Scouting in Japan: Udon Noodles!

This past Sunday, our Cub Scout Pack hopped a train to go visit our brother pack, Kiyose 3, for a fun day of making udon noodles & town cleanup. We are so fortunate to be able to share this amazing friendship which offers our boys cultural exchange opportunities. We try to meet up with our Kiyose friends once a month for something fun. I am always amazed at how easily children bridge the gap of a language barrier to connect with each other. 

Our friends met us at the train station & we divided all the boys into 2 groups for the walk to the community center we were using. On the way, the boys complete a small service project of picking up any trash along both sides of the road. It's about a 15 minute walk & we ended up with maybe 10 pieces of trash. Japan is very eco-savy, but its nice to instill that sense of community involvement with our scouts.

Fair warning.. lots of pictures ahead! 

Udon noodle dough is really simple.. it's flour, salt, and a small amount of water.

All of the scouts are divided up into groups to take turns helping make the dough. They all love this part, as it is very messy!  

Water is added in tiny amounts to the flour/salt mixture until a smooth dough is formed.

 After the dough is checked for consistency, the real fun begins!

The dough is shaped into a round & then placed into a plastic bag.

All the scouts take turns kneading the dough further... with their feet!!

Little Dragon even got a turn helping out! :)

The dough is squished out flat, then folded up again, and the process repeats until the dough feels as soft as when you gently squeeze your ear lobe.

Once done, the dough has to 'sleep' for a little while, so the boys were sent off to wash their hands & play while the grown ups tidied up a bit.

The next step to noodles is rolling out the dough into a giant, thin rectangle.

I love that everybody was encouraged to take a turn helping.

To help it roll a little faster, the dough is gently stretched as it is rolled around the pin.

This actually takes a soft hand & skill.. if you're too rough, the dough will rip.

Finally the dough is folded back and forth across a small wooden board & then cut into noodles!

The cooking is done in a big pot over a wood fire. There is an attached spigot to add cold water as needed to prevent it from foaming over as it boils.

It got very warm & smoky at this point, so Dragon & I took a break in a cute attached room with tatami mats. It was rather warm in there too.. but it offered a quiet space to feed & change the baby.

I told my husband I would love to have a room like this in our "forever home"!

ok, back to the noodles!

Once cooked, the noodles were drained & set out on each table for everyone to share. Everyone got a bowl of broth with onions, tofu, & pork. Other toppings were available such as green onion, japanese pickles, pickled radish, & nori (dried seaweed). The adults were offered additional choices of more onions & what i believe was nettle leaf. It was very earthy in flavor & slighty minty.

Bubs dug right in & was definitely enjoying the fruits of his labor! We were also treated to japanese pear, which tastes like a cross between apple & pear. They are huge & delicious! I didn't get a picture, as all the adults had to act quickly before the kids swiped it all!

A bowl of homemade udon & a glass of cold green tea... heaven!

Stay tuned to see where our next scouting adventure will take us!

Japan Eats: Shravan Indian Restaurant

We recently were invited to join our neighbors for dinner at a local Indian restaurant. Having never experienced Indian cuisine before, we were excited about a new adventure in culinary delights!

After a short train ride, slipping through a busy station, & finding the correct exit... we found ourselves walking down the chilly, bright streets of Tachikawa. If we hadn't been with our friends, I would most likely have walked past the restaurant entrance. The Shravan Indian Restaurant is tucked away in a downstairs locale, but upon entering you are met with a warm, homey atmosphere.

The staff is comprised of the owner, who serves the front of house, and two chefs. The restaurant is quaint, with few tables which portrays a relaxed dining experience. Our host was very gracious, allowing us plenty of time to make our choices, and never rushing our courses. I decided on a meal that included salad, a small appetizer, curry with naan bread, and dessert.

Upon recommendation, we tried samosas! These delicious, fried delights are filled with a mixture of potato and fragrant spices & served with a spicy cilantro sauce. We each enjoyed one, as they are quite large, but I did not particularly care for the sauce.

After samosas, our salads arrived to the table! I really wish i had thought to ask what kind of dressing was used, because it was absolutely divine!! I also received a sampling of sheek kabob (mutton) as my mini appetizer. It was absolutely delicious! The meat was tender and full of fragrant spices to entice the taste buds! I had never even considered eating mutton before in my life, but I would gladly do it again! Perhaps I'll try their mutton curry next time!

This restaurant is very child friendly, and my lil man enjoyed a plate of butter chicken curry, yellow rice & chicken, salad, and sweet naan bread. He devoured every single thing on this plate!

After we enjoyed our appetizers, our main courses arrived. I chose Spicy Chicken Curry with Butter Naan..... best. choice. ever!! I was slightly apprehensive about ordering a spicy dish, but there was just enough heat to enhance the flavor. We were given spoons with our bowls of curry, but it was much more satisfying to use chunks of bread to soak up all the deliciousness!

Our final course was dessert! I have never been a huge mango fan, but decided to give it a go. I chose Mango Delight... sweet mangos with vanilla ice cream. After enjoying this delicious treat, I had a change of heart & can't wait to eat more mango in the future!

We are looking forward to our next visit to Shravan, and will be trying more delicious foods!

Japan Eats: Dinner from Walmart!

Yes, you read that title correctly.. We are living in Japan.. and picked up dinner at Walmart!

One of the fun things we have discovered while out & about is that the Japanese love easy, on the go meals. However, not only do they love them, they are always packed with finesse! We were recently out doing some shopping at the Seiyu (Japanese name for Walmart) and were lamenting that we hadn't planned ahead for dinner. So we ventured downstairs to the grocery section to look around & BOOM! a whole aisle in the store devoted to packaged meals! Some were hot, some were cold.... everything ranging from fresh sushi, ramen, friend chicken, pot stickers, onigiri.... you name it, it was probably on this aisle! side note: You can also find these exact type of meals at the local 7-11s... and they are delish!

First up on our random dinner list.... sushi!!
I, personally, am not a big fan of raw fish.. it has a weird texture. I did try some of the Uni, and it was very.... fishy? oceany?... i'll probably give it one more shot, but so far i'm not a fan. Hubby, on the other hand, scarfed this entire plate with satisfaction!

My choice was this interesting plate with noodles, rice, & meat. 

The noodles.... spot on!! I ate them cold.. you're probably supposed to heat this stuff up, but what can i say.. I'm a cold-leftovers kinda person.. aint nobody got time for heatin up noodles! ;)
The meat was some type of hard sausage (pass!), a piece of pork, & some chicken.
Although the rice looks interesting, it was kinda bland & I only took a few bites.

Our Lil Man decided he was going to dine on onigiri! He liked the plain chicken, and he only ate the white rice ball. I believe that one had tuna inside. The other onigiri resembled fried rice and we all tried it, but it wasn't something we absolutely must buy again.

Mmmmmm Pot Stickers!!! We are all about some pot stickers in this house! My kid can put away his fair share, so these are always a safe choice as a 'backup' when we are trying new things!

This was some type of rice roll wrapped in seaweed... I don't remember what was inside, but I do remember that the Hubby was not too impressed. Simple, on the go food.. but not a repeat.

I love all the fun, quirky things I can find in Japan! I decided to browse their soda aisle to see what I could find. I was mainly searching for Pepsi Pink, but these other two managed to jump into my basket as well.

Pepsi Pink - this was advertised as strawberry milk flavor... which i know sounds totally gross! however, it seems more fruity to me & I actually really like it! Besides, who doesn't want their Pepsi to be pink!?

Coca-Cola Orange - I'm pretty sure I saw this in the states in one of those new touch screen soda machines at a fast food place. Verdict? pretty bizarre.... Tasted like Coca-Cola, but with an aftertaste of fresh orange being squeezed in my mouth.

Apple Fanta - after experiencing Melon Fanta, I was pretty excited for this one! However, I am absolutely NOT a fan! It has a strong fake apple flavor that just turned my stomach. Hubby said it was ok & finished it off... but he has a cast iron stomach & eats just about anything! LOL

So there you have our dinner from walmart! 

Have you had any yummy food experiences lately?

Japan Eats: Curry & Ramen

We are just a few days shy of having been in Japan for an entire month.

What an amazing month it has been!!

One thing I love about the military community is how quickly people draw you into their circle of friends. We are so blessed to be joining another fabulous LRS/POL family! Our new friends have taken us off base for some sightseeing & shopping, helped us find a car, shown us a few local food joints, and even opened their homes so we could enjoy a home cooked Thanksgiving. So even though we are still living in the hotel, we are having a fabulous time!

In the short month we have been here, we are already falling in love with Japanese food! I was looking forward to sushi before getting here, but i'm pretty addicted to ramen at the moment. Oh, and also Melon Fanta... *sigh* fantaaaaaa..... but I'll save that for another post...

 As crazy as it may seem, my first Japanese Ramen experience was in a mall food court!

Eating in a Japanese mall food court was quite the experience. First, you have to tackle ordering. This is basically looking at the pictures & then pointing on the menu when they ask what you want. I'm sure as time goes on, I'll start figuring out which words mean what, but for now I'm ok with looking at pictures. :) Our food was served in nice dishes with broth spoons & reusable chopsticks, as the Japanese are very into recycling & protecting the environment.

My bowl of ramen (left) was topped with a piece of pork, sliced mushroom stems, green onions, & crunchy bean sprouts. David enjoyed a kids meal of dumplings & ramen with corn and bean sprouts.

Our next food adventure, was a family trip to CoCo's Curry House!

We had heard about how awesome CoCo's was from friends who had already lived here, so we were very excited to go enjoy some curry! CoCo's did not disappoint!!

Located next to Fussa Station, Coco's Curry House is a small but enjoyable food stop. The menu offered a selection of suggested curry combinations, as well as a "make your own". (with descriptions translated into English)

I enjoyed Seafood Curry (shrimp, clams, & cuddle fish) at a Spice Level 3.

The spice levels run from zero, regular, & then 1 - 10.

This was the best curry I have ever eaten! Hubby was laughing at me as the spiciness was causing my eyes to water & my lips to tingle, but it was a delicious burn!! (He only ordered a 2, by the way). I have plans to work my way up to a 10 before we leave, but for now the 3 will do.

Our next experience with authentic ramen took us to Arashi's!

 

It actually took us 3 attempts to find this place, but it was well worth it!

A unique feature of Arashi's is that the menu is vending machine style. You insert your yen, push the button with the picture of what you want, & the machine spits out a ticket which is given to your server. I was so excited that I forgot to take a picture. This was another adventure in picture ordering, which makes for a fun surprise when your food comes out! :)

I chose my dish because of the pretty swirly thing... and it was DELICIOUS!!

My meal came with pork, seaweed, green onions, sliced mushroom stems, half a boiled egg, & a pretty swirly (which I later learned is a fish cake). 

Hubby chose a meal that came with beef, sliced mushroom stems, bean sprouts, green onions, & a raw egg (which only cooked a little in the hot broth before he ate it).

We are loving experiencing a new culture, new foods & making new friends!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
~Ashley~