Ask Maki anything, well almost anything (or just say hi)
posted on 13 Jan 2008 by maki ::
270 comments
This post is now closed to new comments. It’s now replaced by the new forum section, Ask Maki Almost Anything.
Thanks to you (yes, I’m looking at you!) Just Hungry and Just Bento have really grown in popularity recently. This has also meant that I’m getting more emails. I do very much appreciate getting your emails, but there’s a couple of disadvantages to email.
- It’s a one on one communication so your question will only benefit you. It might just benefit a lot of other readers. I do actually end up answering the same thing several times.
- I may not know the answer but someone else might!
- I’m really bad at email. Don’t ask me why. I try to answer things as fast as possible but sometimes emails languish in my inbox for days, or I forget about answering them. Then you get mad at me and think I’m ignoring you, etc.
- Answering lots of individual emails takes time away from me writing new posts, not to mention spending time with my family/friends, exploring new foods, and all that kind of thing.
Hence, this is Ask Maki (almost) Anything. comments here will remain always open, to ask me anything that doesn’t fit into the context of a particular post. Unless it’s something that must remain private, please post here before emailing. Thank you!
But before you ask….
There’s nearly 5 years worth of content here. Chances are your question has already been answered. Please try the Search function, right at the top of the page, before asking something. Thanks!
[Edit:] Do not use this post to pimp your refrigerator parts, miracle diet, whatever site. Such comments will be deleted.
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Just Hungry is a site about food. There are 
Hanbuger steak
I was wondering if you new how to make hamburger steak the Japaneses style I really want to eat it with demi-glaze sauce But I can’t seem to find it anywhere.
hmm yes, I guess I should
hmm yes, I guess I should post a Japanese hamburger recipe one day. So much to do, so little time :)
Japanses stewed potatoes?
Hi Maki,
I just found your site last week and love it. I used to live in SF, CA and there was a great sushi joint “No Name” sushi on Church Street that served cold boiled potatoes as an appetizer. I think they stewed them in soy and rice win vinegar but I am not sure. Do you know of any recipes that are similar to this?
Thanks!
Without tasting it I really
Without tasting it I really can’t say what it is, but it may just be potatoes cooked in dashi with added mirin and soy sauce, or a variation of nikujaga, potatoes stewed with a little meat.
I was looking through one of
I was looking through one of my cookbooks just now and came across a recipe for “nikkorogashi” (the english title is “new potatoes cooked in dashi stock”) that includes onion, sesame oil, dashi, and soy sauce, so maybe that’s it?
soba noodles?
Dear Maki,
first i want to thank you for the advice about Japanese shopping agent site. I will come back and tell about the experience. You did great sites and i read them often!
Today i wanted to boil some soba noodles and arrange them in nests with avocado/salmon/wasabi filling. It should have been a very colorful starter, if only i managed to get them in nests properly :) Hence the question: they are sold tied in bunches together with a ribbon. Shall these noodles be boiled without removing the ribbon? I assumed ribbon has adhesive on it so i tore it off. Or is it just to present them beautifully?
Thank you very much,
Anna
soba bundles
Hi Anna! The ribbon should be removed as you guessed - it’s just paper, and has adhesive or even a piece of sticky tape on it. Besides, a bundle of dried noodles is far more than you want for a little bundle of cooked noodles.
The only way to make neat nests really is practice. Also you may want to cook the noodles a little bit more, if they are not ‘bending’ properly. When they are a bit soft (but not mushy) they should curl neatly. Try to take just a few strands at a time, which should make neater bundles too (or a small pinch if you’re using very thin noodles like somen).
Thanks
Hi Maki,
thanks!! I am checking out the website as we speak!!
OU lalala!! :)
I will go to the only japanese shop I know of in Athens to shop for my second attempt in making a meal!!( I will send contact info of the shop for others!!)
This whole site rocks!! :) (great layout, photos, design)
E
Exotic Dish Help??
MRatsky
I just returned from one of my (several times a year) visits to Japan (Yokohama area, for business). One evening, my Japanese colleagues took our delegation out for a “different sort” of traditional Japanese dinner. One of the dishes was named (something like) “Sh’roku teriyaki.” We were instructed to try it BEFORE we would be told what it was; we complied, and later were informed that it was “a sort of fish, actually just a part of a fish, actually only a part found only on male fishes….” It turned out that even most of our Japanese colleagues didn’t know what this was, although they had enjoyed it for years! I have searched the internet in vain trying to find any reference to this dish, in an attempt to 1. verify this information, and 2. find out just what sort of fish this is. Maki, can you (or anyone else here) help?
shirako?
Was it sort of gelatinous and soft? If so it could be ‘shirako’ （白子）, which are the sperm sacs of a male fish. (never heard of cooking it teriyaki but I guess that’s possible)
That's it!
Yes, with a white creamy interior almost like a thin custard; that is what I was talking about. Is that a “generic” term, or is it specific to a certain species of fish? Given the size of these (about 50 to 75mm in diameter) my impression is it must be a fairly large fish. My friends and I are curious as to the name of the fish, if it is from a specific species.
MRatsky
Shirako is a generic term
Shirako is a generic term (it literally means ‘white children’. The kanji is 白子）. Given the size you describe I’m guessing it came from something like monkfish (ankou). I’ve seen shirako from mackerel, cod, and other fish too. I can’t say it’s a favorite thing of mine… (I like the kind of roe that comes from a female fish better :))
Egg Molds
Hi,
I was given a set of egg molds by my sister. I have tried them twice and they have not worked at all. I am thinking that my eggs are too small. Is there any other reason that they are not coming our right ?? Am I doing something wrong ? What’s a good size egg to use ? And when exactly should I stop boiling and put them in the mold ?
Thanks
E
egg molds
I guess you are talking about boiled egg molds? If so the keys to using them are -
find the right egg size to use. It should fit snugly but not overflow. (The package says use an “L” size but that’s a Japanese L, so that size differs by country.
hardboil the egg, and peel it while it’s hot
Put the egg in the mold and then immediately immerse the whole mold in cold water. Leave the mold and egg in the cold water for at least 10 minutes
See if that works!
Cooking in Japan
Hi Maki
I was wondering if Japanese people who live in apartments in Japan cook very much. The apartments seem to have very small kitchens.
It depends on the person
It really depends on the person, as anywhere in the world. Some people just live on takeout or combini (convenience store) and so on, others cook for themselves. I don’t really think Japanese kitchens in general are much smaller than equivalents elsewhere…have you seen some NYC apartment kitchens? :)
Hi!
Maki-san -
Thank you for this site! From the little I’ve been able to explore in a few days, it seems to have lots of info! I made my first soy milk the other night, and I’m about to try making tofu with it (wanted to do it yesterday, but I went to 3 different asian markets and couldn’t find nigari - about to try with lemon juice, before the milk goes bad). So far, my husband and I have used the okara in eggs, smoothies, and a loaf of bread. I will probably have many other questions, but I wanted to start with this. Do you know where I might find any katsuobushi in the US, rather than dried bonito flakes?
Do you mean the whole dried
Do you mean the whole dried katsuo that you shave yourself? (because katsuobushi means dried katsuo, essentially). If so I’m not really sure - you may want to try calling the major Japanese grocery stores like Uwajimaya or Katagiri to see if they carry it. (It’s something that isn’t carried that much in regular stores anymore even in Japan, so you may not find it…)
Oh well
I’ll see about contacting them, thanks. I knew it was a long shot, but thought I’d ask just in case. My tofu seems to have come out well, though - we’ll find out for sure when it gets cooked :P
recipe
do you have a recipe for japanese sesame dressing for salads, thanks wendy
Thank you
I’m so happy I found this site. Thanks for the recipes. I’ve wanted to know how to make omu rice for a year now. This recipe sounds easy and delicious!
I’m making it this weekend!
Next up..Onigiri!
Thanks very much!
HEY
I came across this when looking for a onigiri recipe (which makes me feel stupid as its kinda simple xD ) but um yes, i found justbento.com and then this.
Great work keeping it up with this site- I love the things here, totally made my day :D
Hello again! I hope I’m
Hello again! I hope I’m not being too bothersome by asking this, but I must know! Surely there must be some difference between “onigiri” and “omusubi?” If they refer to the same thing then why are they two different words? I saw a picture recently of a vending machine that was selling onigiri meals, and on one picture it was written “onigiri,” but on the other picture written “omusubi,” even though the picture was of the same thing? Another thing that I’ve been unsure of is the difference between “hanpen” and “kamaboko”… I would be really grateful for your explanation!
There is no difference
There is no difference between onigiri and omusubi, but there is a difference between hanpen and kamaboko. The only reason why some people call rice balls onigiri and some omusubi is whatever they grew up hearing! There may not even be strong regional differences (keep in mind that there are many different dialects in Japan). No need to think too deeply about it though…why do some people call the same fizzy drink ‘soda’ or ‘pop’?
But hanpen and kamaboko are different things. Kamaboko is a fairly solid, rubbery fish paste product, while kamaboko is light and airy in texture, like a marshmallow (it’s made usually with beaten egg white, as marshmallows are).
Japanese vegetarian cuisine
Hey,
I was wondering if there were any vegetarian cookbooks on Japanese Cuisine written in Japanese that you would recommend.
Best,
David
David, check out the first
David, check out the first three books on my Amazon JP atore page: http://astore.amazon.co.jp/justhungry-jp-22
They are all vegan and I love them! If you can read Japanese, there are some others on that page too (the ‘macrobiotic’ type ones). But the three by Yumiko Kano are my top recs.
Japanese food ideas
Hi,
Just came across your great site - I have my own blog http://globalgobbler.blogspot.com/ and cook for people who then review the food. The last meal I did was Japanese - have a look and if you like it maybe you could tell others about it?
Cheers Joel
Luv ur Hungry and Bento.
Luv ur Hungry and Bento. I’m not Japanese, but I love ur culture and people as well. I can tell from ur pages that u are full of vitality and enthusiasm. I am trying to live like you. Just want to say hi and thank you, Maki!
Rice Cake Help
Hi Maki! Awesome site, I really love your recipies!
Anyway I have some diffculties in making Japanese rice cake [Mochi in Japanese], and I need some advice.
Alright, I made Mochi before, although it wasn’t often. I really like Mochi, it’s pretty simple to make. The Mochi I have made before is the basic, round shaped mochi with filling inside [Daifuku in Japanese, I think].
My problem is that when I finally finish steaming the Mochi [I don’t use the traditional way of making mochi, just modern way to do it], the mochi keeps on sticking onto my hand and it’s a big problem because I tried to mould it nicely into a ball and stuff the filling in, it just wouldn’t want to listen to me. I know Mochi is easy to make, but moulding is a big problem, and it doesn’t turn out great.
I’m currently using my hands to mould the Mochi. Although I tried using a muffin tray [Basically the tray where to make muffins] to mould [Not using my hands, with spoons], it’s still very hard to do so. I need help on how to mould the Mochi properly without having too much trouble.
If you require the recipe on how I did the Mochi [For any reason], I’m happy to to do. Thanks a lot!
Janice, there are basically
Janice, there are basically two ways to keep mochi from sticking to your hands. One is to coat your hands and all surfaces with plenty of katakuriko or potato starch (cornstarch is an acceptable substitute). The other way is to use plenty of water - even handling the mochi immersed in water if it’s excessivly sticky. If you are making something like daifuku, you’d use katakuriko (commercial daifuku comes coated in it), and if you were making mochi dumplings to put into a soup or coat with something else, you’d use water. Hope that helps!