1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (203 page)

Bonito-topped ohitashi.

Among the enchantments of the Japanese kitchen are the tiny portions of intensely flavored palate-teasers called
izakaya.
Usually served with sake as premeal bites or at casual bars—much like mezes or tapas—these might include
sunomono
, meaning “vinegared things,” and
aemono
, or “dressed things.” Both can be made from vegetables or fish, among other ingredients, but sunomono have a lighter, vinegar-based dressing while aemono feature somewhat thicker, creamier blends of raw egg yolks and pureed tofu or the fermented soybean paste miso, to suggest a very thin mayonnaise.

Three of the most intriguing of the lot are the aemono called
nuta
, the sunomono
horenso no ohitashi
, and the supremely pungent
natto
, which is in a category of its own. Nuta is a simple, ceviche-like salad of silky-thin slivers of raw fish such as tuna, yellowtail, or fluke; squid; or shellfish such as clams. The savory salinity of the dish is balanced by a gently tangy combination of mustard paste, rice vinegar, light soy sauce, and dashi, a briny stock made from the dried kelp kombu and bonito flakes.

Horenso no ohitashi (often simply ohitashi on Japanese menus) or “drunken spinach,” is a softly appealing salad of that leafy vegetable, blanched to emerald brightness then chilled in a marinade of dashi, soy sauce, and the sweet rice wine, mirin. Served cold in its marinade, the spinach gets a finishing touch of crunchy, sea-salty flakes of dried bonito.

If the first two are easy to like, natto is the offering that separates the strong from the weak, the adventurous from the timid. Made from small, golden brown soybeans fermented with the
Bacillus subtilis
bacterium, it reaches a fragrant stage that rivals that of the Swedish
surströmming
(
fermented herring
) or the stinkiest of cheeses. The fermentation imparts a silvery sheen and a satiny viscosity to the beans, as well as a flavor considered rotten by some. But for others the experience is downright addictive—especially once natto’s layers of sweet, sour, and pungent are gentled with a dressing of soy sauce, mustard, and the raw yolk of a quail or chicken egg. Natto is the basis of the vegetarian sushi
natto maki
, in which small clumps of the beans are packed with rice and wrapped in seaweed—but so substantial is its flavor that natto is usually enjoyed simply on a bed of plain rice.

Where:
In New York
, EN Japanese Brasserie, tel 212-647-9196,
enjb.com
;
in Houston
, Zushi, tel 832-243-6203,
zushihouston.com
;
in Gardena, CA
, Sanuki No Sato, tel 310-324-9184,
sanukinosato.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Book of Sushi
by Kinjiro Omae and Yuzuru Tachibana (1988);
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
by Shizuo Tsuji (2012);
japanesefood.about.com
(search seasonal boiled spinach; nuta with negi and wakame);
seriouseats.com
(search natto).

If you’ve ever wished you could douse your cereal in coffee in order to save a few steps,
ochazuke
is for you. Its base is a broth of the strong, rustic green tea called
bancha
, brewed from large, coarse, full-flavored leaves along with flecks of aromatic stems and woodsy twigs; in it floats a comforting helping of cooked short-grain rice. The name of the dish derives from
cha
, or tea (preceded by the honorific “o”), and
zuke
, meaning moistened or submerged. With its palate-cleansing properties and abundant antioxidants, bancha gives a healthful boost to the dish’s uplifting, restorative gifts.

It’s the perfect choice for those looking for a light breakfast or a satisfying between-meals lift. That’s certainly its appeal to busy students and office workers. When some elegant accents are added, it also makes a fashionable finish to a restaurant meal. In Kyoto, where it is known as
bubuzuke
, it might appear at dinner parties, where it is offered to guests as a signal that it’s time to leave.

There are a few variations on the classic preparation, among them using rice that is shaped into a ball and toasted, resulting in a nice crackle and a rich, grainy aroma. Variety also comes by way of toppings, which might include dried salmon or cod flakes; bits of cooked, salted, or raw fish; flecks of crisp nori (dried seaweed); zingy
tsukemono
(pickles); and the fiery jade-green condiment wasabi, akin to horseradish.

Although they are shunned by purists, and not nearly as healthy, packages of dehydrated “instant” seasonings for this dish are prevalent in Japan, resembling instant ramen mixes and similarly salty and preservative-laden. Simple and pure as ochazuke is, there is no reason to cut corners.

Where:
In Toyko
, Toricho, tel 81/3-3571-4650;
in New York
, Yakitori Totto, tel 212-245-4555,
tottonyc.com
.
Mail order:
for Japanese rice and green tea,
marukaiestore.com
; for green tea,
hibiki-an.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
by Shizuo Tsuji (2012);
Washoku
by Elizabeth Andoh (2005);
saveur.com
(search ochazuke);
food52.com
(search ochazuke).

Engagingly chewy, moist, and hearty, the rice balls called
onigiri
or
omusubi
are the Japanese answer to lunch box sandwiches. A favorite picnic dish since the eleventh century, they were once known as
tonjiki
and were thus recorded
in the diary of Lady Murasaki, author of what is considered the world’s first novel,
The Tale of Genji.

The filling and portable bites are made with cooked room-temperature white rice, lightly salted then pressed (
nigiri
) or gathered (
musubu
) into a firm but not crushed compact shape, with a surprise tucked inside—favorite stuffings, include the sweet-sour pickled
umeboshi
plum, considered beneficial for digestion; a bit of salt-glazed salmon; a grilled or pickled wild mushroom; or a vegetable relish. Made at home or purchased from convenience stores or upscale groceries, the palm-size bundles are generally shaped into cylinders, spheres, or triangles, but can occasionally take on even more fanciful forms. Most appealingly, onigiri can be wrapped in a sheet of bronze-green nori (dried, pressed seaweed) for a neatly intact bundle with a nice snap and a hint of the sea. Alternatively, for textural interest and a warmer flavor, the shaped onigiri can be lightly toasted in a skillet.

One can only hope that one day onigiri might catch on and become as ubiquitous around the world as they are in Japan, where they are sold everywhere from parks and beaches to train stations—a healthy but utterly tasty answer to the hot dog or pizza slice.

Where:
In New York
, Café Zaiya at three locations,
zaiyany.com
; Yakitori Totto, tel 212-245-4555,
tottonyc.com
;
in Atlanta
, Taka Sushi, tel 404-869-2802,
takasushiatlanta.com
;
in Los Angeles and Santa Monica
, Sunny Blue,
sunnyblueinc.com
.
Mail order:
For Japanese rice and nori,
marukaiestore.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Tale of Genji
by Lady Murasaki (Translated by Royall Tyler, 2007);
Washoku
by Elizabeth Andoh (2012);
Homestyle Japanese Cooking in Pictures
by Sadako Kohno (1991);
foodnetwork.com
(search onigiri);
japanesefood.about.com
(search rice balls).

Rice crackers for well-rounded snacking.

The term
confections
generally brings to mind sweets, be they candies, frozen creams, nut or bean pastes, or cakes and cookies. But in the Japanese lexicon, it covers all manner of treats served with green tea, including the tantalizing
senbei
—bite-size rice crackers that are salty and tangy, with only the faintest hint of caramelized sweetness. Whether shaped into tiny squares, balls, or sticks, the snacks are seasoned with salt, soy sauce, miso, or mirin, and perhaps also with spicy chile, wasabi, or curry powder; and they are wrapped or flecked with nori, the bronzed dried seaweed that lends a savory, oceanic essence to the addictive nibblers.

A classic between-meals snack also favored with aperitifs and, more recently, as an accompaniment for cheeses, senbei are quite beautiful to
behold, with a golden-brown, lacquerlike glaze that suggests bits of ceramic tile and adds to their delightful crunch. Most traditionally, the crackers are served after being freshly grilled on metal grids over charcoal, which imparts a smoky patina, but they are much more commonly found in packages or scooped out of bulk bins.

Differing only in size and shape from senbei are
arare
(the aptly named “hailstones”). They come in innumerable bite-size shapes and flavors and are the smallest and crispest members of the family. When wrapped with seaweed, they are known as
norimaki arare.
Shaped into elongated crescents, they are
kaki-no-tane
, so-called because of their resemblance to persimmon, or
kaki
, seeds. The pastel-colored
hina arare
, in small, fanciful forms such as tiny eggs, are featured from midwinter to spring as part of the March celebration of the Doll Festival, or Hinamatsuri. In Hawaii, arare are called
kakimochi
—brought there by Japanese farm workers who emigrated to the islands in the early twentieth century—and are mixed with popcorn for an addictively crunchy, salty treat; in Japan they will often appear tossed in with roasted nuts, Chex Mix style.

Where:
In Shizouka, Japan
, Aoi Senbei, tel 81/54-252-6260,
aoisenbei.com
;
in Washington and Oregon
, Uwajimaya,
uwajimaya.com
.
Mail order:
marukaiestore.com
(search oishisahyakkei arare and shirakiku arare); Mitsuwa Marketplace,
mitsuwa.com
.

Hot pot ingredients await a dip in steaming broth.

Seething hot pots of savory broth in which sliced meats and vegetables are cooked right at the table are specialties throughout Asia, but they’re especially common in the northern regions (see
Shua Yang Jou, Mongolian hot pot
). There they act as warming communal traditions, fulfilling room-heating and ritualistic functions as well as culinary ones.

The pots themselves are typically made of a large metal bowl slipped over a chimney outfitted with a brazier that gives off an intense heat, and sometimes has an open flame. Of the latter, the most spectacular—and scary, if you sit too close—is the Chinese “chrysanthemum pot,” named after the flames that leap around its base and suggest petals of the namesake flower.

Not surprisingly, given the attention Japan pays to the aesthetics of cuisine, that country is the source of the most elegantly refined hot pots, the
nabemono.
These include the
mizutaki
(“water-simmered”) variety made with chicken, and
chirinabe
, made with fish, either of which might be cooked in a big heatproof casserole called
donabe.
Of the nabemono, the most well known outside of Japan is the hot pot called shabu-shabu, meaning “swish swish,” its name referring to the gentle swishing sound the thinly cut meat, tofu, and vegetables make as they are sloshed around in the simmering broth to cook.