Tako Su

Posted August 18th, 2012 in Food, Japan No Comments »

Obon has finished….! Obon is one of holiday season in Japan where people go back to their hometown and pray for ancestors. During Obon you are not supposed to kill any living creature (including a fly) because it may be your ancestor visiting you in a form of the creature. I feel so bad now because I forgot about Obon and killed a small spider 2 days ago. It’s hard to remember these things while living in Perth. 😐

Above photo is marinated octopus, cucumber and wakame seaweed in vinegar sauce. I call it tako-to-kyuri-to-wakame-no-sunomono, but I think you can just call it tako-su. It’s typical summer salad (or should I say side dish) in Japan.

It is hard to find octopus legs in Perth, but in Japan we eat it very often. If you go to kaiten sushi bar you’ll see octopus sushi, which is a nigiri sushi with a slice of cooked octopus leg. Octopus leg is always available at supermarket too. It is usually sold cooked though. I don’t get to see raw octopus legs much over there unless I go to a fish market.

I think octopus legs are kind of gross food here? That’s why I can’t buy it from any grocery shops? Most Asian grocery shops don’t sell it too. I usually buy it from seafood shops.

Octopus Leg (cooked) 100g
Cucumber 1
Wakame seaweed (dry) 1 tbs
White Wine Vinegar 2 tbs
Sugar 1 tbs
Soy Sauce 1 tsp
Ginger 1 slice

Soak wakame in water until soften, and drain well.
Slice cucumber thinly. (or thick if you prefer crunchy texture) Slice cooked octopus leg. Slice ginger into long matchsticks.
Mix vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and ginger.
Marinate octopus, cucumber and wakame in the dressing in the fridge for 1 hour or more before serving.