Bamboo As Food and Medicine

Bamboo is rich in minerals and high in fiber, which can be a great addition to any nutritious, well balanced diet. Bamboo offers a variety of different amino acids, including eight types of amino acids that humans must receive from a food source, since the body does not manufacture these certain amino acids within the body. While most would have to eat several different types of foods to receive these eight different amino acids, by including bamboo in your diet, you can receive them all in one serving! Imagine, eating one serving of bamboo versus choking down on several servings of fruits and vegetables.

Most food choices center on the shoots of the bamboo, which are tender and delicious vegetables. Once it hardens, the bamboo is practically inedible. But shoots are used in different recipes, such as bamboo candy, beer, chutney and even soup.

Much like fruits and vegetables, shoots have a season too. Since shoot blooming season only last one to four months a year, shoots are not readily available year round. Bamboo vinegar has also been produced for multiple reasons, including medicinal purposes. Bamboo vinegar has been used to treat various stomach disorders. Continue reading “Bamboo As Food and Medicine”

Japanese Fare and Roma Pizzas at Collage – Restaurants in Hyderabad

What you see – Ista hotel’s restaurant Collage is nestled between giants like the Indian School of Business, Microsoft and Infosys. Away from the bustle of the city it has a weekend getaway feel to it. Beautifully surrounded by rocks as inanimate company, the hotel has a gate that seems like an entrance to a different world.

Collage is the 24-hour restaurant at Ista and has a lovely wide entrance hall adorned with huge stacks of fine wine on either side. There is also a good and tempting display of fresh fruits.

Add to the contemporary ambiance, a breathtaking view of the Golkonda (looks splendid at night with the riot of colors reflected by it) and you realize that the fusion of traditional and modern couldn’t have been better.

Travertine table tops complement the brown wooden décor. There is a choice of seating too. You can opt to dine around the Teppanyaki counter, or choose to view the city from the outdoor patio and pavilion. Continue reading “Japanese Fare and Roma Pizzas at Collage – Restaurants in Hyderabad”

Mongolian Hot Pot and Ta Pin Lo Sauce Recipe

MONGOLIAN HOT POT (TA PIN LO)

Mongolian recipe
First make the stock:
1 1/2 quarts water (or more)
3 tablespoons Chinese wine or sake
1 stalk leek, chopped
5 slices ginger, sliced paper-thin
2 teaspoons salt
Dash of pepper

Mix all ingredients and bring to boil in the pot. Chicken or beef stock may be substituted for the water
(at least 6 cups). While mixture simmers, bring to the table about 1/2 pound each of the following meats and seafood, cleaned and sliced into bite-size pieces: Continue reading “Mongolian Hot Pot and Ta Pin Lo Sauce Recipe”

How Bento Boxes Ensure Goodness in Terms of Health and Convenience

Bento’s are traditional that are cooked daily for themselves, their spouses and mostly for their children. The boxes that are used to serve Bento meals are commonly known as a Bento box. Though the concept is originated in Japan, it has become highly popular throughout the world. There was a time when the return of school or office entailed the return of lunchbox preparation for the next day. Preparing the lunch was a mammoth job in itself.

Bento boxes are handy to carry and good for the planet. But the benefits of this are not limited to these only. Take a while to check the benefits. Basics of a Bento box

Being hugely popular during the last decade, this is an effective and useful alternative to conventional lunch boxes. Then the tightly secure lid of the box only gets opened to reveal an apportioned interior where you can place different types of foods. This is not any fresh invention. In fact, the invention of Bento took place long back to the 12th century in Japan. The Japanese people used to prepare Bento (packed lunch) to take with them to their workplace. Modern Japanese Bento boxes come in different materials and designs for their presentation and variety that differ significantly. Though they might differ in style, presentation and variety, the key aim of Bento is to serve different types of nutritious foods in a single serving Continue reading “How Bento Boxes Ensure Goodness in Terms of Health and Convenience”

Pork and Abalone Soup and Crab Asparagus Soup

Pork and Abalone Soup (4 American servings; 4 Chinese servings)

1 (4 ounce) can abalone

3/4 cup (4 ounces) lean pork

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons sherry

1/4 cup bamboo shoots

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 thin slices fresh ginger root

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 sprigs parsley

1) Drain abalone and reserve the liquid. Cut the abalone and the pork into 1 1/2 inch squares, 1/8 inch thick. Continue reading “Pork and Abalone Soup and Crab Asparagus Soup”

Enjoy This Delicious Japanese Sakana Nabe With Your Friends And Family

In Japan sakana nabe (fish stew) is a very popular dish. It is popular all year round but is more popular during winter. Lots of Japanese nabe recipes needs ingredients that are only available in Japan. This recipe is for a nabe that you can prepare wherever you are. If you are having problems finding the proper ingredients, you can use similar ingredients that have similar taste. The preparation is also very easy and you can also prepare this outdoors and enjoy it with your friends and family.

Japanese Sakana Nabe Recipe

Ingredients: Continue reading “Enjoy This Delicious Japanese Sakana Nabe With Your Friends And Family”

Tiramisu: Don’t Be Mistaken, It’s Not Japanese

Commonly mistaken by people as a Japanese dish because of the sound of its name, Tiramisu is, as a matter of fact, a popular Italian dessert.

It is made of alternating layers of savoiardi (ladyfingers in the US) biscuits dipped in coffee and whipped mixture of mascarpone (Italian triple cream cheese) and egg yolks. Sifted on top or in-between layers, is cocoa powder which serves as a garnish and gives a bitter taste to balance the sweetness of the cheese mixture. This recipe has been modified to many kinds of cakes, puddings and other desserts. Continue reading “Tiramisu: Don’t Be Mistaken, It’s Not Japanese”

Jiro Ono: A Sushi Legend

Sushi is one of the most famous Japanese dishes and it also gains great popularization in the International community. When it comes to Sushi, we have to mention Jiro Ono who is considered as the greatest sushi craftsman by his contemporaries and peers. The sushi he makes is also regarded as the most delicious one in the world.

Jiro Ono successfully became a qualified sushi chief at the age of 26 with its diligence and talents in cooking and in 1965, he opened his own restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro which is also considered as the most famous sushi shop in the world. Throughout his lifetime, he is devoted to making the most delicious sushi.

With the sushi-making experience of over 50 years, he successfully created the most innovating methods used in modern sushi preparation which lifts the sushi crafts to the new stage. Continue reading “Jiro Ono: A Sushi Legend”

The Best Restaurants You Have To Visit In Melbourne Before You Die

They say that food takes you right to a man’s heart. Well, believe that this holds true for anyone and everyone, not just men! So when your tummy craves to experience a foodie roller coaster ride or enjoy good times with your family or friends and you are way too bored to hit the kitchen, what do you do? You search for the best restaurants in Melbourne to satisfy that craving in your heart.

Every city has its own charm and the local cuisine sometimes really adds to it beautifully. There are many restaurants in Melbourne which will take you to a whole new delicious world. From pastas and continental cuisine to burgers, sea food and more, you will find it all here!

If you are looking for restaurants in port Melbourne, then you can’t really miss the Waterfront Port Melbourne, where you get to indulge in some authentic seafood as you sink into a soothing ambience!

Continue reading “The Best Restaurants You Have To Visit In Melbourne Before You Die”

The History of Koi Fish and Surprising Koi Fish Facts

Koi Fish have become the most expensive and sought after ornamental fish. The hobby of keeping koi did not start out this way. Read all about the beautiful Koi fish, its fascinating history, surprising koi fish facts and how koi fish keeping and breeding became the hugely popular hobby it is today.

Today, Koi fish are kept mainly in landscaped ponds and large aquariums for their pure aesthetic appeal. This was not always the case however. In their early days, Koi were simply bred for food.

Probably the most surprising koi fish fact is that they did not originate from Japan. Their exact origin and date of introduction to Japan has been much debated by Koi historians.

THE ORIGINS OF THE KOI FISH

Various Koi experts have said that Koi came from parts of Eastern Europe, Eastern Asia and China around 2,500 years ago. Koi actually means “carp” in Japanese and there are a lot of varieties of carp so that is probably why there was a lot of confusion and non-specifics surrounding its early history.

However, the carp we know today as Koi fish are actually Nishikigoi (“living jewels” or “brocaded” carp). This is the variety of carp which possess those beautiful colors and patterns we have grown to love. Although the Koi may not have originated from Japan, it was the Japanese who took the Nishikigoi and fine-tuned the art of breeding them to their stunning color mutations you see today.

KOI’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND INTRODUCTION TO JAPAN

Chinese rice farmers originally bred Koi as fish food around the 17th century. They were brought to Japan, also to be used as fish food, by Japanese rice farmers in Niigata Prefecture.

Around the 1820s and 1830s, the Japanese began to breed Koi for their aesthetic appeal. Some farmers brought the koi back to the ponds in their garden. This is how Koi started to become ornamental fish for ponds.

HOW THE KOI HAS DEVELOPED

The Bunka and Bunsei Era (1804-1829) saw the development of the Koi with the distinctive red marking on their cheeks. White koi were also introduced at this time, and when crossed with the Koi with the red cheeks, they produced a white Koi with a red abdomen.

The Tenpo Era (1830-1843) introduced the white Koi with red on its forehead, the red headed koi and the koi with red lips.

In the Meija Era (1868-1912) carp from Germany were bred with nishikigoi, producing the doitsu. Koi breeders realized that different types of Koi bred together could create wonderful mutations of color.

The Taisho Era (1912-1926) saw the development of the white koi to levels of perfection with the red and black patterned white koi. Koi were showcased at the Tokyo exhibition of 1915 and that is when the Koi craze began to take off around the world.

One of the earliest of the developed Koi was the “Kohaku” with its white body and crisp red patterns.

In the early 1900s, black markings were introduced to the basic Kohaku red and white patterns to create the “Sanke” or “Sanshoku”.

In 1927, the “Showa” was created: a black koi with red and white markings.

In 1946, the ‘ogon’ or metallic yellow koi was developed. This led to other metallic koi versions being produced.

From the 1920s to the 1980s, Koi development took a incredible leap forward. Koi did not only become a huge hobby, it became a lucrative business. More varieties were bred, some ‘one-time hits’ were created which were never to be seen again while others become firm favorites.

THE BIG THREE

The Kohaku (white body, red patterns), the Sanke (white body, red and black patterns) and the Showa (jet-black base with white and red markings) are known as “Gosanke” or “three families”. In the US and Europe, they are often called “The Big Three”.

THE BASIC TYPES OF KOI AND GETTING STARTED

Overall, there are 15 different types of Koi, as differentiated by colors and size, in the standard classification. If you are keeping Koi as a hobby, a good place to start is to familiarize yourself with the 15 different types and think about the ones you enjoy looking at the most.

Remember, just like snowflakes, no two Koi are exactly alike and that is one of the reasons they make such fascinating fish.

Source by Gemma Swansburg