Japanese Cooking Lesson
Mood:  on fire
Home made nabe, something like a Japanese stew of meat and/or fish. This is a very popular dish served in the winter. It's guaranteed to warm you up from the inside out. I was invited for dinner at the Osawa's with the promise of a lesson in how to make this dish that i'd heard so much about. The broth is made in a gorgeous ceramic pot that goes directly on an open flame. There are a number of different ways to make the base. Osawa-san used a soymilk product which was already wonderfully seasoned and oh, so rich. It was fascinating to watch her cut up fresh vegetables with such care and art. The carrot was first wrapped in plastic wrap and cooked in the microwave until tender and then cut with a kind of cookie cutter to make a star shape. The shitake mushrooms had wedges cut out of their tops so that they had a pretty star shape engraved in them.
Everything was artfully set in an enamel tray while the broth was cooking. We had "meatballs" made of ground chicken, enoki mushrooms, hakusari (a type of cabbage) negi which are leeks or scallions and kiku, edible chrysanthemum leaves. Also, shrimp "meatballs" and a white fish, pork and more in this dish. Noodles made out of potato starch, kuzukiri, are amazing because they don't fall apart when stewed for a long period of time. (I think I'll try them in my next pot of minestrone!) The best part is that the ceramic pot is set in the middle of the dining room table under a little cook stove that keeps the whole thing simmering during the entire meal. Everyone helps themselves and as the pot gets low, more veggies and meats/fish are added. After the main dish we had a lovely bowl of rice with some of the broth and some cooked egg stirred in. This was such a treat. Lively conversation, cultural exchange, friendships forming.
The Osawas are one of the first families I met in Nishinomiya. They have twin boys in 2nd grade, an elder boy in 3rd grade and a daughter who will be graduating from high school in one more year. It feels so good to have been welcomed into this family. They are very unique in that Mrs. Osawa did a year homestay in the U.S. when she was in highschool. Mr. and Mrs. moved to Australia and raised their young family there for a number of years. Consequently, they both speak very good English.(lucky for me!) Mr. Osawa is a professor at Kobe University and Mrs. Osawa works at a resthome. They are baseball fanatics and I originally met them by attending Hamakoshien baseball games this fall. All three boys are in baseball club and are very good team players. It is such a pleasure to get to know these folks. I hope to host them in Spokane when I return. Mr. Osawa really wants to attend the World Series in Seattle to see Ichiro play if they make it that far this year. We'll see.