Rising Tohoku Fair - Mitsuwa Food Fair

Rising Tohoku Fair - Mitsuwa Food Fair

This weekend (10/17-10/20/2013), Mitsuwa Marketplace is holding the Rising Tohoku Fair. It's been a couple year since the Tokohu earthquake struck the Northern Japan region. At this fair, foods of the region were highlighted.

My friend Jun's family is from Sendai (you might remember Jun & David from the Wedding Dessert Bar and Zunda Mochi) so we met up at Mitsuwa in Torrance this morning. Their cute son came along for some noodles, rice and ice cream!

At each food fair, Mitsuwa brings in a chef from Japan to make their specialty ramen. This time, they brought someone from Sendai to make his "Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen" (tonkotsu based soup with fish & vegetables) ($9.90 for regular, $10.90 for spicy). The noodles were delicious and the broth really flavorful!

Omusubi Gonbei had a booth with all sorts of yummy rice balls. I got an ume (pickled plum) one...loved it. They were huge too. Off to the side, you can see workers shaping rice balls with their hands over and over again. ($1.80 each)

They also have little car plush toys of musubi with an ume inside. Kawaii.


After having a sample of kaki (persimmon) drink from the Yamagata region, I picked up 4 cans ($2.50 each). Dude, it's persimmons!!!

They also have lots of special foods from the region including apple drinks.


They are selling sweet and savory crepes and soft serve ice cream too. I loved the special - soft serve with mochi balls and zunda (sweeted edamame paste - a specialty of the Sendai region) ($3.50)

Little S is getting sooooo big! He's a cutie, isn't he?! Great seeing you J and D!

Rising Tohoku Fair at Mitsuwa Marketplace
This weekend - til 10/20/2013 in Torrance and Costa Mesa
Next week (10/24-10/27) in San Jose, Chicago, New Jersey

Note: This is not a sponsored post. I went, I paid for food, I ate, and watched a cute kid eat too.

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Furikake Tomatoes

Tomatoes sprinkled with the Japanese Rice Seasoning, Furikake

My parents are growing a bunch of lovely tomatoes - both red and yellow. I try to check in with them once a week (pay their bills, eat something, and then my mom hands me either toilet paper or paper towels - yes, I think my mom worries I can't shop for basic necessities or something :)

In the summer, I make sure I check on them more often...and pick up some great fresh tomatoes!

The other day, I cut some tomatoes and reached for the salt grinder. Next to the pepper, I saw the bottle of Furikake. I thought, "Hum...let's try that instead!"

OMG. So good!

Furikake is a Japanese rice seasoning. The basic furikake has small pieces of nori (dried seaweed), sesame seeds, and a bit of sugar and salt. It's great on rice (kids really like it too). And on tomatoes? Awesome! 

You can find furikake in Japanese or Asian grocery stores. It's pretty cheap - usually $3 to $4 per bottle. My favorite is the JFC brand "Nori Komi Furikake" with ingredients sesame seeds, salt, sugar and seaweed (available online on Amazon but it's pricey). Read the ingredients as there are all different types. Some have bonito flakes (fish), salmon, shiso or wasabi flavor.

Furikake Tomatoes
1. Slice tomatoes
2. Optional: Drizzle with olive oil, soy sauce and/or balsamic vinegar to taste (I don't add any oil or additional flavors, but it's up to you!)
3. Sprinkle with Furikake

You can read more about Furikake on this Wikipedia entry. Also, you can make this yummy Furikake Chex Mix!

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Mitsuwa Japanese Gourmet Food Fair 2013

Mitsuwa Market's Japanese Gourmet Food Fair

It's time for the Mitsuwa Market's Japanese Gourmet Food Fair! Mitsuwa is a Japanese grocery store with outlets in California (Santa Monica, San Jose, San Gabriel, San Diego, Torrance, Costa Mesa and Irvine) as well as Chicago and New Jersey. Mitsuwa has regional food fairs throughout the year (such as the Hokkaido or Okinawa fair), but this has to be the biggest one.

From now til Sunday (6/13 to 6/16), Mitsuwa presents the Japanese Gourmet Food Fair at the Torrance, Costa Mesa and San Diego stores. They fly in chefs and special products from Japan for this four day delicious affair.

I went last year - see post here. I missed the special ramen last year, but this year I got in line when it opened its doors!

Luckily, this year I was met by Yumi-san from the Mitsuwa marketing department who talked to me about the fair. I don't speak Japanese so she was an interpreter and since she planned much of the fair, I appreciated her insight. Thanks Yumi!


First up, the special Sweet Pumpkin treat. You may think these are regular imagawayaki, but they are made with a very special batter. The batter incorporates tapioca flour and sweet potato flour for a more chewy texture! In addition, the fillings included traditional red bean (azuki) and unique flavors caramel and custard. I love chewy textures and these treats were delicious. ($2 each)


The chef pictured above is from Japan and came for the festival. After this festival in California, they will travel to Chicago and New Jersey for food festivals (6/20-6/23/2013). Did you know that the New Jersey store is mega big? It's the largest Mitsuwa store - complete with a free shuttle from New York! Has anyone gone to the NJ store?


These are popular Maki Dora or Rolled Dorayaki from the Anchin-do Shop in Japan. Oh my goodness. Besides being so pretty, these are so delicious! The pancake is very light and the filling is heavenly.


Anything that has the label "This taste warms the cockles of the heart" is a winner in my book.


You can get them filled with red beans, custard cream, green tea, or black sesame. The green tea is intense (these were my overall favorite treat), and the black sesame is rich. Handmade in front of you all day. These are only at the Torrance store this year. ($2 each)


The Japanese food company Amochinmi brings fried fish cakes (they are fried up on-site at Mitsuwa all day) ($1.75 each). You can find fish cakes and 12 different croquettes filled with all sorts of ingredients such as crab, pumpkin (kabocha), mushroom, corn, potatoes ($1.50-$2.30 each). I picked up the pumpkin one, as well as a pumpkin steamed Oyaki (yes, kabocha is one of my favorite flavors!)


Last year, the Torrance store had the Fugetsu-Do filled waffles. The photo above is from last year. They are back this year - but only at the Costa Mesa store ($2-$2.50 each). If you are in Orange County, I would definitely visit. These treats were my favorite last year! In addition, the Costa Mesa store has Takoyaki (octopus balls) ($6.90 pack)


All the ingredients except for rice and some meats are flown in from Japan for the festival. Different types of gourmet sushi are prepared by Japanese chefs. Mackerel Sushi ($11.90), Seafood Sushi Bento Box (being prepared by the chef above, $15.90), Crab Gokai Roll Sushi ($9.90).


There are a lot of gourmet sushi sets. Last year, I bought the crab inari sushi ($11.90), and I will probably pick up the crab chirashi tomorrow for lunch ($11.90). All made on-site all day.

They have Japanese packaged items for sale as well. They have a lot of special noodles...and most of them have someone's face on them, and that cracked me up. Premium udons ($4.90 each) and Sanuki udon ($3.59-$6.90 each).

Mitsuwa sets up these special food areas in the middle of the store - while totally awesome, it can get super crowded. :) Products do sell out since they are brought in from Japan in limited quantities...so if you see something, buy it. Yumi said that they are getting more and more non-Japanese foodies and interested parties coming to the fairs. The staff is bilingual (except for those who came from Japan for the fair) so feel free to ask questions.



Mitsuwa Marketplace in Torrance has a large food court area. You can always find something delicious to eat (Torrance's plaza has the very popular and well reviewed Santouka Ramen). During the food fairs, a special ramen is served (I learned that Mitsuwa owns the Katsuhana ramen stall and they have the chef take over the space during the festival).

This year, Chef Kenji Chiba of the famed Kamome-Shokudo in Yokohama is serving “Kesennuma Ramen Ushio Aji (Salt)” for this event. The broth is made from seafood and chicken bones. Topped with chashu pork, bamboo shoots, nori, green onions and a half boiled egg (definitely get it with the egg - that is a perfect topper!) ($10.90 with egg, $9.90 without). They flew in three Japanese staff to assist Chef Chiba.

They are also serving a small salmon bowl with sesame soy sauce (I didn't get that...too much to eat!) ($3.80)


Anyone who has been to Japan knows Blue Seal ice cream. They are selling vanilla soft serve for $2.50...but I couldn't find space in my tummy for this after eating sooo much...


The fair is held from June 13-16, 2013 in Torrance, Costa Mesa and San Diego. It'll be in Chicago and New Jersey from June 20-23, 2013. Note: Not everything shown is available in all stores. More information about the Mitsuwa Gourmet Food Fair: http://www.mitsuwa.com/event/eevent.php?e=37

If you don't have a Mitsuwa near you...I honestly feel bad for you. But I learned today at Mitsuwa has an online store that ships Japanese products to your door. Too bad they can't send you those Maki Dora treats though.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. My meeting with the marketing department was informational. I purchased my own food and ramen at Mitsuwa. It was yummy! Go!

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Mitsuwa "Umaimono Gourmet" Food Fair

I woke up this morning to a tweet (via my friend @JustJennDesigns, and Jitlada lover @MyLastBite) about the Mitsuwa Food Fair happening this weekend. Garrett Snyder of the LA Weekly called it, "It's sort of like the "Comic-Con" for Japanese cuisine."

I went to the Torrance store (also happening in Costa Mesa) this afternoon. I was too late for the special Ichimonji-style tonkotsu miso ramen, but picked up a croquette, crab sushi and these amazing waffle custard filled yummy things from Kobe Fugetsudo.

This is only happening until Sunday, June 17th so if you are in the area, stop by! Also, it's coming to Chicago and New Jersey next week.

I'm bummed I missed the rice ball event that happened earlier...I'm going to follow @Mitsuwa_SoCal so I don't miss the next one!

(Top photo: Crab Inari 4 for $7.90; Ikameshi Croquette $2.50 each (filled with a squid and rice mix), and lots of different fried fish cakes are available)

Other items include a Seafood Bento Box (crab, sea urchin, salmon roe, squid) for $15.90; Roe for $78.99 a pound!!! (holy smokes...but I imagine you don't need to buy a pound of roe unless you really have thing for roe); fish, lots of croquettes (filled with things such as cheese, green onions, pumpkin, potato) and fried fish cakes.

These waffles are filled with custard, green tea custard, or chestnut custard with a whole chestnut inside! Kobe Fugetsudo has this great waffle iron that spells out their name and a chef is standing all day making the waffles. (Japan-based Kobe Fugetsudo is not to be confused with Fugetsudo mochi in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.) These were definitely my favorite! If you are in the South Bay or OC, stop by Mitsuwa tomorrow to pick these up!

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Japanese Cultural Institute Carnival in Gardena, CA

Japanese Cultural Institute (JCI) Carnival in Gardena, CA

My friend JustJenn and I were hanging out on Sunday and she looked at her iPhone. She said, "Oh, the JCI Carnival is this weekend."

Squeal.

That was my car and my scream. My car sprinted to Gardena to hit up the "carnival of my youth." I have so many childhood memories from this annual affair. The Japanese Cultural Institute (JCI) in Gardena (South Bay area of the Los Angeles region) has been going on forever. A few things have been added and changed, but so much of it remains exactly the same. And that's fantastic. The JCI offers Japanese language classes, senior activities, cultural classes and sport groups. 

Of course, I go for the festival foods. Chirashi sushi is my absolute favorite. It's sushi rice with a bunch of toppings. Somen salad is cold somen noodles with a dipping sauce, and the imagawayaki is a pancake filled with sweet red beans.

My peep's donut! The Okinawan Andagi or Dango is a festival favorite...just look for the long line. It is a big donut hole of goodness. I like to spend my summer visiting as many festivals as possible...all to get dangos! The Japanese American-founded Buddhist Churches in the area have annual Obon festivals and they always have dangos too. See this post for my tour of a Obon festival in 2009, and my mom's recipe for dango.

Every JA festival has a plant and vegetable section. I believe every group has a member who owns or works at a nursery. Actually, there is a long history of Japanese American gardeners and farmers in California (check out this book). My grandfather worked in the sugar cane fields of Hawaii, farmed in Central California and then became a gardener in Los Angeles. Last year, I bought a house plant at an Obon festival at a Buddhist church...and it is still alive!! I don't know if the Buddhist priest blessed it, but now I'm buying all my house plants at these carnivals!

The youth break dancing class performed too! I'm sure one of these kids will be on my favorite show, ABDC someday!

Like I said, the JCI Carnival is filled with childhood memories. All these old school carnival games. They used to have a dime toss and gave away glass cups and dishes (holy smokes, I'm sure they were filled with lead and other hazards). Anyway, I loved this game and would break my piggy bank gathering dimes. One day, my folks were at my brother's soccer game in Orange County and I stayed at home. I was doing the dishes and one of these super thin glasses broke in my hand. My neighbor was a police officer so I went over to show him my cut. Remember, I'm 40 so when I was young we had rotary phones and cell phones were only on the Jetsons. My neighbor knew someone on the force in the OC and they SENT UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICERS TO THE SOCCER GAME. Yes, they walked around the field saying, "We are looking for the parents of Mary." Holy Smokes! My mom still tells me this story and how she nearly had a heart attack right there on the field. Anyway, I got 5 or 6 stitches and still have a small scar on my finger...and great memories of the JCI Carnival. And I didn't have to do the dishes for a whole month.

I hope you are enjoying your summer visiting carnivals and festivals (and of course, participating in your library's summer reading program!!). If you are in Los Angeles and want to eat some Japanese American festival food, check out the Obon schedule!

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Zunda Mochi from Sendai Japan

Zunda Mochi from the Sendai region of Japan

It has been awhile since the Japanese earthquake on March 11, 2011 and the recent tragedies in the mid-west reiterate the power of natural disasters. Japan may have fallen off the front page of the newspaper, but the people in the affected areas are in need of long-term assistance. There are still thousands of people in shelters because their homes were destroyed in the tsunami. One of the hardest hit regions is Sendai, Japan.

Last month, my friend and fellow librarian Jun taught me how to make Zunda Mochi. Jun’s family is from  Sendai and she still has many relatives there. Last year, she visited Sendai and came back with a package of Zunda Mochi which she shared with me. I was immediately smitten. I love all things mochi and the combo of slightly sweetened soybeans or edamame and mochi is a winner.

After the earthquake and updates from Jun about what her family went through, I thought about Zunda Mochi. I wanted to make Zunda Mochi as a celebration of the region's perseverance. Jun said this is a home cooked comfort food; it is sad that so many people do not have homes to return to. I hope you contribute financially to the continuing relief effort in Japan and here in the states. I've listed one way to support Japan at the end of this post.

Zunda Mochi uses very few ingredients. Really, it is just mochi (rice cakes, unsweetened) with a paste of edamame that has been slightly sweetened. Remember my family's annual mochi making day for New Year's? Well, I still have some mochi in the freezer and we cut some of those pieces. You can also find mochi in the Asian grocery store....just make sure it is plain and unsweetened.

You need to defrost the edamame (just run it in a colander under water) and remove the outer skin. Yes, one by one! This doesn't take long and if you have a friend with you, it goes by in the flash. You can squeeze them with your fingers and the inner pod just zooms out. The edamame paste freezes really well so you can make a big batch and freeze it. Jun's relatives always have some in the freezer in case a visitor stops by!


Whiz the naked (skin-off) edamame with some sugar and a bit of water in a food processor. You should get a fairly fine paste...but if you like things a bit chunky, you can leave it more chunky too. You don't want hummus...there should be a little texture.

Boil the mochi (How long depends on the type of mochi you are using. Ours only too a few minutes) and then place it on a plate with a dollop of the paste.

Like all recipes, especially comfort food, there are many variations of Zunda Mochi. The ratio of edamame to mochi pieces varies, and some pastes have more liquid. And some people cook the edamame or the paste...Jun and I didn't do that. Here is I Nom Things version. Google the recipe, find one you like and sit with a friend and shell some soybeans.

My friend (and soon-to-be mom!) Jun with the dessert of her peeps.

Buy my friend Azusa's Humble Bean Cookbook and help Japan!

One way you can help Japan is by purchasing Humble Bean’s recipe booklet. Azusa, an awesome artist and cook, has created this booklet with proceeds helping the victims in Japan. Buy it here!

Recipes include this lovely Shiitake and Bacon Pasta and...

• Quick Japanese Pickles
• Milk Misoshiru with Kabocha
• Daikon and Scallop Salad
• Pan Fried Gyoza
• Chilled Tomato Somen
• Shiitake and Bacon Pasta
• Bacon and Shiso Fried Rice
• Kuwayaki Donburi
• Sukiyaki Donburi
• Tuna and Avocado Donburi
• Matcha Pancakes

Show your support and get a great cookbook to add to your collection by purchasing Humble Bean's booklet!
= = = = = =
Recipe:
Zunda Mochi
Yields: 2 cups paste

One 16 ounce bag of frozen shelled edamame
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon water or more as needed
2 pinches of kosher salt

Mochi pieces

1. Remove the skin from the defrosted edamame. You should yield 14 ounces or about 2 1/2 cups of edamame.
2. Place edamame, sugar, water and salt in a food processor. Process into a paste of desired consistency.
3. Boil mochi pieces until soft. Remove and place on dish.
4. Top mochi with edamame paste.
Note: Paste freezes well.

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Furikake Chex Mix or Furikake Party Mix

Furikake Chex Mix or Furikake Party Mix

Who doesn't love a snack? And this one - Furikake Chex Mix? It's slightly sweet, a bit salty and oh so yummy!

This is an Asian / Hawaiian version of Chex Mix. A buttery, sweet syrup covers any number of cereals, chips and popcorn and a bottle of Furikake tops the goodness. Furikake is a rice topping of seaweed, sesame seeds, salt and sugar.

For this version, I included Crispix, Corn Chex, Popcorn, Bugles and, of course, a bottle of Furikake. You can pick up a bottle of Furikake at a Japanese or Asian grocery store. It is a yummy topping on rice...kids really like it. However, be sure you look at the ingredients. This is the "Nomi Komi" Furikake that has seaweed (nori), sesame seeds, sugar and salt. There are a bunch of varieties and some include wasabi, bonito (fish) flakes and other stuff. Avoid the one with bonito or fish for this snack!

The mix is coated with a syrup of butter, oil, sugars, soy sauce, and some corn syrup. A bottle of Furikake is sprinkled on top and the mix is baked at low heat for an hour. You may need a couple bowls to mix everything!

Sweet, Salty, and Crunchy. My favorite flavors all in one. I can eat a whole batch of this while watching Law & Order: UK, The Closer, or the new AMC show The Killing. Yay, I got a bunch of stuff on my DVR.

I made the Furikake Chex Mix for the recent Bake Sale for Japan. This was a nation-wide fundraiser that raised $2,500 in Los Angeles alone! Check out Bake Sale for Japan to see the final total (they are still tallying)! Thanks to all those who baked, purchased and supported the event.

Recipe:

Printable recipe here

Furikake Chex Mix or Furikake Party Mix
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 bottle Nomi Komi Furikake
Cereal, Chips, Popcorn, or Pretzels

You can use any number of cereals that equal about 2 boxes of Chex Mix or Crispix.

For this batch, I used 1/2 box of Crispix (about 5 cups), 1/2 box of Rice Chex, 4 cups of plain popcorn, and 1 bag (4.1 ounces) of Bugles chip-things (are Bugles chips or cones?) I've seen pretzels added to this mix. Use your imagination!

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a couple 9x13 pans or sheet pans with foil (for easy clean up)
2. Heat oil, butter, corn syrup, soy sauce and sugars in a saucepan until butter melts and the sugars dissolve.
3. Place the cereal in a bowl or two, and drizzle some of the syrup over the cereal and carefully mix with a rubber spatula or spoon. Sprinkle some of the Furikake over the mix. Continue drizzling and mixing the syrup and Furikake until the cereals are coated.
4. Place mixture on the pan and bake for 1 hour. Stir the mix every 15 minutes.
5. Let mixture cool and enjoy!
6. Store in airtight container...if you have any left.

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Ochazuke - Rice with Tea

Ochazuke with Salmon

I haven't felt like cooking, baking or blogging much lately. The tragedy in Japan overwhelms me and my heart. Earthquake, tsunami, nuclear reactors, H5N1 flu found in chickens and the snow. I really have no words, just sadness...and hope. I know the Japanese people will make it through this difficult time and I can only send donations and my prayers. Ganbatte Japan! I want to again thank Maki of Just Bento and Just Hungry blog who is tweeting English translations of Japanese news sources (I really wish I learned Japanese as a child from my immigrant mom).

Anyway, I thought it would be appropriate to finally post of my many posts in queue: Ochazuke, a Japanese comfort food. Because we all need some comforting right now. Basically, it is tea poured over rice with any number of goodies.

This is part of a "series" of cooking I'm doing for my friend Pam and her super cute kid, Toby. I sent her a box of stuff I picked up at a Japanese grocery store, including the Ochazuke mix and am cooking some easy to make dishes.

For this, you need leftover or fresh rice. Have you tried these packets of cooked rice? I find they so handy. Just pop into the microwave for 90 seconds and you have hot rice. Salmon is often added to Ochazuke but not mandatory. Of course, a nice piece of grilled salmon rocks, but packaged salmon works for me in a pinch. Finally, you can purchase Ochazuke seasonings and green tea at a Japanese store. They have a lot of flavors; most have wakame or dehydrated seaweed and some sort of crunchy balls. You don't have to have this...it just adds more toppings. The most basic Ochazuke is rice and tea - I used to eat it that way all the time. I really like Genmai Cha green tea - it isn't as bitter as regular green tea because there is roasted rice in the mix.

Simple instructions: 1. Place heated rice in a bowl. 2. Top with salmon or any other toppings. 3. Top with Ochazuke topping 4. Pour hot brewed green tea over the top.

You can also top it with a sunny side up egg and an umeboshi (pickled plum). I find this dish total comfort food and a great late night snack...especially when studying or working on a project.

P.S. On a totally different note, I'm running in the Los Angeles Marathon's 5K (only 3.1 miles) this Saturday with Team Noah's Wish. I have a fundraising page here if you are interested in supporting Noah's Wish: providing care to animals in a disaster. Thank you!!

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