Japanese Cooking
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| Kanto-Style Rice Cake Soup | Baked Minced Chicken seasoned soybean paste MATSUKASA YAKI |
Thick Rolled Eggs(Date Maki) | Red and White Salad(Namasu) |
Click each picture and you will see a recipe & a large picture.
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MIFA International Cooking Class Japanese cooking for Foreign Residents was held on Nov. 26th. (Thu.).
Participants from 16 countries and districts made Japanese New Year Feast “Osechi”.
Making of Osechi Cooking Class
Local Japanese cooking teachers got together to discuss holding a cooking class with emphasis upon the upcoming New Year season when traditionally a wonderful feast is eaten.
The difficult thing to decide was which dish should be served, as New Year's dishes vary from one place to another, and there is no standard style. However, finally it was decided to cook Kanto style Rice Cake Soup, Baked Minced Chicken seasoned with soybean paste, Thick Rolled Eggs and Red & White Salad.
The Cooking Day
Thirty three people (26 participants and 7 Japanese volunteer teachers) made Osechi food on the day. The atmosphere was nice with the aroma of Yuzu, which had a very delicate flavor.
All participants enjoyed cooking. One of the participants taking some notes said “I've seen lots of Japanese cooking ingredients in supermarkets but I don’t know how to use them.” She added that some ingredients used on the day were especially unfamiliar to foreign residents: mirin, yuzu, hanpen, komatsuna, shiitake, akamiso and naruto.
Other interesting comments were heard from participants, such as“the thick Rolled Eggs look like a rolled cake”. Another from Korea said “Red and White Salad is the same as a Korean food called Namul(a Korean seasoned vegetable dish)!”
These ideas were new to me as a Japanese person familiar with Japanese food. All participants gave me
unexpected views on Japanese food.
They enjoyed eating osechi and chatting with each other. A woman commented “Osechi could not be eaten in a restaurant. So this was a good experience”
The class fulfilled its purpose in that it gave an opportunity for foreign residents to learn about traditional Japanese home-made dishes.
Next Class
The next Japanese cooking class will be held on Feb.18th, 2010. More information will follow on our website next year. Please don’t miss it.
