I've had nothing but Japanese food for a month -- Ask me anything

[htuttle]

I'm back! I wasn't actually gone -- my star expired, and I hadn't budgeted for another donation for awhile. Then I forgot. Then time passed. You know how it is...

Anyway, I some have chronic digestive system troubles that have been getting somewhat worse every year. After a particularly nasty bout recently that I weathered at home, I changed my diet to almost nothing but Japanese cuisine.

At first it was bland, since I had been previously eating a lot of Indian food, but after a week of nothing but toast and applesauce (and bananas and rice...) when I was ill, flavors became more apparent. Now even just dashi and udon noodles are quite tasty.

Here's some of what I've been making (I usually make a small amount of 1-3 of these per meal)
Miso soup (with tofu)
Udon or soba noodles with ponzu dipping sauce
Mizutaki (chicken stew, usually turns out like something between a nabe hotpot and an oden soup, or like chicken sukiyaki)
Tamagoyaki (sweet rolled egg omelet)
Daigakuimo (Fried candied sweet potatoes)
Gyoza (potstickers -- I use ground turkey, napa, scallions, and plenty of garlic)
Okonomiyaki (kind of like an egg/pancake-like egg foo yung)
Yakitori (broiled marinated chicken and leek skewers)
Nirareba (chicken liver, leeks and scallions in sauce! First time I've ever liked liver!)
Tempura (breaded, deep fried chicken, shrimp and vegetables)
Chuwan Mushi (steamed egg/dashi custard with various fillings inside)
Furofuki Daikon (dashi-simmered Daikon with a sweet red miso sauce)
Fresh Spring Rolls (more a Thai dish, but the rice wrappers are so cool...)
Various nigiri and maki sushi
Onigiri rice balls with (imitation) crab and shio-zuke pickled vegetables inside
Steamed or Baked Bao Buns (okay...it's Chinese. But they eat them in Japan. I use turkey or mushrooms and cashews as a filling)
Copious amounts of rice
About a Quart of Green Tea every day
Moderate amounts of sake on weekends

My digestion has improved by leaps and bounds. I can always eat enough to fill myself up at meals again. I've had no more debilitating symptomatic issues, and I'm just all-around feeling a lot better. The more miso I eat, the more I like it. My dietary experiment continues...

Bonus discovery of the month: Sake doesn't seem to give me a hangover! :)

[AlecBGreen]

1. sounds delicious!

japanese food is sooo fresh, light & tasty! There is a reason why the Japanese live such long lives

[The empressof all]

2. Looks like you layed off the Dairy....

The "traditional" Japanese diet doesn't use any milk products that I can think of off the top of my head.

[htuttle]

3. Yes -- I've had growing problem with lactose intolerance along with the rest of it

I had been eating yogurt and kefir as stomach palliatives, but then I had to give up most milk products and mammal meat. I can tolerate a tiny bit of cheese or yogurt, and a little half-and-half in coffee, but otherwise almost no dairy -- which has been hard, since I grew up in Wisconsin.

That's one of the things that pointed me toward Japanese food as a solution. I could have tried to just omit dairy and red meat from the things I was already making, but since I switched my entire foodiverse to a single, complete cuisine, I don't feel like I'm "missing pieces" in my meals.

The most unhealthy thing about my diet now is that it's probably a little heavy on sodium from time to time, but I can adjust that as needed.

[eShirl]

4. did you pickle your own pickled vegetables ?

I have read that it is easy to do...

[htuttle]

7. Yes

I used the salt + heavy weight method. They were pickly in a few hours. The ones I left overnight were about perfect. :)

Haven't tried using rice bran or miso yet. I read that it takes a lot longer with those, but it sounds really good.

[Sanity Claws]

5. Did you lose any weight?

[htuttle]

8. About 5 pounds so far

Give or take.

:)

[hippywife]

6. Has this happened yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEmJ-VWPDM4


:rofl:

(Gads! I'm channeling Tab!)

[htuttle]

9. Well, this commercial is starting to look normal...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skBlEbsM0jM&feature=related