Mochibana Japanese New Year Shogatsu Decoration 餅花

Mochibana is a Japanese New Year’s decoration that uses white and pink colored mochi wrapped around willow branches to simulate blossoms. Shogatsu signals the coming of spring in Japan, and spring is plum, peach and cherry blossoms. Why do people use mochi rather than real flowers?
Archive for the ‘rice dishes (ご飯類)’ Category
Shogatsu: Mochibana Japanese New Year Decoration
Shiokara Report: Enjoying Homemade Squid Shiokara
Shiokara Report: Enjoying Homemade Chinmi Squid Shiokara いかの塩辛

Shiokara is a favorite of Miwa and she made some recently and it is ready for eating. Shiokawa is made of salted squid semi-fermented in its own guts and is a kind of chinmi, literally ‘rare taste’. Japanese like shiokara on rice or with sake.
Chinmi: How to Make Shiokara
Chinmi: How to Make Shiokara 珍味: 塩辛の作り方

Shiokara is made of salted squid semi-fermented in its own guts and is a kind of chinmi, literally ‘rare taste’. Japanese like shiokara on rice or with sake. Shiokara is one taste that you might want to miss when you visit Japan, but we show how to make it in this article.
Roasted Ginnan and Sardine Ichiya Boshi Chazuke
Roasted Ginnan and Ichiya Boshi Sardine Chazuke
塩焼き銀杏 うるめいわし一夜干し 茶漬け

Chazuke is a quick, simple meal, easily made tasty with a little creativity and often leftovers, then just pour on some tea and eat/drink it up! I prefer to use brown rice, genmai for chazuke (and fried rice) because of it’s more complex and earthy flavor. It…




