Channeling Heston

My Take on The Perfect Roast Chicken

Ingredients:
Fresh, gorgeous, organic/free range bird

Brine:

60g Sea Salt per 1 litre water (approx 240g / 4 litres for a medium sized bird – bigger birds need more liquid to submerge and a bigger pot to do that – remember you need to get this into your fridge so plan accordingly

• Optional step is to dissolve salt in hot/boiling water to aid in dissolution, then cool completely before using. I didn’t bother, I can use a spoon for an extended period of stirring.

Seasoning:

• Small bunch of fresh Thyme
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 50g butter

Instructions:

1. Make up brine to volume necessary to submerge bird
2. Submerge bird in brine (I used a large stock pot)
3. Refrigerate overnight (min 12hrs / max 24hrs)
4. Remove from fridge/brine, drain well, pop on a plate and cover with a tea towel and put back in fridge for an hour to dry. (or overnight if you’ve fucked up and had a huge lunch and have no room for a roast dinner...) (note that this delay did not impact the finished product!)
5. Put into roasting pan, put thyme and lemon into cavity and massage butter all over skin (I sometimes go underneath the skin, but not always. It turned out fine without all that malarky.
6. Insert (ThermoWorks ChefAlarm*) probe into thickest part of bird (think breast) and set alarm to 70°C cook in 90-100°C (slow) oven until alarm goes off – for me it was at temperature at just under 2 hours (and yes, it seems low but there is physics involved so you shouldn’t die... but if you’re freaking out, go for 75°C)
7. Remove from oven and allow to rest 45 minutes, uncovered.
8. Turn oven up to highest setting (250°C – make sure to use pans okay to go that high) and pre heat
9. Baste bird with juices and pop into oven for 10 minutes (until skin is crispy/brown – may be 15mins).
10. Remove ... carve ... serve ... enjoy!

Lesson learnt – if you want a roast chicken lunch / early dinner, start the process before bed the night before. That will ensure you’ve got the chicken in the brine for at least 12 hours but no more than 24 hours which is really the max for chicken. It’s then about 2 1⁄2 hours from start cooking to serving, so work backwards from when you want to put it on the table.

Lesson given – 90°C is 194°F. 70°C is 158°F. FFS, just get into the metric system already. It is SHIT TONS easier. Oh, and when giving recipe measurements, use volume (ml, litres or ounces) for liquid and weight for solids. Piss off the Teaspoons / Tablespoons / Cups etc. – did you know there’s a substantial difference in weight between 1 tsp of salt as measured by US teaspoons vs Australian teaspoons? Same if you’re measuring liquid in one of those little bastards.

*About the ThermoWorks ChefAlarm – I bought this when we were still in Japan, it was shipped promptly and arrived in good condition. My goal was a gauge I could set and forget – until the alarm goes off at the programmed temperature. It works a freakin’ treat. I LOVE it. And, given the unique parameters of this recipe, it provided me piece of mind that I could go out and dig up broken watering pipes in the garden without worrying that I’d miss taking the chicken out of the oven. If you follow the link above, I get nothing. They have an affiliate program, but to be honest, I couldn’t be arsed to fill in the application. So just buy one and send me some money. I’ll give you my paypal details later.

It can't be! It is?!

2018. Yep. And already the 23rd of January.  As they say 'where did the time go?' (I have an idea - same place it always goes, to the past).

The Prince and I are still calling Nagoya home - and still just as in love as when we first arrived.  We've had such fun exploring the wider country, including a trip up to Hokkaido and the northernmost tip of Japan (next stop, Russia) in July last year.

The project continues bubbling along, and I'm continuing to hunt for our next adventure.

Smiling every day.

Love, Me.

Company, Conversation, Cuisine, OH MY!

Tonight was a one off if ever there was a one off!  Very privileged to
have been able to meet up with the amazingly talented Namiko Chen, her incredibly bright and witty hubby and their two practically perfect children.

Nami has made my life in Nagoya richer, which may seem odd as they all live in San Francisco.  But the world wide web is the bringer togetherer (to coin a phrase) of a disparate lot and I'm a better cook when it comes to Japanese cuisine because of her generous nature, her culinary expertise and Shen's wicked production, web design and business sense.

You must indulge.  Start by surfing to www.justonecookbook.com  - and don't stop there - use this as your springboard to their YouTube Channel, their Facebook page and for goodness sake, sign up to have deliciousness delivered directly to your inbox.

Itadakimas. Love. Me.

I still love Google, it's just that ...

... I've discovered I must un-love them with regards driving directions / road transport in Japan.  A simple issue.  All the driving / bus directions show up as if we were a driving on the 'right side of the road' country, as opposed to the fact that we're a 'left side of the road' country (which is, technically, the right side for us).


It's a little thing really, and as we don't own a car ourselves, unlikely to cause any more drama than watching the bus we need pass by us from across the road.

It does seem to be a fairly significant oversight on the part of the Google mappers.  They appear to have had no trouble with Australia, the UK, Singapore etc ...

Love, Me

It's July. It's Nagoya. It's SUMO!

Sumo is, quite simply, cool. The Prince and I had our first live experience yesterday - we are now sumo enthusiasts. Under the delightful guidance of the fun and quite patient Sumiko san, we were able to enjoy our foray into the world of riskishi's (the wrestlers), dohyo (the ring they wrestle within) and the rankings - from the ultra qualified 'Yokozuna' to the fledgling Jonidans, who are basically the higher ranking rikishi's houseboys. Eat up!

Love, Me.

Relying on the Kindness of Strangers ... and the power of Google!

I love Google. There, I wrote it - I normally just say it to anyone who will listen.  Now it's not that Larry Page holds any particular allure for me, and I'm certainly not on the Google payroll.

I love Google specifically because it/they are making our life here in Japan easier, better and helping us to experience much more of Japan than our limited language skills currently support.

The ever evolving features of Google Translate means that we're comfortable with reaching out to others, most of whom have little or no English skills (understandable!), to try and communicate on their terms, and show them respect in the process.

Case in point (one of a hundred I could share).  Having leveraged all that is Google search / translate etc. in the planning of one of our many weekend adventures, I managed to get us to a little town called Motegi, 3 hours by train(s) outside of Tokyo.

The final leg to our destination (the Twin Ring Motegi and The Honda Collection Hall - cool if you're a rev head) required that we hire a taxi.  None were to be found at the very small railway station, so we set off to the 'main' street to see if we could hail one.  We quickly surmised that this wasn't going to be an option as Motegi is that small and that quiet.

We happened upon a local car dealer/mechanic and that's when all the courage that having Google at my back provides me came to the rescue.  I didn't hesitate to go into the office, offer up my limited Japanese, leverage the translate app on my pocket parrot (iPhone), and combine the two to ask the nice lady in the office to call us a taxi.  Being delightfully Japanese, and thus incredibly polite, she did so without any hesitation, even offering us a cup of tea while we waited.  A generous gift that we will not forget.

What's the phrase?  "There are no strangers in this world, only friends we haven't met."

Thanks Google, for helping us make new friends and truly experience this very cool country.

Early Musings

To set the scene, my darling Prince Charming (aka Martin) (yes, per earlier post references, I found him) and I have relocated to Nagoya, Japan for a few years.  At least that's the plan, as Martin has secured a great new job here, we're expecting that we'll sail through the 90 day probation period and be calling Nagoya home for the near future.

It's a brilliant town.  While it's the 4th largest city in Japan, it nevertheless seems to feel cozy without being cramped.  We've had great fun walking (and walking and walking and walking), climbing stairs and availing ourselves of the terrific subway and train network.  It's incredibly easy to get around, and inexpensive, too.

Early observations:

• Hardly anyone walks along staring down at a smartphone.  Big Plus!  And they're not to be used (for calls) on the trains, so peace for all is preserved.
• There is no smoking on the footpath, but by all means feel free to ride your bike, zipping in amongst the pedestrians with a relaxed demeanour.
• Speaking of bikes, unlike Australia, where there is palpable animosity between car owners and bike riders, here they are welcomed and indeed encouraged.  No helmet laws either, so it doesn't ruin your 'look'.
• The Japanese in general, and Nagoya is no different, having amazing fashion sense.  At every age, men and women alike take great care in their grooming and dress - regardless of particular style.  It's like 1953 New York.  Or what I imagine 1953 New York was like, I hadn't yet been born.
• After living for the past 7 years in Singapore, Nagoya is very affordable.  The rent on our fully furnished, serviced apartment in the downtown area is on par with our flat in Singapore, while everything else is about 40% cheaper.
• The population of the greater Nagoya basin is around 2.5million.  In a space of 326sqkm, them's good density numbers.  Even on the weekends, when the weather is lovely (and it has been the past two weeks) you don't feel crowded.

Every walk brings new insights, new adventure.   And that's what life's meant to bring, right?

Love, Me

You've got to see what you want inside yourself before you can see it in others. Cynism #645b

Now.

This is nothing less than perfect in a less than perfect world. I know a good thing when I see it ... It's a bad thing to let go.

Gobsmacked in Translation

The movie "Lost in Translation" served Tokyo up as a backdrop, a minor character at best.  Sofia Coppola, the film's director, appeared to want to downplay Tokyo's innate charm, its indefatigable attitude, and instead allow her protagonists to shine, albeit in a hugely understated way.  The fact that she succeeded, in my view, is both an accomplishment and a shame.

Tokyo should not be seen as a backdrop or canvas in any visitor's eyes, but instead celebrated as the painter, the artist of the experience.

The city slaps you in the face, then draws you in and plants a conciliatory, open mouthed kiss.  Like Hong Kong, the sheer volume of its main centres commands your attention, but unlike Hong Kong, there is a grace with which it does so.  The simple act of turning down a side street leads you to another world, often steeped in tradition and hallmarked by tranquility – in architecture, in attitude.

The explosive randomness of the city appears in many ways to be a stark contrast to the nature of its inhabitants.  The Japanese remain stoically courteous, though never obsequious – polite, though not necessarily sincere. They have harnessed zen and use it well.  However, dig a little bit and the hallmarks of dissension become apparent.  In some of the more colourful neighbourhoods – famous Harujuku for example – graffiti'd walls, the ubiquitous billboards of the disenfranchised in cities around the world, make an appearance.  Shibuya, with its world renowned 5+ way intersection, adds an edginess to Tokyo's gleaming skyscrapers, as does the Rappongi Red Light District.

It's a city which deserves your undivided attention, and compels you to deliver it.  This is my fourth trip and I can't say I've scratched the surface – I do feel like I may have made a little scuff mark though.  I'll be back soon to dig a little deeper.

Love, Me