Hochner Family Blog

As mentioned in the previous post, we’d like to try to describe the food prepared for the Oshogatsu festivity. The entry on this blog will be limited to a summary of the various dishes and we’ll post a more complete description, including some of the preparation process on our web site (when ready, it will be announced here).

Osechi ryori (New Year Dishes) differs from household to household but in general it is associated with health, happiness, and a good harvest. Most of the food has special meanings. For example, kuromame (black beans) is associated with mame ni kurasu, health; konbu (kelp) is almost found in yorokobu, a word that means to be glad or happy; and kazunoko (herring roe) with its myriad of little eggs is for the hope of having many children. Japanese people also look at the shape of the ingredients, and the curved shrimps is a symbol for longevity as its shape reminds us of a bent old person. The shape of a turtle, another longevity symbol, is found in the way some of the items are cut.

The first day of the New Year is for the Japanese people a very important and auspicious one. Since it symbolizes the year that has just begun, the day should be full of joy and without stress, conflict or anger. No work is supposed to be done by anyone; this included regular chores such as cleaning, washing dishes and other household tasks. So Osechi ryori, or special New Year cuisine, was developed in order for wives to also enjoy the festivities. Most items are prepared in such a way that they can be stored without refrigeration for up to the three or four days the festivities usually last. The dishes that make up the Osechi cuisine are prepared in advance and can be kept in a cool area for a few days without spoiling.

This was a first for Akiko and she started by studying the recipes and drawing the list of the necessary ingredients. 

Once prepared, everything is placed in compartmentalized lacquer boxes that are stacked in layers -- the jubako.

We prepared three such jubako boxes, each with three levels.   

Here's a brief description of what we had:   (Click on any photo to see a larger one)

Ichi-no-ju (top tier)

Here, we find the appetizers - Kuromame, Kazunoko, and Tazukuri are the main three items.

Kuromame (black beans), a symbol of health, are boiled in syrup. Kazunoko, with its myriad of tiny eggs, is a symbol of procreation and fertility. It is usually seasoned with soy sauce. Tazukuri (dried little sardines) symbolizes a good harvest, and is made with small sardines simmered in sugar and soy sauce. Datemaki is a sweet cake-like egg that symbolizes knowledge (because it is rolled like the books used to be during the Edo era.) Kurikinton is a mixture of kuri (sweet chestnuts) and mashed satsumaimo (sweet potato) boiled in a sweet sauce.

Kuromame (black beans) and Hoshiebi (caramelized dried shrimps). Because of the number of guests, these were placed separately in an orange skin. They were arranged around the shrimps in the form of the chrysanthemum, the symbol of the Emperor.  

Circling from top left: Konbu (seaweed), umami-rich kombu rolled tightly and bound shut with a ribbon of gourd strip (kampyo) - Kurikinton (chestnut with mashed sweet potatoes)  - Kazunoko (herring roe) - Gomame (aka Tazukuri) (small sardines that have been dried and then finished in a sweet sauce of sugar, mirin, soy sauce and sake) - Kamaboko (dense cake of fish paste, is colored red and white (the traditional New Year's colors)) - datemaki (white fish paste with egg -- quite sweet)

 Going from outside to inside: Kurikinton (chestnut with mashed sweet potatoes)  - Kazunoko (herring roe) - Gomame (a.k.a.Tazukuri) (small sardines that have been dried and then finished in a sweet sauce of sugar, mirin, soy sauce and sake)  and Hoshiebi (caramelized dried shrimp) 

Ni-no-ju (second tier)

Ni-no-ju contains the grilled dishes and also pickled foods.
Namasu is a salad of shredded daikon (Japanese radish) and carrots seasoned in vinegar. Also included are: Ika (vinegar-seasoned squid), Kabu (vinegar and sugar marinade of Japanese turnip). And grilled shrimp, always popular.

 Osechi - Ni-no-ju  Grilled dishes
Chicken rolls with gobo and carrots, beef rolls with asparagus, and smoked salmon rolls with cucumber,  radish and nori (seaweed).

 Osechi - Ni-no-ju  Grilled and Pickled Food
KurumaEbi (prawn), Buri (yellowtail), Kabu (sour radish) and Chicken rolls. 

 Osechi - Ni-no-ju   More Grilled and Pickled Food
From top right: Kabu (sour radish), Gobo, salmon rolls, beef rolls and chicken rolls are the animal and marinated stuff. Below, Ika (squid), Buri (yellowtail) and Ebi (prawn) are the seafood.

San-no-ju (third tier)

Boiled dishes and desert come last.  Mushrooms, carrots, nagaimo yam, pea pods, gobo (burdock root), renkon (lotus root) and other root vegetables are seasoned with sugar, stock and soy sauce. Broiled taro, twisted konnyaku and other root vegetables are common. The desert is made of Youkan (sweet bean jelly).

  Osechi - San-no-ju   Boiled dishes      Ebi balls, Sayaendo (pea pod), Shiitake (black mushroom), Nagaimo (nagaimo yam), Konnyaku (devil's-tongue starch), Carrots and Spinach in the center.

Osechi - San-no-ju   Balls of shrimps with pea pods 

Osechi - Special youkan (sweet bean jelly) made for Oshogatsu with the Mount Fuji figure

We finished the meal with the Osumashi, traditional Japanese soup made with Dashi (stock), Kamaboko (fish cake) and Mitsuba (vegetable).

We hope everyone enjoyed this meal as much as we did.

# posted by Famille Hochner @ 5:18 PM