Is Sushi Healthy? It really depends on the type of sushi you eat. Avoid any sushi that is deep fried or tempura. Some of the rolls like California Roll and Prawn Tempura Roll are also really bad health wise. If you stick to traditional style sushi it can be a nutritional powerhouse. The best sushi and fish to look for are Salmon and Tuna. These are oily fish and contain omega 3 fatty acids and lots of nutrients. The best rolls to go for are Salmon Roll, Avocado Roll and Cucumber Roll. Try and eat sushi with nori or seaweed as this contains iodine and many other healthy minerals.
Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan after Tokyo and is located by the sea close to Tokyo. Yokohama has a lot to offer including the futuristic Minato Mirai 21 harbourtown, Yokohama Marine Town and Chinatown. Yokohama Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in Japan and one of the largest in the world.
This picture is of one of the main entrances to Yokohama Chinatown
The Complete Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon is the perfect introduction to the food of Asia. With over 800 recipes from 16 countries, clearly presented in step-by-step instructions. This cookbook is about real Asian food, created with a minimum of fuss in a Western kitchen from readily available ingredients.
The great thing about this book is that it`s got all the Asian basics in it with things like green chicken curry and satays. The Complete Asian Cookbook teaches you how to put the flavours together without giving you a list of 30 ingredients. Some of the cuisines highlighted in the book include Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, India, Pakistan and many more.
A Japanese bento (弁当) is a single portion takeout or home packed meal very common in Japanese cuisine. The typical Japanese bento lunch box consist of a meat, rice and some vegetables and/or pickles. The meat can be a variety of fish such as salmon, or fried chicken, pork cutlets, sausage, hamburger. The rice can be plain or consist of a topping sprinkled on called “furikake”. Most bento`s are eaten cold but it is not a problem to heat them up in the microwave depending on what they contain.
Bento can be very simple or very elaborately arranged. In Japan, there is a bento style called kyaraben or “character bento”, where the bento is designed to look like popular Japanese cartoon characters (anime) such as Anpanman, Doraemon and Mickey Mouse.
For an easy Japanese bento lunch box try some boiled white rice or onigiri (rice ball) with a rolled omlette and a few small main dishes like karaage (Japanese fried chicken), hamburger, tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet), gyoza (dumpling), spring rolls, mini sausages, potato or pasta salad.
A Japanese bento is usually in a boxed-shaped container. Containers or bento boxes usually range from disposable mass produced boxes to beautiful hand crafted lacquerware. A traditional bento box in Japan is shokado bento (松花堂弁当) which is a black-lacquered Japanese bento box.
Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Chiba, Japan near Tokyo. The park was constructed in the same style as Disneyland in California. There are seven themed areas in the park. Made up of the World Bazaar, the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and two mini lands, Critter Country and Mickey`s Toontown.
This picture is of the main icon of Tokyo Disneyland, Cinderella Castle.
If you have a 13-hour layover at Narita Airport, Tokyo Japan do you have enough time to actually go into Tokyo and see a few sights?
The answer is Yes, a short trip into Tokyo is very possible. The best way to get from Narita Airport is on the Narita Express train (http://www.jreast.co.jp/), which takes 53 minutes to reach central Tokyo Station. It is best to try not to achieve too much in the time you have, but you can still see at lot of the major attractions of Tokyo.
Ginza, is one of Asia`s best and most exciting shopping districts and is located right near Tokyo Station, as is the Marunouchi Building (http://www.marunouchi.com/), an upmarket retail and dining complex. Nearby is the Tokyo Imperial Palace and its lavish gardens.
If you fancy a splurge, there is a special Tokyo City Transit Tour (http://www.tctour.co.jp/) designed for visitors on a stopover. A minivan with an English speaking guide collects you at Narita Airport and takes you into Tokyo for a tour of the city. It`s not cheap at USD $270 a person, but you get to see the major sights of Tokyo in a short period of time.
This month`s Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe is Onigiri or Japanese rice ball.
Onigiri is a popular snack food or takeaway option for a quick meal. It is kind of like the sandwich in the West.
Ingredients
• 5 cups hot cooked Japanese style short-grain rice
• 4 sheets dried nori seaweed
For the Filling
• dried bonito flakes (moistened in soy sauce)
• salted salmon grilled
• umeboshi (pickled plums)
• 2 Tbsp black sesame seeds toasted
Method
1. Wash and cook the rice. Onigiri is made while the rice is still hot.
2. Slightly toast the nori sheets and cut sheets crosswise into 1-inch widths.
3. Toast the black sesame seeds in a dry frying pan.
4. Prepare your different fillings
- the salted salmon should be broken up into small pieces
- pit the umeboshi (pickled plums)
5. Form the triangles – When handling the hot rice, keep your hands moistened with salty water to season the rice slightly and keep it from sticking to your hands.
6. Place a handful of rice (about ½ cup) across the bent fingers of your left hand. Make an indentation in the rice and tuck in about a tsp of one of the fillings (Salmon. Plum, or Bonito flakes).
7. Use your index finger, middle finger, and thumb to mold the triangular shape.
8. Set the rice triangles down on their bases and cover each with a strip of nori seaweed.
9. Sprinkle one or both ends with the sesame seeds.