Elizabeth Andoh

“Matcha This jade-colored powder, pulverized from newly plucked tea buds, is whisked (with a special bamboo tool) into hot water to make ceremonial tea. Matcha also provides the distinctive color and flavor of green tea ice cream and is used in making many traditional confections. Only the first-harvest buds of tea plants shaded from direct sunlight are used for matcha, making it costly. It should be kept in a cool, dry place (it is often refrigerated in shops). Consume it within a month of purchase to enjoy the full meadowlike aroma and subtle sweetness that lies just below the astringent surface flavor.”
― Elizabeth Andoh, Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen [A Cookbook]

“Togi-Jiru (water drained from washing rice) The cloudy water that results from washing rice is called togi-jiru, and it can be used later the same day to cook corn on the cob; fresh peas and beans; or root vegetables such as daikon, lotus root, and burdock root. The vegetables will taste sweeter because their natural sugars are enhanced by the starchy water. The water is also used in the garden, especially for watering flowering plants such as geraniums.”
― Elizabeth Andoh, Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen [A Cookbook]