Vegan Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken...Minus the Chicken!)

I must shamefully admit: when I first moved to Japan, sticking to a vegan diet seemed so difficult, and sadly I found myself slipping up too many times. So many food items seemed to have hidden animal ingredients, and I lost my way for a while. But thanks to the mister and his fantastic research while I was on holiday in Aus, a solution was found! (thx bb)

Halle-freaking-lujah!

The word 'vegan' is virtually unknown in Japan (or maybe a little in large metro areas such as Tokyo), so we have searched for places that provide organic and 'macrobiotic' food items, while keeping an eye on the ingredients used.

A macrobiotic diet in Japan consists of a balance of wholegrains, vegetables, soy, seaweed and beans, but sometimes includes fish so I just make sure to avoid that. The main idea for this diet and lifestyle is to consume less processed food to maintain a good balance in health, and sometimes is even recommended as a recovery method for those who suffer cancer. (Info sourced from Wikipedia...maybe not as reliable, but it'll do.)

So! We began our vegan lifestyle again with a fresh new outlook and confidence, and so far we've been to a handful of small grocers and a few good restaurants that provided vegan-friendly meals. It's all been rather fun! But I think the best thing we've come across so far is dried soy 'meat', particularly one that mimics karaage, or Japanese fried chicken. And I understand that some people who follow a vegan diet cringe at food that mimics meat, but I personally don't mind (so long as it's not built into the shape of a carcass...that's a bit weird). I can still have karaage without the murder, so yay!

After all of that, here is the glorious karaage...with fish-free miso to boot!

I'd never cooked with dried soy before, so this was a first experience for me, and I was definitely not disappointed. We bought soy chunks by a brand called Ohsawa Foods, and the cooking process was very simple. Just boil some water to 80 degrees (I just brought water to a boil because I'm a professional...not really), then throw in the soy chunks and let them soak for about half an hour. Then squeeze out the water, put them all in a bowl and I usually stir in a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, some garlic powder and grated fresh ginger. Fresh garlic would be better, but we don't have any of that. #brokelife

After sitting in the mixture for 5 minutes, heat up a whole lot of oil of your choice, coat the soy chunks in flour or starch (I usually stir in some spices too) and fry baby, fry! Fry the pieces until they are a lovely brown colour (not too long or they'll become too dark and tough), drain them and get ready to nom!! I honestly think the texture resembles KFC, but y'know, is a whole lot better. Unless you think about the oil content, then maybe it's not that much healthier, but it's definitely less cruel, so that's a plus!

Just look at it...my inner fat person was very happy eating this. And I understand it's not an everyday meal, but hey, I'm just so happy to know I can indulge without contributing to anything horrible. So if you're heading to Japan for an extended period of time and have access to a stove, I recommend these soy chunks for a treat, since the cooking process is very simple, the texture and the taste doesn't disappoint, and it's just enjoyable. Look for them in organic or macrobiotic shops, because I haven't found them in regular supermarkets. Oh, and make sure to drink some cold green, oolong or barley tea when eating as to cut through the oil consumption!

Happy eating guys! Until next post~

Snapshots Roundup! #1

Heya beautiful peeps!

So I've decided to make Saturdays a little more laid back, and just show some of the photos I've taken via my smartphone. These won't be professional or anything (since my phone is probably considered rather ancient now...but it's still a smartphone, so yahhh), just some snaps of random things I see that are interesting or strange.

So to kick it off, today will be quirky foods found in the shops! That would include veggies of different sizes, shapes, etc. and food items that are just a bit more interesting than what I've seen before.

Different Shaped Watermelon

I first saw cube-shaped watermelons via the internet, but never in person...until I arrived in Japan, that is. But seeing heart and pyramid shaped melons was rather interesting. (They'd better be good too for around $50 a pop!) To my understanding, to get watermelons to form into certain shapes, they need to be grown inside a shaped box or mould...not sure what that does to the nutritional value, probably nothing, haha. But nonetheless, an interesting find!

Tamago Eggplants

If you follow my Instagram (@ichigonyankochan) you would have seen these tiny white eggplants. Their name 'tamago nasu' literally translates to 'egg eggplants' which was rather amusing to my simple mind. We didn't buy any, but I do wonder if they actually taste like regular eggplants...would be fun to trick some people and stick these into egg cups for breakfast, bahaha~

Green Cauliflower

This is a variety of cauliflower that is not only green but looks badass! I love the way it's grown with spiny little mountains, very fun and unusual! I've also come across purple, orange, and green non-spiny varieties of cauliflower. Much more fun than the regular white!

Long Carrots

You would've also seen these if you follow my Iggers. These suuuuuper long carrots were very amusing to see! And once I'd come across them they appeared in many other places...at such a great length, I think these would make great light sabers or poking tools...or you could, y'know, make a big carrot cake, just to be more practical.

Seasonal Flavoured Treats

As you can see, these were from Halloween, and during this time of year you can see pumpkin flavoured EVERYTHING. In the autumn season you can also see a lot of chestnut flavoured items, but the pumpkin theme was rather interesting. This photos is just of a bunch of sweets (KitKats, hard candies, jellies, etc.), but there were drinks, savoury snacks, cakes, and I even came across pumpkin instant noodles. So yeah, they like to go overboard with their seasonal themes!

Cartoon Themed Fishcakes

While I don't support the consumption of fish, these were still an interesting find. These fish cakes are for slicing (except the round Doraemon ones) and putting into bento (Japanese style lunch boxes), and as depicted by the cute cartoon character's faces, these are catered for children...or anyone who likes anime (Honestly, if these were veganized, I'd go for Pikachu~).

White Pepsi

 

Has anyone else seen these? Because I haven't! Looks rather intriguing, and I wonder about whether they add less or more chemicals to make it white...probably more, something like a bleach...Anyway, I've never seen it, but if you have then drop a comment and tell us!

 

With Christmas and New Years coming up, I'm sure there'll be an abundance of pretty, cute, and interesting food items, so I'll make sure to snap some pics of them to share in future 'Snapshots' posts. Did you like anything from this one? Let us know in the comments! Or if there's something you've heard of and want to see, let me know and I'll try to do some scouring around!

 

Until next post, later everybodeh!