Text 25207, 68 rader
Skriven 2009-06-22 17:40:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
Ärende: Sansai-Gayu 1
=====================
Since it is spring (at least here):

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: About Sansai-Gayu
Categories: Japanese, Info, Wild Vegetables, Soups
  Servings: 1

           sansai-gayu

There is perhaps nothing more rewarding for a chef than to get out
into the field and secure the best ingredients possible: vegetables,
dry goods, fish and seasonings  The early spring is especially
exciting because the season for foraging wild plants officially
begins

Sansai; the Japanese name for native shoots, buds, stems, flowers
and leaves ; literally means "mountain vegetables" or "mountain
greens." Sansai remain an important part of traditional Japanese
cuisine ; in fine-dining kaiseki restaurants, at izakaya pubs and at
the family table.

Many of these vegetables are now cultivated and brought to market,
but hardcore enthusiasts, myself included, would rather trudge out
into these damp fields and gather the bounty for free. Several of
the most important wild sansai greens are commonly found all over
the world but are unfortunately regarded as weeds, especially by
lawn-obsessed suburbanites. Rather than gather the bounty, they
eradicate these "eyesores" that pop up in their front yards.

Just after the New Year, on Jan. 7, the jinjitsu no sekku is
observed. The festival of People's Day is celebrated by eating
nanakusa-gayu, a rice porridge with seven specific wild sansai.
Following the Chinese tradition, eating nanakusa-gayu in the early
hours of the morning or late at night is said to ensure good health
for the coming year.

For city-bound folks here in Japan, most markets sell a seven-herb
set on Jan. 7 to make this natural bounty available to all.

While nanakusa-gayu is only eaten once a year, other types of rice
gruel, kayu or o-kayu, are eaten year-round. Kayu is a typical
traditional breakfast food; now being outpaced by toast and coffee
for many. It is also served late at night after a long meal. When
children are sick, their mother will often make o-kayu to help them
regain their strength ; serving the role in Japan that chicken soup
plays in many parts of the West.

The following is a list of common spring sansai; the first seven
are the seven herbs of nanakusa-gayu. Following that is a recipe for
sansai-gayu, though you may use any greens or herbs you want and
serve it year-round.


  From: Http:japantimes.Co.Jp           
 
MMMMM-------------------------------------------------

Cheers

YK Jim


... Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 [NR]
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)