1 1/2 lb lean pork-sliced thin
1 lb zen mai (fern shoots) cut into 1 1/, 2 lengths
3 tsp sugar
2 tb. shoyu
1/2 tsp gourmet powder
2 tb. oil
Directions
1. Put oil in heated skillet. Add pork and cook for 2 minutes.
2. ea Add sugar, shoyu, gourmet powder and cook for 3 minutes.
3. ea Soak and drain Zen Mai. Add to mixture and cook until most of
the liquid is absorbed.
4. ea Remove and serve.
From "Sukiyaki, the Art of Japanese Cooking and Hospitality", by
Fumiko. Edited and copyrighted by Scotty Guletz. Hawaii and Pacific
Books. No date given.
This is an interesting little book (booklet, really) that must have
come out just after WW II. It was written by a Japanese lady living
in Hawaii and tends to emphasize how genteel and hospitable the
Japanese culture is++probably a good idea considering the historical
context of the book.
The recipes are all pretty basic but look good and call for real
Japanese ingredients that I'm sure were either scarce or unavailable
on the Mainland at the time. Shoyu is, of course, soy sauce. I can't
believe that "gourmet powder" could be anything but MSG. Though it
doesn't call for "fiddleheads" by name, I can't imagine what else
"fern shoots" could be.
Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; July 19 1992
Servings: 1 servings
Buta Zen Mai (Pork With Fern Shoots) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Hawaiian; Meat; Pork
The History of Recipes
Written cooking instructions as an idea can be traced far back into ancient history, in fact as far back as the Egyptians, and maybe further still. In practice though, generally, these ancient records were just basic hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for meal preparation.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to academics are a few stone tablets in the Sumerian language describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who tried it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. As our culinary historical trip moves to more modern times we find two interesting recipe books dating from the 1300s ; a cookery book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, these have no connection with the indian food that appears on menues today, but rather recipes for the types of food served to the nobility of that time. In the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought back many new foods, spices and herbs from Arab countries, including spices such as rosemary and coriander. These new herbs and spices prompted an explosion in recipe publications, some of which still exist in private collections. Over the next few centuries, the powerful and wealthy houses tried to serve up the most exotic banquets, and as a consequence, chefs and their recipe collections were at a premium. Nevertheless, it wasn`t until the 19th century that haute cuisine and recipe publications became really popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to assembling, trying out, and writing down the recipes of their peers. The introduction of television gave us celebrity chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, allowing everybody to search through thousands of recipes just like those on sites such as the one you are reading now. |
We hope you enjoy this Buta Zen Mai (Pork With Fern Shoots) recipe.
