The Onigiri Chronicles

In episode 6 Rachael and Noriko delve into all things Japanese curry:

-How did curry end up in Japan?

-The evolution of curry in Japan.

-The different forms that curry comes in: blocks of roux, powdered roux, and microwaveable pouches.

-Curry usually comes in 3 different types: amakuji (sweet), chukara (mild), and karakuji (spicy)

-You can buy curry practically anywhere in Japan—it’s so popular!

-What traditionally goes in “old school” Japanese curry?

-Different regions use different proteins and vegetables.

-Soup curry from Sapporo

-Maze curry from Osaka

-Noriko’s favorite curry udon (time to go to Shikoku so you can try it!)

-Ways to repurpose leftover curry, including kare pan (“curry bread”)

-Dry curry

-Different ways of packing curry in a bento

-Different curry toppings

-Curry for a party!

Curry brands we mentioned

-House Curry

-Vermont Curry

-S&B Curry

Bento setup we mentioned as a possibility for packing curry—

•Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless Lunch Jar, 41 Oz, Carbon Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NNTB197/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1KjjFbDT029HY

•Zojirushi Stainless Ms. Bento Steel Vacuum Lunch Jar, 28.5-Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016S7MJM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.JjjFbXSFRB24

Japanese Curry Recipes:

-Curry Rice: https://www.lafujimama.com/japanese-chicken-curry-rice/

-Veganized Curry Rice: https://www.lafujimama.com/vegan-japanese-curry-rice/

-Curry Roux Blocks: https://www.lafujimama.com/japanese-curry-roux-blocks/

-Curry Ramen: https://www.lafujimama.com/curry-ramen/

-Dry Curry: https://www.lafujimama.com/japanese-dry-curry/

-Favorite childhood sandwiches.

-The lunchbox moment that caused Noriko to start bringing sandwiches to school, instead of things like onigiri.

-Favorite sandwich memories.

-Current favorite sandwiches.

-The difference between Japanese egg salad sandwiches and American egg salad sandwiches.

-Noriko gets a homework assignment.

-Popular sandwiches in Japan.

-Rachael remembers a sandwich from a visit to Kamikawa, Japan.

-Rachael provides irrefutable evidence that Noriko is an amazing cook.

-A discussion of American sandwich trends, or really, Rachael’s lack of insight into American sandwich trends.

-We hatch a plan to send our kids to the store for research purposes, next time we are all together.

-Noriko wonders if something like Japanese-style egg salad sandwiches would do well in the US, or a Japanese sandwich shop concept.

This week on The Onigiri Chronicles, Noriko and Rachael discuss:

-What ume are and what they are used in.

-Noriko makes a childhood confession (one of Rachael’s favorite stories yet)—“the umeboshi incident.”

-How umeboshi are made.

-How ume syrup is made and what to use it for.

-Ume cha (ume tea) as a health remedy.

-How umeboshi is used in cooking.

-How the holy trinity of umeboshi, shiso, and sesame go with so many things.

-Rachael’s umeboshi oni (monster)

-The company we mentioned who sells fresh ume and ume syrup is @maesilhood on

Instagram (https://instagram.com/maesilhood?igshid=lbmfe981zgtm ) and their website is: https://www.maesilhood.com

-Rachael’s umeboshi post: https://www.lafujimama.com/umeboshi-fall-fruit-of-summer-labor/

-IGTV umeboshi video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B7eApmLnbC1/?igshid=udoqwt64dssl

This week on The Onigiri Chronicles we’re discussing our namesake—onigiri (Japanese rice balls). We talk about what they are and a bit about their history and then we delve into some of the trends we have seen. We finish by interviewing our kids about their favorite onigiri.

In this episode we discuss how our food has been affected by the pandemic, the different food trends we’ve seen during the pandemic, and what we’ve been cooking.

Welcome to The Onigiri Chronicles—a podcast where two friends, one in Japan and one in the US, talk about food, cooking, and Japan (with a few parenting adventures thrown in). ⁣

⁣

In this episode:⁣

-Noriko and Rachael introduce themselves⁣

-Explain what an onigiri is 🍙 ⁣

-Talk about their favorite food memories⁣

-Talk about Noriko’s job, working in the kitchen at her kids’ school