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Seal a moment in the endless stream of time

Yaki Onigiri with Salmon

  • Words & photography / Jo

盛夏日長,有時候回到家裡,太陽高照如下午。洗澡後,耳際下的短髮還滴着水,我拿一條乾毛巾,平攤在床上,接着也平攤在毛巾上,雙臂舉高放在耳伴,手搭在手肘上,腳跟擱在窗邊椅子的扶手,深深伸一個懶腰。晚風穿過趟開的一扇窗吹在身上,很舒服,我就如此躺着,看着窗外山麓與大廈的輪廓在晚霞中漸漸模糊,靛藍無聲無息地淹蓋了金光,成為深沉的黑夜,窗外只剩下別人家裡的光和街燈,白晝變黑夜總是來得快。

 若然那天回家後已日落西山,我會拉緊閉窗簾,檢查好沒有光透進房裡,便開播起音樂來。我大多把手機連接藍芽喇叭,播起自己拼湊的歌單,有時候,我想聽嘶沙的嗓音,會拿出一張心愛的黑膠唱片,放在轉盤上播。我同樣的頂着一頭洗澡後的濕髮,在床上躺着,有時趴着把臉埋在被子裡,有時半個身子軟綿地半空吊在床沿,看着天花,看着唱盤轉,但大部份時間我還是合上雙眼,感受聲波落在每吋赤裸的皮膚上,與當刻的生命和呼吸共振。

單純的看天空,單純的聽音樂,這種純粹讓我很放鬆。 

很累很累,晚餐都想吃清爽簡單的。洗澡前淘洗的米飯已經煲好了,打鬆後放到大碗裡稍稍放涼,從雪櫃拿出前周末做的常備菜,把特甜玉子燒和鹽麴青瓜淺漬放在陶碟放上,回溫一點較好吃。米飯不燙手了,拌進鰹魚和紫菜飯素,盛在小碗裡,鋪上少許鹽烤三文魚鬆,再鋪上米飯,雙手濕水,沾些鹽巴在手心,拿起碗裡的飯捏成飯糰。一下一下的捏,不純熟的捏,感受掌心裡的溫度,感受柔軟而粘膩的觸感,在無垠的時間中感受當下。

 生活有很多沒法掌握的事情,可以的話,請給生活留白,請給自己好好的做一頓不太熟練卻讓心頭溫暖的飯,凝住那一刻。

Summer days are long. Sometimes when I was home, the sun was still bright like mid-afternoon. My short hair was still dripping right below my ears after shower. I threw a dry towel onto the bed and lay down on it. Raised my arms by my ears, hands gently grabbed my elbows, ankles rested on the armrest of the chair by the window, I stretched deep. The gentle evening breeze coming through an open window caressed my body – it felt so nice. And so I lay, staring out into the hills and buildings where their silhouettes blurred away in the setting sun. A wash of indigo silently creeped in and took over the shimmery beam. It left only the light in homes and that of lamp posts out there. The twilight always fell fast. 

If it was already dark when I was back, I would close the curtain tight, making sure no light can sip into the bedroom, and then I started playing music from the playlist I compiled through a wireless amplifier connected to my phone. Sometimes, if I wanted the company of a more rustic sound, I pulled out a vinyl record that I loved and played it on the turntable. Still wearing that wet and messy hair, I lay on bed or buried my face into the soft blanket chest down sometimes, or, had my half of my body dangling at the bed, staring at the ceiling or the turntable, but most of the time I closed my eyes, feeling the sound waves landing on my naked skin and vibrating with my life and breaths of the moment. 

Staring into the sky, listening to music, this unadulterated stillness loosened me up. 

Weariness overwhelmed, I wanted something light and simple for supper. The rice I set to cook before was done, so I fluffed it up and then spread it out in a large bowl to cool down a bit. I took the side dishes I made ahead in the past weekend out from the fridge and placed the extra sweet tamagoyaki and cucumber lightly marinated in shio koji onto a plate. I like my food more at room temperature. The rice was cool enough to touch, so I mixed in a handful of bonito and nori furikake. I then scooped some rice into a small bowl, placed some grilled salted salmon flakes, and covered it up with some more rice. I dabbed my hands into water and rub some salt onto the palms. Holding the rice in the rice bowl, I started to press it between my palms, unskillfully, one press at a time, feeling the warmth in my palms, the tender yet sticky texture, and the present moment of an endless stream of time.

At times, there are circumstances in life that could be so out of our hands. Let a blank space in your life, make yourself a heart-warming dinner with your not-so-skillful hands and seal that moment.

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烤三文魚飯糰

材料(4個份):
日本白米飯            兩杯
鰹魚紫菜飯素        ¼
鹽烤三文魚鬆        半杯
醬油                        1湯匙
味醂                        1湯匙
飲用水                    1
海鹽                        1 茶匙
鹽味牛油片 (可不加) 按口味

做法:

  1. 白飯放在大碗裡,稍稍放涼後,拌入飯素。醬油與味醂混和備用。
  2. 在小飯碗裡放約半勺米飯,放兩茶匙三文魚鬆,再舖上米飯,稍稍壓實。
  3. 以飲用水沾濕雙手,沾些鹽巴抹在掌心。
  4. 碗裡米飯倒在一隻手裡,兩手掌心握按成三角形飯糰,不要過份按壓,成形即可。
  5. 在爐上放上烤網(用不沾平底鍋也可),中火烤熱網架,放上飯糰,烤至稍為乾身,反轉,掃上味醂醬油。另一邊烤至乾身後反轉飯糰,重覆上述步驟。注意掃上醬油後會容易燒焦。
  6. 可加可不加在飯糰放上鹽味牛油。

Yaki Onigiri with Salmon

Ingredients (for 4 onigiri):
Cooked Japanese short grain rice   2 cups
Bonito and nori furikake                 ¼ cups
Grilled salted salmon flakes           ½ cup
Soy sauce                                        1 tablespoon
Mirin                                               1 tablespoon
Drinking water                                1 cup
Sea salt                                            1 teaspoon
Salted butter slices (optional)        To taste

Steps:

    1. Place the rice in a large bowl, let cool a bit, and then mix in the furikake. Mix soy sauce and mirin in a small bowl, set aside.
    2. Place half a scoop of rice in a small bowl, put 2 teaspoons of salmon flakes on the rice, and cover it with another half a scoop of rice. Gently press the rice.
    3. Wet your hands with drinking water. Dab a bit of salt onto your palms.
    4. Put the rice on one palm. Gently press the rice ball into a triangle shape in your palms. Do not press too hard.
    5. Heat up a grilling rack over medium heat (or you can use a non-stick pan), put the onigiri on the rack and grill till it is dry on the side down. Flip over, brush the soy sauce mix on, flip over again when the other side is grilled dry. Repeat the steps. Be noted that the onigiri can be burnt quickly once soy sauce is applied. 
    6. Optional – place the salted butter slices onto the warm onigiri. Ready to serve.

Jo Liu

It’s raining outside, crisp and bleak. Three chubby sparrows took shelter on my balcony and I gave them the baguette bits left on my breakfast plate but they flew away. I stayed in, played Damien Rice on vinyl and made apple crumble. Repeat.

Instagram: foodialoguehk

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