Sound Gave Name To Japanese Mutton Recipe

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30176, 6 July 1963, Page 2

Sound Gave Name To Japanese Mutton Recipe

What kind of sound does a piece of meat make as it is swirled rapidly round in a pan of boiling water with chopsticks? The Japanese words to describe the sound are “Ghabo Chabo. And that is the name the Japanese have given to a favourite recipe in which mutton is cooked in this way. *

The art of making Chabo Chabo, and Fried Mutton with Peanuts, another popular Japanese dish, was shown to about 200 Christchurch women by Mrs Hisako Arai yesterday in a demonstration in the tearooms of the Farmers’ Co-operative, Ltd. Mrs Arai, chief television demonstrator for the New Zealand Meat Board in Tokyo, and her assistantinterpreter, Miss Masako Ueda, are on a tour of New Zealand.

Over her kimona Mrs Aral wore an overall on which was the round, black and white symbol of the Meat Board crossed, westernstyle cutlery against a stylised drawing of a sheep. This symbol is shown above every Japanese butcher's shop selling New Zealand meat. Yesterday, after arranging het spice and condiment tray, cooking pans and small

i electric hot-plate, and with i Miss Ueda describing her I actions, she set to work. In Japan meat is cut into ■ small, fine slices before cooki ing so it can be easily handled . with chopsticks and does not 1 take long to cook. Miss Ueda ; said. Certainly both dishes I were prepared in short time The recipes demonstrated ; allow scope for variety in : seasonings. according to I taste, and vegetables accord-

ing to what is available. Fried Mutton With Peanuts Ingredients: fib mutton 1 tblsp. ginger juice (} teaspoon powdered ginger in 1 tblsp. water will substitute). 1 tblsp. rice wine (or white wine) 2 tblsp. soy sauce. 6 tblsp. cornflour 1 egg yolk lOoz chopped peanuts Oil for frying. Method: Cut mutton into thin slices and marinate in ginger juice, wine and soy sauce for lOmin. Dust meat with cornflour, dip in egg yolk, sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and fry in very hot oil. Chopped walnuts or chestnuts may be substituted for peanuts, Miss Ueda said.

Chabo Chabo Ingredients: IJlib mutton (finely sliced) 2 green onions (leeks) Garlic, one segment 1 piece of ginger. Tabasco (or chilli powder) Vinegar Soy sauce. Method: Slice mutton finely, and cut green onion (leeks) into Ijin lengths. Boil a large pan of water, and put in meat. When it becomes pale in colour, remove and serve, dipping pieces into favourite spices, mixed vinegar and sauces. Leeks are cooked similarly. In Japan each diner does his own cooking when this dish is served. The pan of boiling water is placed in the middle of the table and each person takes pieces of meat with bis chopsticks, swirls it for a few seconds in the boiling water (making the recipe’s title-sound) dips it into sauce or sauces, and eats it. Addington Function I Last evening Mrs Arai demonstrated her methods at a function held by the Meat Board and the presidents of Federated Farmers and the Women's Division of Federated ; Farmers at the Addington trotting ground kiosk. More than 400 guests watched on closed circuit television as Mrs Arai prepared several dishes, a feature of which was meat sliced paper-thin. This could be done by the New Zealand housewife, by freezing the meat then having it sliced in a bacon-cutter, she said. Mr C. Hilgendort a member of the Meat Board, said the Japanese women were not in New Zealand primarily to teach New Zealand women how to cook mutton, but to assist Mr Arai in her promotion work, and to give New Zealanders a better understanding of the Meat Board’s overseas publicity.

Mr P. D Hewland. director of public relations for the board, spoke of the great potential for meat consumption in Japan. This was because of the high living standards and big demands for meat as a nutritious food, he said. New Zealand was the logical source of supply Mr A. C. Wright, president of the North Canterbury provincial executive of Federated Farmers, presided.