Kitchen Adventures – Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (Sumashi-jiru すまし汁 (Clam Soup) & Yuzuke ゆずけ (hot water over rice))

Sumashi-jiru すまし汁 (Clam Soup)

Picture by Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

According to the Ryōri Monogatari,“Suimono” refers to a clear (or relatively clear) broth. The bowls should obtain few ingredients and should not feel crowded. In keeping with the tradition of one soup, and "X" number of sides, the soup that was provided in the second round was a suimono that would normally contain oysters, but, clams were substituted via cook's prerogative because the cook (me) does not care for the taste of oysters. Perhaps it has something to do with being land locked? Oysters come canned or frozen, but not exactly fresh?

Kaki かき (Oysters) - Put in salt, leave a good amount, and put in the oysters. When it steams, season to taste. If there is too little broth, then water or dashi can be put in. It can also be done without putting in the salt. Adding sakeshio is good.

Note: Clams substituted for Oysters

Interpreted recipe:

1 lb.clams (live, in shell, about 12 to 16)
5 cups water
Salt to taste
To garnish: lemon peel /or  mitsuba  (wild Japanese parsley)

Soak clams in salted water overnight, or at least for several hours. Heat basic clear soup to boil, drop in clams. After shells open up, place in a small soup bowl. Strain soup stock. Bring stock to a boil, and garnish with strips of mitsuba.

Note: The Japanese store where I purchased most of my items had frozen clams in the shell in 2 pound packages.  I used these for the feast. 

DASHI だし (BASIC STOCK) Chip katsuo into good size pieces, and when you have 1 shō worth, add 1 shō 5 gō of water and simmer. Sip to test and should remove the katsuo when it matches your taste. Too sweet is no good. The dashi may be boiled a second time and used.

Note: In Japanese cooking there are five different types of dashi:

Kombu Dashi - made from dried kelp (kombu)

Katsuo Dashi - made with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

Iriko Dashi - made from iriko (dried anchovies), or niboshi (dried sardines)

Shiitake Dashi - made from shiitake mushrooms that have been dried

Awase Dashi - made from a combination of any of the above.

Many of the dishes I prepared used Awase Dashi as the stock, either a mixture of kimbu and katsuo or kombu and shiitake. The instructions for the dashi used for this dish can be found here.

Yuzuke ゆずけ (hot water over rice)
Garnished with Furikake and UmeboshiPicture by Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

Yuzuke ゆずけ (hot water over rice)

Eric Rath advises that a "typical formula for describing the organization of trays and dishes at honzen banquets was “seven, five, three”. This indicated three trays each with a soup, and seven, five, and three side dishes on them respectively. This was the format of the banquet for Iemitsu in 1630, and one that was typical service for the shogun in the Edo period." It is believed that the discovery of "yuzuke" was an accident, attributed to the third Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358–1408)  when he became drunk at a party, poured hot water on his rice, and ate it.

He further explains:

"Three trays was a typical formulation for shoguns, but the number of trays and the number of dishes on them varied for guests of other rank. Large banquets in the Muromachi period might have up to thirty-two side dishes, although some of these dishes, like a few described below, were decorative and not meant to be consumed.In the Edo period, most samurai including daimyo were, like commoners, limited by sumptuary legislation to just two trays of food at banquets, albeit daimyo that held their own provinces (kunimochi) were allowed seven side dishes, but commoners and hatamoto could only have five side dishes."

One of the more historically interesting dishes that was served at the feast was Yuzuke. Introduced in the Heian era, "yuzuke",  is a bowl of rice and hot water poured on top. It became f a formal banquet dish during the Muromachi era.  It is speculated that it may be a precursor to ochazuke. The "Ryori Monogatari (Story of the meals)" a recipe similar to ochazuke which combies rice, chestnuts, or sweet potato with tea. I include the information from the Ryori Mongatari for interest, but it was NOT served at feast.

NARA CHA 奈良茶 (NARA TEA) - First, roast the tea, put it in a bag, and boil just the tea and azuki. Next, put in beans and rice, and roast half of them. Make sure to cut the beans open and discard the shell. Alternatively, add such things as sasage, kuwai, or roasted chestnuts. Season with sanshō powder and salt. Whatever you season with is very important.

The Yuzuke that was served at feast consisted of rice with hot water poured over it and was garnished with umeboshi and furikake. It was visually stunning and so simple to put together.

Kitchen Adventures – Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (Shimofuri 霜降 Sho no Irizake 精進の煎り酒 and Ebi no Umani 海老のうまに)

Picture by Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

Shimofuri 霜降 (Falling mist)  is the name of a technique that is still in use today. This dish marked the main dish of the second tray or Nino-Zen.  Shimofuri means "frosting," and it is a technique to seal in the  flavor or umami  taste. Shimofuri is often used for cooking fish or meat. It also eliminates the extra fishy smell in the final dish and helps fish pieces to stay intact in soup or broth. The fish I used was cod that had been cut into similar sized pieces. Accompanying the the steamed fish was  hoshi (cold smoked)salmon that had been cured in sake and salt, and seasoned with seven spice powder, gomae (sesame spinach) and an attempt at tamogoyaki :-D, my omelette rolling skills need much improvement!

SHIMOFURI 霜降り (FALLING MIST, AKA BLANCHING) - Slice tai (sea bream) into strips and put them in boiling water. When done, cool it with water. Also called shiramete (whitening). Alternatively, yugaku is anything which is suddenly boiled.

SHŌ NO IRIZAKE 精進の煎り酒 (VEGETARIAN IRIZAKE) - Cut tōfu in dengaku sized pieces and toast them over flame. Take such things as umeboshi and dried turnip, then slice and add them. Boil it all in aged sake. Alternatively, using a little tamari in plain sake is good. There exist oral traditions.

1 shô = 1.804 Liter = 1.906 quarts = 60.8 ounces
1 gô = 180ml = 6.08652 ounces

QUICK IRIZAKE 煎酒急候時 - When you are in a hurry, put 2 sticks of katsuobushi and 5 gō of dashi in 1 shō of sake. Taste, add tamari, and serve. You should put 6 or 7 umeboshi in 1 shō of sake. Decoct a good amount of salt and tamari and put it in.
1 shô Katsuo (Bonito)
15-20 Ume -Umeboshi
2 shô of aged sake
Water
Tamari

Interpreted Recipe

1 bottle of sake
1 piece 2"x2" dashi kombu (dry kelp)
6-7 small- medium-sized umeboshi (pickledplum)
15g katsuo bushi (shaved dry bonito flakes)

To start, soak kombu in sake for 3-4 hours. Remove. (No heating is necessary, because kombu is used for bringing just a subtle flavor to the sake.)Add umeboshi to the sake and bring to simmer. Simmer for 5-6 minutes.Add katsuo and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sake is reduced by half. Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Strain the sake through a fine-mesh strainer. 

Hoshi sāmon ほしサーモン-  Cold smoked salmon with Schichimi Togarashi 

5-6 pounds of salmon or halibut
½ cup salt
½ cup sugar
⅔ cup sake


Pat dry the salmon fillets with a kitchen paper towel. Mix together sugar, salt and seven spice powder. Slice salmon in half, pour sake over salmon and sprinkle with salt, sugar and spice mixture. Wrap the salmon fillets with kitchen paper towel and cling wrap over. Refrigerate the fillets overnight or at least 7-8 hours. 

Rinse salmon, and allow to soak for approximately 30 minutes before smoking. Pat dry, place on a pan, skin side down until the salmon dries (approximately 4 hours). Cold smoke salmon until the exterior is bronzed and the salmon feels semi-firm and leathery.


Shichimi Togarashi - 七十七七- Seven Spice Powder

2 tbsp. red chili flakes
1 tbsp. dried orange peel
2 tsp each white and black sesame seeds
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 tsp. powdered ginger
½ tsp. poppy seeds
½ sheet toasted nori

In a dry skillet lightly toast sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorns & poppy seeds being careful not to burn. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Place all ingredients in a grinder and grind until coarsely ground. Store in airtight jar.

Spinach Gomae ほうれん草ごまえ
1 pound Spinach
Pinch of salt
2 tbs white sesame seeds
1 tbs tahini or sesame paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Mirin
2 tsp soy sauce

Place the sesame seeds, tahini, sugar, mirin, and soy sauce in a mortar and grind them all together and set aside. Boil water in a large pot and add the spinach bunch in (from the stem side first) and cook for about 1 minute. Take the spinach out and put immediately in icy cold water to avoid the spinach being cooked further. Squeeze out excess water and cut the spinach about 5 cm long. Roll into balls.

Serve with the sesame sauce and sprinkle more sesame seeds on top.

Tamagoyaki - 玉子焼き- Japanese Rolled Omelette 

3 large eggs
2 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
3 Tbsp dashi (Use Kombu Dashi for vegetarian)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce (Use GF soy sauce for gluten-free)
1 tsp mirin
2 pinch salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)

In a small bowl, combine the dashi, salt, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Mix until everything is dissolved. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add the seasoning mixture. Mix until well-combined.
Heat a tamagoyaki pan over medium-high heat. Brush a thin layer of oil on the pan. Pour a third of the egg mixture into pan and quickly swirl to cover the entire pan. When the egg is half-set, gently roll the egg. With the rolled egg still in the pan, pour in another third of the egg mixture. Lift up the rolled egg and let the mixture to flow under it. When the egg is half-set, roll the omelette toward you.  Repeat with the rest of the egg mixture. Slice into bite-sized pieces.

Picture by Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

Ebi no Umani  海老のうまに

EBI 海老 - Preparation method of Ni iro に色 (Red) - Add dashi-tamari vinegar. Anything is good. -

5 shrimp shell and head-on if possible
1/2 cup sake (1/2 cup = 120 ml)
1 Tbsp mirin
1/2 cup dashi (1/2 cup = 120 ml)
2 Tbsp tamari

With shell/head-on, devein shrimp and quickly rinse under cold running water. Cut off the pointy tip of head and antennas with a pair of kitchen shears (or knife). Cut off the tail at an angle for better presentation (optional).

In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup (120 ml) sake and 2 Tbsp. mirin. Turn on the heat and bring to boil over medium heat and let alcohol evaporate. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) dashi and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce and bring to boil. Once boiling, lower heat to simmer and place the shrimp in the sauce, bending and holding its back with chopsticks or a pair of tongs to create a shape of Hiragana “つ”. Add all the shrimp to cook at the same time so the cooking time will be similar. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, skimming while cooking on low heat.

Once it’s cooked, immediately transfer the shrimp to a container, saving the cooking liquid. Strain the cooking liquid, preferably over coffee filter or super fine mesh strainer to remove the unwanted protein and fat (the final shrimp will look cleaner and prettier). Discard the filter and let the cooking liquid cool.

Once the cooking liquid is cool, pour over the shrimp. Do not pour the hot cooking liquid on to the shrimp, this will overcook the shrimp. Cover and soak for a few hours (at least) or overnight. Serve it at cold or room temperature.

Onishime オニシメ

Carrots & Mushrooms

1 3/4 lb. carrots
1 1/2 cups dashi
4 T. sugar
2 T. mirin
1 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. salt

Peel the carrots and cut into 1/2 inch long rounds. Cook in dashi about 4 to 5 minutes.Stir in sugar, mirin, soy sauce and salt.Turn down heat, keep at a simmer until almost tender.

Renkon (Lotus Root)

1 lb. lotus root
2 cups dashi
1 1/2 T sugar
1 1/2 T mirin
2 1/2 T soy sauce

Peel the renkon and cut into 1/3 inch pieces.- Parboil renkon for about 3 minutes.Put renkon and dashi into a pot and cook about 5 minutes.- Add sugar and mirin. Simmer 3-4 minutes and then add soy sauce.

Gobo

1 3/4 lb. gobo (burdock root)
3 cups dashi
5 T sugar
2 T mirin
1/3 C soy sauce

Scrape and julienne gobo. Keep in cold water to avoid discoloration. Parboil about 10 minutes. Place parboiled gobo into a pot with dashi, sugar, mirin and soy sauce into a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover with a lid and simmer until reduced by a third.

Kitchen Adventures – Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (Aemaze あえまぜ - Fish Salad (aka Fish Shooters), Sakabite さかびて - Fish Flavored with Sake & Dashizake だし酒)

 Aemaze あえまぜ - Fish Salad (aka Fish Shooters)

Picture by Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

The main tray of Iemetsu's Banquet in 1630, contained Aemaze あえまぜ and Sakabite さかびて . Because this banquet was the inspiration for Crown Tournament, I wanted to ensure that as close as possible these dishes were featured in the feast on the main tray. As a reminder, the dishes served on the first tray of the inspiration feast are listed below:

Main Tray

Grilled salt-cured fish (shiobiki)
Octopus
Fish-paste cake (kamaboko)
Chopsticks
Fish salad (aemaze)
Hot water over rice (yuzuke)
Pickles
Fish flavored in sake (sakabite)
Fermented intestines of sea cucumber (konowata)
Salt for flavoring (teshio)

Research indicated that aemaze's originates in the Muromachi period. It is the predecessor of namasu (raw salads), which is itself the predecessor of modern day sashimi. Further research indicated that Namasu typically consisted of slices of raw fish with vegetables or fruit with a vinegar based dressing. Aemaze, is a similar dish of fish that has been marinated in a sake based dressing. Finding information on how to recreate this dish is very, very scarce. Below is my interpretation based on research. Caveat: This may not have any resemblance to the intended dish that was served to Iemetsu. This was one of the most popular and requested dishes of Crown.

Aemaze

Ingredients

6 oz. sushi-grade fresh fish (I used red snapper)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp mirrin
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp. sesame oil
Juice from one tangerine, lemon or lime
1 tbsp. finely chopped green onion
thinly sliced tangerine

Please note--you should use sushi-grade fish, however, talk to your grocer! Sushi grade fish is expen$ive. This salad is a ceviche style salad and when I asked my grocer about that he explained that I could used any fresh fish for ceviche, as long as I made sure that the fish "cooked" in its marinade. He further explained that the acids that were used would denature the protein in the fish, and while this would not kill the bacteria present it would cook the fish. I cannot stress enough if you are planning on using this recipe your fish absolutely MUST BE FRESH!

I marinated the fish overnight in the same cure that I used for the sakabite (below). Remove your fish from the marinade, rinse and then dry it off. Thinly slice your fish and lay the slices onto your serving plate.

Mix together the soy sauce and sesame oil. Add green onion and tangerine juice. Drizzle the sauce over the fish slices. Garnish with the thinly sliced pieces of tangerine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Another dish that was recreated for Crown Tournament was the Fish flavored with Sake. I was able to locate instructions for this in the Ryōri Monogatari.

SAKABITE (さかびて)
Gather an assortment of things that have a good salty manner from among such things as salted tai (red snapper), abalone, tara (codfish), salmon, or ayu (trout); karasumi (salted mullet roe); kabura hone(turnip bones? whale bones?); swan; wild goose; or wild duck. Ken is kunenbo (mandarin orange or yuzu). There are other directions besides this. It is good to pour dashizake over it.

Fish flavored in sake (sakabite) (さかびて) - Gather an assortment of things that have a good salty manner from among such things as salted tai (red snapper), abalone, tara (codfish), salmon, or ayu(trout); karasumi (salted mullet roe); kabura hone (whale bones?); swan; wild goose; or wild duck. Ken is kunenbo (mandarin orange, yuzu). There are other directions besides this. It is good to pour dashi-zake over it


1 pound fish of choice (I used whiting)
2 ½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sake

Cut your fish into bite sized pieces, pat dry and then place into a food storage bag or a lidded glass dish. Sprinkle salt and sake on your fish, making sure that each piece is evenly coated. Cover the container and refrigerate over night. You can refrigerate up to 36 hours, turning fish every 12 hours, however the longer the fish marinates the saltier it gets until it becomes unpleasantly salty.


Remove fish from the marinade, rinse off any remaining salt before cooking it. I broiled the fish in my oven until it started to turn brown and was very fragrant (this took less then five minutes!).

DASHI だし (BASIC STOCK)

Chip katsuo into good size pieces, and when you have 1 shō worth, add 1 shō 5 gō of water and simmer. Sip to test and should remove the katsuo when it matches your taste. Too sweet is no good. The dashi may be boiled a second time and used.

6 cups cold water
1 ounce dried kombu (kelp)
~1 cup dried katsuboshi (dried bonito)

Bring water and kombu just to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Remove from heat and remove kombu. Sprinkle bonito over liquid; let stand 3 minutes and, if necessary, stir to make bonito sink. Pour through a cheesecloth lined sieve into a bowl.

DASHIZAKE だし酒 (SAKE STOCK)

Add a little salt to katsuo. Add one or two splashes of new sake, boil and cool.

1 tbsp. katsuo (bonito)
1/4 c. sake
1-2 tbsp. salt
2 3/4 c. water


Bring water and sake just to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Remove from heat and sprinkle bonito over liquid; let stand 3 minutes and, if necessary, stir to make bonito sink. Pour through a cheesecloth lined sieve into a bowl. Serve.

Kitchen Adventures – Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (O-zoni お雑煮 - Rice Cake and simmered vegetables with fish paste cake)

 O-zoni お雑煮 - Rice Cake and simmered vegetables with fish paste cake
Picture by Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

One of the quintessential dishes of the samurai cuisine is O-zōni, a meal originally thought to have been prepared in field battles consisting of mochi, vegetables and dried foods. This meal was once exclusive to samurai and so it became an essential dish to include in the Crown Tourney feast.

In the Muromachi period, O-zōni was considered an essential dish for welcoming guests to a honzen ryori (a formally arranged dinner) meal. Today, this soup is served traditionally at New Year's. The soups may differ from region to region, but one ingredient is essential--rice cakes also known as mochi. The soup that was served at feast features square rice cakes called kaku-mochi in a clear broth. These rice cakes were common in the Edo period.

According to Eric Rath, the "rice cake soup in Ryōri Monogatari calls for a stock made from miso or clear stock (dried bonito flakes, konbu and salt) and [white/yellow] rice cake, taro, and daikon, [black] dried sea cucumber intestines (iriko), abalone on skewers, large flakes of dried [red] bonito (hiragatsuo), and green shoots (kukitachi)--enough varied ingredients to suggest a five color combination.

28. ATSUME JIRU あつめ汁 (GATHERED BROTH)

It is good to add dashi to nakamiso. Alternatively use a suimono. It is good to put in such things as daikon, gobō, imo, tōfu, bamboo shoots, skewered abalone, dried fugu, iriko, and tsumi’ire (fish ball's made from pilchard, horse mackerel or saury). There are various others.

Creating this soup requires multiple steps.  I must admit, I did "cheat" a little bit and completely bi-passed making the rice cakes in favor of purchasing already made kaku-mochi from the Japanese market where I did most of my shopping.  Each step is easy to do, and the finished product is beautiful to look at.  Bonus is that many of the ingredients can be made in advanced and store well. 

Because I wanted this dish to appeal to most vegetarians, I chose to start the dish with making a vegetarian dashi broth. 

Vegetarian Dashi ベジタリアンだし

4- 2-inch squares kombu (about 1 1/2 ounces)
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 quarts cold water

Combine the kombu, mushrooms, and water in a large container and let stand for at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours. It gets stronger as it sits, and the taste can vary depending on what type of kombu you use, so with a few rounds you’ll find your preference. If you plan to let it stand for more than 4 hours, place it in the refrigerator, lidded or covered with a piece of plastic wrap.

Alternatively, bring the water to a bare simmer in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the kombu and mushrooms, and let stand for 30 minutes.

Discard the kombu (alternatively, chop it up and use it as a nutritious addition to salads and bowls of rice and other grains or to make homemade Furikake (ふりかけ) seasoning to top rice). Pick out the mushrooms and trim off and discard the stems. Reserve the mushroom caps for another use. You may want to strain the dashi through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth if there are small pieces of kombu left behind (I didn't do this)

Vegetarian dashi can be stored in an airtight container for 2 or 3 days.

Kamaboko Fish Paste Cake かまぼこ - makes 2 rolls ~ 18 ½” rounds

1 pound fish fillets (traditionally catfish but I used whiting)

1 egg
½  tbsp. ginger paste
2-3 Tbsp. cornstarch (note: you can substitute arrowroot or rice starch)

Grind white fish in a blender with a little bit of water until it forms a smooth paste.  Add egg, ginger and starch and blend well. Divide fish paste into halves. Coat aluminum foil with vegetable oil and shape the fish paste into logs about  2” in diameter. Roll up and seal both ends of the foil. Steam for 30 minutes over high heat. To test for doneness insert a bamboo skewer into center. If skewer comes out clean, it is done. Refrigerate until cool and then slice into 1/4" rounds.

To color the paste, remain part of it and add juice of young ginger or food coloring. I used pink.  Using a sushi mat covered with plastic (placing it inside of a gallon zipper bag works very well), spread the white fish paste in an even layer over the mat, then spread the colored fish paste above it.  Roll as if for sushi and steam as above.

Kaku-mochi - Rice Cake - 角餅

Glutinous sticky rice
Potato or Rice Starch
Water

Coarsely grind the rice in a food processor and soak for one hour in enough water to cover. Drain the rice and cook in a rice steamer until soft. Allow to cool for about five minutes. Wet your hands and transfer some of the rice to a mortar and pestle. Pound the rice for ten minutes or so until if begins to form a large sticky mass. Add small amounts of water so that the rice does not stick to the sides.

Sprinkle rice starch onto a clean fat surface, transfer the mochi onto the surface and begin to knead until the mochi is no longer sticky. Divide it into smaller portions and continue to knead until smooth, adding more rice starch as needed.

O-Zoni Soup お雑煮

6" length daikon (white radish)
1/2 bunch spinach
1 medium carrot
1 cake kamaboko (fish cake)
4 cups dashi
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
Rice cake

Pare the radish into hexagonal shape and then cut into slices about 1/4" thick. Parboil in lightly salted water until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. (Hexagons make up the tortoiseshell pattern. The tortoise is a symbol of longevity.)

Peel the carrot and cut into 1/4" rounds. Cut into flower shapes. Parboil in lightly salted water until almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Slice the fish cake into 1/4" half rounds.

Bring the dashi just to a boil in a pot. Turn down heat and keep at a simmer. Then stir in salt and soy sauce and season to taste.

Arrange spinach, single carrot slice, single daikon slice, mochi and fish cake in soup bowl. Ladle hot broth into bowl. Garnish with sprigs of mizuna.

Note: Substitute for Mizuna - arugula, young mustard greens, or tatsoi in equal amounts.

How to make Puffed Rice to be used as a garnish (not used at feast)

Oil heated to 425 degrees
1 cup rice (any rice)

Once oil is heated, pour in a cup of rice--rice will puff up in about 10 seconds. Drain through a metal sieve, season to taste, use as garnish.

Furikake (ふりかけ) is a dried Japanese seasoning which is sprinkled on top of cooked rice. Ingredients include a combination of dried fish flakes, dried egg, dried cod eggs, bonito flakes, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed and other flavorings.

½ oz reserved kombu (from making dashi)
1 oz reserved katsuobushi (from making dashi ;slightly wet)
1 Tbsp white toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp black toasted sesame seeds

nori seaweed
1 tsp sugar (add more to your taste)
2 tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt) (add more to your taste)

Gather all the ingredients. Make sure the kombu and katsuobushi are well drained.

Cut kombu into small pieces.Put kombu and katsuobushi in a saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until katsuobushi becomes dry and separated from each other.Cook on medium-low heat until the liquid is completely evaporated.Cook on medium-low heat until the liquid is completely evaporated.

Transfer the furikake to a tray or plate and let cool. Once it’s cooled, you can add toasted/roasted sesame seeds and nori seaweed. You can break katsuobushi into smaller pieces if you prefer.

Put in a mason jar or airtight container and enjoy sprinkling over steamed rice. You can refrigerate for up to 2 weeks and freeze for up to a month.

Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (Shiobiki (塩鮭)/ Himono (干物) Grilled dried fish)

Himono (干物) Grilled dried fish
Picture by Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

Iemitsu banquet in 1630 contained the following items on the first tray of food that was served:

Main Tray

Grilled salt-cured fish (shiobiki)
Octopus
Fish-paste cake (kamaboko)
Chopsticks
Fish salad (aemaze)
Hot water over rice (yuzuke)
Pickles
Fish flavored in sake (sakabite)
Fermented intestines of sea cucumber (konowata)
Salt for flavoring (teshio)

Many of the dishes from this banquet were served at Crown Tournament feast because I wanted to preserve, as much as possible, the flavor of that historic banquet. The kamaboko was served in O-Zoni soup. The aemaze (affectionately dubbed "fish shooters") were also served in the first course. The yuzuke, hot water over rice was moved to the second course. Pickles were served in their many varieties throughout the feast, either as individual dishes or as garnishes for the food. Salt was on the table as well as chopsticks. The two dishes that were not served were octopus and the konowata.

The Shiobiki, grilled salt cured fish, was served as part of the first course and it is solely the work of one of my assistant's known in the SCA as Miguel Mono De Hierro. He also made the turtle soup, and was responsible for the beautiful plating of the aemaze and keeping the head cook (me) semi-sane the day of the event. Keep an eye out for this man--he will do GREAT things in the SCA.

The story behind the creation of this dish goes something like this. After several days of researching Shiobiki recipes and consistently coming up with salmon, and knowing that I was going to serve a cold smoked salmon as a garnish on one of the dishes I contacted Miguel.

"Hey you, I think I found something that you might enjoy doing that will help immensely with feast and you can take the summer to do in your own time. Interested?

Him: "What is it?"

"I would like to serve some salted and grilled fish at the event and it calls for Lake fish. So, we have nine tables that we will be serving on and I was wondering if you might be interested in possibly catching some fish that we can use to salt and grill and serve at the beginning of the meal? The salting process is very easy as is the drying process better that should be done within a week of feast so it will be a lot of last minute marinating and carrying the fish for 24 hours to hang out and dry.

Him: "Can the fish be frozen before hand?"

Me: "Absolutely"

At which point I called him and plans were made and great things ensued.

Shiobiki specifically is grilled salt cured salmon, however, the Ryōri Monogatari, contains a list of fish found in the rivers in Chapter 3: Kawa Uo no Bu (川魚の部) River Fish. Carp and Catfish are on that list, but after some discussion we decided that we may not be able to catch enough of either fish to be able to serve whole, which is one of the things we wanted to do. We settled on bluegill, I find it rather Karmic. Bluegill is an invasive species that was introduced to Japan in the 1960's. It was brought to Japan by Emperor Akihito with hopes that it could be raised as food. The fish has since wrecked the ecosystem and wiped out several native species in rivers and lakes.

The preservation method that we used for the bluegill can be traced back to the 10th Century. The Japanese word himono (干物) refers to "dried things". 



Grilled salt-cured fish - Himono - dried and grilled fish

1 quart water

4 tsp sea salt 

3-4 whole fish

1/2 cup mirin

1/4 cup  soy

Handful of shiso leaves

To start you will want to clean your fish, split it lengthwise, removing the guts and leaving the fish as whole as possible.  Make a brine from the water and salt, add the fish and brine it for at least an hour, overnight is better.  Remove fish from the brine and pat dry. 

You can spread the fish skin side up on  a wire rack and refrigerate overnight.  Alternatively, you can hang the fish to dry in the sun.  While the fish is drying you will want to heat up your grill.  The heat should be "intense but distant".  

Mix the remaining ingredients together to create a sauce for the fish. Mix together mirin and soy, and chiffonade the shiso leaves adding them to the brine. Place the fish skin-side down on the grill and cook for approximately 3 minutes, basting the fish with the sauce every few minutes while it cooks.  Turn it over and cook about 4 more minutes continuing to baste.  When the fish is well cooked and the skin brown and crispy serve.  

For more information see the following links:

Himono: Cutting, Drying and Grilling Fish The Japanese Way

Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen (page 33) by Nancy Singleton Hachisu

Recipe Tin Japan: Japanese Salmon (Salted Salmon)

AKA Cooking with Ashes (Pot Ash Leavening)

I remember a rather lively discussion on a facebook thread about cooking with "Lye".  I ran across this little adventure today and thought I would share it.The thread was concerned with the use of the  word "leyes" in the interpretation for "blaunche perreye".  I can remember when first interpreting this recipe that the phrase "fyne leyes" gave me fits.  After several days of research I concluded that fyne leyes referred to fine lees or fine sediment found in wine. But the question remained, could lye have been used in period as a cooking agent?

The idea of using wood ash lye held merit and I felt that I needed to spend some time researching the use of lye, or rather, potash in cooking.  Using potash in cooking has its roots in Mesoamerican cooking.  The Aztecs and Mayans used potash and slaked lime to break down the outer layer and endosperm of ancient corn to soften it and make it edible. This had the added benefit of increasing the nutritional content of food prepared this way.

Prior to the invention of baking soda in the 1800's, leavening was done through the use of yeast.  Native Americans can be credited with the discovery of the first chemical leavening agents. According to Michel Suas in his "Advanced Bread and Pastry" book "In 1750, the first chemical leavening agent was used.  Known as pearl ash (potassium carbonate), it was created from natural ash of wood and other natural resources.  Before potash was available, cake textures were dense.  Ammonia was used also as a leavening agent.  A solution of water and ammonia was made and a drop of that solution was inserted on top of the cake batter. The center of the cake would rise as in  Madeleine's. Yeast was also commercially produced from the late 1800s, and was relied upon more and more over perpetuated natural starters. Additional chemical leavening agents (potassium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate) were created by the turn of the 19th century, but it wasn't until the 1850s that these inventions were widely accepted and used regularly (Meyer, 1998, p. 10)."

What makes wood ash so special? Wood ash contains alkaline salts, which create a chemical reaction  when mixed with something acidic. This reaction lightens and raises batter by creating gas pockets.

Yeast is an example of a leavening agent. It converts carbohydrates into alcohol creating carbon dioxide. It was not commercially available until the 1800's. Prior to the 1800's the use of yeast as a leavening agent was dependent upon wild yeasts.  Platina reminds us that leaven needed to be introduced to flour, water and salt to create bread.

Original recipe from Platina pp. 13-14 (Book 1):

"... Therefore I recommend to anyone who is a baker that he use flour from wheat meal, well ground and then passed through a fine seive to sift it; then put it in a bread pan with warm water, to which has been added salt, after the manner of the people of Ferrari in Italy. After adding the right amount of leaven, keep it in a damp place if you can and let it rise.... The bread should be well baked in an oven, and not on the same day; bread from fresh flour is most nourishing of all, and should be baked slowly."

Pot Ash (potash) and Lye originate from wood ashes. This is because wood ash contains both potassium hydroxide (lye)  and potassium carbonate (potash, pearl ash, saleratus). The production of lye is the first step in producing potash. The following set of instructions for making lye can be found in "A Treatise on Domestic Economy For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School, 1845". 

To make Ley. Provide a large tub, made of pine or ash, and set it on a form, so high, that a tub can stand under it. Make a hole, an inch in diameter, near the bottom, on one side. Lay bricks, inside, about this hole, and straw over them. To every seven bushels of ashes, add two gallons of unslacked lime, and throw in the ashes and lime in alternate layers. While putting in the ashes and lime, pour on boiling water, using three or four pailfuls. After this, add a pailful of cold soft water, once an hour, till all the ashes appear to be well soaked. Catch the drippings, in a tub, and try its strength with an egg. If the egg rise so as to show a circle as large as a ten cent piece, the strength is right; if it rise higher, the ley must be weakened by water; if not so high, the ashes are not good, and the whole process must be repeated, putting in fresh ashes, and running the weak ley through the new ashes, with some additional water. Quick-ley is made by pouring one gallon of boiling soft water on three quarts of ashes, and straining it. Oak ashes are best.

Slaked Lime (Calcium Hydroxide) was added to the ashes in order to increase the strength of the lye.

Once the lye was drained off, the sludge left behind could then be boiled down to make potassium rich potash also known as black salt. To refine, it was then heated in a kiln to burn off impurities and create a white salt which was commonly known as pearl-ash which could be used in cooking along with something acidic to create carbon dioxide bubbles and lighten baked goods.

Want to make your own ash water to cook with? The method is quite simple--boil a half cup of clean ash with 2 cups of water.  Once it has come to a boil, remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to settle.  Pour off the clean liquid and strain it. Use this water as your leaven.

To answer the original question--could "fyne leyes" refer to fine lye? No, it was not used in period as a leavening agent.

For more information on cooking with wood ashes and ash water visit the following link: 5 Acres and a Dream

Additional Resources:

An Experiment with Period and Non-Period Leaveners

Cook's Thesaurus: Leavens

First Night Design | Melomakarona (Μελομακάρονα) Traditional Greek Treat

Homestead Laboratory: Book Review "How to Bake without Baking Powder" by Leigh Tate

Kitchen Adventures – Japanese Basics -Dashi (だし, 出汁) or Dashijiru (出し汁) & Furikake (ふりかけ)

Dashi is the foundation of Japanese food and without a good dashi broth, many of your dishes will be flat and lacking the unique umami flavor that is expected in Japanese food.  Unlike stock which requires a multitude of ingredients and can take hours to make, a good Dashi is made from a small number of ingredients and can be ready in as little as 20 minutes.

It is believed that Dashi was first produced as early as the 7th century, and many texts refer to it.  It was in common use in the Edo period. The recipe that was used at Crown Tournament can be traced directly to the Ryōri Monogatari.

4. DASHI だし (BASIC STOCK)

Chip katsuo into good size pieces, and when you have 1 shō worth, add 1 shō 5 gō of water and simmer. Sip to test and should remove the katsuo when it matches your taste. Too sweet is no good. The dashi may be boiled a second time and used.

Japanese recipes are usually measured by volume not weight.  The system uses “gō ” and “shō”. 

1 gō is 180 ml, and 10 gō is 1 shō. The traditional big bottle of sake is 1 shō (1800 ml) and the half size is 5 gō (900 ml). I must confess that MOST of my cooking for feast was measured in an empty sake bottle for feast. However, if you are looking for easier measurements see the table below. 

Metric Equivalents

1 Gô (合) = 180ml = 6 ounces

1 Shô or Masu (升) = 1.804 liters = 60.8 ounces

1 To (斗) = 18.04 liters = 608 ounces = 4.75 gallons

1 Koku (石) = 180.4 liters = 47 gallons

Unit Conversions

1 Shô or Masu (升) = 10 gô (合)

1 To (斗) = 10 shô or masu (升)

1 Hyô (俵) = 1 "bale" or "bag" of rice = 4 to (斗)

1 Koku (石) = 10 to (斗) = 2.5 hyô (俵)

More Conversions!

1 shô = 1.804 Liter = 1.906 quarts = 60.8 ounces = 7 3/4 cups

1 gô = 180ml = 6.08652 ounces = 3/4 cup

4. DASHI だし (BASIC STOCK)

Chip katsuo (bonito) into good size pieces, and when you have 1 shō worth, add 1 shō 5 gō of water and simmer. Sip to test and should remove the katsuo when it matches your taste. Too sweet is no good. The dashi may be boiled a second time and used. 

Interpreted Recipe

~ 4 pounds bonito
90.8 ounces of water

Add your bonito to your water and simmer until the broth matches your taste.  

In deference to modern taste, you may also want to add kombu (dried kelp) to your dashi.  

Dashi II

Yield: 6 cups =  12 servings at  ½ cup per serving

6 cups cold water
1 ounce dried kombu (kelp)
~1 cup dried katsuboshi (dried bonito)

Bring water and kombu just to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Remove from heat and remove kombu. Sprinkle bonito over liquid; let stand 3 minutes and, if necessary, stir to make bonito sink. Pour through a cheesecloth lined sieve into a bowl.

Dashi III (Overnight Dashi)

4 cups water
10 x 10 cm square dried kombu (kelp)
1 cup of katsuobushi (bonito flake)

Pour the water into a container. Place the kelp and bonito flake into the container. Leave it over night (about 8 hours or more). Strain the kelp and bonito flake.

Storing Dashi Stock

Use straight away or leave in fridge for 1 day or in the freezer for about 3 weeks.

Bonus Recipe

What do you do with the left over bonito and kelp? Create furikake seasoning to go over your rice. 

Furikake (ふりかけ) is a dried Japanese seasoning which is sprinkled on top of cooked rice. Ingredients include a combination of dried fish flakes, dried egg, dried cod eggs, bonito flakes, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed and other flavorings.

Servings: 1 cup

½ oz reserved kombu
1 oz reserved katsuobushi slightly wet
1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seed
2 tsp toasted black sesame seed

Nori Seaweed
1 tsp sugar (add more to your taste)
2 tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt) (add more to your taste)

Gather all the ingredients. Make sure the kombu and katsuobushi are well drained. Cut kombu into small pieces. Put kombu and katsuobushi in a saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until katsuobushi becomes dry and separated from each other. Cook on medium-low heat until the liquid is completely evaporated. Cook on medium-low heat until the liquid is completely evaporated.

Transfer the furikake to a tray or plate and let cool. Once it’s cooled, you can add toasted/roasted sesame seeds and nori seaweed. You can break katsuobushi into smaller pieces if you prefer.Put in a mason jar or airtight container and enjoy sprinkling over steamed rice or a seasoning for fish, chicken, soup, popcorn or whatever you fancy.  

This seasoning can be frozen up to a month, or refrigerated up to two weeks. 

Kitchen Adventures – Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (えだまめ - Edamame (Soybeans))

The earliest documentation of soy foods in Japan can be found in the Taihō Ritsuryō (Taiho Law Codes), written by Emperor Monmu in 701 CE.  This document also references "misho" the precursor to miso which appears later in 901 CE in the Sandai Jitsuroku. The first mention of Edamame, is found in a letter written by a Buddhist Saint to one of the parishioners of his temple, thanking him for the green vegetable soybeans in pods in 1275.

This dish was very simple to prepare.  Simply steam your soybeans until they become tender and sprinkle with salt.

Kitchen Adventures – Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (Tsuru no shiru 鶴の汁 (Crane Broth))

Tsuru no shiru 鶴の汁 (Crane Broth)
Picture Courtesy of Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

The samurai considered Crane soup a prized dish and a luxury. By the sixteenth century, it was a necessary served at formal warrior banquets. The recipe for the dish that was served in Iemetsu’s banquet closely resembles a recipe published in the Guide to Meals for the Tea Ceremony (Cha no yu kondate shinan, 1676), written by Endō Genkan (n.d.). Commoners were prohibited from eating crane and other fowl at banquets, it was a dish reserved for the elite.

The dish that was served at Crown Tournament is my interpretation from the Ryōri Monogatari. according to Endō Genkan, Crane soup could be prepared with crane that was fresh or crane that had been preserved in salt.  The most important aspect of the preparation was to ensure that each bowl of soup contained one or two pieces of the leg meat of the crane.

Tsuru no shiru 鶴の汁 (Crane Broth)

Add the bones [of the crane] to broth and decoct. Prepare with sashi-miso. The seasoning of the sashi are important. For tsuma, something seasonal is good. It is good to put in any number of mushrooms. Whenever you make it, put aside the sinew. For suikuchi: wasabi and yuzu. Alternatively, from the start you can even prepare in nakamiso. You can even use a suimono.

Crane Broth

1 ½ pounds Peking or Muscovy duck breast or skin on, bone in chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice vinegar)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tamari or light soy sauce
8 ounces soba (buckwheat noodles) - Note: For feast shiritaki noodles were used
8 ounces sugar snap peas or snow peas, trimmed
8 cups water
2 medium leeks, white and tender green part, diced, about 2 cups
1/4 cup white miso or to taste - Note: Miso was omitted at feast
5 ounces baby spinach, about 4 cups
A few basil or shiso leaves, julienned

Place whole duck, or chicken into a pot and add ginger and garlic. Cover with water and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and simmer until meat is tender. Allow to cool over night.

Next day remove the fat from the broth. Remove meat from the bones keeping it in large chunks. Reheat broth to just under a boil, add water, mirin, sugar, and tamari. Taste broth and adjust for salt if necessary. Add miso to broth right before serving.

If using soba noodles, cook according to package directions in a separate pot. Shiritake noodles should be rinsed before serving.

Bring a small pot of salted water to boil. Add snap peas, mushrooms and leeks and simmer 1 minute, then drain and refresh with cool water. Leave at room temperature.

To serve, reheat broth to just under a boil. Dilute miso with a little hot broth and whisk into soup. Layer noodles, meat, peas, leeks and spinach into a bowl and ladle hot broth over it. Top with shiso or basil.


References

“Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Japan.” Google Books, Google, https://books.google.com/books?id=_m6g_8Aw_IsC&pg=PA115&lpg=PA115&dq=Commoners+were+prohibited+from+eating+crane+and+other+fowl+at+banquets,+it+was+a+dish+reserved+for+the+elite.&source=bl&ots=5ulOnQbw98&sig=ACfU3U2qRbwtQs1Ys3JJshTELMJEBCEy-w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjEkPfs1t3mAhXULc0KHfRrBcoQ6AEwAHoECAoQAQ#v=snippet&q=crane soup&f=false.

C, Eric, and Rath. “EARLY MODERN JAPAN 2008 Banquets Against Boredom: Towards Understanding (Samurai) Cuisine in Early Modern Japan.” Academia.edu - Share Research, https://www.academia.edu/6397005/EARLY_MODERN_JAPAN_2008_Banquets_Against_Boredom_Towards_Understanding_Samurai_Cuisine_in_Early_Modern_Japan.

Kitchen Adventures – Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (Namazu kabayaki ナマズの蒲焼 (Catfish Kabayaki), Gohan ご飯 (Rice), Gari ガリ (Pickled Ginger))

Namazu kabayaki ナマズの蒲焼 (Catfish Kabayaki), Gohan ご飯 (Rice), Gari  ガリ (Pickled Ginger)
Picture Courtesy of Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

Yakimono no Bu (焼物之部) is a style of cooking which refers to food that has been cooked via the direct application of heat like grilling, broiling or pan frying. rather than the indirect application of heat that was termed "Iru" and referred to dry roasting in a pan or pot with oil. In Japanese "Yaki" refers to grilled or fired, while "Yakimono" means "a fired thing. During the Muromachi period of the fourteenth century, a typical hon-zen ryori-style meal was served on the principle of "one soup, three sides", also known as ichi ju san sai (一汁三菜) .  For more information on this style of cooking, please read my earlier post Crown Tourney 10/19/2019 - Honzen Ryori Style.

The meal would come with the staples of rice, soup and pickles in addition to the three okazu, or side) dishes which consisted of a namasu (vinegared vegetables), yakimono (a grilled dish) and nimono (a simmered dish) on the first tray. For Namasu, I used Mikawa ae (みかわあへ) and Kohaku-namasu (紅白なます). O-Zoni is the simmered dish. The grilled dish presented a challenge.

The original dish I wanted to serve was Unagi Kabayaki, eel that has been grilled and dipped or broiled in soy sauce, but it was prohibitively expensive to purchase.  This prompted me to search for a suitable substitute.  I discovered that catfish can be substituted for eel in cooking, and was also a known food in the period that I was trying to emulate.  Catfish is known as  Namazu 鱯 and is listed as a river fish in the Ryōri Monogatari.

The Ryōri Monogatari does not  give instructions on this specific dish; however, it does give instructions for Hamayaki which is tai (Sea Bream) that is sprinkled with salt and grilled with a sauce of tamari, sake (酒)and salt (shio  塩).

HAMAYAKI はまやき (SHORE GRILLED) - Scale a large tai with a bamboo blower. Stick a knife in. Sprinkle salt and grill. Drop a little tamari into sakeshio, pour it on top, and serve.

I also very briefly considered cooking the fish using a cedar plank as described in the Ryōri Monogatari. The method is below:

Hegi Yaki  へぎやき (skin and grill) - As above, line up one piece on cedar bark and grill.

This idea was because I was afraid that there would not be sufficient time to cook the fish in this fashion given the very limited facilities of the event site. I am thrilled to discover that this "modern" method of cooking has a very long history behind it. 

 Namazu kabayaki ナマズの蒲焼 (Catfish Kabayaki)

Catfish Fillets (Note: For feast, whiting was substituted for catfish because the store that the fish was being purchased from did not order the catfish when the other fish was ordered.) 

¼ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 ½ Tbsp sake
2 ½ Tbsp sugar
¼ cup soy sauce (Coconut aminos can be substituted for soy allergies, and tamari can be substituted for gluten allergies.)

To make the sauce, add the sake, mirin and sugar to a small pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. Add soy sauce and reduce heat to low.  Continue to cook the sauce until it thickens and becomes reduced.  Sauce can then be cooled and stored for up to two weeks. 

The origins of this particular dish and sauce can be traced back to the Edo period.  It was traditionally made with eel because it was a cheap food suitable for everyone. It was a popular street food sold from vendor's carts.

Gohan ご飯 (Rice)

1 cup short grained rice
1 ¼ cup water

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Place in a bowl and allow to soak approximately 30 minutes. Transfer to a sieve and drain completely.

Combine rice and water in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once pot comes to a boil, turn to low and cook covered 12-13 minutes or until water is almost completely absorbed. Remove pot from heat and allow to steam 10-15 minutes. Prior to serving fluff the rice.

Note: The rice for feast was made in an "insta-pot"--which I HIGHLY recommend.  You will want to increase the amount of water so that the ratio is 2:1 water to rice.  My pot has a rice setting which I used and set for 10 minutes.  

An interesting bit of trivia I came across while researching is that grains of rice dating to 1000 B.C. were discovered in the early 2000s in northern Kyushu. Also, the oldest rice ball discovered is over 2000 years old and was discovered in the town of Rokuseimachi. 

Gari ガリ (Pickled Ginger)

8 ounces young ginger (Look for pink tips; they color the ginger pink in the pickle.)
1 ½ tsp. sea salt
1 c. rice wine vinegar
⅓ c. white sugar

Using a spoon, scrape off any brown spots from the ginger. Then, thinly slice with a peeler. Sprinkle with ½ tsp. salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the ginger into boiling water and cook for 1-3 minutes. If you want to keep it spicy, take it out around 1 minute. Otherwise, 2-3 minutes is good. Drain the ginger slices over a sieve and then spread them out in a single layer. With your clean hands, squeeze the water out and put them in a sterilized jar or mason jar. In a small pot, add rice vinegar, sugar, and remaining salt. Bring it to a boil until the strong vinegar smell has evaporated, roughly 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar with the sliced ginger. Close the lid, let cool and refrigerate. In approximately 3-4 hours you should see the ginger turning slightly pink. The following day it will be pinker. The pickled ginger can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.

Note: Despite multiple attempts at ordering young ginger and having the shipments "lost" via Amazon, I was unable to make the pickled ginger as I wanted to.  Store-bought pickled ginger was used at feast.  The recipe is included here in hopes that someone else benefits from the research. On the plus side, I now have 200 ginger seeds, which might make it possible to grow my own ginger next spring.

References

Creative, T. (n.d.). Eel-y Good -- Why Japan Loves Unagi. Retrieved from https://www.tokyocreative.com/articles/18389-eel-y-good-why-japan-loves-unagi

Hays, J. (n.d.). Rice In Japan: History, Kinds of Rice and Cooking and Eating Rice. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat19/sub123/item655.html#:~:targetText=History%20of%20Rice%20in%20Japan,people%20at%20red%2Dkerneled%20rice

Kitchen Adventures – Crown Tournament 10/19/2019 (Mikawa ae みかわあへ (salt and miso cured cucumbers) & Kohaku-namasu 紅白なます (Daikon and carrot Salad))

Mikawa ae (みかわあへ)
Picture Courtesy of Avelyn Grene (Kristen Lynn)

This beautifully simplistic dish of cucumbers that have been pickled in miso paste was one of the star dishes of the banquet. It was elegant to look at and a wonderful accompaniment to the other dishes that were served in the first course. It is believed that Miso originated in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE to 300 CE). Miso is mentioned in the "Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku" ("The True History of the Three Reigns of Japan") that was compiled and completed in the year 901. In fact, Miso was once used to pay high level bureaucrats; it was a luxury item that most people could not afford to purchase.

Mikawa ae (みかわあへ)

Chop up cucumber with its skin. Sprinkle in some salt, rub it in, and quickly rinse and wring it out. Put in hanagatsuo (dried bonito shavings). Dress with poppy miso thinned with irizake and vinegar. If it is tough, the skin can be left out.

Cucumber Pickles with Miso and Sesame

1 3/4 pounds Japanese cucumbers (7 or 8 small). Note: English cucumbers were substituted for feast
1/2 tbsp. salt
4 tbsp sesame paste (tahini can be substituted, but it's best to use the toasted sesame paste available at ethnic stores.)
3 tbsp. white miso
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
6 shiso leaves (basil leaves or Thai basil can be substituted for shiso.)

Slice the cucumbers into paper-thin rounds and toss with the salt in a medium-sized bowl. Let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add miso and rice vinegar to the sesame paste. Squeeze water from the cucumbers and add them to the miso and sesame mixture. Allow to marinate about four hours. Before serving, stack shiso leaves, roll into a cigar shape and slice into fine tendrils.

Toasted Sesame Paste
1 cup white sesame seeds
1 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the sesame seeds on the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake seeds, shaking pan every five minutes until the sesame seeds are golden brown and fragrant. Allow sesame seeds to cool slightly before placing them into a food processor. Start processing them on medium speed until seeds are crushed. Turn speed to low and then slowly add the oil until the mixture reaches the consistency you desire. Sesame paste can be stored up to a month in a dry air tight jar in the refrigerator.


The second dish, Kohaku-namasu 紅白なます, consists of lightly pickled daikon and carrot in sweetened vinegar. The colors of this pickle are very symbolic: red for happiness and protection from evil spirits and white for celebration and purity. This dish came to Japan from China during the Nara period (700's). I used these pickles as a bright burst of color to accompany the Namazu Kabayaki (catfish kabayaki) and gari (pickled ginger).

Daikon and carrot salad is now a traditional part of the Osechi Ryori 御節料理 or お節料理, the traditional New Year's celebration, which traces its origins back to the Heian Period (794-1185). Traditional Osechi-Ryori dishes are served in lacquered jubako boxes, and shared with family and friends. These dishes were prepared ahead of time because the use of heat to cook meals was not permitted during the first three days of the New Year. It was believed that the sounds of cooking would bother the Gods.

Kohaku-namasu 紅白なます (Daikon and Carrot Salad)

4-inch daikon radish (4" = 10 cm) peeled and cut into half-moon shapes or matchsticks
2 inch carrot (2" = 5 cm) peeled and cut into half-moon shapes or matchsticks
1 tsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)

Brine

1 ½ Tbsp sugar
1½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp water
¼ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)

1-2 strips yuzu or lemon zest as garnish (optional)

Place the daikon and carrot into a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt.  Allow to sit for approximately ten minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, rice vinegar, water and salt into a bowl and mix together.  Squeeze water out of daikon and carrot and mix with the vinegar mixture.  Allow to marinate at room temperature for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.  Garnish with yuzu before serving. 

References

Exploring the Meaning of Osechi Ryori, Japan's Traditional New Year Food | Japanese Culture, Food. (2018, December 26). Retrieved from https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2017/12/exploring-the-meaning-of-osechi-ryori-japans-traditional-new-year-food/

The History of Miso. (2017, February 8). Retrieved from https://www.abokichi.com/blogs/news/miso-2-the-history-of-miso

New Year Food - Osechi Ryori, Toshi-koshi Soba & Ozoni. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://patrickchadd.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-year-food-osechi-ryori-toshi-koshi.html

The Story Behind Osechi Ryori. (2019, May 2). Retrieved from https://www.kcpinternational.com/2017/01/osechi-ryori-the-story-behind-traditional-japanese-new-year-food/