New Years: Japanese Style (also... my 100th post! Wow!)

Happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2013 brings you all good health, happiness, and good fortune! Before I tell you about our annual Japanese New Years feast, I wanted to let you all know that this post is in fact my 100TH POST! How incredible is that? My first post was on June 24, 2012 and now here we are on January 6th, 2013. It's a little surreal for me!

I wanted to thank each and every one of you worldwide for reading my blog. It's funny, I started this blog thinking, "no one is every going to read this except for my mom..." and I am blown away by how wrong I was. Last time I checked, my blog has been viewed over 8100 times, internationally, and I am so gobsmacked. Thank you thank you thank you! I know that we don't know each other personally, but please know that your interest means a lot to me, and when I blog, I feel like I am sharing my adventures with friends.

I hope that you will continue following me in 2013. Again, thank you everyone for reading my blog!

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In Japanese, Happy New Years is "Akemashite, omedetou gozaimasu!" (あけましておめでとうございます). This year is a very special year to me because it is MY year...the year of the SNAKE! ;D Apparently the snake is associated with prosperity...so here's hoping.... Personally, I kind of hope that I acquire the ability to speak parseltongue! (haha)

This year, like every year, my mother cooked such a feast. Bless her. I give her such credit. In Japan, New Years is the BIG holiday with lots of food! (sort of like Thanksgiving in the USA). My mom literally spent two days preparing this meal. If you recall in an earlier post, we went shopping at mitsuwa for her ingredients. Well, now you can see how she used everything!

The first meal actually is eaten on New Years Eve. It's a very modest bowl of soba noodles. My mom really loves "tororo" or grated mountain yam, so we eat ours with tororo and nori. She also added some shiitake and chikua (fish cake). Simple, but delicious. If I recall properly, this is sort of a cleansing before the new year. 

Now, New Years Day cuisine is called "osechi." These dishes and this tradition date back to the Heian Period (8th century)! Each osechi dish has a specific meaning.  This tradition was introduced to the Japanese by the Chinese and over the years, the variety of osechi food has increased. Although pre-prepared osechi meals can be bought or ordered, most homes make their own osechi meal. I know my mom mixes traditional osechi with food that either she likes or recipes that intrigue her. I will do my best to explain each dish. 

Sweet Black Soybeans - Kuro Mame (黒豆)

Kuromame symbolize good health in the new year, since "mame" also means health. The thought of sweet black beans may have some of you scratching your head, but I assure you, they are delicious. My mom bought these beans in Japan, when she was there last month, and then she lovingly cooked them for EIGHT HOURS!

Clockwise: Home-marinated Herring Roe - Kazunoko (数の子)

Pink Fish Cakes - Kamaboko (蒲鉾)

Homemade Sweet Rolled Omelets - Datemaki (伊達巻き) 

White Fish Cakes - Kamaboko (蒲鉾)

Store Bought Datemaki (伊達巻き)

Marinaded Fish Wrapped In Konbu

The kazunoko is a true Japanese delicacy. It's taste is sort of hard to describe. The flavor is definitely unique and an acquired taste. More than the taste, I prefer the crunchy consistency. Kazunoko literally means "number of children." (Kazu = number, ko = child) The kazunoko symbolizes a wish to have many children in the New Year. 

The kamaboko are a personal favorite of mine. Once I start, I can't stop eating them! Kamaboko are traditionally red and white and are meant to represent the Japanese flag/ the "rising sun." They are purely celebratory. 

Datemaki might also have you scratching your head. Sweet omelets? Trust me, this is also tasty. I thought that my mom's were much tastier than the ones that we bought...but isn't that always the case? Homemade usually beats store bought. Datemaki symbolize a wish for many successful days in the coming year. 

Finally, I'm not totally sure about the significance of the fish wrapped in the konbu (marinated seaweed), but I know that the konbu represents "joy."

Sweet Taro Paste with Whole Chestnuts - Kuri Kinton 

This is basically a sweet taro (satoimo) paste with whole sweetened chestnuts. I don't know is this has a significance, but my mom makes it every year and I really like it. 

Picked Daikon and Radish Salad with Ikura - Namasu (なます)

Namasu is traditionally made with daikon and carrots, but this year, my mom changed it up a bit. We always have it with ikura (salmon roe), but I'm not sure if that's a universal thing. The dish is sweet, sour, and salty. Lots of flavors, but really tasty and refreshing. 

Dried Sardine Cooked In Soy Sauce - Tazukuri (田作り)

If you literally translate "tazukuri", it means "rice paddy maker." Once upon a time, these little fishies were used to fertilize rice fields. Now they represent a hope for an abundant harvest in the coming year. 

Grilled King Crab Legs and Jumbo Shrimp

This is a delicious family tradition. The shrimp are marinaded the night before in sake and some soy sauce. The crabs are steamed slightly. Once the grill is hot and ready, the crabs and shrimp are grilled to  perfection!

Shichifuku Namasu (七福なます)

This is another kind of namasu that my mom made this year. It is made from seven different ingredients. The name of this namasu is sort of a play on words. It is derived from the "shichi fukujin" (七福神), the seven lucky Japanese gods:

-  Hotei: fat and happy god of abundance/good health

- Jurojin (寿老人): god of longevity

- Fukurokuju (福禄寿): god of happiness, longevity, and wealth

- Bishamonten (毘沙門天): god of warriors

- Benzaiten (弁財天): goddess of knowledge, art, beauty, and music

- Daikokuten (大黒天): god of wealth, commerce, and trade

- Ebisu (恵比寿): god of fishers and merchants

Marinaded Duck Breasts

Boiled Vegetables - Nimono (煮物)

This is the oldest and most traditional osechi dish. Essentially it is root vegetables that have been boiled in soy sauce, sugar, or mirin. (Usually a mixture of some of all). Our nimono consisted of: lotus roots (renkon -レンコン), konnyaku (こんにゃく), carrots, bamboo shoots (takenoko - 竹の子), burdock (gobo -ごぼう), shiitake mushrooms, taro (satoimo - 里芋), and sugar snap peas.  

　 Clear Broth with Mochi - Ozoni (雑煮)

This is a traditional soup, but it is region specific. People from different regions of Japan make this soup different. Generally speaking, those in Eastern Japan make a clear broth, whilst those in Western Japan make a miso soup. My mom is from Tokyo, so our ozoni is clear. Tradition dictatates that you put a piece of cooked mochi (chewy rice cake) in the soup. As you can see, my mom did a bit more. Our ozoni usually has: shiitake mushrooms, daikon radish, carrots, spinach, chicken, and kamaboko.

Our 2013 Osechi Feast

Thank you Mama for another delicious feast! 

I am so sorry that this blog post is so long, but as you can see, there was a lot to talk about. I hope that you found it interesting! To be honest, I had to do some research before writing this entry, and I learned an amazing amount! Osechi has a new meaning for me! Again, Happy 2013 to you all!