The Beauty of Japanese Hot Pot

The Japanese have long believed that sharing a meal from a single pot forges closer relationships. Japan's beloved comfort food, hot pots, are a well-balanced and naturally nutritious bounty of vegetables, tofu, chicken, seafood, or meat, all infused with lip-smacking Japanese flavors. So gather your friends and family round the dinner table for these easy, economical, homey dishes that require minimal fuss and no special equipment — just a good appetite ^^

This is what the New York Times says about Japanese hot pots, "Steaming bowls sustain body and soul in the cold months. Your grandmother probably knew how to fill this need and the Japanese certainly do..."

There are many different types of Japanese hot pots including shabu shabu, nabe and sukiyaki which includes different soup base and meat or seafood. Most hot pot would include thinly sliced beef or fish, and they are just delicious when you swish it in soup gently for a few second and dip them in sauce! Ofcause, the essential element of the Japanese hot pots are the fresh and healthy vegetables. Chinese cabbage, tofu and different types of mushrooms are a must as they are tasty and bring more flavours to the soup base.

In Sydney, there are a lot of restaurants which has the Japanese hot pot on their menu. However, i would really recommend Nakashima on the Rocks, to those who wants the traditional style of the great taste.

Kura 藏

I actually visit this restaurant regularly and again and again I have been very satisfied with my choice.

I can't really describe it, but the most I can say about the food is that it's good. It doesn't and never really ever goes beyond that. I mean to say that at the end of the day it's just ramen. It doesn't have a distinctive flavour like pho or a unique characteristic like ramyun, in the end it's just noodle soup. The soup never quite makes you drool and the noodles are good but the texture doesn't exactly excite me, the meat is tender and the tempura can never be called special.
Yet the fusion of these average ingredients will create the most magical experience. Something so simple will amaze you. Ultimately though, it's just ramen it's extremely satisfying. I'd recommend the Ultimate as it's got a little bit of everything.
I've also had the seared salmon sushi. Very nice. Smokey, as it's intended, combined with the light tanginess of the lemon it creates a wonderful taste in you mouth. It is quite cheaper than it's competitors but unlike the ramen, though slightly, I've had better. The chicken don, as shown in the picture is one of my favourite dish in Kura, the nicely cooked egg and tendor chicken covers the rice which is soaked slightly in teriyaki sauce.
If I think about Kura, it's always the warm memory of the small corner restaurant, bringing shelter on a rainy day. I feel welcomed in it's small room filled with people happily devouring their meals. If you're ever eating here, stop for a moment, take a breath and look around, there won't be a displeased person in sight.

Here is the map to help you find Kura easily.

Remember to tell us what you think about Kura and recommend other nice dishes there, as we are always in search for new yummy dishs!

Izakaya Kasumi

My friends have raved about this place and I finally got to try it for dinner on Saturday night. Luckily we booked as it was busy but the food came out really quickly. Basically all our dishes came out at once which is good if you're really hungry, but not good if you want to relax and catch up with friends.
Still the service was very friendly and the higlight dishes were the okonomiyaki, chicken karage, sushi and sashimi platter. Love the sunken boothes and I'll definitely be back!!

Japanese women don't get old or fat!?!?

I was surfing the net about few weeks ago and just happen to come across this really interesting book called "Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen", written by Naomi Moriyama, a girl who grew up in Tokyo, Japan. When I first read the title, I laughed. It seemed like a quite obvious attempt to cash in on the success of "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure". So, i decided to get the book to read.
The diet and weight loss points made in this book could be summed up in a few bullet points:

Don't overeat - observe the hara hachibunme rule (eat until you are 80% full)
Eat a lot of fresh vegetables.
Eat a wide variety of foods.
Eat more whole grains - eat brown rice rather than polished white rice.
Eat fruit for dessert, or small portions if you must have cake etc.


Obviously, it is not necessary to eat Japanese food to accomplish these goals. But I do agree with the point made in this book that traditional Japanese food is inherently healthy. According to the book, traditional Japanese food centers around rice (gohan, which is also a synonym for a meal), with small portions of okazu, savory things that go well with the plain rice. A typical Japanese dinner would have, besides the rice, 1 small bowl of soup (miso or clear), 1 protein dish such as grilled fish, and 2 or 3 other mostly vegetable-based side dishes. A popular dietary guide in Japan that has been around for decades is to try to eat 30 kinds of food items a day for nutrional well-roundedness. This may sound impossible, but in Japanese cooking it's not that out of reach.

Interview with nutritionist, Edward Yuwono

In order to prove the many benefits of the Japanese diet, I have decided to conduct an interview with a nutritionist I knew. Please go to our playlist to listen to the full version of the interview on G-cast. Edward Yuwono is a qualified nutritionist who is currently employed by Nature's Own, a well known vitamins and supplement company. He deals with customers daily to informing customers about the company's products and helping them with choosing the most appropriate supplements to take as well as aiding them with their daily dietary routines. 
Mr Yuwono's views in this interview can be summed up in these points:

• He rates the quality of the average Australian diet as only a 4/10 as he recognised an increasing amount of consumers face their problems due to an increase in energy intake, along with an increase in sedentary lifestyle. This is because consumers are fed ready available energy at a low cost price, as we know the takeaway and junk foods, which are high in saturated fat and high carbohydrate levels, and rarely include the amount of nutrition and vegetable intake we need. 
• Health issues in Australia in relation to unhealthy diets and eating habits includes short, medium, and long term problems such as obesity, diabetes, liver problems, osteoarthritis, reproductive problems and cancer formations. 
• There have been enormous amounts of articles and commotion about how the Japanese diet is a prime example of a healthy, nutritional diet. The Japanese diet has been known for centuries as maybe one of the healthiest diet in the world due to its high levels of nutrients and antioxidants. The life expectancy of Japanese people is known as the highest in the world, and obesity has only recently become an issue with the infiltration of western fast foods. 
• The Japanese consume about five times the amount of cruciferous vegetables as the average westerner in their daily meals, the Japanese diet is fish based which helps to reduce heart disease, lower cholesterol, and improve brain function. The Japanese eats a lot of tofu in their meals, which is a good source of protein and is packed with nutrients necessary for good health. One other essential part of the Japanese diet would be green tea which has been linked with a reduced risk of cancer in both men and women. Green tea consumption is linked with a reduced risk of stroke and heart disease.
• Most Japanese dishes are cooked in little or no fat and salt, which are the main causes for all health related diseases. 
• “eating with your eyes”. This is where consumers eat slower as they are attracted to the food that they eat. Japanese food is always nicely presented so that people eat slower, which makes them feel full faster.

Now, even the professional has proved how healthy the Japanese diet is, not to mention he is also a big fan of Japanese food himself, what are you guys waiting for? Let's eat the "Japanese way"!!