tokyo food file

Now I know it's autumn (part II)

 

The persimmons are on the trees…

 

…in the market – just ¥200 for a yama (basketful)…

…and in our fruit bowl.

Eggplants? Aubergines? Just call them nasu

 

 

At this stage of the year, there's not a whole lot of variety in our local farmers market. The heat has wilted all but the hardiest of the summer produce. But there's one vegetable in particular that seems to thrive in these conditions...

Eggplant, aubergine, brinjal, call them whatever you like. I prefer to use the Japanese word nasu [茄子, なす], rather than the American or French/English equivalents — mainly because few of them are anything like egg-shaped, nor are they necessarily aubergine in colour.

Here's a selection of what was on sale the other morning...

 

classic Japanese nasu

 

 

naga ("long") nasu

 

shiro-naga ("white long") nasu

 

shiro-naga ("white long") nasu – a green variety that, according to the sign, has the delicate soft texture of avocado

 

shiro ("white") nasu - now these really do look like eggs

 

"fairytale" nasu

tai ("Thai") green nasu - they stay firm when simmered, says the sign, so they're good in curries.

 

hisui ("jade") nasu - soft, with little aku (brackishness)

 

shirakami nasu – "meltingly soft and delicious", says the sign.

 

itaria ("Italian") nasu

 

sarada ("salad") nasu

 

mizu nasu – a speciality of Kyoto, mizu (literally "water") nasu are traditionally the only variety ever served raw. They also, as the sign says, make excellent pickes.

 

"fairytale" nasu – in another hue

 

bei ("American") nasu

 

gochiso "feast" nasu [on the right]

hiramasa: a rare yellowtail

We see plenty of yellowtail (seriola) species at our local fish market. There is usually buri or hamachi (amberjack); ready supplies of kampachi (almaco jack), and almost always some cultured shima-aji (striped jack).

But far more unusual is hiramasa (yellowtail amberjack), especially caught from the open seas. We snapped up a quarter-fillet. It's a firm-fleshed fish that makes excellent sashimi.

And here it is on the plate. A rare treat.

new potatoes — what a treat...

New-season spuds. There's nothing like them. And when the craving hits, there's only one place to go to assuage it — our local farmers market.

So what's it to be? There are Inca no Mezame (literally "Inca Awakening") from Peru (well, that's where the strain originated) with their vibrant yellow interiors....

Or perhaps Kita-akari ("northern light"), a Japanese strain, with their warm yellow hue and starchy, fluffy texture...

And then there are these remarkable black French spuds...

In the end I had to get a few of each of them.

And first to get cooked up were the Kita-Akari. Soft and flaky, and much yellower inside than you'd expect from their colour when raw, they are delectable. Especially mixed with fine chopped prosciutto and some baby broad beans, with just a hint of herbs and olive oil...

Itch successfully scratched!

a fishy business: cutting up a whole yellowtail — a video primer

Kan-buri, yellowtail caught in winter, is one of the major delicacies of the season. So when we spotted one the other day — the first time our local market had got them in — it was too tempting to miss.

 

This handsome fellow was landed in Toyama on the Japan Sea coast and trucked down overnight to our market in Kanto. It was still incredibly gleaming fresh.

At ¥3,880 for a quarter, and four times that for the whole fish, tennen buri ("wild" — ie not fish-farmed — yellowtail) is certainly not cheap. But it will get even pricier just ahead of the New Year holidays. Plus a quarter of a fish this size provides at least three meals.

The big question always is: belly or back? This time we chose the former, because it's so rich and fatty, perfect for sashimi if it's as fresh as this. When we buy for the New Year we prefer to get the back section, as it's leaner and keeps better — and also goes better in our ozoni soup (most people in this part of the country use chicken, but we've usually had our fill of fowl after all the Christmas feasting).

It's always fascinating watching the market guys prepare the fish for us (the old guy as often as not with a smouldering cigarette in his mouth). It's the effortless ease that comes from years — if not generations — of experience. That and incredibly sharp knives.

Here is the younger guy in action, cutting up our order...

Makiko Itoh has more on kan-buri in her recent piece in The Japan Times...

She also has another recipe on her excellent blog, Just Hungry.