Text 2768, 123 rader
Skriven 2006-07-03 18:11:50 av hap newsom (1:275/311)
     Kommentar till en text av CAROL SHENKENBERGER
Ärende: Re: Home againis the Sail
=================================
Hi Carol!
-> -> Nope, fresh.  Not sure what dried soybeans look like though very well 
may 
-> hn> have 
-> -> eaten them under many names.
-> -> 
-> -> I just realized a visual referent for what i think of as 'soybeans'
-> hn>  They look
-> -> 
-> -> a goodly bit like a pine nut though more rounded.  I see pine nuts
-> hn> in 
-> -> gormet places and at our commisary when the season is right.
-> -> 
-> -> Ayways, aparently edamame is also a 'soybean' and there are some 12 
or 
-> hn> more 
-> -> types of soybean commonly used.  I know only the common one of 
Japan 
-> hn> and the 
-> -> Edamame (definately say edame here and i have no idea why.  Regional 
-> hn> dialect?)
-> 
-> Hap, I got to the bottom of this yesterday.  It's a local 'shorthand' for 
-> Edamame.  Why, my friend didnt know but he knew it was a local dialect 
issue 
-> and the same thing.
-> 
-> hn> pretty much like roasted pine nuts, Edamame is larger but still looks
-> hn> soybean to me (I've seen em in the field and the pods look "right") As
-> hn> different varieties, well, I'm not suprised at all ....look at how man
-> hn> varieties 
-> hn> we have of just about every bean! 
-> 
-> Yup!  So with htis, you can see why sometimes i am not sure how to MM 
some of 
-> the stuff i make!  For many things, I have too 'generic' a name to be very 
-> useful.  For example, seaweed.  Umm, sorry but there are hundreds of 
types that
-> 
YUP! We picked up some frozen edamame from Costco today...we'll have it 
over the holiday !
As for Seaweed...I'd be more likely to recognize it by it's scientific name 
rather than the generic names!

-> are regular eating here.  There's even a stall at Tonoo that specializes in 
-> some 50 of them?  They change quite frequently and only a few of them 
do I have
-> 
-> a handle on how to cook.  Most of them, I've never tried yet!
-> 
-> I got a new one yesterday.  It's a longish thin bladed stock with little 
lumps 
-> along the way every 6 inches or so.  Those lumps are a bit like an 
edamame bean
-> 
-> inside and the flavor is mildly nutty/salty with just a hint of fishy
flavor.  
-> The rest of the green was not to my taste perfection but I can see it 
would be 
-> a great 'wrap' to cook small items in. Finger sized fishes would be perfect.
 
-> It's red in a deep sort of ruby color but there's another one very very 
much 
-> like it that is dark green and more to my tastes.  (sorry for calling it a 
-> 'green' above but was being generic 'greens' not the actual color).
-> 
-> There is another one that is wonderful and I had to go to Korea to 
experience 
-> it but now that i know, can find it there at Tonoo easy.  It's a mottled 
grey 
-> with brownish splotches, ugly to the eye and a delight to the tounge.  The 
-> 'leaf' is easily 1/4 inch thick and very meaty while also being softly 
-> gelatinous in texture inside yet almost crunchy firm on the outside.  Now 
how 
-> do i MM that one?
-> 
-> If I have to name that seaweed, I'd call it 'umami' if i recall the term
right.
-> 
-> That perfect mix which is sublime.  It's way too delicate flavored for 
making 
-> dashi and too thick for a wrapper.  You steam it with flavorings and serve 
just
-> 
-> as it is with a little broth.  Comes to mind, serving just opened clams
sitting
-> 
-> ontop of this would be perfect.  Add some pimentios for color and you 
would get
-> 
-> the eye-appeal of Japan.  American fusion would have me consider some 
rounded 
-> marrow bones with center still there, set gently atop?
-> 
-> Small digression.  Only in this house among us echo folks would have my 
kid 
-> asking if she can eat my tentacle.  *sigh*  Yes Charlotte, you can have 
my 
-> octopus.  Growing kids....(grin).  She's off now in her room chewing on my 
last
-> 
-> bit of octopus having decimated the apple slurry along with her friends 
who are
-> 
-> now at home, stuffed to the gills.
-> 
-> Anyways back to seaweed cookery.  It's rare to see in the USA but it is 
there 
-> in a few places.  It's more common in Europe but hits I think the hights in 
-> Japan?  It's my current experiment area so i may be mentioning it more 
now but 
-> we dont use as much of it as the locals do on a weekly basis. Other than 
in 
-> Dashi, I use it only 'now and again' and seldom make a whole seaweed dish 
for 
-> even a side.
->                                        xxcarol
You'd like it here, LOTS of asian influence and asian markets can get us 
almost anything you can find in Japan!
chat with you soon
hap 
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