A date with Washo-ku cuisine & Sake

For most of the Indians, Japan’s food and beverages, especially Sake is very fascinating and apparitional. Though we have more than a hundred authentic Japanese restaurants in Indian cities and Sake is easily available in many pockets of urban India, we still have much to learn about authentic Japanese cuisines and their right pairing with Sakes.

Editor-in-Chief, Bishan Kumar had a luncheon date with Washo-ku cooking expert and Sake sommelier, Miyuki at her home in Tokyo. The lady took him on a fascinating culinary and Sake trail. She went at length to cook some synthetic Japanese dishe and paired them with the right kind of Sake.

The traditional cooking style of Japan is called ‘Washoku.’ It is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes. Side dishes in Washoku often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is common in this presentation, and it comes often in grilled form, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Apart from rice, a staple in Washoku includes noodles, such as soba and udon.

It was his first introduction to Washoku cuisine – that too at a Japanese home, which made the experience all the more special. His visit to Japan was organsied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

The best part of Japanese cooking is that there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Their food is made with minimum of oil and hardly any spices. Miyuki introduced a variety of Sakes to her special guest, which came across as fruity, light, mature and rich, and served these different Sake varieties in suitable vessels or glasses to retain and even heighten their flavours.

Miyuki also paired each of these Sakes with specially cooked food.

"Miyuki San’s hospitality and her culinary skills were exemplary as she was very welcoming and made me very comfortable at her place’' says Bishan.

”Overall, it was a soulful meal; so expertly paired with the right kind of Sake varieties. I carried back a taste of Japan and lots of fond memories”, he says while a rising a toast to unmatched Japanese hospitality.

Kampai !