We decided that we would have another fun day learning about Japan and we'd finish our surprise box of snacks along with making some delicious edamame recipes, learn some numbers in Japanese, and make a fun Japanese craft!
Fi couldn't wait to get to "tea time" so she quickly learned her Japanese numbers (and other mundane work like multiplication and sentence writing), did her karate workout, and we whipped up a quick batch of salted edamame and sat down for our tea.
Overall, we really enjoyed our snack box from Bokksu and can't wait to get our next one!
For our craft, we made a Koinobori which is a carp streamer. It's traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Children's Day on May 5th. Originally, it was a day to celebrate boys and the carp was chosen because it can swim up river because it is a very strong willed and determined creature much like a child. Fi wasn't thrilled that it was originally a day just for boys which I found highly amusing.
To make a Koinobori you'll need:
Construction paper
Tissue paper
Glue
Crepe streamers
String
Hole punch
Stapler
We took a few pieces of tissue paper and cut out fish scales in varying colors. We found ours at Target and it already had scalloped edges so we just cut along those edges to make our scales and then Fi painted a little glue onto the construction paper and layered the tissue paper scales in 5 or so rows until she'd covered about half of the construction paper. Start the first row at the bottom of the page so that they hang off of the construction paper.
Then we glued on the two eyes and a piece of black construction paper about 2 inches wide to cover the seam of the top row of scales.
Then we flipped our fish over and attached the crepe streamers to the bottom of the paper where the scales are hanging off. We made ours about two feet long but you can cut them at whichever length you prefer.
Then we took each side and put them together to make a round shape and stapled the top and middle so that it firmly held it's shape. After that, we punched a hole on either side of it's head to thread the string through. We used yarn from our Spanish basket weaving craft so really just use what you have.
Voila! Our Koinobori friend is ready to be hung outside!
We didn't have any wind so we just made our own with an outside fan!
Next we went back inside to try out some new edamame recipes. They also fall under our healthy summertime snack recipes so that's a plus!
We chose a recipe for both shelled and unshelled versions and both were very tasty!
We tried the unshelled version first.
To make Crispy Snack Edamame you'll need:
16 oz bag frozen shelled edamame (don't thaw or else they'll be mushy!)
salt + pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
3 tbsp parmesan
1 tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees,
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour the frozen edamame on the parchment paper and season with the parmesan, plenty of salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes if desired. Drizzle on the olive oil and toss with your hands until evenly combined.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the edamame is crispy.
Super delicious!
Next we found a recipe for an unshelled version.
To make Garlic Parmesan Edamame you'll need:
1 clove minced garlic
16 oz bag frozen unshelled edamame
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
In a medium bowl toss heated edamame with olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, until well-coated. Or for a more mild version that tames the bite of the garlic, toss the edamame, olive oil, and minced garlic in a skillet over low heat for a couple minute, then top with Parmesan. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to eat.
It's that simple and yet delicious and nutritious! Enjoy!
Next time we will be taking on Japanese Cheesecake so that'll be interesting to see how it turns out!