Category: Food and Craft

Traceable cedar chopsticks from Fukui prefecture (plate by Kazu Oba)

I have only been to the Japanese coastal prefecture of Fukui once when I was still a university student. Having plenty of time but not much money, I remember being excited discovering a cheap pop-up soup shop in a fish market where they served isaza, the small, clear fish that turns white when they are cooked whole in miso soup and served piping hot. That spring was the last time I got to taste the delicious isaza soup because like many regional dishes in Japan, you must be at the right place at the right time to enjoy them.

Fukui is most well known for its nature and dramatic coastal scenery, a nuclear power plant, the high-quality eyeglasses of Sabae City where the titanium type was first produced, and for the chopsticks of Obama City; the kind that are coated with urushi, with patterns created from eggshells and seashells. You may faintly remember that Obama City appeared in the international news in 2008 when the then senator and later 44th U.S. President found support and connections in unexpected faraway places.

You may also wonder why I brought simple cedar chopsticks from the region famous for urushi. It is because I find coated chopsticks slippery and difficult to pick up food, and I also prefer being able to feel the texture of wood that gets obscured by coating.

I was therefore very excited when I discovered Style of Japan (SOJ), a Japanese company that produces chopsticks in Obama, a region where 80% of coated chopsticks in Japan are produced. The local chopsticks are known as Wakasa Nuribashi, but almost none of them are completely made in Fukui. Wood milled abroad but processed in Japan can bare the label “made in Japan” and little is disclosed about where the imported wood comes from.

“We’ve been shifting to source local wood from Fukui for our most popular product lines, mainly by incorporating wood harvested from local forests through conservational thinning and management”, said Omori Kaz, the President and CEO of SOJ. Their popular “OEDO” line of coated chopsticks use wood certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), an international organization that promotes sustainable forest management.

PEFC certified wood harvested in Fukui prefecture. Photo Courtesy of Style Of Japan

This past summer, SOJ introduced the “Yu” line of cedar chopsticks through Makuake, a Japanese crowd funding website like gofundme. The project was fully funded and the chopsticks went into production. “Yu” chopsticks are made using traceable local cedar that are PEFC certified, and they also go further by providing certificates with information such as the age and size of the tree, the region and timing they were harvested, and the woodworker and nushi, the crafts specialist who applies the coating to the wood. “We want to make chopsticks with more transparency in the process, by utilizing local wood and by providing the names of woodworkers and nushi, and also the wood source and the coating material,” Omori san explained.

For me, Yu’s design and finish are its most profound and appealing aspects. The end of a Yu chopstick is square so that it sits comfortably between the index finger and the thumb. The section held with the fingers is octagonal, providing a comfortable grip. The tip is tapered to a circle making it easy to pick up the tiniest pieces of food. They are also coated with beeswax, which I think is the best type of protective coating for any wood used around the table that retains its texture, the most exquisite and often overlooked property of wood.

Applying beeswax to chopsticks. Photo Courtesy of Style Of Japan

Omori san observed that, “as Japanese people now regularly use knives and forks [in addition to chopsticks], I believe that families that mainly use knives and forks will also start to regularly use chopsticks in the future. When that time comes, I hope that people will choose our chopsticks that are sourced responsibly and produces less carbon emissions.”

In Japan, people often use new chopsticks for their new year’s feast so I’m looking forward to opening a new pair of Yu on New Year’s Day that is just a few weeks away. And dream about Fukui’s isaza soup that I hope to taste once more when we can again travel freely. I wish you all a healthy and happy 2022!

Small Drinking Vessels and Refills: Please Let Me Pour More

March 29, 2021Ceramics Kazu Oba Food and Craft

Ceramics by Kazu Oba in our shop ->

I get so excited to hear from people that they have been vaccinated for Covid-19. It feels truly good to be on the offensive against this virus! And as I patiently await my turn for the jab(s), which should come soon, I’m starting to look forward to sitting around the table with my friends again.

And when I sit down to have tea, coffee, even water and adult beverages, I like to use small cups and mugs. Sure, it’s always good to have less things to wash afterwards, but I like to give my guests small drinking vessels so that I can bring a pitcher or spouted bowls with refills.

Little cups allow the host to offer a fresh batch of hot coffee to the guests

Why bother, you may ask. It is because little cups allow me to offer a fresh batch of hot or cold drinks to my guests. In addition, there is something very pleasant and soothing about watching and hearing liquid being poured into vessels don’t you think? I consider it as part of the entertainment to the guests. I’m sure the Victorians could have made tea in huge mugs as well, but they too must have felt that the act of pouring adds another layer to the tea experience.

It is pleasant and soothing to watch and hear liquid (in this case matcha) being poured into vessels.

If you ever wondered why there are so many small cups in my shop, now you know the reason. And today I’ve added even more small cups and pouring vessels by Kazu Oba to my shop. As always, Kazu’s spouts are perfectly executed so that there won’t be any drips left on your table. I hope that you’ll find the perfect vessel to add a little more pouring for your next gathering in the coming post-Covid world.

Minazuki: Wishing Upon a Dessert

June 28, 2020Glass Food and Craft Sasaki Shoko

Glass plates by Sasaki Shoko in our shop ->

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with the most appropriate names for the months of the year. June is Minazuki, which literally means “the month of water.” This is the time of year when the rice paddy fields are filled with water, and also of relentless downpours because this is prime rainy season in Japan.

With tea classes cancelled until at least autumn, my desperation for Japanese sweets has reached new heights and so I embarked on making “Minazuki,” a delicious rice cake sweet named after the month.

Minazuki dessert on a glass plate by Sasaki Shoko. The triangle shape refers to the traditional thatched ice house where natural ice was stored. Summer sweets evoke a sense of coolness.

I first tasted Minazuki when visiting the Chado Research Center in Kyoto in 2015, where the museum entry fee included a bowl of matcha tea and a seasonal sweet. I’m terrible at remembering the times when I traveled to various places, but because I was served Minazuki, I know it was in June. I later also learned that people in Kyoto eat this triangular mochi dessert topped with red beans cooked in sugar often during the month of June.

A mochi topped with azuki red beans sounds relatively simple to make, but there is that stupid perfectionist in me that whispered, “but if you’re making Minazuki, the azuki can’t come from a can, it’s got to be those big Dainagon azuki.” In addition, the whisper continued: “Add some kudzu in the mochi to make it certainly Kyoto style (from my provincial Tokyoite perspective, kudzu is a very Kyoto ingredient).

With all these wild ambitions, I cooked over two days to make the sweet. Alas, the red beans didn’t turn out quite as I had hoped because their skins broke. Ideally, they are supposed to be intact and beautifully plump. I discovered that Azuki cooking is an art, like making the perfect Canelés de Bordeaux. Cutting this delicious sticky thing was a challenge by itself, but I persevered!

Minazuki on a petal edged dessert plate by Sasaki Shoko.

Minazuki is eaten especially in conjunction with the day of the summer passage cleansing ritual known as “Nagoshi no harae” on June 30th. The ritual is carried out with the hope of being disease-free and to ward off disaster and misfortune. And since such a wish can be made by making and eating a humble sweet, I virtually send you all Minazuki, to wish you good health for the rest of this difficult year.

New Wood-Fired Porcelain by Shumpei Yamaki for Your Summer Evenings

June 17, 2020Ceramics Food and Craft Shumpei Yamaki

New work by Shumpei Yamaki in our shop->

I will never forget the first time I went berry picking with my host family in British Columbia in the summer as a high school exchange student. Back then in the late 1980s, I was only familiar with strawberries, which to me was a winter fruit as they are grown in greenhouses in Japan. But that Canadian summer, there were so many different kinds of berries to pick and eat. There was plenty of time for these berry escapades as daylight stretched way past 9 o’clock in the evening. I remember that I was very happy then, and ever since, berries lift my spirits up.

Homemade blueberry ice cream in wood-fired porcelain sake cups by Shumpei Yamaki. Wood-fired porcelain has subtle and beautiful colors of gray, light green and peach.

As the weather warms and my favorite summer fruits and vegetables start appearing on the dining table, my eyes seek refuge from the heat in the cool of porcelain ceramics, woven bamboo, and hues of blue, green, and purple.

In hot weather, my eyes seek refuge in cool colored tableware

Tea master Sen no Rikyu’s Seven Precepts, which is basically a code on organizing lovely and memorable gatherings, includes this piece of advice: “In the summer, provide a sense of coolness.” For example, in summer tea preparations, a water jar may be covered in freshly washed leaf with dews remaining on top, or a tea bowl may be brought in filled with water to convey a feeling of coolness. Even in our currently stress-filled pandemic world, I have found that taking the time to select utensils and set a seasonal table for my husband and myself provided a sense of calm and place.

Featuring water creates a sense of coolness on the table.

Shumpei Yamaki’s kiln after firing in Spring 2020. As with last time, Shumpei omitted the use of pyrometric cones and thermometer to create an environment for flow state
(Photo Courtesy of Shumpei Yamaki)

And because I love the combination of Shumpei Yamaki’s clean forms in white clay, gray, green, blue, and peach colors created by the fire and ash, I specifically asked him for some porcelain work this summer, in addition to his usual stoneware work. I’m delighted to share these glacial works by Shumpei with you, and hope that you’ll take the time to look at photos of them taken at different angles so that you can discover the subtle and amazing complexities that the wood-firing process can give to a porcelain’s surface.

Kabocha in a Black Shallow Bowl By Shumpei Yamaki: Are You Eating the Skin?

October 10, 2018Ceramics Food and Craft Shumpei Yamaki

Ceramics by Shumpei Yamaki in our shop ->

When I was 5 years old, a guest stayed at our little apartment in Japan. In the morning, my mother served the usual breakfast of grilled salted salmon with miso soup and rice. Seeing that the guest carefully removed the skin of the salmon and left it on their plate, my young unfiltered mouth blurted out: “wah, you don’t eat the skin? It’s really tasty you know, it’s the best part…what a waste (mottainai)!”.

My mother to this day talks about this episode and how embarrassing it was for her because it was obvious that I wanted the guest to give me the salmon skin if they were not eating it. And for a long time after the incident, there was an uncomfortable glare coming from my mother whenever I sat down with guests at the dining table.

Kabocha pumpkin in a wood-fired black bowl by Shumpei Yamaki. Black is a great background for colorful fall vegetables and fruits.

Speaking of skin, the other food that I like to eat right now with skin are the kabocha pumpkins that are coming into season.

To prepare kabocha, I cut them up into generous chunks with the skin and put them in a shallow braising pan in a single layer. Then I add about ¼ -½ inch of water, drizzle a little olive oil, and sprinkle salt, cover and boil for about 10-12 minutes. The key is that there is enough water to boil and slowly reduce. After turning the stove off, all the water gets absorbed into the pumpkin leaving no liquid. I prefer this simple preparation to the normal Japanese recipe that calls for sake, sugar and soy sauce because I find that recipe too sweet.

Cooking in a braising pan with just enough water to be absorbed back into the pumpkin pieces.

The result are firm chunks of delicious pumpkin pieces that can be eaten hot or cold. And the best part is the contrast of texture between the skin and the pumpkin meat!

Whenever I’m served peeled kabocha, I say loudly in my head “mottainai“! And, you may be surprised that there are things that people eat with skin in the US that almost all Japanese don’t, such as peaches. The first time I saw my husband eat peaches with skin, I was horrified. Japanese generally like to eat fruit without skin, and I should do some research as to why this is for another blog post. In the meantime, enjoy your kabocha with skin, and maybe also your salmon skin? Otherwise, MOTTAINAI!

Kabocha pumpkin. Don’t remove the skin it’s the best part!

‘Strawberry Milk’ in a Pinched Rim Bowl by Hanako Nakazato

August 14, 2018Ceramics Hanako Nakazato Food and Craft

Ceramics by Hanako Nakazato will be available in our shop on August 15th at 6:00 am ->

‘Strawberry milk’ in a pinched rim bowlby Hanako Nakazato
(Note: The spoon is an ordinary rounded-bottom variant and not the exotic flat bottom design)

Did you eat ‘strawberry milk’ when you were growing up? It was huge in the 70s in Japan (along with mini-skirts and permed hair), and I begged my mother to buy us the ‘strawberry spoons’ that were perfectly designed to squish the strawberries in the milk with their flat bottoms.

As a little girl, I always believed that “strawberries sprinkled with sugar and squished in milk” was a fancy western way to eat strawberries. But now that I think of it, I’ve never seen anyone eat strawberries in this way in the U.S. or Europe.

According to my parents’ generation, strawberries that first became available to the general public in Japan in the post war Showa era were extremely sour and so the Japanese concocted ‘strawberry milk’ as a way to enjoy this sour fruit.

Eyeing the massive demand for a utensil that efficiently squashed strawberries in milk, the ‘strawberry spoon’ was created in 1960 by Kobayashi Kogyo Co., a cutlery manufacturer in Niigata prefecture, and their ‘Romance’ line of cutlery received the prestigious Good Design Award in 1974. So this company joins the ranks of Japanese titans like Sony and Toyota as the pioneers of Japanese style.

Click here to look at Kobayashi Kogyo’s cutlery catalog. The said spoon is on page. 35, fifth spoon from the bottom in the photo #11617-000 at 850 yen

This marvelous invention lessoned the likelihood of strawberries slipping or flying out of the bowl across the table, which saved the day for a lot of busy Japanese parents.

And the best part is when all the squished strawberries are eaten, you get to drink the sweet strawberry milk straight from the bowl!

New work by Kazu Oba, and the Story of Myoga, the Japanese Ginger

October 12, 2017Ceramics Kazu Oba Food and Craft

Ceramics by Kazu Oba in our shop ->

Looking back, I realize there were so many things that I disliked eating when I was a child. One of my arch enemies was myoga, the flower buds of Japanese ginger that appeared regularly at the dinner table in the summer and did not go away until October.

Just like green onions, myoga was served as a garnish in miso soup, cold tofu, and other delicious things that, to a child’s tongue, tasted far better without this cursed topping. These terrible condiments are called yakumi, which means medicinal garnish, and my dream was to move to a world where they served food without them.

The other problem with myoga was that it was also the motif of my family’s crest. When I discovered this fact, I was so disappointed that I wasn’t born into a family with beautiful flower crests like Wisteria or Paulownia. I mean, why a lowly vegetable?

Family crest on my kimono, daki-myoga. The Japanese ginger motif.

Years have passed and now a cold tofu without yakumi would be a let-down at the dinner table. And I even rather like the fact that a hardy shade-loving Zingiber is the motif of my family’s crest.

Cold tofu served with myoga and green onions in a bowl by Kazu Oba

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Served in a Ribbed Cup Made by Hanako Nakazato

September 29, 2012Hanako Nakazato Food and Craft

Autumn is here and that means butternut squash and apple season has arrived! As the temperature drops (even in Southern California), I start to crave hearty hot soups and so decided to make a delicious soup with these seasonal ingredients and share the recipe with you.

When serving a meal with several courses, I like to serve soups in small vessels so that the guests have plenty of appetite left for the rest of the dishes. Hanako’s ribbed cup (or shinogi sobachoko) carries about 6 oz of soup per cup and is the perfect ‘goldilocks’ solution: not too little and not too much.

Don’t forget to put on your favorite music before you start cooking!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Makes about 48 oz (about 8 x 6 oz servings)

Roasted butternut squash and apple soup served in a ribbed cup made by Hanako Nakazato

Ingredients

Butternut squash, diced 2 lb (approximately 1 butternut quash)
Granny smith apple, diced 8 oz (approximately 1 apple)
Yellow onion, small diced 8 oz
Garlic, chopped 1 clove
Chicken stock 1 quart + 1-2 cups
Nutmeg pinch
Olive oil 2 tbsp and as needed
Bay leaf 1 each
Salt and Pepper TT

Garnish

Leftover bread, small dice ½ cup
Parsley, chopped fine 2 tbsp
Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced 16 slices

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Dice the butternut squash and apple into even cubes and toss in olive oil. Roast in the oven until cooked and lightly browned.
While the squash is roasting, chop the parsley and make the croutons. Use small diced bread and coat in olive oil or melted clarified butter and toast in the oven until nice and crunchy. Remove from oven.
Remove the squash and apple when done, and turn down the oven heat to 300F.
Slice the apple in single layer and lay flat on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put in the oven and roast until they become dry, crispy and lightly brown.
Turn off the oven and place the cups inside to warm with residual heat.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sweat the onion and garlic.

8. Add the roasted squash and apple and 1 quart of chicken stop. Bring to a simmer and add the bay leaf and cook until the squash and apple are soft.

9. Remove the bay leaf, puree the mixture in a blender, strain through a chinois.

10. Add the remaining chicken stock until the soup is at the preferred consistency, bring to a simmer, add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

11. Pour the soup in the ribbed cup and garnish with croutons and chopped parsley. Place the apple chips on the side.

Bon Appétit!

Hanako Nakazato Shinogi Sobachoko — The portion is perfect when the guests feel they want a tiny bit more

The Inseparability of Food and Craft: Hand-Woven Bamboo Tray by Takami Yasuhiro & Shrimp and Avocado Canapé

June 28, 2012Baskets Food and Craft Takami Yasuhiro

Do you think food only looks good and tasty in plain-colored, uniformly mass-manufactured vessels? At Studio KotoKoto, we believe that appreciating and enjoying the vessels that contain the food should also be an important and fun part of the dining experience. We want people to ask not only what is on the plate but also who made the plate.

In this food blog, we want to inspire the notion that food and craft are inseparable by offering ideas and thoughts about this relationship. To do this, we will feature a handmade piece by an artist and suggest a dish to go with it.

Today we are using a double-layered mesh (ajiro) woven bamboo tray by Takami Yasuhiro of Chikuseikan*.

二重透かし網代 — Double-Layered Mesh Ajiro Hand-Woven Bamboo Tray by Takami Yasuhiro
14″W × 2.5″H

The refreshing summer look of this vessel is perfectly suited for plating delicious, bright appetizers, and so we decided to serve shrimp and avocado canapés. A simple chip and dip recipe with a fine dining twist by Ai makes them really attractive!

Shrimp and Avocado Canapé Makes about 16 canapés

Base

Round Corn Chips 16

Spread

Avocado 2 each
Lime Juice 1 tbsp
Garlic, chopped fine 2 cloves
Cilantro, chopped fine 1 tbsp
Salt and Pepper TT

Put the avocado in the blender and add lime juice.
Take the avocado paste out of the blender and mix in garlic and cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish

Small-Medium sized Shrimp 16
Red Onion, brunoise (see photo) 2 tbsp
Lime Juice 1 tsp
Cilantro, chopped fine 1 tsp
Cilantro leaves 16 each
Olive Oil TT
Salt and Pepper TT

1. Boil shrimp and put in ice water to cool. Pat them dry. Add lime juice, cilantro and coat with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Brunoise red onion. This will be the “wow” factor of this dish to show your knife skills so spend time to make them nice! Coat this with a little olive oil also.

Now all the parts are ready to build the canapé.

Pipe out the spread onto corn chips.
Scoop some brunoise red onion on top.
Position the shrimp on top of the spread.
Garnish with a leaf of cilantro.