** Rakkyo is a kind

of green onion. It has a unique taste and odor. The tear

drop shaped white root is edible. It is usually pickled

first in salt with vinegar added. Small rakkyo is called hanarakkyo .

With soy sauce added, it is called tamarizuke .

*** Fukujinzuke is

always used as relish with curry. Daikon nasu renkon

are finely chopped. Soy sauce is the base for pickling.

Fukujinzuke has a crunchy texture. The name originates

from the tale of seven saints of ancient days. The

orginal fukujinzuke consists of seven different kinds of

vegetables.

Yakitori

- 300 g chicken

thigh

- 4 long green

onions

- Tare sauce (1

teaspoon ginger (*shoga) juice, 50 cc **mirin

50cc soy sauce, 50cc

***sake)

- Bamboo skewers

1. Mix soy sauce, sake,

ginger juice.

2. Cut chicken into bite

size pieces, marinate in sauce.

3. Cut green onions into 2-

to 3-cm pieces.

4. Remove chicken from

sauce, allow excess sauce to drain. Alternately skew

pieces of chicken then onion.

5. Boil remaining sauce. If

desired, add a dash of sugar and crushed red pepper.

6. Pre-heat grill. Grill on

a low even fire. Make sure it does not burn and the

inside of the meat is well done before serving.

7. Brush on tare sauce

frequently while grilling. Rotate skewers to insure even

cooking.

Serves 4.

Hints:

Yakitori means broiling

over heat. Try other items such as tsukune (ground meat

balls), heart or liver. Charcoal is used at restaraunts

but gas is fine too.

* Shoga is ginger.

It is an essential seasoning of Japanese cooking. It is

often used for its distinctive flavor. Shoga pickled in

sweet vinegar is called gari . It is eaten with

sushi.

** Mirin is sweet

alcohol made from mochigome and yeast. It is

generally used for cooking only. It is used as a

ceremonial drink ( otoso ) at New Year. There are

two types of mirin: hon and shin . Shin

mirin has less than 1 percent alcohol content. It

enhances flavor and makes food shiny. Its sweetness is

essential to Japanese cooking.

*** Sake is the

generic name for all alcohol but mainly refers to seishu

(rice wine). It is brewed from rice and komekouji (yeast).

Quality is classified by alcohol percentage, flavor,

fragrance and color. When cooking, boil before using to

extinguish odor of alcohol.