Saturday night, after a little excursion to Mitsuwa, we had a Izakaya style dinner. Lots of small plates to go with several different sakés. Sort of like Japanese tapas.
On the menu was:
- Miso soup with tiny cubes of melt-in-your-mouth tofu
- Takuan, ume + cucumber, avocado + yamagobo sushis
- Cucumber, wakame, tororo sunomono (seaweed salad)
- Cold cha soba with garnishes
- Nasu dengaku (grilled eggplant with miso glaze)
- Robata Yaki okra, asparagus and scallions
- Maitake, bunashimeji and shiitake mushrooms baked en papillote with sesame oil, sake and garlic served with a squeeze of lemon
Mitsuwa has a massive selection of sakés… We went a little nuts! They were the main attraction at dinner of course and though we didn’t quite polish off these 4 bottles we never the less over indulged.
Umenishiki
Junmai Daiginjo Nama
Ehime, Japan
500 ml
$28
Aromas of ripe tropical fruit. Off dry.
Shirakawago Sasanigori
Junmai Ginjo Nigori
Gifu, Japan
300 ml
$11
As all Nigori, this saké is unfiltered which gives it a cloudy white look with a sweeter, mild and fruity aroma. Floral and apple notes. Would also be great with spicy dishes.
Ohyama
Tokubetsu Junmai
Yamagata, Japan
720 ml
$27
Full-bodied, medium-dry. Notes of apricot and almond.
Rin Draft Saké
Nama
Fukushima, Japan
500 ml
$17
Brewed from 100% organic rice. Rich, creamy and buttery aromas.
All were served chilled.
Starting at the beginning, here’s a recipe for dashi, the base of much Japanese Cuisine.
Vegan Dashi (Soup Stock)
Ingredients
- 1 liter (4 cups) water
- 15 cm (6″) piece of kombu
- 3 dry shiitake mushroom
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) mirin
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) shoyu
Directions
Rinse off kombu if necessary. Put the water in a pot, add kombu and shiitake and soak for 1 hour.
Bring nearly to the boil, simmer gently for 20 mins. Remove kombu, add remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 more minutes. Remove shiitake and reserve for other use.
That’s it. Now you’ve got a tasty dashi.
Next we’ll use this dashi to make miso soup.
Miso Soup with tofu and scallions
Ingredients
- 750 ml (3 cups) dashi soup stock
- 150 gr (5 oz) silken tofu
- 60 ml (4 tbsp) miso paste
- 3 scallions, thinly chopped
Preparation
Put dashi soup stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Cut tofu into small cubes and add them to the soup and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Dissolve the miso in a small amount of hot dashi and add to the soup. Add Scallions, stir and serve.
Remember never to boil the soup after the miso is added or you will kill all the good stuff.
Serves 4
