In March, there is Hina Matsuri (girl's festival). This involves a set of Japanese dolls being set-up in one of the rooms at home on a set of red display steps, and food offerings (usually 'rice cakes') are made to them for good luck. On the actual day itself, mothers and daughters usually make Chirashi Zushi, which is a kind of sushi that is eaten on special occasions such as birthdays and festivals.
This is the chirashi zushi - because the festival is at the start of spring, the dish is very colourful. In this there is rice, eel, prawns, pink ginger, shredded japanese omelette, nori (seaweed) and leaves and stems from the rape plant.
We also had a pink (for girls) tomato soup - made from tomatoes and dashi (Japanese fish stock)
This is tempura made from beansprouts, kombu (another seaweed), and these teeny tiny sardines. Apparently the key to a good tempura batter is to barely stir it (we hatch to ditch the first load as I stirred it and it turned into a gloopy glue-like substance) and to use very cold water or even drop an ice-cube in briefly whilst you coat the ingredients.
This was pudding - sakura mochi (cherry blossom rice cake). This is particular to this time of year and consists of a salted cherry blossom leaf wrapped around a 'cake' of anko (sweetened red beans) and a layer of sweet sticky rice. It was certainly something new to my palette and the leaf was extremely fragrant, but in a strange way I really enjoyed it.
In March, there is Hina Matsuri (girl's festival). This involves a set of Japanese dolls being set-up in one of the rooms at home on a set of red display steps, and food offerings (usually 'rice cakes') are made to them for good luck. On the actual day itself, mothers and daughters usually make Chirashi Zushi, which is a kind of sushi that is eaten on special occasions such as birthdays and festivals.
This is the chirashi zushi - because the festival is at the start of spring, the dish is very colourful. In this there is rice, eel, prawns, pink ginger, shredded japanese omelette, nori (seaweed) and leaves and stems from the rape plant.
We also had a pink (for girls) tomato soup - made from tomatoes and dashi (Japanese fish stock)
This is tempura made from beansprouts, kombu (another seaweed), and these teeny tiny sardines. Apparently the key to a good tempura batter is to barely stir it (we hatch to ditch the first load as I stirred it and it turned into a gloopy glue-like substance) and to use very cold water or even drop an ice-cube in briefly whilst you coat the ingredients.
This was pudding - sakura mochi (cherry blossom rice cake). This is particular to this time of year and consists of a salted cherry blossom leaf wrapped around a 'cake' of anko (sweetened red beans) and a layer of sweet sticky rice. It was certainly something new to my palette and the leaf was extremely fragrant, but in a strange way I really enjoyed it.
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