I chanced upon these crumbed potato cakes in the frozen foods section at my local Japanese grocery store. I’m a big fan of potato croquettes, and I took a fancy to these particular ones because of the ingredients – seaweed and cod roe. I’ve never tried potato cakes with this combination of fillings before, so I bought them for yet another taste test at home.
The Japanese sure know how to entice you with their quirky packaging and photoshopping skills - $5.95 for a pack of 6.
The potato cakes were bite-size, and easy to prepare. I just heated them in the microwave on high for 1 minute and they were done! Surprisingly they stayed crispy and didn't go soggy.
The cod roe oozed out when I cut it in half - and it wasn't as fishy as I thought it would be. The potato was very smooth and creamy just like powdered mash. Everything tasted pretty artificial but it was still flavoursome and salty. There wasn't much seaweed though, only little green specks that I could hardly see let alone taste. It tasted much better dipped in mayo!
A close-up of whole cod roe on the packaging.
These would make a good snack for those peckish moments, or served as a side dish with some hot rice. Not very good value for money considering their size and amount though.
During one of my weekly grocery shopping trips to my favourite Japanese food store, I was browsing through the condiments isle and right next to the pasta sauces I saw a packet of this “Spicy Cod Roe Spaghetti Sauce” by S&B (Makers of the popular ‘Golden Curry’ range and wasabi sauce). This was a new concept to me, and the thought of some ‘caviar’ infused pasta excited me so I bought it.
A quick glance at the ingredients and cooking instructions:
The instructions were very simple, just like preparing instant noodles. There was one minor problem though- I didn’t have any pasta in my pantry but I had some Udon, so I used those instead. How could you go wrong with Udon anyway? It’s Japanese as well so I figured a happy marriage would be the outcome of the two ingredients together.
The Spicy Cod Roe Sauce packet contained two separate servings which meant I could save the other serving for a rainy day. =) There are two different seasoning sachets; the red and silver contained the cod roe sauce, while the black and silver contained shredded seaweed garnish.
Here is a closer look at the Spicy Cod Roe Sauce when applied onto the cooked Udon – It’s bright orange, has thousands of tiny egg sacs, and a tart, fishy smell. It would put some people off but I didn’t mind it.
I mixed the sauce in well with the Udon, then sprinkled the seaweed garnish on top. So here’s the verdict: Delicious. It tasted EXACTLY like Taramosalata. It’s both salty and tart, and very fishy. As for the ‘Spicy” factor, maybe a 1/10. I have to say it’s an acquired taste. But if you like Taramosalata then you’d love this. The Udon matches the sauce well, and it absorbs more flavour than regular pasta so I’ll probably use Udon next time, but I’m also open to trying it with regular pasta. Although the egg sacs were visible, the sauce itself wasn’t grainy. This dish was a winner, and I’ll definitely be buying more “Spicy Cod Roe Spaghetti Sauce” in the near future. =) Tasty!
A stroll through a supermarket in downtown Tokyo was a fascinating experience! The quality and variety of the fresh produce was top notch and I was surpised to find that they weren’t too ridiculously expensive. Here are some photos I took of a few items at the supermarket:
A medley of seafood canapes, all packed and ready to eat! Supermarkets like this one have a large selection of fresh seafood, ready made sushi and lunch packs for sale.
A fresh seafood sushi pack - the most interesting sushi I ate in Japan was the Sea-Urchin roe sushi which are the yellow-looking ones in the middle. Very sweet and buttery!
Fresh Salmon roe - The Japanese are really spoilt for choice! Imagine ducking into the supermarket to pick up some fresh roe for lunch?
Packs of fresh Sea Urchin roe are also available!
Whole Cooked Octopus - Does anyone have Wasabe and soy sauce handy?
At the meat section - Many different cuts of beef are available.
The Japanese love marbled beef - check out the beautiful layers of fat on this chunk of beef!
I'm not too sure what this is. It could be pork or some form of bacon. Heck, it could even be beef!
A meat platter with a selection of different cuts and marble. This would be great for a BBQ!
These look like they could be beef rib. If only I could read Japanese!
Even their steaks are marbled! I wonder what the rate of heart disease in Japan is? Or does the Omega 3 oils from all the fish counteract that problem? Having said that, I love marbled beef! Bring on the clogged arteries!
These sweet treats look too good to eat! Japan is riddled with fancy sweets and confectionery.