Soup therapy

[uidactinide]

Those of you who like Japanese food (and/or those of you who have never
had it before) should try miso soup when your stomach is giving you
problems. The last few times I've felt especially n*, I've had a cup of
red miso soup, and it helped a LOT.



I haven't had white miso soup while feeling n*, but I'd imagine that it
would be just as good (if not better because it tends to be milder in
flavor).



Kikkoman sells powdered red and white miso soup that you just add
boiling water to. It's suprisingly really good for being non-homemade.

[sparky2004]

Cool! Thanks for posting that! Can I get it from a take out place?

[uidactinide]

I'm sure any Japanese take-out place would have it; I've never come
across one that didn't. You might even be able to find a Chinese place
that has it, but those are a little more rare (but a godsend if they're
the only game in town who sells it). Good luck on finding it ^.^

[missbecca]

My boyfriend and I went to a hotel for New Year's and they had a restaurant in the hotel that had a sushi bar, but I saw Miso Soup on the menu. Had I known that, I would have had some!

[charzysbebe]

Hmmmm, sounds good. I would love to try Japanese food; although I have always been afraid I wouldn't like it. Is most of their food raw fish?? I would love to know what kinds of food they eat, so I know what some of my options are...I would love to try it!



Charlotte

[r311dude]

Japanese food is hecka good. And yes, Miso Soup rocks!

[uidactinide]

Most Japanese food isn't sushi or other related foods, contrary to
popular belief. It's just that sushi became trendy here in the U.S.
because the concept of eating raw fish was a new concept to us
westerners. Additionally, it's also a common misconception that sushi
is all raw fish; in fact, most of my favorite sushi is cooked.



The last time we had Japanese food, I ordered katsudon (which is a
yummy pork dish), and my fiance had ginger beef (which is also really
really good). The best part about it, in my opinion, is that Japanese
food tends to be really easy on your stomach but still full of flavor.
Also, it fills you up without making you feel overly full.



Mmmmm... I want Japanese now... lol

[r311dude]

Hah yea, cause the rice expands in your stomach. My favorite sushi is Una-Ten which is eel, but it's fully cooked, and it has tempura friend shrimp in the middle *drooooool* haha. Yea there's also this soup my neighbor makes called like Saki Oooki (hah that's how it's pronounced) that is full of flavor and light on the stomach.

[charzysbebe]

Ok, thats it!!! I am gonna have to try Japanese food now!!!!! LOL! Do they have any noodle dishes at alltoo?? I love noodles...LOL!! [img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img] Charlotte

[auggiedoggie12]

Funny you say that because I had MIso soup tonight for the first time and then came down here and read this.

[guineaash]

Japanese food is sooo good [img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img], you're making me hungry!! I've even bravely tried sushi before.. and it was pretty good!! I actually enjoy going to the resturants where the food is prepared in front of you because you can see that everything is safely and throughly cooked. Yum.. I love it [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[uidactinide]

Japanese noodles are awesome too.



We keep a stock of yaki-soba in the fridge at all times for those "OMG
I'm late for class" days (they're basically like stir-fry noodles, but
we eat them alone with the seasoning that comes in the package). If you
want a more soup-type noodle, then ramen is delicious (the REAL ramen,
not the dry packaged bricks that you can buy at the grocery store for
10 cents apiece; there's a huge difference in taste and quality between
the two kinds).



r311dude, unagi is awesome in any form. Love to you for being a fan of the eel goodness <3



guineaash, I remember trying sushi for the first time when I was 11 and
I loved it from the first bite. I like other more traditional Japanese
food more now, but I still crave sushi pretty often.

[charzysbebe]

Can't wait to try the Japanese noodles!!! I am a noodle freak...I just LOVE noodles!! Thanks for the info!!!


Charlotte

[rianousuke]

Somen noodles are really goof for the stomach, and somen ramen,
in particular, is pretty easy to find and tastes friggin' awesome. Miso
in general is good too, and you can also get miso ramen, which not only
tastes great, but is a good way to try miso. Most Japanese food is a
lot more. . . . .I guess "homely" than most people think it is. Most of
what the US gets, and most of what the media highlights, are trendy
little Sushi places that push "fusion" cooking and everything raw and
all that crap. The vast majority of Japanese food is really pretty
ordinay, to be honest. Damned tasty, but ordinary.



Most dishes are just different combinations of the same meats,
broths, or sauces and they are names accordingly (in Japanese, of
course, but you can pick up on it).



Primary ingredients in Japanese food (in my experience):



-Vegetable



s-h-i-t-ake Mushrooms (hooray for overzealous profanity filters [img]smileys/smilies_40.gif[/img])

Bean Sprouts

Ginger (shoga)

Wakame (edible seaweed used in soups and sushi)

Soybeans (edamame when eaten alone with soy sauce. . . .yum)

Onions



-Meats

Fish (They're a freaking island! Lots of fish and shrimp, but not so
much is raw, really, very little. Only SOME sushi, and then Sashimi,
which is a certain cut of fatty tuna that is meant to highlight the
fish's natural taste and texture)



Pork (usually in thin cuts and well-cooked. Used a LOT with ginger and
tastes awesome. Also breaded in panko and fried, look for Katsudon)



Beef (Beef is expensive as HELL in Japan, so it's not used much at all)



Chicken (Also not used a whole lot, but they do use it with teriyaki
with orgasmic results, look for yakitori, which is just
teriyaki-glazed, grilled pieces of skewered chicken.)





--





Most dishes are comprised of good combinations of above ingredients with a nice soy-based sauce (of which ALL are delicious)



Anything soy (edamame, miso, tofu, etc) is going to be good for
you and almost always easy on the stomach, though if you have trouble
with tofu's texture, just ask them to fry the tofu, it firms it up and
gives it a much better texture.



A few things to avoid:



Japanese pickles - This is pretty obvious, but I'm warning you anyway. These things are freaking EVIL.



Natto - Now. . .this isn't something you'll likely find in the US, but
if you do. . .staaaaaaaaay away. Natto is a traditional Japanese
breakfast dish. What it actually is is fermented soybeans. The soybeans
develope a mucus thanks to bacteria involved in the fermenting.
Apparently it has a "nutty" flavour, but there's no chance in HELL I'm
trying it to find out.







And that's about all I have. Anybody has anything to add, feel free.

Edited by: rianousuke

[rock_on]

Mmm.. I LOVE miso soup when I'm feeling not-so-great. Actually, I love
miso soup anytime! Also very good is beef barley soup. If you're in
Canada, run out and get some at Tim Hortons, it's my personal favorite.
Whenever I feel crappy, it's one of the few things that makes me feel
better!

[guliegirl]

MUST BE DINNER TIME HEHE