Japanese Dream

A Japanese Dinner Party for Six

Last night, my boyfriend and I hosted a Japanese-themed dinner party, which featured a number of delicacies we discovered in Japan, and even a few items we acquired there. Some friends joined us for what was a remarkably simple meal to prepare; the majority of items are individual ingredients, albeit grated, sliced, chopped or marinated. If you would like to know how any of this was prepared, feel free to post a comment. The look of the table as a whole was really my favorite part. Except for the guests. They were a blast, too.

Now and then it's nice to do something that makes you say "Yes, sometimes, I rock." I'm pretty proud of this:


Each place setting:


Here's what you're seeing, clockwise from left
-Miso soup
-Sake
-Cup for green tea
In small red dish:
-Pickled plum
-Sliced ginger
-Fish cake
-Sweet black soybeans
In small bowl at right:
-Daikon in bonito broth w/seaweed
On square plate, clockwise from upper left:
-Fresh grated ginger
-Marinated daikon and carrot
-Chopped pickled vegetables (from Japan)
-Green peas and marinated burdock
-Tamago (sweet Japanese egg)
-Tuna sashimi
-Wasabi
-Pickled ginger
-Fresh grated daikon
-Tofu w/black sesame and scallions
Not pictured:
-Roasted enoki mushrooms
-Green salad w/shiso dressing (from Japan)
-Ginger soy sauce (for tofu)
-Brown rice
-Plum wine
-Meyer lemon and hibiscus sorbets

Tom and I throw one hell of a party.