Breakfast, June 4, 2011

While feeling a little sluggish from having too much wine the night before, I needed to eat something substantial to get ready for a small hike.

• Steamed rice with toasted sesame on top
• Miso soup with daikon radish and mizuna, topped with shichimi
• Iridofu / scrambled tofu with gobo burdock roots, carrots, green peppers and eggs
• Chingensai no gomaae / baby bok choy in sesame dressing with tobanjan chili bean paste

Rice is filling and keeps you up and running until the next meal.

Daikon radish is gentle on stomach. Cook long enough to make it softer (easier on stomach). Pair with lightly cooked mizuna, which has a fresh and spiky texture, giving a good contrast to soft daikon. Shichimi gives a slight punch, which stimulates appetite.

Yakidofu makes iridofu more substantial than making it with soft tofu. Gobo is crunchy and an excellent source of fiber. Carrots are sweet when cooked with oil. Green peppers are juicy. Bright color vegetables add color to the meal, and their carotene is dissolved in oil (thus better absorption of nutrients).

For gomaae, sesame dressing is made thicker than usual for a richer taste. Tobanjan, the added ingredient to the dressing, is spicy yet aromatic and deep, making a good contrast to the somewhat bland tofu dish, and brings all dishes together. Because the dressing is rich, a small amount is served.