Kamaboko

There are three types of kamaboko. We make red and white kamaboko, matsuba kamaboko using jiko, and kamaboko made with crab. The work of making kamaboko to be put in osechi cannot be done too early. This is not about how much seasoning to add to make it last for a certain number of days, but about how long the made product will last, so the work days are decided by counting backwards.

Kamaboko originally referred to chikuwa (fish cake). It was called kamaboko because it resembles the tip of a cattail, so chikuwa is older than ita kamaboko. There is also a reason why kamaboko is attached to a board, as dry wood absorbs the moisture and reduces damage. However, odors can transfer, so not just any wood will do.

● Red and white Mizuhiki kamaboko

The raw fish is pressed to a certain extent, and sugar water is added to adjust the firmness. Sugar water and salt water are added; the sugar water is used for preservation; normally, kelp stock would be used, but since it would spoil quickly, sugar water is added for osechi to help it last longer. Osechi is originally a sweet dish. For 2kg of raw fish, about 300g of sugar is diluted with about 4 cups of water, and there is more sugar water than in the type of kamaboko made for regular kaiseki meals. A small amount of salt is added at the end. If you don't add salt, the kamaboko won't have its strength. Raw fish always contains salt.

Since it is made in large quantities for New Year's feasts, it is actually made on an oven iron plate, but here we will introduce the normal way of making it. First, the raw fish is ground on a board and attached to the mortar. The hardness is determined by pounding on a board, and the parts that could not be mixed in grinding bowl are mixed. The firmness is created by pounding on a board, and this is done by all kamaboko makers. The important thing to be careful of when attaching it to the mortar is not to get air bubbles in it. It's not that it won't taste good, but if there are air bubbles, that is, small air holes, water droplets will accumulate in the bubbles when it is cooked. Over time, it will spoil from there, so the most important thing here is to avoid getting air bubbles as much as possible. The fish is placed on the mortar and stretched to the desired width to take the shape, and it is in the state of a normal kamaboko board. Then, cut the corners, make a groove in the middle of the vertical half, remove the surface of the kamaboko base half to make it a little thinner, and place the raw fish that has been colored red on that part. This needs to be done quickly, otherwise it will cook and harden even if you work at room temperature, and it will not stick well to the top. This is how the red and white are made, but the reason we rounded off the corners earlier is because if the corners are protruding when the red is placed on top, they will mix with the white part. Since it is red and white mizuhiki, gold and silver leaf are placed in the groove in the middle that separates the red and white.

Normally, after this, they would be steamed in a steamer, but since they are for osechi, they are not steamed. If they were steamed, they would contain a lot of water and spoil quickly, so to keep them fresh, they are all baked in the oven (120℃ for 20 minutes).

● Crab Kamaboko

Combine the ground fish and crab meat (use 20% to 30% of the crab meat compared to the raw meat, about 16 kg of raw meat), add emulsified egg, add the shredded crab meat (steamed) and mix well. The amount is 4 cups of water, 1 cup emulsified egg, and 7 tablespoons of sake for 6 kg of raw meat. Once combined, place it flat on the oven griddle. If you do this from the center, it will shift and air will get in from the edges, so first solidify the edges to prevent air from getting in as much as possible, and then flatten the whole thing. Cover the oven griddle with aluminum foil and apply oil to make it easier to remove. The reason for adding a little emulsified egg is to make it cook faster and to reduce spoilage by adding oil. Crab itself is one of the foods that spoils easily, so adding oil helps to stop it from spoiling as much as possible, and the oil also brings out the flavor of the crab itself.

● Matsuba Kamaboko

Matsuba Kamaboko is made from Jiko. There is probably no other place that makes kamaboko like this. The Jiko is grated on a grater, strained, and squeezed, and the juice and meat are separated. At this time, the large amount of hand scraps that are produced when making Matsukasa Jiko are taken and put into a blender for use. If the juice is left as it is, the starch will settle, so the top layer is discarded and only the starch is taken and squeezed with a cloth, mixed with the Jiko and the surimi (raw meat), and seasoned with egg (egg white) and sugar. It is more delicious to use egg yolk, but egg white is used because it needs to be white to make matsuba. Sugar is added with the egg for preservation, and the grated Jiko and the settled squeezed juice are separated because if they are not separated, the scum will get mixed in. For this reason, the starchy and fibrous parts are separated, and the starchy parts are solidified. Normally, it is best to use only jiku to solidify the mixture, and vegetarian cuisine and vegetarian kamaboko are made with just this, but because this would be too costly, they use surimi (ground fish paste) as a binder to make the kamaboko. Jiku accounts for about 20% to 30% of the mixture.

This is then rolled out on the hot plate in the same way as crab kamaboko, but there's one slight difference: if you were making jigu kamaboko you could just bake it as is, but since this is matsuba kamaboko, to make the top green, you then place a paste made from spinach green color on top. Sugar is also added to the paste to help it last longer, and it also gives it a more vibrant colour. It wouldn't be a problem if the paste on top also contained jigu, but as this one doesn't, it has a different hardness and is quite difficult to roll out evenly. After this, leave the baked product to cool at room temperature, then put it in the fridge.