Last class before maternity leave was with the guests all from Vancouver, CANADA 🇨🇦!
What a coincidence!!! I hope many more miracles will happen after my maternity leave.
YUCa’s maternity leave :
Sep 1st, 2019 – Nov 12th, 2019
The fall has come ! At the good timing, many pears from my hometown has also come! I especially love them because they are so sweet and sounds “Shaki-shaki” (crispy) !!! As you see, my family cannot eat all of it in a short period so I usually serve in my cooking class and also give to the neighbors every year!
Visited the local farmers market Hocchi Ichiba in Karuizawa. 🚙
So many unique, rare and fresh veggies that I have never seen and tasted! 😆
I finally understand that Karuizawa area is famous for veggie foods (including French cuisine by Japanese chefs!👩🏻🍳 👨🍳)
Good food research!
After visiting Suwa city, we moved to Karuizawa city by car. It took almost 2 hours so we enjoyed the scenery from the car. On the way to the hotel in Karuizawa, we visited amazing shop & restaurant called Jinen-ya! They serves macrobiotic food, gluten-free food, vegetarian food, organic food and Japanese style vegan food! 😋 Highly recommend if you are interested in discovering more Japanese food !!!
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We went to the Suwa-city, Yamanashi prefecture the other day and had amazing soba noddles at one of the famous town of Soba in Japan.
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The YUCa lantern at the local shrine🏮⛩
I donated some money to the local shrine since my family visit often when we going for a walk.
As a return, they created special lantern with my name on it. COOL!
This time, I would like to introduce one of my favorite ramen shop in Tokyo. The name of this shop is Ramen Hide (らあめん英).
My family and I used to live in Kyodo area, which is a western side of Tokyo and it takes about 20-30 minutes from Shinjuku by train. This is where YUCa’s Japanese Cooking has started. It sounds similar to Kyoto but no. KYODO!
They offer Kyushu-style tonkotsu ramen (pork bone broth ramen). I know most tonkotsu ramen lovers like its very thick broth. I am one of them but I cannot drink all the soup every time…so I always feel guilty. But the broth of this shop is more on the lite side and has well-balanced…so I can drink most of it! I also like their noodles are straight, thin and firm which is perfect for the soup’s consistency.
My family visited and invited our friends to this ramen shop many times (even we cannot count!). One of the reason is that the owner and staffs of this shop are so friendly and easy to chat with. And of course, the flavor of their ramen is excellent! (Oh, if you visit lunch time, they might give you soft-serve ice cream at the end!)
The location is a bit far from center of Tokyo but their ramen is worth tasting it! Please try it out! Read More
When I go to Tokyo station, I try to visit Ramen street and eat Ramen in the basement floor. This time, I chose the GYOKU.
I ordered their featured menu, Tokusei-Torori-soba (1,080JPY). This is niboshi flavor ramen and niboshi means dried sardine in Japanese.
After simmering niboshi for long time and filtering umami flavor, they add chicken paitan soup to thicken the flavor. What is more, they also add fresh bonito flakes which is shred in the shop as for a topping. Their thinly shred bonito flakes makes fresh aroma and as well as amazing flavor. Highly recommend!
Tanabata decoration in the classroom!🎋
Legend has it that Vega and Altair, who are separated by the Milky Way, are allowed to meet only once a year on the night of Tanabata or July 7th. It is said that if you write your wish on a tanzaku (a strip of paper) and hang it on a bamboo grass, your wish will be granted.
My son brought special bamboo grass with Tanzaku and it seems that my son wishes to be like a mom =me ?!
Tonjiru is a comforting and hearty Japanese soup made primarily with pork and miso broth, filled with a variety of vegetables. The word “Ton” means pork, and “Shiru” (or “Jiru”) means soup, making it a pork-based soup.
Unlike traditional miso soup, which typically contains only a few ingredients, tonjiru is packed with vegetables, making it filling and nutritious. Common ingredients include carrots, onions, potatoes, and konjac, along with pork and miso paste for a rich, savory flavor.
Tonjiru is often considered a nostalgic and comforting dish in Japan, reminding people of gatherings and events. It’s a versatile dish, and if you’re not able to eat pork, you can easily substitute it with chicken or skip the meat altogether for a flavorful vegetable-based soup.
Personal memory :
Tonjiru reminds me of my youthful days. I remember that I used to eat this dish outside with everyone at various events. And the most unforgettable memory was when my family visited our grandparents’ house in the country side of Fukushima, we cooked Tonjiru with cousins and relatives and eat outside together! After eating, we all had fresh water melon from their field and played fireworks at night. It was so much fun and one of the precious memories for me! Yes, Tonjiru is definitely special dish for me forever!
Recipe :
– Tonjiru
