Taste with KJ - SAKE SCHOLAR COURSE Edition
If you haven’t heard already, I have the pleasure of teaching the San Francisco edition of the Sake Scholar Course this September right before SAKE DAY! The Sake Scholar Course was created by Sake Samurai and James Beard Award Winner Michael Tremblay and is the first course of its kind, focusing on the regionality and terroir of sake made in Japan. He recently expanded his class offerings internationally with instructors Sarah Stewart based in London and Elliot Faber in Hong Kong.
In honor of this exciting week, I want to share with you some of the fantastic foods I enjoyed in person after learning about them during the Sake Scholar Course. Every prefecture has regional specialties and the SSC textbook includes over 100+ unique dishes spanning the country (some of which you will be tested on!). There is nothing like taking a class and then being able to travel and discover all of the regional sake and delicacies you swooned over!
We’ve heard the old adage, what grows together goes together. But I implore you to take liberties and try sake from other regions with prefectural favorites. With each dish below, I chose an appropriate sake from True Sake’s portfolio to pair with these special dishes.
Jibuni - Ishikawa
w/ Niwa no Uguisu Doburoku (Fukuoka)
“Said to have been first made by bird hunters in Ishikawa's mountains during the Edo period, this dish is made with chicken or duck coated with katakuriko starch, nama-fu and vegetables which are all simmered in dashi.”
On a chilly winter’s day in Ishikawa, I stumbled by a little cafe across from Kanazawa Castle. After visiting Fukumitsuya Brewery and strolling through Kenroku-en gardens with their plum trees in bloom, I was in need of some sustenance. I was hoping for a quick snack like dango or yakitori, but something more interesting caught my eye. There was a sign without much English or romaji, except for the word, “Jibuni.” I remembered seeing it in my SSC textbook and decided to take a chance on this unusual bowl of soup.
This was an adventure in a bowl to say the least. When I removed the lid, steam emerged, reminding me of a little magic cauldron. It was full of colorful treats, many of which I could not discern. This seemed to be a variation on more typical Jibuni preparations. Obviously there were shrimp, but they were topped with a type of fish roe that was attached, almost like a piece of edible fabric. There was quintessential Kanazawa gold leaf on top, with pink mochi, nama-fu and orange fish cake. The soup flavor was umami at its core, but in a subtle sense, stemming from simmered mushrooms and katakuriko potato stock. It also had a velvety texture and sweetness that coated everything in a comforting essence.
Without realizing it, the chill in the air urged me to purchase the perfect beverage pairing: amazake, a sweet rice drink served piping hot. This experience was a much needed respite from the cold before venturing onto the Kanazawa Castle grounds. I cherish this memory like someone would leaving icy ski slopes to enjoy hot cocoa by the fire. The warmth of the quaint cafe and the heat of the soup and amazake were thoroughly satisfying. Next time I would love to have a piping hot and sweet Doboruku such as Niwa no Uguisu to replicate the experience. The delicate 6% alcohol would be a well-received bonus.
Hitsumabushi - Aichi
w/ Suehiro Densho Yamahai (Fukushima)
“Developed in 1873, this eel dish bears similarities to Shizuoka's Unajyu. The eel is grilled, chopped and served with a shoyu-based sauce, Japanese pepper and other spices. It is then topped with nori seaweed.”
Being a diehard unagi lover, I had been yearning to try hitsumabushi since initially learning about it. Luckily, during the first ever Sake Scholar Course alumni tour, we had a night in Nagoya, Aichi where hitsumabushi is famous. About a week prior to our night in Nagoya, I was exploring Kamakura and was led into a tiny restaurant by the smell alone. There were no signs in English and the staff was surprised to see a gaijin walk in. I explained in broken Japanglish how I would like to dine due to the infatuating smell. They’re response was that they only served eel and it was cash only. I think they expected me to leave, but I confidently seated myself and waited for my lunch-sized unagi experience. I was soon graced with an incredible little bowl of grilled eel and rice which was complemented by a small serving of pickles and soy sauce. I ate the entire thing and I noticed the staff members curiously open the lid of my bowl to see if I had completed it.
I wanted to know how Nagoya's famous unagi preparation compared to this charming lunch spot. The staff didn’t speak much English, but at the end of my meal, I said how delicious the unagi was and asked how hitsumabushi differed. They said hitsumabushi is an experience where you add ingredients to the bowl (hence the photo above). For the price (almost triple) and size of the famous hitsumabushi, I can easily say I preferred the tiny place in Kamakura. Both were amazing, but sometimes it will cost you more to eat a historic dish in a city famous for making it. The only thing that would’ve made both of these experiences better is pairing it with a umami-laden yamahai served nurukan (104°F/40°C), like Suehiro Densho from Fukushima.
Kiritanpo Nabe - Akita
w/ Kamoizumi Shusen (Hiroshima)
“Freshly cooked rice is pounded until half mashed, formed into long cylinders around skewers and then toasted in an open hearth. They are often served in hotpots as dumplings or on their own with miso.”
The second SSC alumni trip took graduates into the snowy depths of Yamagata and Akita prefectures. While driving through Akita, we had a memorable lunch at one of the many roadside rest stops known for serving local cuisine. We ate in a decades-old octagonal atrium which contributed a comforting, nostalgic vibe.
We were all served the same thing and thanks to our tour guide Yuki-san, we had the Akita specialty, kiritanpo! It is a nabe pot style soup with satiating cooked rice cylinders that only lightly absorb the surrounding broth while keeping their shape. There is visceral satisfaction in consuming kiritanpo, not only from the cylindrical rice, but also crunchy simmered veggies. The health freak in me worried that there wasn’t enough protein in this meal to keep me full, but I was completely content until dinnertime. Speaking of dinner, if I was to have kiritanpo nabe again, I would serve it with Kamoizumi Shusen from Hiroshima, known for its round body and soft shiitake mushroom notes. I would warm it up to atsukan (122°F/50°C) to perfectly match the heat of the soup.
Shojin Ryori - Kyoto
w/ Konteki Tears of Dawn (Kyoto) or Kokuryu Crystal Dragon (Fukui) for omakase Hanahato Kijoshu (Hiroshima) with dessert
“Shojin ryori also consists of a multi-course dining experience. The key difference between this and kaiseki ryori is that shojin ryori dishes consist only of Japanese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Like kaiseki ryori, local and seasonal specialties are featured.”
One of my favorite restaurants when I lived in New York City was Kajitsu, a Japanese restaurant that was open for over 13 years, maintained a Michelin star throughout its run and represented one of the only vegan restaurants ever to receive this accolade. The cuisine represented was Shojin Ryori, a Zen Buddhist cuisine introduced to Japan in the 6th century. Owner Shuichiro Kobori is a nama-fu master and owner of Fuka, a 150-year-old wheat gluten business in Kyoto. He brought shojin ryori cuisine to a global audience by opening Kajitsu in NYC. This is also where I first discovered Ippodo tea, another centuries-old Kyoto company specializing in tea who used to sell to the Imperial family.
The entire menu was seasonal and represented with a basket of vegetables they would display in a beautiful wooden basket with decorative maple leaves. It was vegan Japanese food served omakase style, where every dish was more miraculous than the next. They served sake pairings with each dish and I discovered classics such as Yamamoto Honke’s Yuzu Omoi and Hanahato Kijoshu during these pairings. This restaurant is the core reason I first went to True Sake 11 years ago to seek out these interesting sake that as a novice, I could begin to wrap my head around.
Now as a professional, if you had to pick just one sake to go with an entire shojin ryori experience, I would choose either Fushimi darling, Konteki "Tears of Dawn" Daiginjo, with its medium soft water and fragrant ginjo-ka or Kokuryu Crystal Dragon Daiginjo featuring an elegant, waterlike texture with melon and blueberry tones. The latter does wonders during omakase meals and plays a strong supporting role without stealing the spotlight.
Speaking of Hanahato Kijoshu, one of the ultimate pairings of my lifetime was between this aged kijoshu sake and Kajitsu’s rich mochi-based dessert. Both were sublime on their own, but when paired together, the mochi dessert turned into the richest and darkest tasting chocolate cake I had ever encountered. For this to occur without dairy or even chocolate itself is still mind blowing to me. The power of beverage pairing is real!
It is incredibly rare to have experienced shojin ryori cuisine outside of Japan. I am looking forward to experiencing this again when visiting Hakujukan by Eihei-ji temple in Fukui later this year.
The beauty of taking the Sake Scholar Course is that you are not only becoming a more educated beverage professional, but you are also becoming a professional lover of Japanese culture. Everything in the textbook can be experienced in person when visiting Japan. As soon as you take the course, you are part of the sake community at large.
*All italicized food descriptions written by Michael Tremblay for the Sake Scholar Course textbook. Register for the San Francisco course in September, instructed by yours truly!