FOOD with SAKE Side Dishes-Tsumami or Sakana


	1.	Cut the cheese into bite-size chunks and grill over an open flame until light brown.
	2.	Chop the okra and beat with a knife until slimy.
	3.	Put okra and peeled oranges on cheese and add sliced, dried seaweed (nori). If you prefer, serve with soy sauce and green horseradish. Balsam vinegar also goes well with this dish.
Nori (dried seaweed): Nori is a general name for a kind of seaweed which clings to rocks in the sea. The best season for gathering nori around Japan is between mid-November and late March. The collected seaweed is dried under the sun and formed into sheets. It is toasted over a slow fire before use. These days, nori which has been toasted and packed in plastic bags is popular. For the Japanese, nori is indispensable, especially with rice. The Japanese enjoy the faint smell of the sea and the crisp feeling. Green horseradish (wasabi): Wasabi is a perennial grass unique to Japan. It grows naturally near the clean water of mountain streams. Its roots are grated and used as a seasoning. It has a special hot taste. It is used with sashimi or sushi. It has an anti-toxin effect and is good for the stomach. Raw wasabi is quite expensive in Japan, and grated wasabi packaged in plastic tubes is popular.
Raw sea bream sliced and rolled in rice paper Bamboo shoots baked with bacon and cheese Raw sea urchin wrapped in roast beef Fried fugu (Japanese globefish) with potato salad Back to Food Menu