Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

ABOUT JAPANESE CUISINE
======================

Japan has come to be recognized the world over for its nearly
unrivaled level of excellence in the production of high-tech gadgets
and gizmos. The attention to quality and detail in their products is
truly astounding. But this attention to detail, this dedication to
quality, did not begin with the production of sophisticated
automobiles and electronics. Indeed, as far back as one can look into
the history of this remarkable island country, evidence is readily
available that the Japanese have an acute eye for detail, and a love
of beauty. Perhaps one of the most pleasurable aspects of Japanese
culture to illustrate this point is their cuisine. Japanese food is
at once both simple and complex. Ask any native to describe
traditional Japanese food, and you will surely hear words like simple
and subtle. Compared to Western cuisines and those of China, Korea,
and other Asian countries, Japanese food is much moremild and
natural, always containing the freshest ingredients available. This
is due in part to the deep respect that the Japanese have for nature.
They believe that the natural form and flavor of the ingredients
should be preserved as much as possible. It is this innate wholesome
quality that is drawing ever-increasing attention and popularity to
this age-old cuisine. The complexity of Japanese food comes not in
the actual making of each dish, but in the care that is taken both in
the selection of the ingredients and in the serving of the finished
product. In Japan, it is said that a truly fine meal will please not
only the palate, but all of the senses: taste, sight, smell, and
hearing as well. Even the texture of the food is taken into careful
consideration. The cook selects the ingredients not only for the
unique flavor of each, but also for the color that each will lend to
the finished dish. Thus a total appreciation of the harmony of beauty
and flavor may be achieved. Another consideration in the selection of
ingredients is the time of year. As much as possible, Japanese cooks
use fruits and vegetables that are in season at the time. Spring, for
example, brings such wild plants as seri (watercress) and warabi
(fern shoots) which can be readily obtained from woodlands and
forests. With summer comes many garden vegetables such as lettuce,
tomatoes, eggplants, peas, beans, and cucumbers. A wild mushroom
harvest takes place in autumn when the pine forests abound with the
large [1]matsutake. In the winter time, meals contain a number of
root vegetables like carrots, turnips, and daikon, a large white
radish. There are a number of ingredients, of course, that are
available year round. Such fresh products of the sea as cod, tuna,
sea bass, and yellowtail can be found on display at the fish markets
any timeof the year. Other delicious items are octopus, sea urchin,
and various kinds of edible seaweed. There are a number of foods that
are considered staples in the Japanese diet, and these are eaten year
round, as well. The first of these is, of course, rice. No Japanese
meal would be complete without it. Rice plays such a central role in
Japanese cuisine that the word for cooked rice, gohan, has come to
mean food in the Japanese language. While a traditional Japanese meal
has no matsutake designated main dish, rice is the most important
food served. Side dishes are meant to complement the delicious taste
of the cooked rice.

Submitted By SAM LEFKOWITZ On 08-17-95

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