“Eki Ben” 駅弁

When we go to Japan, there are several things we really enjoy (beside going places and seeing our friends and family, of course). The first is visiting Izakaya and tasting all the good food and sake. The second is riding trains (we always get Japan rail passes). The third is eating “bento” 弁当 or more specifically "Eki-Ben" 駅弁 "station bento" boxes while riding trains. We did not do as many bentos as we would have liked but here the ones we tried.

One kind of bento which is rather universal either at the train station or the basement floor of department stores (“Depa-chika” デパ地下) called “Makunouchi Bento” 幕の内弁当 which originated from a bento boxes served at the Kabuki theater between performances. Now, among the bento boxes sold at train stations, makunouchi bento is very common and popular. It is offered at different prices and sizes but, essentially, it consists of many small compartments that include cooked fish, meat, vegetables, and rice.



This is the one we had while riding the shikansen 新幹線 train from Tokyo 東京 to Kyoto 京都. This was one of the small makunouchi. The left side is molded rice which is very common in makunouchi which makes picking up rice with chopsticks easy.



Below is an example of a much larger makunouchi bento which we had when we were riding from Kyoto to Tokyo. There are many more compartments than the previous example and the rice in different preparations was in five of the compartments including Inari いなり寿司 (left middle compartment).


Of course, train riding is thirsty work so some libation goes well with bento. I was a bit disappointed that many kiosks carried different kinds of beer, shochu cocktails, or whisky but sake was either not available or the selection was very limited. Obviously the preference of Japanese people has changed.

At a kiosk on the shinkansen platform in Tokyo, however, I found some fairly good sake (left) from Nada 灘 (near Kobe 神戸). We think the ultimate is riding a train in comfortable seats, watching the scenery go by, while tasting so many different food items from the bento box and sipping good sake. (one of the reasons we don’t ride the nozomi, even if we could using our Japan rail pass, is because the scenery flashes by so fast we cant watch it without getting dizzy.) The only problem is that the train rides seem to end too soon.

To fix this problem, we rode a scenic well-appointed tourist train which runs from Akita 秋田 to either Hirosaki 弘前 or Aomori 青森 via a local track called "Gonou-sen" 五能線 along the beautiful coast line facing the Sea of Japan north of Akita called “Resort Shirakami” リゾート白神. While the same trip (between Akita and Hirosaki using Oou line 奥羽本線) can be made by conventional train in 2 hours, this tourist train took over 5 hours from Akita to Hirosaki,

The below was the bento we had during the ride. This came in an imitation “Wappa” わっぱ bento box which, in original form, is  made of thin Japanese cedar bent into the shape of a bento box. Of course, this was made of plastic (below right).



The content was “seasoned rice” with a specific local chicken from the Akita area called “Hinai” ji-dori. 比内地鶏.



The last bento boxes shown below were ones that we had while riding the train from Hakodate 函館 to Sapporo 札幌. Our train from Aomori 青森 to Hakodate was delayed for no apparent reason (very unusual for Japanese trains) and the train from Hakodate to Sapporo actually had to wait for the connecting passengers (Us!). Although we usually have time to buy Eki-ben at Hakodate station (my wife really likes their “ikura-uni” bento), we had just enough time to transfer from one train to the other at a dead run dragging our luggage behind us--so shopping for bentos was out of the question. (That was the first time we almost missed a connection in Japan due to delays). So we had to get bento on the train.

We knew from past experience that we could make a reservation from the train for a “Kanimeshi-bento” かにめし弁当 or "crab rice bento" from Oshiamanbe 長万部 station. This is a rather famous bento and we wanted to try it. The idea is to make a reservation while  the train is heading to Oshiamanbe station. The reserved bento boxes are made just in time to meet the train when it stops. 

During this train ride we were attended by a very pleasant lady concierge. (Even though she had the responsibility of checking tickets she still had to serve tea.) She brought us a cold drink and paper slippers as soon as we boarded. She then took orders for lunch including the reservation of “Kanimeshi”. As the train left Oshamanbe station she delivered the bentos to our seats; Americans just don’t know the meaning of service until they’ve experienced it in Japan.

In any case, we had this famous crab rice bento (below). It was a bit disappointing. After all the hype we were expecting a luscious box with big chunks of crab. Instead, the crab meat was very finely ground and dry. It was seasoned sort of sweet and salty. The rice was still warm indicating that it had just been packed but this was not worth the effort and the price. The meat had very little crab flavor; it could have been any dry tasteless fish meat. It was certainly not the best bento we had on the trip—the other bento box we got along with the crab box was much better.



We also got an ekiben which was apparently originated in Hakodate station (below) called “San-kai iro-iro gohan” 山海いろいろごはん meaning “Items from mountains and the sea rice bento”



As you can see, items from mountains (small bamboo shoot, shiitake, “fuki”) and from the sea (scallop, salmon roe, kelp roll, fish cake) and other items topped the seasoned rice. For us, this was much better choice.



We knew that the JR Hokkaido and Hakodate line 函館本線 had been plagued with problems. During our ride to Sapporo 札幌, we were concerned about the way the train frequently lurched violently from side to side. My wife actually turned to me and said, “ If this doesn’t let up we could de-rail.” Two days later there was a derailment of a freight train on the same line (no one was hurt). The Hokodate line was closed for several days. My wife’s prognosis apparently was correct. We feel we were lucky. We hope things improve for JR Hokkaido.

New small containers and Walnut "shira-ae" tofu 新しい珍味入れとクルミの白和え

Every time we visit Japan, we shop in Kappabashi 合羽橋 in Tokyo and Nishiki market 錦市場 in Kyoto and buy some kitchen and table wares. The below is one such a purchase at Nishiki market. We bought similar items before from the same store called "Kawazen pottery" 河善陶器. They are tiny covered vessels in which "rare" tastes or "Chin-mi" 珍味 can be served. This time the proprietor suggested we get larger base (the little black tray divided into square compartments. He said that make everything a bit more "luxurious" (and we tend to agree with him.)
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So, one evening after we came back to the U.S., I made a few small dishes and served them in these newly acquired containers.



From left to right; Daikon Namsu with "Jako" 大根なます雑魚添え, Shira-ae with cantaloupe and walnuts メロンとクルミの白和え, and "Komochi megabu" 子持ちめかぶ.



This is my attempt at reproducing one of the otoshi items at Suiko. I promised my wife that I would make a similar dish. Since Persimmon was not yet available around here, I used cantaloupe instead.

Tofu: I used silken tofu (1/4). I placed it on a paper towel lined plate and microwaved it for 30 seconds to remove excess water and let it cool down to room temperature.

White sesame seeds and white sesame seed paste: I used the combination. I first dry roasted white sesame seeds (1/2 tbs, this one was already roasted but I briefly re-roasted using a small dry frying pan). Do not over do it since it will give the seeds color making shira-ae (literally means "white" dressing) not white. I ground the roasted sesame seeds in a Japanese mortar (suribachi すり鉢) until pasty and then added store-bought sesame paste (1/2 tbs). I then added miso (2/3 tbs, or to you taste) and the tofu and mixed it until it became a nicely smooth paste. I tasted and adjust the seasoning by adding more miso if needed.

Cantaloupe and walnut: Since I did not have a persimmon, I cut up a cantaloupe melon in to small cubes (amount arbitrary) and coarsely chopped roasted walnuts. I garnished with larger pieces of walnut pieces on the top.

Although, persimmon shira-ar is rather standard, the addition of walnuts really added to the taste and contrast in texture and this was a good variation of this dish.



This was my "sokuseki" 即席 or "instant or quick" version of "daikon namasu" 大根なます .



This was a packaged and frozen product. "Mekabu" めかぶ is a portion of "wakame" 若布 seaweed closed to the attachment. The eggs are Capelin eggs.

The tofu and cantaloupe was a good facsimile of the one we had in Japan. These containers look nice and we enjoyed our house sake "Mu" with these small drinking snacks.

Chestnuts with somen noodle crust 栗のコッロケのいがぐり揚げ

Besides matsutake 松茸, chestnuts 栗 are a classic symbol of autumn. Every year, we get whatever remained of North American Chestnuts from California. Same as matsutake dishes, I almost exhausted what I can make from chestnuts but I came up with a variation of the chestnuts croquet.



This is same as the chestnut croquet but instead of bread crumbs, I used broken thin Japanese noodles or so-men 素麺. As you can see above, it resembles the spiky outer layer or "Iga" いが or 毬 of chestnuts (sort of). This is mostly for appearance rather than taste.



When you cut into it whole chestnuts appears.

To make it, (I am repeating the previous post).

Chestnuts: The best way to removed the hard outer skin is to do it while it is hot after boiling. I took one out at a time and keep the rest in the hot water in which the chestnuts were cooked. I removed the outer skin by cutting the bottom of the chestnut (mostly skin part) and then peeling off the outer skin or "onikawa" 鬼皮. The outer skin is easy to remove (except that the chestnut is very hot). The inner textured skin or "shibukawa" 渋皮” is more difficult to remove. Especially for Northern American chestnuts, the inner skin goes deep into the crevasses of the nut. Sometimes pulling up will release it or more often, the nuts break apart. We did about 20 chestnuts and 9 came out whole and other 11 were fragmented.

I placed the fragmented chestnuts (11) into a small food processor and pulsed it to break down the chestnuts and then added milk. I gradually added milk as I ran the processor until a chestnut paste is formed  (upper left and right below). I added a pinch of salt as well. The paste was stiff enough that the traces of the tines of a fork remained on the surface.

I moistened my hands and covered each whole chestnut with the chestnut paste (right lower).


For regular croquets, I dredged with flour, egg water and panko bread crumbs. For this preparation, instead of panko bread crumbs, I broke up the dried somen noodle in small segments (about1 inch or less) and coated the croquets. I just deep fried them in 350F oil for several minutes or until the somen noodles were golden brown.

Matsutake Dinner 松茸

When we got 1 lb of matsutake 松茸, we had to concentrate on having an “all matsutake” dinner so that we could finish it before it went bad. Nothing new here but the proof that an all matsutake dinner is definitely not too much of a good thing.  They are similar or identical to I posted before (Sakamushi 酒蒸し, Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸し, Tenpura 天ぷら, Matsutake rice 松茸ご飯, Grilled 焼き松茸, Dobinmushi 土瓶蒸し).

Matsutake rice 松茸ご飯 and clear soup of matsutake 松茸のすまし汁.



Matsutake grilled on touban 松茸の陶板焼き.



Matsutake chawanmushi 松茸の茶碗蒸し with ginko nuts and chicken.



This was the second version of matsutake omelet 松茸のオムレツ. Instead of chopped scallion, I used chopped shallot.



I think we can wait for one year for the next matsutake feast.

Matsutake Omelet 松茸のオムレツ

When the season for chestnut 栗 and Matsutake 松茸 comes, I cannot help myself and rush to order some. I order Matsutake either from Oregon Mushrooms or Earthy delights. This year, I ordered from Earthy Delights. The matustake is from North America probably from Oregon or Colorado. One pound of matsutake is quite a lot. Most of the matsutake we received was just before the caps open and the quality appears much better than last year. Since I posted many matsutake dishes (Sakamushi 酒蒸し, Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸し, Tenpura 天ぷら, Matsutake rice 松茸ご飯, Grilled 焼き松茸, Dobinmushi 土瓶蒸し) before, I have to come up with something new. One weekend morning, my wife suggested that since truffles and eggs go well together and since matsutake is Japanese truffle, egg and matsutake should go well together. How about an omelet? This is what I came up with. I made the omelet from two eggs and we shared it.



Since the flavor (smell) of matsutake is rather delicate (faint), I decide to make it as simple as possible.

Matsutake: I used three small to small matsutake (below left). As usual, I cleaned them with a wet paper towel and gently scraped the skin with a sharp paring knife. Some times embedded dirt is very difficult to remove but these matsutake were rather clean. I cut off  the bottom halves of the stalks and finely chopped them. The caps and attached portion of the stalks were sliced (below right).

Scallion: I chopped up two scallions finely reserving the green part for garnish.

Eggs: I used two large brown eggs well beaten with addition of cream (2 tbs) and a pinch of salt.


In a small frying pan, I added light olive oil (2 tsp) on medium flame. When the oil was hot, I sautéed the chopped scallion for few minutes, seasoned with salt and added the chopped up matsutake stalks. I sautéed for another 1 minutes. I pushed the chopped scallion and matsutake to one side of the pan and then cooked the slices of the matsutake turning once so that both sides had a nice color.

In another non-stick small frying pan on medium low flame, I added a pat of sweet butter (1/2 tbs) and let it melt but not brown. I poured in the egg mixture at once. Because of the cream, the omelet was rather fragile and soft. Instead of my usual way of forming the omelet as I place it on the plate, I decided to from an omelet in the pan. After I lifted the edge of the omelet as the bottom was set to let the uncooked egg to run under for several times, only just a thin coat of uncooked egg on the surface remained. I added the chopped and sautéed scallion and matsutake in the center of the omelet and using a wrist motion, aided with a spatula, I formed it to an omelet (see below).



I cut the omelet in half and garnished with the matsutake slices and green part of the scallion (The first picture).

As in the case of truffles, the delicate earthy flavor of matsutake and soft omelet are a good combination. I served it without any condiments or sauce. I even did not use pepper in the seasoning. Definitely this is a good way to bring up and enjoy the flavors (smells) of matsutake.

Matsutake grilled on ceramic plate 松茸の陶板焼き

The simplest and probably best way to enjoy matsutake 松茸 is to simply grill it and eat it with the juice of Japanese citrus splashed over it (Sudachi すだち or Kabosu かぼす) and salt. Sometimes I feel, though, that direct grilling over a charcoal fire makes matsutake too dry. I have tried using a "Touban" grill with the addition of sake (grill-steamed). This time, I made it even simpler and it turns out that this is a very good way to enjoy the delicate flavor of matsukae in its purest form. I simply grilled it on the touban 陶板 and finished it with the lid on. This final step steams matsukake in its own moisture.

I placed the mastutake on the heated touban on low heat without any oil or liquid. After the matustake grilled enough to develop some brown spots (appearing in about 2 minutes), I put the lid on and let it continue cooking for another minute.

The dome-shaped lid really does a good job of retaining the matustake flavor yet you do not feel like you are eating “raw” matsutake. Since we do not have “Kabosu”, we used wedges of lime and Kosher salt.

Squid sashimi dressed in tarako イカの刺身の鱈子和え

I decide to make this dish since it was served as one of the numerous dishes for a dinner at Wakamatsu Hontenn 若松本店 in Narita 成田 on our last  night in Japan. Unfortunately, the quality of the squid sashimi we could get here was not up to par with what we had in Japan and the previously frozen "tarako"たらこ was a bit too salty. As a result this dish was a pale comparison to the one we had at Narita. Dealing with lesser quality Japanese food items is especially difficult sice we just came back from Japan.

Squid sashimi: This is a packaged, prepared and frozen. I just thawed it.

Tarako cod roe: This also came frozen. I opened a sac of one small tarako and scraped off the roe from the membrane of the egg sac. I put it in a small container and added a small amount of cold sake so that the constancy is more suitable to dress the squid (also reduced the saltiness).,

Just dress the squid sashimi with tarako sake mixture.

We served sake in our newly acquired "Tusgaru" nuri 津軽塗 sake cups at "Nebuta" village ねぶた村 in Hirosaki 弘前.

This is my cup which matches the my chop sticks.

This is my wife's which also matches her chop sticks.

In Hirosaki, near Hirosaki castle 弘前城, we went to "Nebuta"village which is a large tourist trap. Beside the display of "Nebuta", many Tusgaru 津軽 or "Aomori" 青森 crafts are being displayed and sold. Some of the artisans were demonstrating how these crafts were made. One of them was making "Tsugaru-nuri" which requires many layers of lacquer and polishing on every layers. We bought two sake cups. When we came home, we were surprised to find that chopsticks which we have had for years matched the sake cups. I thought our chopsticks were "Waksa-nuri" 若狭塗りbut now I realized they are "Tsugaru-nuri" 津軽塗. Surprise, surprise!