If you are decorating a small platter with little room for 3 dimensional patterns, you can still upgrade an ordinary slice of kamaboko fish cake by creating beautiful patterns on the top red skin itself. This pattern is known as Kamaboko Reins, or Tazuna手綱 in Japanese, which resemblance the narrow strap horse rein that has an interweaved braids.
Watch How to Make Kamaboko Reins
Two Japanese fish cakes (Kamaboko), seven beautiful designs! Make ordinary fish cake into decorative designs on this Oshogatu (Japanese New Year)!
Step 1: Remove kamaboko from the wooden board.
Step 2: Slice off the uneven edge on both ends.
Step 3: Cut red-skin kamaboko into a 1/2 inch (12 mm) slice.
Step 4: Trim the red-skin of the kamaboko two third of the way.
Step 5: Make a slit down the center of the red part.
Step 6: Pull the end of red part through the slit from the bottom.
Step 7: Pull out to the red part all the way to cover back the top. Now you have a fine ribbon detail that resemblance of horse rein on top of the kamaboko.
To learn about other beautiful designs of kamaboko (Japanese fish cake), click here.
Hi Nami, I am looking for a recipe to make the actual fish cakes. I love the look of making them into something special, but I can’t seem to find a recipe! I am not much of a beef/pork/lamb eater and we have fish/seafood/chicken most days of the week. Thanks for your great recipes – they look as good as they taste and we are still raving about your simple but great “pickled ginger”.
Hi Gay! Thank you for your request and kind feedback on the pickled ginger recipe. 🙂 Fish cake is not easy to make… but I also received a request from another person. I will put it on my list of recipes to make one day. 🙂