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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270 comments so far...
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Just Hungry is a site about food. There are 
Hot weather bento
Hi Maki! Today has been really hot here so I took a bento to the beach. I’m not good in hot weather though, I wilt and find it difficult to eat food like the onigiri I made. Anything apart from juicy fruit seems too heavy. Do you have any ideas for light nutritious foods to get the appetite going in hot weather? What do people in Japan eat? Maybe an idea for an article what with the summer approaching. Just a thought!
hi!!!! ask about ground beef
hi!!!maki, i wantto say thx for your site help me alot and give me alot of inspiration. btw i want to ask you about how to use ground beef for obento except making burger or meet balls, i’m running out of ideas please help???!! thx
Mayonnaise-based salad dressing?
At many Japanese restaurants in California I’ve eaten small salads with a light white dressing. I’ve asked the waitpersons what’s in it, and all they’ve been able to answer is “um, mayonnaise … and sesame seeds … I dunno, the cook makes it.” I’ve searched the web and found various lists of ingredients, none of them alike and mostly containing some, but not all, of mayonnaise, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, mustard, honey, sesame oil, green onions, and/or carrots … and none of them listing any amounts.
Could you provide a basic recipe for this dressing? It’s light and pleasant and everyone in my family is willing to eat it, which is not true of any other salad dressing on this planet.
Thanks!
ground meat, salad dressing, etc.
djheyt, I am not sure there is a standard mayonnaise based dressing. I’d have to taste the one you are referring to to see what’s in it… One thing though, the taste of mayo mingled with the juices of fresh vegetables, especially cucumber, is very nice, especially with a little added vinegar.
Ginger, I will be addressing hot weather bentos for sure in the next few weeks.
homodachi, Sakura flavor comes from salt-pickled cherry blossoms or cherry blossom leaves. They are often pickled with vinegar, usually ume (pickled plum) vinegar but sometimes other fruity vinegar. I’m fairly sure Starbucks uses artificial flavoring though…
hime-chan, there are a few ground meat recipes very suited to bento on here an JB. These two are very easy:
meat soboro
Dry curry
Some that need more efforts are for example shepherd’s pie in individual portions; even more work would be gyoza dumplings, etc.
Making Dashi
I am very new to cooking Japanese style and would like to make homemade dashi. I went to the local Mitsuwa and purchased the bonito flakes and konbu only to find that the konbu that I purchased appears to be the wrong kind. Can I still make dashi using tororo konbu, which appears to be used for wrapping onigiri? I was thinking that perhaps I could put it in a cheesecloth sack to keep in together since it looks pretty fragile, but I’m not sure how that would work. Also, would I use the whole package (1.6 oz.)?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
AMK
Tororo kombu
Actually tororo kombu is used to make a sort of soup, by pouring hot water over it and letting it steep. (It can be used to wrap onigiri, but the original use is for soup. Actually I don’t like tororo as an onigiri wrapping that much myself.) The resulting soup has a slightly viscious (slimy) texture. It does have a lot of flavor, so you could use it as dashi, if you don’t mind the texture! The whole package is probably too much - just try a small bit of it and see how it goes.
Thanks for this website!!
A couple of months ago, I stumbled onto your website and have been addicted ever since! My mother is Japanese, and moved back and forth from Japan to Seattle all my childhood. It is very rare to meet people or I guess in this case, a website that I totally connect with—someone who understands bicultural issues, and all tying it back to food (something I am very obsessed with as well). It is just really comforting to read your website knowing that someone has similiar views as me. :) Thank you!!
thank you for your nice
thank you for your nice comment :)
Chichi dango, dashi questions
Hi Maki,
A friend recently said she got a recipe for something called chichi dango. She was told it was a WONDERFUL Japanese desert that she could not put down.
I was not familiar with this and did a search about it. Have you had it? What are your thoughts. Is it a traditional dessert?
Also, thanks to you, I have mastered making my own home made dashi. My question is, instead of just steeping the konbu with the water for 20 minutes, can I just put the water and some konbu in a mason jar the night before and let it steep longer. Will that affect the dashi? Or actually make it taste better as more umame will be released.
Thanks!!!!!
Wakkun, chichi dango is an
Wakkun, chichi dango is an unfilled dumpling made of milk, a sweetener and mochi powder. (Chichi means udder or breast or milk.) It’s a speciality of the Hiroshima area. It doesn’t have that long a history I believe (since Japanese people didn’t drink milk until about 150 years ago or so) but nowadays it’s one of those ‘if you go there bring me back a box of that’ type of things. I think it’s also spread to Hawaii, where there are variations using coconut milk. I haven’t had it in a long time but I’ll see if I can dig up a good recipe.
Sure, you can soak just the kombu or the kombu and bonito flakes both in water in the refrigerator - like I describe with the vegetarian stock This is actually the way I prefer to make dashi now - it’s nice to always have a jug of it ready to go!
Egg molds
I apologize if this has been answered, but I used the search and couldn’t see it anywhere.
I’m wondering about the egg molds described on this page:
http://justbento.com/handbook/bento-decoration-techniques/fun-japanese-e...
Are they machine washable?
Thank you very much!
It doesn’t say anything on
It doesn’t say anything on the packaging. (Dishwashers aren’t that common in Japan, so dishwasher-safeness is not always indicated.) I just rinse it out in hot water by hand. Judging from the quality plastic I would think it is probably toprack-safe, though don’t hold me to it :)
Substituting Soy Milk
I was looking at the recipe for the steamed buns… and I was wondering, could you substitute soy milk in place of the whole milk and achieve the same/decent results (I’m vegan)?
Soy milk should be ok,
Soy milk should be ok, otherwise you can try the no-milk dough used for the Bunny Bao: link
Japanese cooking
I ran across your blog looking for alternatives to MSG. I don’t like using it and was so glad to see your post about it and using konbu and the bonito flakes for soup bases.
Thank you!
Questions...
Hello there Maki! I just have to say that I’ve fallen in love with both Just Hungry as well as Just Bento. I truly appreciate that you do this. They have been the most helpful sites to me so far. I adore the fact that you have everything in one place and that I don’t have to go searching everywhere for recipes, shopping lists, etc. I do have two questions though.
First, I was making Onigiri for the first time and having difficulties with it and came up with another easy version as well as a great tasting filling. Do you ever accept recipes/ideas (I took pictures as well) that you would be willing to check out? I wouldn’t expect anything in return and would just love it if you posted it (if you liked the ideas of course). If so, where would I contact you as there are images as well, etc.
Second, in your basic Miso soup, do you recommend a certain type of Tofu? I prefer just the plain miso soup with the white miso, seaweed and tofu…but I can’t find on any recipes (not here or on other sites) if firm or soft tofu is recommended or if it even matters.
Thank you so much for your time in advance!
~Koorogi
Cricket, sure you can send
Cricket, sure you can send me your recipe and photos, to maki at makikoitoh dot com. (No guarantee I will post it but if I do I’ll give you full credit of course!)
For miso soup, I usually prefer to use kinugoshi or soft (silken) tofu, but you could use firm too of course.
Thank you!
Okay, I just sent it off.
Thank you for the quick response and for the tofu information as well! jots it on shopping list
Love the sites
Hi Maki,
Came across your site when I was looking for a tsukemono recipe, like Mom used to make. I’m half Japanese regular old American any my only tie to my Japanese heritage is food. I love all the clever bento lunches - and make similar stuff having been slave labor in my Mom’s lunch counter place as a kid.
Also I love traveling and eating - so all your posts on farmers markets and food while traveling is great! I got to try a reisling soup in Lichtenstein!
I really want a Wii fit too! I keep forwarding your site to my friends. It’s great reading!
a periodic thank you
I know I don’t say thank you to all of your nice comments, but - thank you! I’m really glad you find Just Hungry and Just Bento entertaining and useful :)
Something to cook with my new Japanese friend
Hi Maki! What a great site! I have recently started taking Japanese lessons from a woman who moved into my apt. in Boston while her husband is doing a post-doc at Harvard. She really likes to cook because she says the US portion sizes are too big. I’m thinking a good lesson that would incorporate English and Japanese conversation and culture would be a cooking lesson.
Do you have any suggestions for something for us to make? I will also have her update your grocery store list as they have been exploring good places to buy food in Boston.
Thanks in advance!
-jt
Jenny, if you’re in Boston
Jenny, if you’re in Boston why not something very New England or local? Some things I can think of.. New England clam chowder, Boston baked beans (with brown bread), Boston cream pie… any of them would be a big hit I think! I’m sure you could dig up some interesting history about those dishes too.
Thanks!
That’s a great idea. Thanks! She also mentioned that in Japan, not many people eat lobster, so I think I might incorporate that somehow. Although, boiling/steaming a lobster doesn’t really constitute much of a cooking lesson, I think it might be fun in any case!
-jt
How is sugar made (processed) in Japan?
Hi Maki,
I’ve enjoyed your site for some time—it has been helpful for me in deciphering ingredients here and learning how to use them (we’re stationed in Misawa, Japan).
I would like more info about how sugar is made in Japan. I noticed the light brown sugar here looks different than US sugar. I know that US sugar is usually refined first (sometimes with beef bones), to white, and then the molasses part added back in, to make light brown or dark brown sugar. I would prefer working with a sugar that is like Muscuvado (where the processing stops at the brown sugar level and nothing is added back in)—seems more healthy.
Also, how do I use Okinawan black sugar (kuru satou)? It’s usually lumpy or in blocks. Do I have to grind it first or? (And how healthy is it? Meaning, how is it processed?)
Thank you.
Zen
Zen, the light brown sugar
Zen, the light brown sugar (san on tou) is sugar that hasn’t been refined to be pure white. Okinawan black sugar is very unrefined sugar - I think it’s usually used melted in liquid. Actually when I was growing up, my mother used to give us lumps of unrefined black sugar when we got skin rashes and such - not sure how scientific it is, but there’s always been a belief (which seems to be prevalent throughout Asia) that unrefined sugar is good for you.
Actually, I think it’s only in the US and perhaps the UK too, where white sugar is re-colored so to speak to produce different degrees of ‘brown’ sugar. Here in Switzerland we can’t get ‘brown’ sugar as it’s sold in the US at all - it’s white, or ‘raw’ (unrefined) sugar. Interesting how even sugar selections can differ from country to country!
Thanks for the quick reply
Hi Maki,
Thanks for info (information). I really appreciate it. I’ve been experimenting with my baking and then passing that knowledge on to my friends. Believe it or not, right now my task/hobby has been to make Western desserts with common Japanese ingredients—for example, in cookies, I’ll use soft tofu in place of butter (yeah, we’re nowhere near Tokyo to find inexpensive butter. But there’s lots of tofu here!). Hey, if you have a company address, I can always send you something of Aomori (where Misawa is)—land of the apples!
Zen
Saba and dried fish
Do you make your own saba or buy it frozen? I don’t believe I’ve ever come across a good explanation of how saba is made. Is it just salted or marinated with sweet sake? Is it dried at all? The few recipies I’ve come across only call for salt and have never produced anything like the saba I buy frozen or eat in japanese restaurants.
Also, do you have any dried fish recipes? I just got Mark Robinson’s book on the Izakaya and I’ve got overnight dried fish on the brain.
James
Saba
Saba is just the name of ‘horse mackerel’ in Japanese. Do you mean shimesaba (pickled saba)? If so, it’s cured with kombu seaweed, salt, sugar and vinegar - it’s not dried really.
I don’t do much in the way of dried or cured fish, simply because in the landlocked land that I live right now really fresh fish is pretty expensive (and not much variety). I do however make salted salmon fairly regularly - the how-to is on Just Bento (since shiozake is something that’s so useful for bentos). This basically produces a salmon ichiyaboshi. You can use this method for any kind of fresh, firm and oily fish filet.
(Incidentally, ichiyaboshi means ‘dried one night’ but it doesn’t really mean it’s always dried for just one night, just that it’s softer and ready-to-eat, vs. fish that’s dried very hard for longer keeping.)
Dashi...Allergy?
Hey Maki!
I currently live in Japan, and my parents, in trying to get in touch with my life, found a Japanese restaurant.
My Dad has food allergies to certain types of fish—sardines, swordfish, anchovies, and TUNA. (Salmon is okay, tilapia is okay, shellfish is okay.) It is a rare type of allergy, I think, but a few other people he has met have the same fishes affect them.
He tried some miso soup (among other things) and his food allergy acted up. He now shuns miso, as he thinks there is some tuna or sardines in it.
I told him that is was probably the dashi stock, as it can have tuna flakes in it, and that miso is not the problem. Miso is made out of veggies or grains, right? I said next time he goes tell the guy “dashi arerugi-” or “maguro arerugi-” and then order. (The restaurant guy’s English isn’t great, apparently.)
Aside from making him ill, he really loved the miso soup. I was thinking of bringing back some tuna-free dashi and avoiding miso/dashi pre-mixes. Miso is probably not the problem, right?
Does hondashi have tuna in it? I can’t read much Japanese, and I was wondering if you had a recommendation of a brand or something I should ask for. I am in a pretty rural area…
A lot of people use niboshi,
A lot of people use niboshi, a kind of dried sardine, for making dashi, and that could also be what your father reacted to. Miso itself has no fish in it, unless it’s a kind that is pre-mixed with dashi. So you just have to get a brand that does not have dashi in it. (This is listed in the ingredients, which should not have anything other than salt, soybeans, maybe rice or other grain.) Unfortunately, no restaurant is likely to have miso soup without dashi especially in the U.S. (most restaurants just use dashi powder), so your father will have to avoid it.
Hondashi does have bonito flakes, and bonito is a type of tuna. You can look for a konbu dashi powder (昆布だし）- or maybe teach your parents how to make vegan dashi!