Cooking KINTON in easiest way !
Kinton, in here Kuri-Kinton is a kind of cooking especially aiming
to a New-year’s celebration in Japan. —– it is in fact a kind of Anko,
made out of white bean and some time it got sweet chest-nuts too.
Though, to cook Adzuki-bean and make Anko is a long laborious work
= use any bean, the work is more or less the same though, there is
always an escape —– if you can sacrifice some authenticity.
—– And this time I’ve took an easiest way which was non of the
corner left intact. = (in other words, everything was cheated = Still,
end-result wasn’t too bad. :-D)
It’s a long work to cook dry bean soft from scratch —— If so,
why not utilize the most popular readily cooked bean. 😀
I separated a tin of baked bean from its source (Left Photo) and
rinsed them to reduce the saltiness and boiled them with sugar.
( Though, as it was a Baked bean with Tomato source, the residue
of red colour was a bit too much, I added a baked potato to
whiten it.) ( Centre Photo 🙂 )
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And after cooking, I got the idea to add Sweet-horse-chest-nut to
elaborate it to Kuri-Kinton. (But it took few days to find a pack of sweet
“Ferrero Rocher” —– as, I thought it was a Marron Grasse =
Sweet-horse-chest-nuts cooked in sugar. But it was an utterly ignorant
mistake = it turned out to be just another Chocolate. (Right Photo) 😀
I think I ate Marron Grasse 30 years ago which was lapped in Gold, like
Ferrero Rocher. 😀 Anyhow, as I don’t buy or eat sweets, I didn’t know.
—– So, I needed to go to a Japanese Shop to buy Amaguri (ready to eat
sweet Sweet-horse-chest-nuts to mix with Kinton. 🙂 )
—– So, at last, here the typical New-year’s cooking Kuri-Kinton. 🙂
It’s color a bit darker still it looks like genuine Kuri-Kinton, and taste
really like Kuri-Kinton = I don’t think there could be any doubt.
Far from it, I’m sure we can enjoy this. —– Yet, some one might
say, it’s not genuine though, such complaint is only in the mind.
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Dedicates one’s whole life to make the best Kinton, while seeking the
best possible genuine beans etc etc IS a kind of the LIFE. —– Wearing
silly mask and costume to dance for a Carnival or Halloween can be
yet another LIFE = neither LIFE could be seen to be better or anything
closer to the Enlightenment. BUT, at least, arguing like this is definitely
the waste of the time. Zen only say, if you got to do, do the best. (I mean,
it include good cheat as well. —– for a sake of good cooking. 😀 )
___/\___
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New year’s First Sunrise — (well, almost)
New year’s First Sunrise —– well, not quite. It’s the second one.
Yesterday was a bit cloudy = so, this is in deed, the first opportunity
to take picture though ……… I didn’t even go out of my room,
let alone go-up a hill or a beach to take typical photo.
Worse still, I didn’t even rise a bamboo blind. Still, with a longer
lens with its shallow depth of field, bamboo-blind was disappeared.
And at least, the photo on top is a genuine photo of SUNRISE !
—– but, first of all, why do we bother a day next of 31st of December ?
or So-called New year’s day.
It’s not even a Winter Solstice-day = just arbitrarily man-named day
= a products of human imagination. Nothing absolute !
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We human invented so many rules and the patterns for us
to be bound or even enslaved by it.
Like, if we use English, we have to follow its strict rules.
Or some of the people created their own God and follow it.
—– so, to take a special significance of the NEW-YEAR’S DAY
—– IS just depends on our mind-set.
Mind has created “Special Day” and the mind enforce its belief.
—– still, it is only in our imagination. It might be fun and
able to have a kind of comfort to feel a part of the larger society
though —– we may better to think “Why do I follow this ?”
There could be the other kind of life “If not follow it”.
Enlightenment is to liberate the mind yet I wouldn’t simply say
brake the convention —– to chose the same convention, same
conclusion could be a feasible choice.
Still, to see it in different eyes, everyday could be a fresh first day.
Have a peaceful and joyful year.
___/\___
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Facebook Bug
What I supposed to download was a map showing the different cooking
styles of O-Zouni (celebrative cooking for new-year) all over in Japan.
In stead, what I got was a hacked-in fraud from Facebook. —– on the face
it looks like a notice from Google Chrome though, in fact it was a disguised
mail which tricks us to give Email address and its Password to Facebook
= as the sender’s ID was shown on the top-left corner.
—– In order to deceive, it is showing the big G-Chrome Logo but their
“Facebook Logo” was not shown. (my be excusing with “Technical hitch”)
And saying “You’re using a web browser that isn’t supported by Facebook”
while showing Net-Explorer, Mozilla-Firefox etc etc —– despite I’m using
latest Firefox. = it was just a sheer pretext to steal Password. (Anyhow, as
I don’t use SNS, neither need to have Facebook convenient Browser. 🙂 )
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Why they have to take like this desperate measure. = Now hundreds of
thousands of people leaving Facebook everyday. It is an out-of-dated
old fashioned SNS, and only old users (30~40s) are still keep using it.
(Young and more active user has moved to LINE or SNAPCHAT etc.)
= So, they are desperate to fill-up the lost numbers and hack-into
the address book to trick the friends to join —– by sending false mails
which says “Yoshi is asking you to join Facebook” 😀 😀
How Pathetic. —– I’ve been wondering why people need to have such
kind of FALSE feeling of being ” CONNECTED” = now everybody
knows that such superficial number of “So-called FRIENDS” or
number of LIKE is nothing to do with “Real Human Relation”.
Nobody feel confident with the empty person who couldn’t even
stand alone but seek numbers in So-called Friends or Followers.
————–
PS ; The further trouble I discovered about the aforesaid
Facebook Bug was, —— it was very difficult to delete that file,
as I didn’t obey and sign-up for them to finish their task.
So that, I needed to find the file and delete it. ==> But, later
I discovered that the Facebook Hacker left a virus in my PC
which blocks the function of “Copy and Paste”. So, when I try
to Copy and Paste = what appeared on the screen was not what
I copied but the logo of G-Chrome and the Hyperlink.
Hyperlink to go back to the same Facebook page.
= which is harassing us to give-up and sign-up to them !
—– Can you believe, this is what Facebook is actually doing.
Are they such desperate in this extent ?
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Yamakake — Delicacy only for Japanese
——– (Soft-yam from Jamaica. This 2.5″ thick 3″ long (6cm x 7.5 cm)
——— piece will make enough Tororo for two persons)
What is Yamakake or Tororo ?
It is a kind of cooking with a special source made out of root-vegetable
called Tororo, and Yamakake is a type of Sashimi eaten with this source.
This root vegetable was botanically called Dioscorea, commonly known as
Soft-Yam or Sweet-Yam which spread most of the hot countries and there
said to be over 600 species, and normally eaten boiled, like a Potato.
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In Japan they are called Naga-imo, Yama-imo, Jinen-jo and in medieval time
they said to be eaten boiled as well (described in a story “Imo-gayu”) though,
now they are cooked only for Tororo and make Yamakake Sashimi.
(Yet in Osaka area, small amount of Tororo was added for Okonomi-yaki and
the Tororo Soba also exists but not very popular.)
Sometime, I cook Sashimi of tuna in Yamakake style, when I got Soft-yam.
What makes Tororo unique is = in the world, only the Japanese eat it raw.
Raw mean just grated it to make slimy juice ! Sound yummy isn’t it ! 😀
(In love with such slimy texture, Japanese eat Okura also raw —— just
sliced and mixed with Katsuo-bushi and Soy-source ! = Yummy again. 🙂 )
So that, Japanese has specially designed Grater (Photo left) called
Oroshi-gane (to make Daikon-Oroshi etc. Oroshi of Yama-imo is a Tororo).
To England, Soft-yam comes from Jamaica etc. even from France though,
seemingly it depends on the soil it grows, if it contains such as lots of iron,
it changes the color darker by oxidation and not nice for Yamakake. 😦
(Trouble is, we only discover it after cooked. :-D)
After grated, concentrated Dashi with Soy-source and a raw egg was mixed.
This raw source / Tororo was served on the Sashimi / raw fish =
So that, it makes a tasty Yamakake. Wow !
Purist prefer to put pure Tororo for Yamakake though, I mixed it with
Dashi, Soy-source and raw egg to make it like Tororo-jiru for Tororo-gohan.
And it is advisable to put small fragment of Lime skin (Yuzu or Kunenbo in
an authentic Japanese cooking ) to Tororo, and eat it together with some
Nori ( dried Sea-weed) on top. Or, some Wasabi is good additive though,
it’s better to chose either Nori or Wasabi to keep a flavour not conflicting.
Though, eat a fish raw, is a bit
tricky business in the west.
So, I found a frozen salmon pack
which was made in an automated
process without having touched by
a man’s hand (or least touched)
seems to be a safer choice.
(it comes from Lidl)
—– though, this was an old story.
It was the Lidl’s harsh practice when
the item got good publicity kind (like this blog) and started to sell more, Lidl push the price up (in this case to £2 each piece) to suck more profit = soon or later, the fed-up customer dwindled = when Lidl realized that they no longer able to sell, they just stop to sell, instead to put the price back. So, you can’t see this salmon there any more.
And in the same reason, I used to buy a packed raw tuna from Tesco though, after the price of tuna rocketed, I couldn’t find them any more.
= So, this time I made a Yamakake of Salmon here. The taste and it’s texture, melt in the mouth is an exquisite to us !
—– But, I wouldn’t say “Try” to you at all. ( You better look away. ;-)) (So far, no westerner ever touched this = it’s exclusively for Japanese)
Thence, I prepared and stocked-up only for myself for coming new-year.
Bon appetite to me. 😀
——————————–
PS : I asked my Chinese friend Shing Lee how they eat Yam, as I saw
Chinese shop also selling Soft-yam.
So, he sent me the information and the photos.
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The Yam is called 山药 or 淮山 in Chinese. It both grows in
wild at high mountains and man-grown in the field.
Normally, we have two methods to eat:
First, we peel it, and slit it into thin pieces, and then put it into
the hotpot, boil it with ribs.
Second, peel it and put it into the boiling oil, and fried to make
it looks like golden bullion.
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I have not been able to enjoy a Sashimi or raw egg yet.
It seems your Yamakake sound great though, it is
made with raw soft-yam, raw egg and a Salmon. 🙂
Personally, I like put it into the hotpot, and drink the soup.
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Thank you Shing Lee for your contribution !
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Kan-zakura = Winter-cherry
Cherry blossom in this time of year ? —– you might say.
But this is not fake or old photo. This is real though ——
In reality, actual looks of the cherry is far from Photogenic isn’t it.
= Whitish cherry flower has to stand out under the deep blue sky.
When the flower was under the bright sun-light, the pupil of
our eyes close, hence the sky behind became looks darker.
(It is the same situation of the bright snow-scape, sun and the sky is
the same though, if the foreground is bright, the sky looks darker)
But when bright sun-light is not available —– why not make one. 😀
So, this is a photography, completely opposite of the previous post
[What’s there ?] and the recent post such as [Fort’Mason’s —] where
I talked about “What is real or looked as it is” —– instead, here I tried
to create or falsify “Ideal image” with intentional manipulation. 🙂
So, I used a flash-light to brighten-up the flowers = F-aperture was
set for correct exposure for the flowers, but the shutter speed was
set to make under-exposure for the sky. (make it looks darker)
Took advantage of flash-light, I took the same flower’s photo
Pinhole photography sound natural though, in reality, as it needs to give
rather long exposure, it is not necessary good for flower photography.
( with wind, they move too much. 😀 )
Use flush-light would be one of the answer. = So, this is an artificial
creation of an artificial silk flower by Double-Density Pinhole photography
which satisfy my stereotypical idea of “What fluffy flowers should be” 🙂
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What’s there ?
Here the question is ” Is there or not there” ” What’s there” in
a photo or behind the photography.
This is an obvious subject, nobody would give any argument
what it is. And even without photograph, it still exists = photo is
mere secondly image of the existence. Photo didn’t make it exists.
This image has no significance = It’s just there, like a subject.
But you may puzzle what this is ?
What photographed here is the whole possession of a homeless person.
Still some would say “So, what” —– OR others may see the meaning in
social issue or even philosophical aspects “What’s the human existence”
yet, visually they are just a lots of plastic bags on a bicycle. Nothing else.
More than that is all in your mind.
It’s all depends on, whether you make a mountain out of this heap.
Some might be good deep insights otherwise just the delusions.
Before one photographic image, we have to see what a person
who is photographing has seen or conceived, let alone aimed.
But who can see it clear —– and, who knows how real what we’ve seen.
What I’m seeing might be there —– is it ? Where ? Here or there or behind.
We may not able to define what we are seeing unless we intentionally
impose a preconception, what I want to see, and reconstruct
the image OR story.
And it depend what we can see or what we know. —– or believe to know.
And if we know, —– can we be any wiser ? Really ? ? ?
Is there any use, if I told you what it was ?
In reality, we may not seeing any, let alone knowing, are they
really there. So, this is the real situation, and how and what they are.
(If you want to see the VOIDNESS in much more symbolic
elaborated image, it is your pretence and the arrogance !)
—– truth might be just empty space.
= Don’t struggle. Let it be and see just as it is. Don’t make-up the order.
(F&M’s Cherubs were in a mess of reflection = that was how they were. :-D)
By nature, as it is empty from the beginning, see as it is, be with it, is Ichijo.
Be with emptiness mean the mind is not there = Mushin.
Don’t impose own order mean = no complaint. What’s wrong with it ? 😀
—– So, it’s nice to be in PEACE.
___/\___
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Season’s greeting 2014
How the 2013 has been for you ?
I hope it was a pretty productive year for you.
For me while blogging, do something, see the friends etc etc
2013 has gone almost instant !
(Still in a hind sight there were so many things had happened ! )
So, it’s always the question —– have I done enough ?
—– May be. —– In middle way. Ha ha ha 😀
(Or, I might have done quite drastic. 🙂 )
What so ever —– we have to see the next stage. = Let’s face it.
And I wish your best happiness in the coming new year.
—– Hold the breath, listen ! —– You know, it’s coming.
( —– —– Tap tap tap ! —- Ha ha ha. I’m kidding)
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Fort’Mason’s Cherub
These days, all the job for the Angel has been monopolized by
the Cherub or other order has been made redundant.
And the another question is —– wait a moment, in mediaeval time
had Cherub wearing pants ? —– When they started to put it on ?
As far as I remember, I never seen Cherub wearing
dark red pants —– or was that trendy Pampers ?
Anyhow, don’t take it anything serious. Ha ha ha 😀
And he used be a Cherub, (didn’t you know) still he is a
very very nice Angel.
Fortnum and Mason’s Xmas Window Decoration 2013
Among the big shops in London which one got the most heavy Gothic
taste may be a point of argument though, in my view, a shop selling
exactly the same things 100 of years = Fortnum & Mason must stand out
in its stubborn position. —– Started to sell the candles to the palace and
expanded to deal with the Tea and established over the years,
Tea is a Tea = no new model or fashion there. (Herbal tea is not a Tea !)
So the same shop is standing on the same place, looks the same too.
The design of Xmas window decoration is also heavier than Selfridges,
such as against the children’s tale, Fortnum & Mason chose
Greek Mythology — kind of difference.
So, their taste for ancient Greek leafy pattern is still continuing though,
this years concept is more casual. = story from the next door.
It seems, even the shop stuck to the old tradition, the north Arctic
frontier, where Santa is based on, having a technological advancement
—– now, Santa is using a cart, instead of sleigh. (Photo Right )
Santa’s new cart !
Any how, —– it’s fun 😀
(Shot by Canon 5D Mk-III, 24~70 F2.8, Pentax 15mm F3.5)
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