Quiche à la japonaise
December is here, and in Spain all the streets are filled with decorations. Christmas in Europe means going to see your family, and having a nice meal with them. I found this tradition to be a bit different from the one in Japan, where Christmas is usually spent among friends or in couples. In fact, Europe's Christmas is quite similar to Japan's New Year's Day in terms of family occasion. In all cases, everyone will spend heart-warming moments with their family during the holidays.
My family has spread out to all corners of the world. My parents are in Tokyo, my brother in Hokkaido, northern Japan; my mother- and father-in-law are in France, my sister-in-law in England. Other in-laws are in Italy, Canada, and the United States... It's too bad that we can't all come together in the holiday season.
This Christmas, though, I'm going to visit my parents-in-law in France. They've asked to me to make a starter dish for Christmas lunch. I wanted to make something special and a bit different from the typical Christmas menu. Then I remembered once eating in Tokyo a "Quiche à la japonaise" with typical Japanese vegetables and tonyu [pronounced "tohnew"]. I thought it would please everyone, since it blends European and Japanese tastes.
Tonyu means "soybean milk." To [toh] is represented by the kanji for "soybean", the same as in tofu. Though eating tofu dates back to the Edo era (the 17th century), back then tonyu was not considered a nutritious ingredient. This was probably due to its natural strong smell and somewhat bitter taste. But it gained popularity in Japan in the 1970s, when a modern deodorization process was developed. Thanks to its low calorie count, nowadays people in western countries drink soymilk as an alternative to milk. Outside Asia, research shows, the highest tonyu consumption is in the United States, followed by Argentina, Australia and France.
This recipe may not be a traditional Japanese dish, as this column intends to present. But I wanted to show that, as well as making typical Japanese dishes, you can also try adding a bit of Japanese taste to any dish you want. What's important is being creative and enjoying yourself cooking a special meal. Have a nice holiday!

Submitted by Yuko Tamaki-Welply
A member of TranNet and freelance translator based in Southern Spain

♦ INGREDIENTS
(6 servings)
c     = cup
g     = gram
T     = tablespoon

1        piecrust (9 inches)
1/4 c   plain soymilk
2         eggs
1/2 c    grated Parmesan cheese
6        medium-sized shiitake mushrooms (whole)
20 g     leek (roundly sliced)
20 g     green beans (thinly sliced)
1 T      olive oil

♦ How to make Quiche à la japonaise
1) Preheat oven to 350ºF (approximately 180ºC).
2) Place shiitake mushrooms, leek, and green beans in a steamer over boiling water and    cover. Cook lightly about 5 minutes.
3) In a blender, add eggs, tonyu and Parmesan cheese and blend until smooth.
4) Pour over the vegetables mixture and mix well. Then transfer the mixture to the piecrust.
5) Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

How do you study the written Japanese characters known as kanji? You stare at each kanji and make up a story in your head that you can mentally "attach" to the kanji to help you recall its meaning when you meet it again in the future. Some types of kanji have retained their pictographic forms and look very much like the objects they represent.