Spicy Food in Japan

I had dinner at Devi India last night and I thought I might have a good blog as a result so I'm posting it while it's fresh in my mind. For those who know me, you know I love spicy food. That's been one of the biggest drawbacks with living in Tokyo. The Japanese, in general, do not eat spicy food. Yes, wasabi can be extremely spicy but what I've found so far is that they use it sparingly in the nigirizushi. They don't want the heat of the wasabi to overcome the clean, fresh taste of the fish. That's a good thing.

However, if you're used to spicy food, it's lacking here. After about seven days without a real kick in my food, I finally found the Tabasco sauces in the grocery stores and despite being fairly expensive, it's well worth the price. When I explained to some of my Japanese co-workers what I was putting the Tabasco sauce on (cabbage, cucumbers, rice, ice cream, you name it), I think they were horrified. Earlier in the week, the one team I'm working with must have decided to take pity on me because they took me to the "red" restaurant. They call it the "red" restaurant not because of the color of the store but because of the color of the food. The restaurant is Chinese and they only serve two or three dishes with the primary being a noodle soup and you pick the level of heat. The chili oil gives the soup a rich red color. I ordered the hottest available and my co-workers said, "Are you sure you want to do that? We normally get the medium-level." Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! One of my co-workers ordered the medium and the other ordered the mild. The waitress laid a huge bowl of spicy noodle soup in front of me and you could see the chili oil pooling on the top of the broth. It was heaven. Hot but not overpowering. They also provided a bowl of rice and a spicy tofu stir fry to accompany the soup and the rice helped cut the heat from the soup. One of the better meals I've had over here for my tastes. Plus it was fun watching my co-worker Koga-san sweat like crazy as he tried to eat his bowl of medium heat soup. He couldn't finish it. Although they were amazed I could finish the hottest soup I tried to explain to them that many Americans really love hot, spicy foods.

Last night's meal at the Indian restaurant was also one of the better meals I've had but obviously nothing traditionally Japanese (other than the beer) about it. I started with a large draft of Asahi ($10). I thought this was going to be like an imperial pint (20 oz) but the waiter brought this huge glass mug that must have held 25-30 oz. After walking all around Tokyo for the day, the beer just tasted so good. I started with some Onion Bhaji (rings) which was served with a green sauce.
The main meal was a mutton stew with tomatoes and onions and it was labeled on the menu as the second hottest meal next to their Chicken Vindaloo. It was spicy but not really hot. I ordered it with naan bread which was made fresh and arrived at the table hot with parts of the crust crisp. Fantastic meal. When I tried that first spoonful of lamb in a dark brown sauce infused with various Indian spices and chilis, I knew I found a restaurant that I'll be coming back to. I struck up a conversation with the waiter who was Indian and had been in Tokyo for ten years. He asked if I thought the meal was too hot and I told him no but I was used to spicier foods. He challenged me to come back and order the Vindaloo. Game on.