chill for at least an hour before serving. Like the baba ganoush, you may choose to add extra virgin olive oil prior to serving.
Cascadian Abroad 