Kinda had the same revelation with mixing curry rice with atchara (Southeast-Asian style pickles, kinda similar to fukujinzuke). I know fukujinzuke is served as a relish but one time I didn't have any on hand and decided to use some homemade atchara from my parents. For some reason I decided to mix it together with the rice and curry. The flavor combination was really good, like a well balanced mix of sour, sweet, and savory.

You blinked and missed a supreme example - see post #92

For us, it’s pickled beetroot. Goes with Japanese style curries, even with hayashi rice.

But last night I had a transcendental experience. I channelled rustykettel and made a tuna mayo sandwich, but I added pickled beetroot slices (I am unapologetic about this, a childhood habit I got from my dad). On the shokupan it was the best mayo/tuna/beetroot sandwich I’ve ever had. I swear I could hear a celestial choral accompaniment as I munched through it.
If the whole point of this thread was to lead me to that point, I have been very, VERY well served.
I hope - and this is to anyone reading this - that you get your perfect sandwich moment too. Even if it’s not with a sandwich.

I had a sandwich epiphany with my first Vietnamese banh mi from a cart on the corner of a busy road in HCMC. Street food, so to speak.

Even heaven has peaks. I just reached a foothill.

I haven't been eating much bread-wise but now... I need to break out the mixing bowl.

We have been patronizing all the fishing boats in our area along with the shellfish farms, they're now allowed to sell direct. I've got a fridge and freezer stuffed with fish and scallops right now. I haven't hit the point of needing to dress anything up too much so nothing fancy to report.

interesting... I had not heard of atchara before, but I see that it is made primarily from papaya.
I could see how pickled papaya might go well with curry rice.

The Maisen Honten has had a world-famous takeout window since forever.

I was talking about some of the other places.......but yes the Maisen honten take-out has been open !

Fresh seafood really just kicks butt


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Seared scallops with ponzu and furikake
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Portuguese clams. Linguica, onions, white wine, and the last batch's strained broth.

No!!!!!!!! Yakisoba-pan, Kareei (curry)-pan, and Melon-pan are s staple of my diet in Japan! :p While in Japan I do not need Michelin starred restaurants, all I need is a combini with Yakisoba-pan! :D

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After reading LapLap's posts I got hungry for Japanese bread, I had to go get some. Yakisoba-pan and Curry-pan are awesome! I also bought Japanese bread, shokupan, and now having a toast in the morning before heading to work. :)

Picked a decent fistful of mizuna today. Yesterday I took my first shiso leaves.
The mizuna I will boil for 60 seconds then cool, chop and combine with ginger and shoyu. It’s delicious with rice.
The shiso is lovely sliced and stirred through a potato salad or chopped and added to fresh tomato pieces with a sprinkling of salt.

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I did it! Finally made the melon pan.

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We’ve really warmed to the idea of sourdough shokupan. Have adjusted the recipe a little (I let it sit without salt for 30 minutes or so after mixing before kneading it in a machine with salt an a bit of butter), and I don’t use the dry yeast anymore, the result is a fluffy bread that is kinder on the stomach. No idea how long it lasts though, too good to test that way!
As a dough it is quite adaptable - added a bit of brown flour to the last batch and made some into ham and cheese buns as well as apple, quince jelly and cinnamon rolls.

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Was wondering if anybody had tried any of the Japanese Gins and spirits infused with herbs and botanicals that are being introduced.

From what I understand, companies that have a history of making herbal medicinal products and remedies are getting into the alcohol market. The problem is that the products are made in limited batches and often sell out as soon as they are released. With my daughter being older, and my health having improved a great deal, I had planned to visit a few bars this Spring to catch up a little on this particular kind of local flavour. Now I’m just being taunted with knowing new drinks are coming out but can’t follow reviews or descriptions - and there’s hardly anything in English.

As an example, there is the Yaso company based in Niigata, their background (as Echigo Yakuso) involves products made with mugwort.
https://yaso80gin.shop-pro.jp *

Reason I’m fascinated is that when one looks into books and stories from Japan’s past there is a wealth of information and references to Seasonal herb gathering and traditions about combining the herbs. Medicinal companies will have continued these traditions, and just as monks and monasteries plundered European Apothecary traditions when distilling drinks and liqueurs, this, right now, seems to be an era in Japan where aspects of long archived folk remedies are transitioning into leisure beverages.
If you have been drinking any of these, do please share. I’d relish hearing ALL about the experience!

Would so love to try the Yaso103 Gin that was released this month. Has already sold out though. At least I can console myself with a supply of shiso to infuse into cocktails this summer. Kanpai!

* The 70% spirit is a botanical alcohol sanitiser which has been produced to combat COVID-19, the company have been donating it to the local community.

I only had Japanese gin few times at a bar, but I wanted to look into Japanese gin more. My understanding is that past few years gin became popular in Japan that there are more gin makers in Japan. My last trip to Japan in March I was thinking of bringing back Japanese gin but I forgot.

I am gin drinker, I am not going to claim to be gin aficionado but when I travel I try to grab local gin. My collection today are:

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From left to right:
Greylock Gin (my local, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)
Whitley Neill Gin (U.K.)
Wildcat Gin (U.K.)
Brooklyn Gin (U.S.A.)
Bränneir Gin (Sweden)
Napue Gin (Finland)

I would love to add Japanese gin to my collection, but that has to wait for while. :(