What is Ryorishu? Japanese Cooking Sake

Itadakimono: Recently I visited my favorite sake brewery, Uehara Sake Brewery in rural Shiga prefecture. Before I left, Mr Uehara, the owner, gave me a bottle of the brewery’s cooking sake, which is not sold in retails stores, but to exclusive, ‘hidden’ restaurants. Most cooking sake contains salt so that it can be sold in grocery stores, but not…
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Wagashi: Walnut Gyuhi Mochi with Cinnamon

Wagashi: Walnut Gyuhi Mochi with Cinnamon 百万遍かぎや 益寿糖 Wagashi: Walnut Gyuhi Mochi with Cinnamon  百万遍かぎや 益寿糖
Ekijuto is a rare kind of mochi that was first created by a pharmacist with the intent of combining medicine and sweets. Contemporary Ekijuto mochi is flavored with cinnamon and walnut.…
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How to Make Nukazuke: Pickling Vegetables

How to Make Nukazuke: Pickling Hinona Turnips 日野菜蕪 ぬか漬け How to Make Nukazuke: Pickling Hinona Turnips 日野菜かぶ ぬか漬け
Nukazuke Report: Our nukadoko pickling bed started to get pungent, I knew it was time to pickle our first vegetables. I chose hinona, a traditional vegetable from neighboring Shiga prefecture. It is a very long and narrow turnip.…
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Karami Daikon Radish and Soba

Grated Karami ‘Hot’ Daikon Radish and Soba 辛味大根 Grated Karami 'Hot' Daikon Radish and Soba 辛味大根
Itadakimono: A few days ago I was given a large bunch of karami daikon by Iron Chef Defeater, Yoshimi Tanigawa, the owner and chef of Kichisen. Karami daikon is generally quite small and is grated and eaten with soba noodles. It is hot and bitter, a little goes a long way.…
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Kyoto Nishijin Shinise: Tawaraya Meibutsu Udon

Tawaraya Meibutsu Nihon (Two Noodle) Udon たわらや名物二本うどん Tawaraya Meibutsu Nihon (Two Noodle) Udon  たわらや名物二本うどん
A bowl of udon with only two noodles? Is it a rip-off or a find? Though Tawaraya’s famous udon dish is a bit gimmicky, it does have that special and refined ‘shinise’ taste. This is a dish that has been enjoyed, across the street from an ancient shrine, by several generations of locals…
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