We also have a photo essay on Kappabashi, a neighborhood comprised of a few blocks centering on Kappabashi-dori (street) that is nicknamed “kitchen town”. If you’re a fan of food, it’s a fun stop on any Tokyo itinerary.

The two articles also sport a new look: heavy on photos and lighter in text, to cater to the trend of readers on the net. But don’t worry, the long, in-depth articles are still there for back-up when you want more information.

I’d be curious to know if you like the new look. We intend to vary the layouts in the upcoming months, depending on the subject.

But what to do? My neighborhood is not known for great sushi joints, and all my fish was frozen solid.

Luckily, I remembered that I had a nice chunk of salted and grilled Norwegian salmon that was left over from last night. I had been a little overzealous with the salt, but it would be a perfect filling for onigiri. But even that was too much trouble, as I didn’t want to stop working, so I flaked it up, mixed it with preserved sansho pods and reheated white rice. (I  don’t like using the microwave, but it’s actually perfect for warming up Japanese rice.)

It amounted to a quick homemade furikake, a kitchen staple used by moms across Japan to add some sweet and salty flavor to rice, especially for kids. They usually include dried seaweed, roasted rice, salt and flavoring of some kind, as well as dried fish. It’s the kind of fall-back condiment that makes a quick snack, much like Westerners have come to rely on cold cereal with milk for a quick bite on the go: Perhaps not nutritious, but not too bad for you.

The trick to keeping leftover fish for several days is that it must be quite salty. The salt preserves the fish, and the intense flavor works well for furikake, onigiri or ochazuke (rice with tea) because rice predominates.

I marinated the salmon (2 small fillets) overnight in 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and a splash of vodka. (The sugar and vodka are my own additions; I find they add a nice flavor.) Sprinkle all sides with salt and place them, skin side out, in a plastic bag, removing all the air so the salmon is properly coated. You can then grill or broil them. Follow these instructions for cooking any kind of fish.

Oh, the sansho (peppercorn) pods are a great addition, as they provide a nice zesty kick and tongue-numbing spiciness. They are in season in May, and can be found preserved in salt or simmered in soy sauce and made into tsukudani, usually with kombu. I always pick some up when I’m in Japan. If you can find them in the West, try them!

Like many good things, this dish takes a little planning, because the secret is to simmer the vegetables ahead of time, let them cool in the flavored dashi so the vegetables soak up the richness of the simmering liquid, and then to chill thoroughly. Therefore, don’t decide to make this dish at 6:00pm, or your dinner will be very late indeed!

The last time I made chilled dashi-rich vegetables, it was out of necessity. I had to use up a daikon to make way for a new one. It had withered just slightly and had lost its crunch, but in the spirit of mottainai, I didn’t want to waste it. So I cut it up and made a big pot of simmered daikon (usually a winter dish), using half for soup and reserving the rest for chilled vegetables the next day.

This colorful dish can be made with an assortment of any three or more vegetables, preferably in season. Zucchini would be great (and plentiful these days), as well as lightly boiled tomatoes with skins removed. Fresh okra is also good, especially when they are just barely cooked. Unless one vegetable has a particularly strong taste, everything can be simmered together, but take care to watch the cooking time because each vegetable should be tender, but not soft.

Ingredients
6 inch piece of daikon, cut into rounds and then quartered
1 package of bunashimeji mushrooms
1 carrot, peeled and cut into rangiri
12 snow peas
2 cups of dashi
salt, sugar, sake and light soy sauce, to taste

Directions
Boil daikon in water to cover for 30 minutes. When tender and translucent, strain (you can use part of the daikon water to add to the simmering liquid, but do so sparingly, as it has a strong flavor.) Simmer the daikon along with the carrots in dashi flavored with salt, sugar, sake and soy sauce for 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Add mushrooms and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add snow peas at the very end for 1 minute, or until they puff up.

Remove snow peas (chopsticks are perfect for this) and quickly rinse them under cold running water to stop the cooking process and to preserve the bright green color. Let the other vegetables cool in the simmering liquid to room temperature. Return the snow peas to the rest of the vegetables, transfer them to a covered container and place in the fridge until chilled.

Arrange the daikon at the base of a medium-sized shallow bowl. Prop up remaining vegetables against the daikon as shown. Spoon the simmering liquid over all.

Serves 4

For those planning a trip to Kyoto, I hope the article is helpful; for those lucky souls who have dined at this wonderful place, I hope it brings back memories.

Check out the noodles page for more information. The article will be on Savory Kyoto on August 1.

For your convenience, and because of the blog’s search capabilities, I’m posting all new recipes here, as well as on the site.

INGREDIENTS
2 packages of ramen

TOPPINGS:
1 chicken breast, shredded, or 4 slices of ham or chicken
1/2 cucumber
1 carrot
thin omelete

SAUCE:
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp sesame oil

GARNISH:
Sesame seeds, gari and neri karashi

DIRECTIONS:
Although there are several brands of Japanese ready-made hiyashi chuka packaged noodles, complete with sauce and either dried, refrigerated or frozen, it is the sauce that gives this dish its flavor, and home made is better. You can use whatever vegetables and meat that you have on hand, although cucumber lends a nice crunch. I personally like to prepare this dish with ample vegetables so the ratio of toppings to noodles is 1 to 1. Shredded romaine lettuce is also good in this dish.

Make thin omelette. Slice meat, cucumber and other vegetables into sengiri (fine julienne). Set aside in the fridge while making the noodles.

Make sauce by simply mixing all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Prepare the ramen according the the package directions, drain and quickly cool with ample running water. Drain thoroughly.

Arrange ramen noodles and toppings on a large serving platter, or on individual plates. Top with a dollop of neri-karashi (Chinese-style yellow mustard). If desired, also top with gari (pickled sliced ginger.) Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

For a vegetarian version, try sliced mushrooms such as shiitake. You can also just skip the meat altogether.

Serves 2

This is all new to me, so please bear with me. We’re also on Twitter, but I’m not very active there yet.

Avant garde somen in a hand-blown glass bowl "shell"by Satoshi Sugie

The upcoming August feature for Savory Kyoto in Kyoto’s Visitor’s Guide will be about cold noodles. Noodles are considered a snack – not a proper meal – in Japan, (as a meal would naturally include rice) but at our house we enjoy them regularly, especially on hot and humid days like today. Somen takes just minutes to boil, and when served in a glass bowl with cold water and a few pieces of floating ice- you can feel your temperature drop on visuals alone. Then, when you dip the delicate noodles, as thin and light as air, into a chilled dashi dipping sauce flavored with just a bit of grated shoga (ginger), you ARE cooler.

This photo was created by my husband, who had the idea to add a few strands of cha-soba for contrast in Rimpa-inspired swirls, and floated a few petals cut from negi atop. I have to admit that while I was a little skeptical at first (because, after all, I’M the one who wears the apron around here) I was impressed by not only his idea but his art direction.

But praise for my husband aside, I think that what makes this dish so visually interesting is the hand-blown glass bowl, entitled “Shell” by glass artist Satoshi Sugie. He and his wife Akiko (also a glass artist) live and work in Kameoka, just north of Kyoto. We happened upon their exhibit at the famous Tachikichi tableware shop on Shijo-dori during our last trip, and plan to visit their studio in the fall.

OK, so I played with the placement of this photo to show the bowl in an unusual way to set off its avant-garde quality, but I have to make some kind of contribution, don’t I?

What did it taste like? Wonderful. The hint of negi was light enough to add just a bit of contrast. But the entire experience was far better- it was like eating from a bowl of ice, suspended in mid-air.

How cool.

Salt-grilled ayu (sweetfish) served on a bed of bamboo leaves at Kikunoi Honten in May

Savory Japan is updated for July, and features a recent conversation with famed kaiseki chef Yoshihiro Murata. Read about this amazing Renaissance man and ambassador of Japanese cuisine and culture in the first of a two-part series- which continues in August with a visit to the singular Kikunoi Honten, one of Kyoto’s most respected ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurants). At the moment chef Murata explained how the Kikunoi restaurants source their ingredients, illustrated by the story of a tilefish’s journey – plucked in the morning from the Inland Sea, stopping in Kyoto and ending up on a plate in Tokyo at dinnertime – I knew I had to make a reservation. The network of fishermen, farmers, artisans and chefs that make the magic of Kikunoi possible is a fascinating in its simple, poetic and entirely natural efficiency.

If you are inspired by the article and would like to meet chef Murata, you’ll have a chance when he appears at the upcoming World of Flavors conference Japan: Flavors of Culture in early November. I’ll be there to gain more inspiration and wisdom as well.

We also give a (very) brief introduction to Imari, the elegant and versatile porcelain ware that is an essential part of every Japanese kitchen. The subject is way too broad and deep to cover in a single article. We also share a few of our favorite Kyoto shops, where you can find a good selection of antique and vintage Imari ware.

With Yoshihiro Murata in Tokyo last month

Among all the conversations I had during my trip to Japan last month, the most memorable was my interview with famed kyo-kaiseki chef and winner of seven Michelin stars, Yoshihiro Murata, chef/owner of Kikunoi Honten, Kikunoi Roan and Kikunoi Akasaka. This would not have been possible if it were not for the kind folks at the Culinary Institute of America, the organizers of the upcoming Worlds of Flavor conference: Japan: Flavors of Culture, which takes place from November 4-6, 2010. Chef Murata will appear as one of the conference’s featured experts, which will be attended by chefs and professionals in the food industry from across the U.S. (and worldwide.)

The man is amazing. Murata is not only the third-generation owner/chef of one of the most respected ryotei in Kyoto, but an ambassador of Japanese cuisine, writer, educator, mentor and all-around Renaissance man. However, as busy and famous as he is, Murata is also remarkably kind. He cares about struggling craftsmen and budding chefs. I’m writing the article now, it’s pretty difficult to stop gushing about him. Seriously, this guy is an inspiration.

Stay tuned for the article, part three of our Masters series, on Savory Japan, coming soon.