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Osechi - dish for celebrate new year in Japan

2012-01-02

Happy new year!

In Japan people eat traditional meal on new year days. This meal called as Osechi and it's variety kind of dishes and serves in a bento-box style plate.

People eat this Osechi with family and friends to celebrate new year. I cooked Osechi for this year! We can also buy Osechi at department store, supermarket or even via internet in these days but I tried to cook it with my sister on 31st Dec.

Datemaki Tamago 伊達巻きたまご - Rolled up sweet omlet

I love this sweet omlet very much! Originally my grand mother bought us a special Datemaki every year so my favorite taste of Datemaki is not a homemade but I wanted to try to cook by myself.

Kuromame 黒豆　- Sweet black beans

Cooking this dish takes a long time but we use pressure pot for this time so could save the time lot ;)

Steamed shrimp えびの出汁煮

All menu for Osechi has meaning and shrimp meaning "live a long time" because hip of shrimp stoop such as old man.

Kurikinton 栗きんとん -Sweet potato with chestnut

Kurikinton is my favorite Osechi menu as well. My mother made it every year when I was child :) This is the sweet potato colored with brilliant yellow and put in some chestnut.

Typically this Osechi cooked a lot and have eaten for some days but we didn't cook a lot for this time so it have been finished after few hours from 12:00 on Jan. 1st ;)

Making Original Kyaraben with Nagomi Visit

2011-12-13

We made original kyaraben character bento box with Elizabeth who come from USA and Ai who come from Japan on last Wednesday.

First of all, started to make Tofu meatballs with teriyaki sauce.The teriyaki sauce made by same amount of Soy sauce, sugar, Sake and Mirin which the sweet cooking sake. It's easy to remember isn't it?

They fried meatballs with big smile!

From this time we prepared apron for each participants. The color is beige and black and the Japanese taste pattern on the pockets.So you don't have to bring anything when join our cooking program!

Second step was making the character, it's a main event of the program :)I have a sample but participants can make it as absolutely original face with Nori seaweed.

Elizabeth made a eyebrow of Picachu, it's a very manlike. Nice!

She said she would like to join again when her friend come to Tokyo or another cooking program offered.

I updated the comments from participants who joined our cooking program, please check it.

Note: Nagomi Visit no longer offers these bento cooking classes but in our current Nagomi Visits you can cook together with our hosts.