Tastes From The Far East

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s is dedicated to the Japanese holiday, National Foundation Day, which is celebrated annually on February 11th. On this day, Japanese celebrate the founding of the nation and the imperial line by its legendary first emperor, Jimmu, who established his capital in Yamato. The origin of National Foundation Day is New Year's Day in the traditional lunisolar calendar. On that day, the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu was celebrated based on Nihonshoki, which states that Emperor Jimmu ascended to the throne on the first day of the first month.

In the Meiji period, the Japanese government designated the day as a national holiday. This coincided with the switch from the lunisolar calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1873. In 1872, when the holiday was originally proclaimed, it was January 29 of the Gregorian calendar, which corresponded to Lunar New Year of 1873. Contrary to the government's expectation, this led people to see the day as just Lunar New Year, instead of National Foundation Day. In response, the government moved the holiday to February 11 of the Gregorian calendar in 1873. The government stated that it corresponded to Emperor Jimmu’s reignal day but did not publish the exact method of computation.
In its original form, the holiday was named Empire Day (Kigensetsu). It is thought that the Meiji Emperor may have wanted to establish this holiday to bolster the legitimacy of the imperial family following the abolition of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The national holiday was supported by those who believed that focusing national attention on the emperor would serve a unifying purpose. Publicly linking his rule with the mythical first emperor, Jimmu, and thus Amaterasu, the Meiji Emperor declared himself the one, true ruler of Japan.

With large parades and festivals, in its time, Kigensetsu was considered one of the four major holidays of Japan. Given its reliance on Shinto mythology and its reinforcement of the Japanese nobility, Kigensetsu was abolished following World War II. Ironically, February 11th was also the day when General MacArthur approved the draft version of the model Constitution in 1946. The commemorative holiday was re-established as National Foundation Day in 1966. Though stripped of most of its overt references to the Emperor, National Foundation Day was still a day for expressing patriotism and love of the nation in the 1950s.In contrast with the events associated with earlier Kigensetsu, celebrations for National Foundation Day are relatively muted. Customs include the raising of Japanese flags and reflection on the meaning of Japanese citizenship. The holiday is still relatively controversial however, and very overt expressions of nationalism or even patriotism are rare.

So this week one of my recipes have a Japanese theme to it to commemorate this day, the recipes this week are Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Rice, Camembert and Roasted Garlic, Saketini and Grapple. The herb of the week is Wasabi.

My first recipe is Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Rice, recipe courtesy of Olive Magazine March 2011.

This recipe serves 2, takes 10mins to prepare plus marinating timeapprox.20mins to cook.

2 tbsp x Soy Sauce
2 tbsp x Mirin
1 tbsp x Brown Sugar
2 x Skinless Salmon Fillets
100g x Brown Basmati Rice
75g x Edamame (soy) Beans
75g x Mangetout, halved lengthways
Sesame Oil
1 x Red Chilli, shredded
4 x Spring Onions, shredded

Stir the soy, mirin and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Put the salmon in a freezer bag or bowl, add the marinade and leave for 1omins. Cook the basmati rice following the packet instructions, adding the edamame and Mangetout for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Grill the salmon for 5mins, spooning over any leftover marinade until glazed and just cooked through. Drain the rice and veg then toss with 2 tbsp of sesame oil, another splash of soy and the spring onion and chill. Serve with the salmon and a dipping sauce.

My next recipe is a cocktail to toast Japan’s National Foundation day, traditional Sake is drunk to commemorate the day. Saketini, recipe courtesy of www.barnonedrinks.com.

It is rumoured that the saketini came into being when chef Matsuda San, arriving in Queens for the World's Fair in 1964, unveiled a primitive version of the cocktail. The original recipe for this drink was lost until later Matsuda resurfaced at Clodagh Design Showroom in the early 90s to serve the world of design his original saketini.Preceding the resurgence in popularity of the martini in the early 2000s, people began using sake as a mixer in cocktails. Many modern twists on the traditional martini recipe have been made including the introduction of vodka to replace gin as the main ingredient, flavoured martinis such as the appletini, the cosmopolitan and the saketini.

This recipe serves 1, takes mins to prepare.

60ml x Gin
1.5 tsp. x Sake
1 x Cocktail Olive

In shaker half filled with ice cubes, combine gin with sake, stir well, strain and serve in chilled martini glass. Garnish with olive.

Herb of the week – Wasabi
Wasabi is a member of the Brassicaceae family, which includes cabbages, horseradish, and mustard. Known as "Japanese horseradish", its root is used as a condiment and has an extremely strong flavour. Its hotness is more akin to that of a hot mustard rather than the capsaicin in a chilli pepper, producing vapours that stimulate the nasal passages more than the tongue. The plant grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. There are also other species used, such as W. Koreana, and W. tetsuigi. The two main cultivars in the marketplace are 'Daruma' and 'Mazuma', but there are many others. Wasabi is generally sold either in the form of a root which is very finely grated before use, or as a ready-to-use paste (either real wasabi or a mixture of horseradish, mustard, and food colouring), usually in tubes approximately the size and shape of travel toothpaste tubes. In some restaurants the paste is usually prepared as needed by the customer using the root and a grater directly; once the paste is prepared, it will lose flavour within 15 minutes. In sushi preparation, covering wasabi until served preserves flavour, and for this reason, sushi chefs usually put the wasabi between the fish and the rice. Fresh leaves of wasabi can also be eaten and have some of the hot flavour of wasabi roots.

Because the burning sensations of wasabi are not oil-based, they are short-lived compared to the effects of chilli peppers, and are easily washed away with another bite of food or liquid. The sensation is felt primarily in the nasal passage and can be quite painful depending on amount taken. Inhaling or sniffing wasabi vapour has an effect like smelling salts, and this property has been exploited by researchers attempting to create a smoke alarm for the deaf. One deaf subject participating in a test of the prototype awoke within 10 seconds of wasabi vapour being sprayed into his sleeping chamber. Wasabi is often served with sushi or sashimi, usually accompanied with soy sauce. The two are sometimes mixed to form a single dipping sauce known as Wasabi-joyu. Due to the expense and difficulty of cultivating wasabi, a very widely used substitute (imitation wasabi) is a mixture of (western) horseradish, mustard, and green food colouring; in American sushi restaurants this is generally referred to as "wasabi", while genuine wasabi, which is rarely available, is referred to as "fresh wasabi". Similarly, when wasabi is sold in tubes, the contents may be genuine wasabi, or it may be horseradish, mustard, and green food colouring, or it may be a mixture of the two. In Japan, horseradish is referred to as seiyō wasabi "western wasabi".

As a member of the cruciferous family, wasabi contains the same cancer-fighting isothiocynates as its cabbage cousins. The American National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society have studied cruciferous vegetables extensively for years. They recommend that everyone eat several servings from this vegetable family each week to dramatically lower risk of all types of cancer. Researchers believe that one way the substances in cruciferous vegetables help prevent cancer is by helping the body eliminate excess hormones such as oestrogen, thus reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancer. Wasabi contains a considerable amount of potassium and fair amounts of calcium and vitamin C. However, since it is typically used as a condiment in small amounts, wasabi does not qualify as a significant source of these nutrients. Medicinally, the most important feature of Wasabi is that it contains compounds effective against cancer. Extracts from Wasabi have been shown repeatedly to be effective against stomach cancer cells. Other types of cancer, including breast, for stomach and colon, may also be treated by compounds known to exist in Wasabi but these have not yet been studied.
Compounds found in Wasabi are also effective when used in other medical situations. The isothiocyanates of Wasabi inhibit platelet aggregation which works as an effective anticoagulant. These anticoagulant properties could be used in the treatment of the elderly and during surgery where preventing platelet aggregation is vital. Recently, it was shown that Wasabi contained compounds (not determined which ones) that may be effective against diarrhoea. And lastly, some secondary metabolites found in Wasabi may be effective anti-asthmatic and anti-inflammatory agents.

My next recipe is Camembert and Roasted Garlic, recipe by Lorraine Pascale, courtesy of “Baking Made Easy” &www.bbc.co.uk/food.

This recipe serves 2, takes 10mins to prepare and takes approx.40-45 mins to cook .

2 x Jumbo Garlic Bulbs, unpeeled with the tops sliced off
40g x Butter, cut into two blocks
80ml x Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
A Large Pinch of Sea Salt
A Couple of Twists of Black Pepper
1 x Large Squeeze of Honey
2 x Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
3 x Bay Leaves
200-250g x Camembert, plastic wrapping and lid removed but still in its wooden box, at room temperature
1 x French baguette, ripped into 10cm/4in pieces and sliced horizontally

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the garlic cut-side down in a large roasting tin. Add the butter, oil, a pinch of salt, a couple of twists of black pepper, the honey, rosemary and bay leaves and bake in the oven for 40–45 minutes. After 30–35 minutes put a large cross in the top of the Camembert and add it to the oven. Add the French baguette to warm it up too. Once the garlic is soft, the bread is extra crunchy and the cheese is all soft and gooey, remove from the oven. Serve everything on a big sharing plate. Break off a piece of crusty bread, squeeze out the tender flesh of the garlic along with a healthy dose of cheese and smear it liberally over the bread.

My last recipe is a non-alcoholic cocktail for those who prefer a lighter tipple, Grapple, recipe by Jim, courtesy ofwww.drunkdrinks.com.

This recipe serves 1, takes mins to prepare.

260ml x Grape Juice
260ml x Apple Juice
1 tsp x Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp x Cinnamon

Place all ingredients in the blender jar - cover and whiz on medium speed until well blended. Pour in one tall, 2 medium or 3 small glasses and drink up.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D

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