Nishime

Kea likes nishime but not the smell of it cooking. He didn't grow up eating it--only has it at my parents' house and at his sister and brother-in-law's house. He says it smells like farts; I think it's probably the daikon.

Nishime is one thing I need to learn how to make.

My mom cooked it last night but forgot to add the konnyaku so I cut and added it today. The package translates it into English as "yam cake," which I find amusing.

When I was small, "konnyaku" always meant the noodles, which Googling seems to show are more properly called "shirataki." We have started eating the gray one shown above though--I think my mom heard it is healthier. We shape it like the twist seen in the picture. It's kind of fun. You just slice it into rectangles, make a slit down the middle, and push one end of the rectangle through the slit.

photo 1 credit: http://japanesefood.about.com/od/japanesefoodpicture/ig/Japanese-Ingredients-Pictures/Konnyaku-Picture.htm