I haven’t posted in this thread in a while.... well I had a random creation today that really tickled my taste buds. This one might be a bit strange for most of you, but then again, maybe there will be some that would also say, ooh, that sounds yum.
First a little back ground — when I was young and lived in Japan ... we’re talking ages ago ... my Dad was often away and my Mom would order take out from the restaurants. I have no idea how it is now, but back then, the local restaurants in the local shopping market district would send someone on a bicycle to deliver our order. The bicycle was fitted with saddle hampers one on either side of the rear wheel — these were rectangular metal boxes that had a front door that slid up/out of the grooved tracks to reveal two shelves in it to make three levels, and the dishes came in real restaurant serving dishes tightly covered with clear wrap or sometimes in special serving boxes with lids, and included all the sides, condiments, etc. You left the dirty dishes piled up outside the front door after you were done, and some one would come by later in the evening and quietly take them away.
Maybe we ordered other things, too, like sushi, or soba, or ramen, but two that I remember I ordered often were giant shrimp ten(tempura)-don and una(gi)-ju box dinners. They were special dinners and I used to love them.
I think this is why I still have cravings for those teriyaki (char)broiled eel, and despite the environmental issues, conservation issues, and mistrust of farm-raised seafood, I still buy and eat those things. So I have been eating them my entire life, but only very recently found out that there is a portion of eel eating pupulation that adamantly recommend rinsing off all the pre-applied eel teriyaki sauce from the packaged, pre-cooked, just heat and eat eels. Oh yeah those things are full of MSG no less. (I cringe when I stop to think about it, then put it all out of my mind.) They recommend buying high quality, high-end eel sauce, or better yet, make your own from scratch.
— OK enough ancient history —
So I started off making a special combo rice — organic short grain white, organic pressed barley, organic short grain brown, and organic sweet short grain brown, several pieces of konbu, and 1/2 a tsp of Mediterranean Sea salt. Rinsed as much teriyaki sauce I could from the frozen packaged pre-cooked eel (a special brand) and drizzled it with agave nectar, organic molasses, naturally brewed Japanese cooking wine (no MSG), organic tamari soy sauce, salted koji, and organic diced beech tree mushrooms. Then into a 375°F oven for 18 minutes.
While that cooked, I minced together one Myoga flower bud preserved in sake, 1/2 scallion, and 1/2 inch thick disk of peeled nagaimo, and a peeled clementine. When the eel was done, I filled a large bowl with the rice, then tore 1/2 a sheet of nori into bits on top, then covered with 1/2 of the myoga, scallions, nagaimo and clementine mixture, then topped with 1/2 of the eel. I added a giant onion ring I heated with the eel, just because I had it. Ooooh it was so yummy!
...Now normally I only eat 1/2 the eel at a time, but this was all so good and nobody else wanted the other half, so.... I plated another serving and ate it all.
not really jello >> made with agar agar. Tasted the silicon spatula used to scrape the sauce pan and it was pretty yummy. Now to wait for it to set. Coconut cream, greek yogurt, overripe banana and underripe honeybell slices, etc 
