Video - Japanese Cuisine (Fruit)

The photos of these Japanese fruit are from the website of Sembikiya.

The video below, by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries includes a recipe of apples and persimmons tossed in a sesame dressing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc3YcvPJUvY

Sunomono of Persimmons and Daikon - Recipe

In this bento box from last fall is a flavorful sunomono (vinegared dish) of daikon and persimmons. Great for this time of the year, and a snap to put together.

1/2 daikon
2 persimmons
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar (or mirin)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2/3 cup dashi

Mix in a saucepan the sugar, rice vinegar, and dashi and bring to heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Peel and julienne the daikon, sprinkle with salt and set aside to sweat. Peel and remove the seeds from the persimmons. Julienne and set aside.

Squeeze the daikon of excess water and combine with persimmons in vinegar dressings. Marinate overnight. Will keep for several days.

Note: Sanbaizu dressing comes from Tsuji's Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art cookbook. This is a great cookbook and hands down the only cookbook I carry as I move around the world.

Fall for Kaki (Persimmons)

This time of the fall, just as the cool winds of winter picks up, is the best time in Japan for kaki (persimmons). This photo is one of our meals from last fall - including some quartered persimmons. Sweet, crunchy, and only available for a few weeks each autumn, they are treasured.

Miyazaki Mango

While muskmelons and strawberries in Japan are celebrated and often given as gifts, our favorite fruit in Japan is the mango. Miyazaki prefecture in southern the southern island of Kyushu is known for its mangoes. This one as you can see is labeled as authentic from Miyazaki and even the amount of sugar is labeled on the fruit - at 16 degrees this is quite high.

And, when cut open you can see how juicy it is, and trust me, it was very sweet.

I think I paid about $30 USD for this, not much, considering some of these at shops like Sembikiya will sell for $400 for one.