Matcha green tea tasting 抹茶の飲み比べ

Two years ago I made green tea and black bean cake  using the left-over "kuromame" 黒豆 black beans in syrup that came in the Sushi Taro osechi box. The recipe I used is in English in our blog. This year I commissioned my wife to take over making the green tea cake. Then, she pointed out that we were out of "matcha" 抹茶 green tea powder. I kept it in the freezer and mostly used it for cooking such as making "green tea salt" for tempura and apparently didn’t replace it after using it up. Since we are not physically going to our Japanese grocery store because of covid, I decided to get the green tea on line. Hibiki-an 響庵 is a company we have used in the past to get green tea and we could have gotten matcha from them but it is shipped directly from Japan and would have taken too long to get here. I then found "Matcha Kari" which imports its matcha stock from Japan but is located here so delivery time was much shorter.  I bought a mid-priced tea from them called "First harvest sipping matcha". (According to Mach-kari’s, Hibiki-an’s, and other websites which sell matcha, they offer several grades of matcha which appear to range from lowest quality/lowest price to highest quality/highest price, identified as “culinary”, “sipping”, “ceremonial” and “competition”.) (Disclaimer: I am not sure if there is official grading of matcha and if so what the grades would be). While we were waiting for this to arrive, I happened to see, while picking up a take-out at Tako Grill, that they had the matcha tea brand we used to get from our Japanese grocery store. This was very reasonably priced ($0.28 per gram, while the one from Matcha Kari was ＄1.17 per gram or over 4 times more expensive). I assume that the one from Tako Grill  was not as low-grade as “culinary” matcha  according to the lexicon I outlined but would be at the lower end of  “sipping“ grade. It also came from “Uji” 宇治 near Kyoto 京都. We have gotten regular Uji green tea (sencha 煎茶) from Hibiki-an in the past and it was pretty good. So as far as I was concerned this matcha (left in the picture below) was certainly good enough to make green tea cake. Then, a few days later we received the matcha from "matcha kari".

I have not made or tasted matcha for a long time but since we had two different kinds, we decided to have a tea tasting to see if we could taste a difference. I knew I had matcha bowls and a "chasen" 茶筅 (matcha frothing bamboo whisk) and a bamboo scoop or "chashaku" 茶杓.  The chasen and chashaku were easy to find but it took some search to find the matcha bowls. We have two; one that I brought with me for some reason when I first came to the U.S., and one that was given to us as a gift. Both are rather utilitarian  bowls but will do the job.

I made the two kinds of matcha, (the one from Tako Grill shown on the left and the one from Macha kari shown on the right) and taste tested.

For the sweet “chagashi” 茶菓子 accompanying the matcha I served the last of  the “kurt-kenton” 栗きんとん the mashed sweet potato with chestnuts from the Sushitaro osechi box and green plum I made simmered in syrup 小梅の甘露煮. It is customary to serve such a sweet with matcha to enhance the flavor of the tea. 

First of all, as a disclaimer, we have to acknowledge that we are not connoisseurs of matcha. Nonetheless after carefully sniffing and tasting both matcha we could state, with confidence, that despite quite a difference in price, we could not identify any difference in taste; none. The first thing that came to mind was the Japanese expression “Giving gold coins to a cat” or “neko ni koban 猫に小判” i.e. giving something of value where it can’t be appreciated. Well we did say we weren’t connoisseurs and this may just prove it. In the future, however, we will stick to the more reasonably priced macha.

NOT "no-knead" Pecan raisin bread 捏ねないのではないピーカン、レイズンパン

 I was duped into baking this bread by my wife. She found this bread recipe in a King-Authur flour catalog and ripped out the page. Since I mentioned in the previous blog that "When it comes to baking bread, I am in the school of the simpler the better like no-knead breads", my wife handed me this recipe, saying ‘here is another no-knead bread recipe you might want to try’.  She even made the biga starter for me the night before. So next morning, after closely reading the recipe, I pointed out that the recipe called for kneading the bread, (multiple times), indicating to me that this was not “no knead” bread. (I have no idea why she thought this was a no-knead bread). (Note from Wifey: She has no idea why either).  But by then, with the biga already made and ready to go, I did not have any choice but to make the bread. The original recipe called for dried apricots and cranberries but my wife said "just use raisins instead". (In her book, any candied or dried fruit can be substituted with raisins). So I followed her instructions. Actually the recipe requires lots of kneading, raising, deflating and raising etc. This is definitely more my wife's style bread than mine. But since I started it, I finished it.

This is an interesting bread. It is a cross between rustic and slightly sweet bread and is very versatile; good for breakfast and also with soup or stew.

Ingredients:
Biga (starter):
1 cup (120g) AP flour
1/4 cup (26g) Pumpernickel flour
1/2 cup (113g) water (my wife likes to use buttermilk instead)
1/8 tsp instant yeast

Dough:
all of the biga
3/4 cup (170g) water
2 1/4 cup (270g) AP flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 cup (64g) diced dried apricots
1/4 cup (28g) dried cranberries (I used  about 1/2 cup of raisin instead).
3/4 cup (85g) chopped, toasted pecans.

The original recipe calls for egg wash  which I skipped.
The instructions were not very precise, to say the least, and I had to use my CCK (common culinary knowledge) to fill in the “blanks”.

Directions:
For the biga:
Mix all ingredients and cover and let it ferment for 12-24 hours.

For the dough (I edited for more clarity):
Mix and knead the biga, water, flour, salt and yeast (I used a stand mixer with a dough hook).
Knead in the dried fruit and the pecans.
In a bowl, put a small amount of olive oil, put in the dough ball, tuned it to coat with the oil and covered to let rise for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes (puffy not quite doubled in bulk), pull the edges of the dough and fold to the center (4 times as you quarter turn the bowl), then turn the dough over, cover and let it rise 45 minutes.
Repeat folding and turning over the dough after 45 minutes until doubled.
Shape the dough into a ball (boule) and place in a lightly greased bowl seam-side down, cover and let it rise 45-60 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 450F.
After 45-60 minutes (not quite doubled in bulk), brush with egg wash (I did not), slash the top (I used a lame and made a cross cut).
Bake at 450F for 15 minutes and lower the temperature to 375F and bake another 25 to 30 minutes (195F in the center of the bread).
Let it cool before slicing.

As I mentioned this is rather complicated bread to make and the original instruction was not really clear in the details. In any case, it was quite good. It was somewhat dense but moist and slightly sweet. But next time I will let my wife make it.

Addendum:

I baked this bread again. I made some changes and want to include more details on how I baked it.

My wife made biga the night before and left it in the proofing box set to 77 degrees for me to make the bread the next morning. I found the dried apricot and dried cranberries called for in the recipe but I could not find the pecans. So, instead, I used cashew nuts which my wife roasts regularly for a snack. Next problem/difference was the dough’s consistency. Later I found out my wife had added more liquid to the biga since the amount in the recipe made a very dry biga. (She referred to it as an unworkable form of concrete).  I didn’t realize this so when I added the rest of the ingredients, I did not adjust the amount of liquid. As a result the dough came out very wet and sticky, so I processed it the same as I would “Almost no knead” bread”. I went through the folding process three times, and let it rise 45 minutes each time. For the last rise, I placed it on parchment paper after I made the dough into a boule-shape and put it in a bowl to let it rise again (total of 4 rises).  I made a slash on the top of the boule and using the parchment paper placed the dough in a cast iron Dutch oven pan that had been preheated in the regular oven at 450F for 30 minutes. I baked the bread  at exactly 450F for 30 minutes with the lid on. I removed the lid and baked it for an additional 10 minutes. This worked out well as seen below. The bread had a nice crunchy crust. The interior was moist and the dried fruit gave it a slight sweet taste. The taste of the cashews was very subtle but they added to the texture. 

 

A spoonful appetizer 一口スプーン前菜

My wife gave me some new plates and bowls for Christmas which required us to rearrange things to make a room for them. During these activities, we found spoons my wife got for me some time ago which were meant to serve a just one-swallow/bite appetizer.  Since they newly resurfaced, I promptly tried a one-swallow/bite appetizer using the spoon. The handles of the spoons are bent so that they can sit on the plate without a handle sticking over the edge. I served this with the last of New Year’s salmon kelp roll and Russian marinaded salmon.

This was just a whim-of-the moment dish. Since I had Cauliflower purée which I made a few days ago, I just put a small amount on the spoon and topped it with soy sauce  marinated “ikura” salmon roe and micro green perilla from our window sill herb garden. This combination worked well. We had this with cold sake and it went very well.

This was quite good. Although our initial cauliflower purée was made with cauliflower cooked in milk, recently I have been making in an abbreviated quick method.

Ingredients:
One small head of cauliflower, florets separated
1-2 tbs unsalted butter
1 cup warm milk

salt to taste

Directions:
Steam the cauliflower using a basket steamer for 10-15 minutes until very soft.
Place the cauliflower in a plastic container for immersion blender

Add 2/3 of the milk and blend using an immersion blender in high-speed
Add more milk for the nice silky consistency if needed.
Add the butter in thick pats
Season with salt and blend until very smooth and silky

This is wonderful way to prepare cauliflower. This purée can be used in many different ways. The smooth texture of the cauliflower purée was a great contrast to the burst of saltiness from the ikura.

Olive and black pepper savory cookies

This is part of my wife's savory cookies project.  This is based on the recipe my wife found  in a blog called "Raspberry Cupcake". The original recipe calls for Kalamata olives but we did not have any so she used pimento stuffed green olive instead. (Hey! They were for my Martini!).

This is a savory shortbread and perfect with a glass of wine.

As usual, I ask my wife to fill in the rest.

Ingredients:

50 gm olives
1 1/4 cup (150 gm) flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1 stick (140 gm) butter
2 Tbs. sugar
1 large egg yolk

Directions:
Measure the dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt, pepper) in a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter, sugar and egg yolk until fully incorporated and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients to the the butter egg mixture. Fold in the olives. Roll the mixture into “logs” and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to week or frozen for up to a month.) To cook: preheat the oven to 350 F, slice the logs into 1/4 inch pieces and put them on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden.

These cookies are spicy (from the pepper) with a  slight sweet overtone (from the sugar) and bright bursts of saltiness (from the olives). They make a nice addition to an appetizer tray served with other cheeses, prosciutto and a glass of red wine. 

Steamed renkon balls 蒸し蓮根まんじゅう

This is on the theme of fresh renkon lotus root. This is another renkon ball 蓮根まんじゅう but instead of deep frying, this was steamed/microwaved (hence healthier). The original recipe calls for "ginnan" 銀杏 ginko nuts but we did not have it. So I used shelled edamame 枝豆.

I added gentle broth made of kelp-bonito dashi pack and shirodashi 白だし seasoning. I garnished it with more edamame and blanched snow peas.

Ingredients:
200 grams grated fresh renkon, skin peeled, excess moisture drained
1 tbs potato starch
4 shrimp, thawed, shelled and cut into bit size chunks
20 shelled edamame, cooked

For broth.
200 ml kelp and bonito dashi (made from dashi pack), heated
2-3 tbs shirodashi 白だし or 1tbs mirin and 1 tbs light colored soy sauce

you could thicken the broth by adding potato starch slurries (optional)

Direction:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Made 6 small balls.
Using a microwave safe silicon container, I microwaved for about 2 minutes or until done.

Place one ball in a small bowl, add hot broth and garnish.

The texture is very different from the deep fried version. Much softer and gentler. We like this variation and it is easier to make. Some recipes suggest wrapping the balls in plastic wrap and microwave but I did not like the idea of microwaving in plastic wrap. That’s why I used a microwave safe silicon container instead.

Ricotta sweet buns リコッタチーズバンズ

My Wife decided to make these muffins because she had made some ricotta cheese and wanted to use it before it went bad. (How the cheese was made is for a future post). These are very good breakfast muffins. They are more hearty than sweet. The combination of cheese and bread is very pleasing. The cheese has a nice lemon flavor. I saw her working on these buns and it looked very tedious to me with multiple steps. When it comes to baking bread, I am in the school of the simpler the better like no-knead breads. So I am grateful my wife is of the tedious multi-step school. 

My wife likes buns or muffins which have various kinds of filling but some times the moisture in the stuffing makes a gaping space above the filling. As a result of this recipe she learned that an indentation on the top of the dough then filled with the top open, will circumvent this problem. As you can see below, there is no gaps between the buns and the filling.

Ingredients:
for dough
1 cup whole milk
10 Tbs. butter melted
1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks
3 1/2 cups (496 gms) AP flour
1/3 cup (56.7 gms) sugar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt

for filling
6 oz. (170 gms.) cream cheese softened
6 oz. (170 gms) ricotta cheese
3 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. AP flour
zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp. lemon flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
For the dough: Whisk milk, eggs, and butter together. Whisk flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Increase speed and knead for 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and lightly coat surface with vegetable oil. Cover and allow dough to rise until doubled.

For the filling: Cream the cream cheese with the sugar, flour, lemon zest and flavorings. Add the ricotta cheese and mix until fully combined.

Measure out the individual amount of filling to use for each muffin so the filling is distributed completely and evenly. These calculations are for this batch of bread. Each batch may have different final weights so each batch should be weighed independently. I wanted muffins that were about 50 gm size. The total dough weighed 1020 gm/ 50gm = 20 pieces. The total weight of the filling was 452 gm/20 pieces = 22.6 gm/piece. Measure out and set aside.

Assembly: After dough has risen punch down. Divide dough according to weight (in this case 50 gm) and form into rolls. Place the rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to rise until doubled in size. Using the bottom of a glass or cup slowly press down on the center of the muffin until the cup touches the sheet. (#1 and #2). (BTW, my wife used a very special hand-made very thin-walled porcelain Japanese sake cup for this because she said the size and shape were just right. Meanwhile I held my breath hoping it would survive its application to this purpose).

To prevent sticking dip, the cup in some flour. Beat 1 egg with 1 Tbs. milk. Brush the dough, including the indentation with the egg wash. Take the pre-measured cheese pieces and place in the indentation of the dough. Smooth out with a spatula (#3).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown (#4).

These are very nice muffins. They are definitely not a "danish"-- they are not too sweet. The bread has a nice firm texture. The cheese mixture goes nicely with the flavor of the bread. The lemon flavor of the cheese really comes through adding a pleasant burst of fresh tartness. 

New year's eve sashimi 2020 年越しの刺身

 For New Year's eve, we started with this sashimi. I ordered Atlantic  tuna toro 鮪とろ, octopus leg 蛸, and ikura イクラ (all frozen) from Catalina offshore products at least a month ahead of time because last year I waited too long and when I got around to ordering sashimi for New Year they were sold out. I also got sashimi-grade salmon but it was a large piece and would have been too much so I did not thaw it. The toro piece was small (5oz) but enough for two of us. It contained "ootro" 大トロ and small portion of "chutoro" 中トロ. The octopus legs appeared to have been imported  from Japan.

The rectangular pieces shown on the plate below are ootoro or very fatty tuna. The center flat pieces are chutoro medium fatty tuna. I chopped up the tip of the octopus legs and dressed the pieces with sumiso 酢味噌. I also served the daikon namasu 大根なます I made as well as Russian marinated salmon with ikura on top.

These were good sashimi—very fatty. We had our usual cold sake Tengumai Daiginjo 天狗舞大吟醸  with this. Although we did get Champaign to celebrate the New Year we did not get to it. We had face time with my wife's sister and her fiancé and had a New Year (virtually) together.

Duck leg confit 鴨足のコンフィ

Contemplating Christmas dinner, we decided we weren’t up for Turkey or ham.  Then we saw a video from the Washington post regarding Duck leg confit and thought this would be perfect. We could make it ahead of time and just brown the skin before serving.  Since we were getting some other meat from D'Atagnan, we ordered duck legs and rendered duck fat as well. In addition to the confit duck we served blackened Brussels sprouts and stuffing balls (without the broccoli).

Since I had snow peas, I also cooked them  in the same pan I used for the duck seasoned with salt and black pepper.

Ingredients: (we cooked 4 legs)
4 duck legs (from D'Artagnan, #1 and #2)
Few sprigs of rosemary (or thyme, we used rosemary from our herb garden) (#3)
4 crushed garlic (#3)
Kosher salt
21 oz (3, 7oz containers = 21 oz.) of rendered duck fat

Directions:
In a sealable container which snugly fits 4 legs, salt the bottom, place the duck legs, salt the skin side, add the sprigs of rosemary, and crushed garlic, close the lid and refrigerate overnight (#3)
Next day, remove the rosemary and place the legs in a slow cooker and pour in  the rendered duck fat to cover (#4), transfer the crushed garlic. In a low setting cook the duck legs for 3 hours with a lid on (original recipe used a 250F oven). The meat retracts from the leg bone (#5) indicating it is done. Transfer the duck fat and legs to the sealable container and refrigerate until serving (the recipe said it will keep for a few months and the flavor will improve).

Just before serving:

Dig the leg out from the now congealed duck fat and scrape off excess fat (#6). In a dry frying pan, place the duck leg skin side down on medium low flame (#7), brown the skin until it easily releases  from the pan when moved (7-8 minutes). (If it still sticks don’t force it just let it cook some more until it can be moved easily). Turn over (#8) and cook for a few more minutes.

This was very good but not all skin got crisp since only the center portion had contact with the frying pan. I wonder of we could broil or bake the leg to crisp up the skin. Certainly this is a good dish for festive occasions.

Osechi day 1 and day 2, 2021 元旦と２日の御節

While the Sushitaro osechi lasts, the only “cooking” I have to do is to arrange the items and, as need, warm some of them up using either microwave or toaster oven and, of course, (this is the most strenuous part) open a bottle of sake.

The below was the first sampling. I tend to go for our favorites first. "Kazunoko" 数の子 herring roe, steamed sea urchin むし雲丹, roasted wagyu beef 和牛ローストビーフ are among them.

Here are three of our favorites; smoked oyster 牡蠣燻製 (left lower), karasumi botarga 唐墨 which is lightly toasted and wonderful cured "sawara" mackerel 鰆喜寿司.

This is the second plate;  in the center next to the ikura is monkfish liver terrine 鮟肝豆腐 which is really good.  I put wasabi and soy sauce on the red and white fishcake 紅白蒲鉾 before enjoying.

The yellow ball is soy sauce marinated egg yolk with walnut embedded in the center 黄身胡桃. The texture is really great. Next to the egg yolk on the right is "Koji-pickled Boston mackerel" 鯖麹漬. This is also a great dish with crunchy cubes of either daikon or radish. 

This was the evening of January 2. This time I served in Tsugaru-nuri bento boxes 津軽塗弁当箱 as I did other years. All came from the Sushi Taro box except the small bowl on the upper left.

How many different delicacies are in this box! Of course left lower corner is the karasumi, again lightly toasted.

This is my only contribution. Red radish and cucumber “sunomono”  酢の物, my version of daikon namasu, slices of octopus leg topped with ikura.

This is delicately seasoned in Kyoto-style. I briefly microwaved just to take the chill off.

Although each item is small, there are so many of them; the total was quite filling. We could get used to this.

Sushi Taro Osechi 2021 寿司太郎の御節 2021

We picked up our Sushi Taro Osechi box for 2021 on the last day of 2020. We opened it on the evening of January 1, 2021. I am doing this post just to remind us of all the wonderful items included in the box. Every year there are some changes although many "must-have" items remained the same. The SushiTaro osechi has been the highlight of our New Year celebrations since 2012. Before that I used to make osechi in a 3 layered juubako 重箱.  I had to spend almost the entire week before New Year cooking and the results were no comparison to the Sushi Taro box. In 2010 and 2011, (I apparently had excuses) I only made a few New Year items. On one other occasion, we tried frozen osechi from Kyoto, Japan. It was very expensive and just terrible. So, Sushitaro Osechi is indeed a God-send. Now I only make a few nostalgic items that I ate on New Year as a child. 

This picture is an overview of the upper layer of the Sushi Taro box.

 

The following pictures enumerate the contents of the box. Noteworthy is #1 smoked oyster in olive oil 牡蠣燻製. Large succulent oysters with smoky flavor are excellent and new this year. #2 is a sophisticated version of “daikon namasu” 錦なます. #3 is Kuro-mame  black beans in syrup 黒豆. #4 is grilled small "tai" red snapper 祝鯛姿焼き, #5 steamed sea urchin 蒸し雲丹.  #6 Kazunoko "herring" roe marinaded in miso 数の子味噌漬け.  #7 roasted A5 Wagyu (A5 is the top level wagyu) 和牛ローストビーフwhich is also new this year. Nicely marbled and tender.  #8 Cod roe rolled in kelp 鱈の子昆布巻.  I forgot to put the number but between the wagyu and the tail of snapper are chestnuts "shibukawa-ni" 栗渋皮煮, #9 is smoked salmon rolled in pickled radish スモークサーモン砧巻. #10 is our favorite "karasumi" botarga or sun-dried mullet roe 唐墨.  #11 is small ice fish simmered with sansho pepper 雑魚の有馬煮 (in plastic container) and #12 lily bulb dumpling 百合根まんじゅう which is new this year. Under #5 is red and white "kamaboko" fishcake 紅白蒲鉾,  under the roast beef is soy-marinated egg yolk with walnuts and truffle flavor which is also our favorite 黄身胡桃.  Somewhere under the tai fish is "gobo" burdock root with sesame dressing 叩き牛蒡. One more good dish wrapped in cellophane is hidden under the fish which is “Koji pickled Boston mackerel” 鯖麹漬. This may be also new this year. This reminded me of a Hokkaido dish called “iizushi” 飯寿司 which was made during cold winter fermented using koji/rice, dried herring, and vegetables. This version is using mackerel with crunchy daikon or kabu radish. We both really like it. 

And this is lower box.

#1 is Monkfish liver terrine 鮟肝豆腐, again our favorite, #2 pickled flower-shaped "renkon" lotus root 花輪蓮根、#3 is red and white shrimp dumpling 海老真蒸, #4 cured Spanish mackerel 鰆喜寿し, this is new and great, it is cured (with salt and vinegar, I suppose) but almost taste-like sashimi, no fishy taste and absolutely fantastic. #5 glazed duck 鴨照り煮, #6 caramelized crispy small shrimp 小海老甘露煮, #7 sake-steamed prawn 長寿海老, #8 Yellowtail sushi wrapped with pickled turnip 鰤かぶら寿し, #9 New Year's stewed vegetables (satoimo, carrot, bamboo shoot, shiitake, hana-fu,  snow peas, and "konnyaku", all individually delicately seasoned and cut into decorative shapes), #10 simmered "ayu" sweet fish with roe 子持ちあゆ甘露煮, #11 "Date-maki" New year's omelet 伊達巻 and #12 Burdock root, squid ink coated and stuffed with mustard からし牛蒡. Hiding underneath #1 and #2 is "kurikinton" mushed sweet potato with chestnuts 栗きんとん and underneath #5 is grilled yellowtail marinated in sake lee 鰤酒粕焼き.

　

Everything was carefully prepared and packed. All possible superlative adjectives can not begin to describe how wonderful each dish was.  I do not know how many orders they prepare but I got some glimpse of how much work this is from Chef Kitayama's instagram "chefmasayakitayama" and "togimax". Our only task now is to enjoy all these delicacies, something we are very good at.

Happy New Year 2021 あけましておめでとう2021

The year 2020 was a quite taxing year. We hope things will get better in 2021, although we are, by no means, out of woods. Because of Covid, we stopped going to our Japanese grocery store (or many other stores for that matter). Having home delivery was a God-send. Nonetheless, however, we were not able to get all of our usual New Year food items or decorations including "Kagami-mochi" 鏡餅. (There may be a silver lining in this since we almost never eat all the small round mochi contained in it). So, this year our New Year's display was absent the Kagami-mochi. We only displayed the zodiac animal figurines representing the year--which in this case was the Ox.  The pictures below show our collection of zodiac oxen. The smallest guy, in front, looks like a holstein cow and is made of painted wood. The one standing behind and looking at him is made from "do-rei" 土鈴 or earthenware and is actually a bell.

The largest one is a red ox made of a paper mache with a bobbing head. He sports a yellow sticker stating "Ushi" or ox in kanji letter 丑. This kanji letter, as far as I know, is used only referring to the ox zodiac year and, come to think of it, it was also an old (edo-era) designation of time representing 2-3 AM. In addition, the sticker saids "invite happiness" 招福 and "open good luck" 開運. The gold letter on the back of the figurine shows the kanji character indicating "festivity" or "celebratory" 壽. This is an awesome red ox perfect for the New Year.

We generally start our New Year's day with our usual breakfast of coffee and bread. (Morning is far too early to deal with sticky rice mochi and its inherent potential choking factor).  So, we have our year's "ozouni" お雑煮 soup, including its customary ingredient mochi, as a lunch. This year, since I already had it, I made the soup using duck breast instead of the customary chicken. 

As usual, I encased the mochi in a deep fried tofu or "abura-age" 油揚げ pouch (which was boiled in the soup broth and cut into three pieces just before serving for my wife's convenience--to make it easier for her to eat). Other items in the soup included shrimp, snow pea, daikon, carrot, shiitake mushroom, boiled spinach, cooked freeze dried tofu or  "Kouya-doufu" 高野豆腐. I also included chopped scallion, yuzu zest and cooked seasoned kelp ,which was by product from when I made salmon kelp rolls　鮭の昆布巻き. I made the broth using a special dashi pack and concentrated white dashi from the rice factory ニューヨーク精米所. I also added light colored soy sauce and mirin.

As side dishes I served salmon kelp roll, Russian marinated salmon, date-maki 伊達巻 and new year omelet.

Another side was daikon namasu 大根なます,  with thinly sliced boiled octopus leg たこ and Ikura いくら salmon roe (The ikura and octopus leg are from Catalina offshore products).

Although this was a lunch, no New Year's celebration would be complete without a libation in the form of a glass of Sake for good luck (or whatever other reason we can think of). This was a nice mellow start of the New Year. Upcoming tonight, we are busting into Sushi Taro Osechi box 寿司太郎の御節!