Learning to Make Kyoto-style Sushi from Chef Tanigawa

About Helena Chlepnac and Sushi Fusion
Helena is lives in Switzerland and does Sushi Fusion, a sushi catering company and now offers sushi classes which are very popular. Helena has over 300 students learning to make sushi in Switzerland!

Prelude to Sushi Lesson: Furosen Sake and Funazushi Day Trip
Before learning to make Kyoto-style sushi from the Iron Chef defeater, we went up to Shiga Prefecture for a day to experience a bit of Shiga’s culinary culture.

First we visited Uehara Sake Brewery to see the how they make the world’s greatest sake: Furosen. We were given a tour of the brewery and a generous tasting. Uehara Sake Brewery revived the tradition of using wooden barrels for brewing sake and Helena remarked that her favorite champaign maker is the only one that continued to use wood while everyone else changed to stainless steel. Now, how is that for good taste!

Uehara Sake Brewery and Sixth Generation Owner Mr Uehara

Uehara Sake Brewery Tasting Furosen Sake

This is the greatest sake in the world.

Two Year Old Funazushi

In the afternoon we visited a tsukemono maker called Marucho that has been making tsukemono with Shiga vegetables since the Edo era to see how they make their pickles and Shiga’s meibutsu (famous product): funazushi. Funazishi is made from a special variety of carp from Lake Biwa that has been salted and fermented with rice for 2 years. It is a variety of narazushi (fermented fish ‘sushi’) which is the origin of modern-day sushi. Fermented fish is not popular even among many Japanese foodies for reasons that you can imagine. It is not bad though.

At Marucho they make the real deal; funazushi that has been made with the finest wild carp from Lake Biwa and fermented for 2 years. (The cheaper funazushi is made with aqua-cultured carp and only fermented 1 year.) This proper way of making funazushi is called hon-jikomi (authentic production). This requires frequent washing and changing of the rice. This is what separates the good funazushi from the bad. Additionally, the bones of the carp are quite robust and the two year fermentation process softens them to nearly the same as the meat.

Marucho generously offered us a sample of their best, hon-jikomi funazushi. Helena remarked that if she didn’t know that it was fish, she wouldn’t have known from the taste. Funazushi made the old-fashioned way is not fishy and is surprisingly sour. If you like cheese, you would probably like funazushi. The best funazushi is nearly bursting with eggs. The taste of the eggs really reminded me of mimolette cheese, both in flavor and in texture.

It was a fun and interesting day, but I sensed that Helena was really looking forward to her sushi day!

The Main Event: Sushi Lesson at Kichisen

Helena went to the Kyoto Central Wholesale Market with Chef Tanigawa bright and early and selected fish with him. From mid-day the lesson began in the kitchen. Helena learned how to make most all the summertime Kyoto sushi styles from Chef Tanigawa. Miwa translated and I only joined the party late in the afternoon, just in time to eat.

This is what Helena learned:

1. How to Clean and Prepare Fish

• Ayu (Sweetfish)
• Tai (Sea Bream)
• Saba (Mackerel)
• Hamo (Pike Eel)
• Ika (Squid)
• Akagai (Red Shellfish)

2. How to Make Kyoto-style Sushi

• Hamozushi
• Sabazushi
• Sasamaki Zushi
• Ayuzushi
• Isomaki Zushi
• Ryuhimaki
• Temarizushi (ball-shaped, similar to nigiri sushi)
• Kikuzushi (chrysanthemum flower-shaped, similar to nigiri sushi)
• Komakizushi (Kinzanji Miso, Shiso and Cucumber)
• Tsukemono Sushi (also nigiri sushi)
• Inarizushi (deep fried tofu pockets stuffed sushi)

Cleaning Fish at Kichisen

Sea bream ‘tai’ for several kinds of sushi.

Cleaning Fish at Kichisen

After cleaning the tai for sushi, the head is split for soup or rice. Nothing is discarded.

Making Sushi Rice

Chef Tanigawa kindly gave Helena his recipe for sushi rice — I got a copy of it too.

Helena Shaping Rice for Hamozushi

Chef Tanigawa Demonstrating Cutting Hamozushi

Chef Tanigawa Demonstrating Cutting Sabazushi

Finishing-up in the Kitchen

Epic Sushi Plate One

From top to bottom; hamozushi, sabazushi, inarizushi, sasamaki.

Epic Sushi Plate Two

From top to bottom, left to right; ayuzushi, kikuzushi, temarizushi, isomaki, komakizushi, tsukemono (nigiri) sushi, ryuhimaki sushi.

Assortment of Kyoto-style Sushi

My fav was the one on the bottom right, it is called ryuhi maki. It is a ‘bozushi’ made with tai on rice with sansho leaves wrapped in soft and chewy kombu and has slices of raw green yuzu between each piece. At the back right is one of Kichisen’s exquisite homemade umeboshi. On the lower left is ayuzushi.

Hamozushi (Pike Eel Sushi) – detail

Hamo is only eaten in Kyoto.

Sabazushi (Mackerel Sushi) – detail

Sabazushi is perhaps Kyoto’s most common and popular sushi.

Sasamaki (Sasa Bamboo Leaf Wrapped Sushi) – Wrapped

Sasamaki (Sasa Bamboo Leaf Wrapped Sushi) – Unwrapped

This is kodai, literally ‘small tai’ (young sea bream).

Temarizushi (Ball-shaped Sushi) – detail

This is squid (ika), notice the sprig of green kinome sansho leaf under the squid.

Q&A with Chef Tanigawa after the Feast

Chef Tanigawa said that he is open to doing such lessons occasionally for chefs from abroad. If you are a chef and going to be in town and want to learn from a Kyoto master chef, feel free to send us an email.

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The other day I was up in Shiga Prefecture, just over the East Mountains from Kyoto, on the shores of Lake Biwa and I was given a package of whole sugatani ayu, a trout-like sweetfish from Lake Biwa as a gift.

Itadakimono: A Gift Humbly Received
The giving of small gifts in Japan is an important part of the culture and gifts are very often food. Ayu, the sweetfish that inhabit rivers in Japan and Lake Biwa are prepared in a myriad of ways. Ayu Sugatani 鮎姿煮, is whole ayu simmered in sweetened sake and soy sauce with sansho. The small, 15 cm fish have been simmered a very long time, so you can eat everything; the head, bones, fins, internals. There is no bitterness from the internals and I didn’t even notice that I was eating bones. In Japan it is said that eating the bones of fish is very nutritious.

Whole Simmered Ayu on Jukkokumai ’10 Grain’ Rice

Jukkokumai Rice
I made some rice (also some itadakimono) with jukkokumai 十穀米, literally ’10 grains rice’. Jukkokumai comes in small packets and contains 10 kinds of grains that can be added to the rice cooker to make white rice more hearty and nutritious. There are lots of variations, 5, 10, 15 grain, and each company’s mix usually contains a unique assortment of grains.

I was intending the jukkokumai to be for breakfast but as I hadn’t eaten much today I decided to have some with my simmered ayu itadakimono for a midnight snack.

It just took a minute to prepare and tasted wonderful. I took one ayu out from the vacuum pack and cut it into thin sections. I simply placed it atop the rice and voilà! The gokokumai would have been a little bland all by itself and the simmered ayu would have been too salty alone. This was the perfect combination.

Oyu-wari Imo-jochu
I washed it down with some sweet potato shochu (imo-jochu) in hot water (oyu-wari). On a cold winter night, just before bed, shochu with hot water really hits the spot! The imo-jochu variety has a very strong and peculiar taste and bouquet. Imo-jochu is popular with older men in Japan. Women, as a rule, can’t stand the stuff.

Whole Simmered Ayu – In the Package

Whole Simmered Ayu – Sliced

The left side is the head and the right is the tail.

Whole Simmered Ayu on Jukkokumai Rice

Whole Simmered Ayu on Jukkokumai Rice – detail

Whole Simmered Ayu on Jukkokumai Rice – How to Eat

Sorry about the horrible photo, I was eating with one hand and photographing with the other. So, you just scoop up some rice with a piece of ayu.

Other Ayu Related Articles on KyotoFoodie
Wagashi: Ayugashi or Waka-ayu Sweetfish Shaped Confection
Wagashi: More Kawaii Father’s Day Wagashi

Meet ayugashi! A river fish shaped confection with waffle for a skin, bubbly soft mochi for innards and facial and fin features branded on with hot iron.

Ayu, or sweetfish in English, is a favorite trout-like river fish in season from late spring to mid-summer. Ayu is very delicious and usually enjoyed in the shio-yaki style (salt grilled).

Ayu like the koi is an important symbol in Japanese culture as it is a fish that swims upstream, battling rushing currents, rapids and waterfalls. This symbol is often associated with children in hopes for their growth and development.

Ayugashi (ayu confection) or waka-ayu (young ayu) is a very popular confection in early summer. Ayugashi — more or less — looks like the ayu fish. The body is made of a waffle-like crepe and folder over gyuhi, then the eyes, mouths, gills and fins are branded on the waffle with a hot iron.

Peko is actually a big ayugashi fan and has wanted to do a ayugashi ‘taste-test’ on the web long before the birth of KyotoFoodie. Also, in our Make KyotoFoodie Better Survey, people asked for a ‘Do Not Miss in Kyoto’ series. So, here we go.

We purchased some ayugashi from five of our favorite shinise wagashi shops in Kyoto. They are all wonderful and if you are in Kyoto from late spring to mid-summer, check out their ayugashi. They are fun to compare and contrast. Here is a list of the shops that we tried.

Nakamuraken 中村軒
Heianden 平安殿
Sentaro 仙太郎
Daigokuden 大極殿
Tawaraya Yoshitomi 俵屋吉富

Ayugashi, Waka-ayu – Our Selection in a Basket

Ayugashi from Nakamuraken (中村軒)

Nakamuraken’s ayugashi is very famous.

Nakamuraken 中村軒
P & P say: Relatively hard, chewy and very tasty, rather filling. The waffle is very well-made and seems very machine-made. The waffle wrapper was most ‘waffly’ of the five that we compared. The gyuhi was quite firm.

We think that Nakamuraken’s Ayugashi is technically very well-made and tastes very good. While some may say that is lacks uniqueness it strives for and achieves perfection. This is a classic ayugashi. Aesthetically, the appearance is somewhat unremarkable. It is just packaged in clear plastic.

Ayugashi from Heianden (平安殿) – Package

Excellent package. Those are the rapids that the ayu has to navigate. The ‘あゆ’ on the upper right says ‘ayu’.

Ayugashi from Heianden (平安殿)

Inside the beautiful package is a rather homely ayugashi, but at least it does have a fish face and gills.

Heianden 平安殿
P & P say: The beautiful package expresses visually what people love about ayu. The ayugashi itself is sort of frumpy and a bit crumpled, not particularly well-made technically. However, this is one of our favorite tasting ayugashi. The waffle is thin and delicate, nearly falling apart in some places. The gyuhi inside is huge and very, very soft, — bubbly soft. This was our favorite gyuhi.

Ayugashi from Sentaro (仙太郎)

Nice, classic ayugashi. Technically, well made.

Sentaro 仙太郎
P & P say: Another classic ayugashi similar to Nakamuraken’s, however Sentaro’s ayugashi really looks like an ayu. We like that! It is the most realistic of the five we tried with an articulated and decorated tail. Again, very ‘waffly’ waffle, thick and firm with a nice portion of gyuhi inside. Overall, very delicious.

Ayugashi from Daigokuden (大極殿)

Ayugashi from Daigokuden (大極殿)

Excuse me, that is a fish head? I get it, I get it! It’s conceptual art! (I have a BFA)

Daigokuden 大極殿
P & P say: This is one homely ayu, but tastes excellent. See, you can’t judge a book by its cover and you can’t judge an ayugashi by its waffle wrapping, either. We reckon (Paku’s favorite word) that this is ‘on the theme of ayu‘ rather than merely trying to look like an ayu. This ayugashi is filled with gyuhi from head to tail. The waffle has a very hand-made look to it. This is another of our favorites for taste, but the appearance is a little too crumpled. By Japanese standards, this ayugashi needs some styling.

Ayugashi from Tawaraya Yoshitomi (俵屋吉富) – Package

Some poetry on the packaging and tied with a string at the top.

Ayugashi from Tawaraya Yoshitomi (俵屋吉富)

Completely unique ayugashi, in two flavors and spattered with sugar like froth on whitewater.

Ayugashi from Tawaraya Yoshitomi (俵屋吉富) – detail

Beautifully articulated little ayu faces.

Tawaraya Yoshitomi 俵屋吉富
P & P say: Tawaraya Yoshitomi’s Kamogawa Ayu are very unique and has been one of Peko’s favs for several years now. The white one is new this year and is shiso flavored and the bluish one is yuzu flavored (Peko’s fav). This ayugashi doesn’t employ a waffle, but a hard, crunchy shell. Think taco and the others fajita.

This tasty work of art is even spattered with sugary froth like that on white water. Japanese love this kind of thing – aesthetic AND functional.

The taste is both novel and delicious. While some purists may not like this one, but we think that it is a home run!

Ayugashi, Waka-ayu – Compare and Contrast

Aren’t they cute?

Ayugashi, Waka-ayu

Ayugashi Cutaway – Gyuhi Inside

Compare the ‘innards’.

Ayugashi Cutaway

Nakamuraken vs Heianden

Ayu – Sweetfish

Real ayu look like this, averaging just 15 cm.

Ayu Shio-yaki – Grilled with Salt

This is how people normally eat ayu.

About the Confectionaries and Locations

Nakamuraken 中村軒
Nakamuraken started out making mochi for farmers to eat while doing their field work. Their representative product is called mugitemochi, literally ‘wheat pay mochi’ because the farmers purchased the mochi with wheat. This mochi is still popular and very delicious, though it cannot be purchased with wheat any longer!

Nakamuraken is located in Katsura, near the Katsura Imperial Villa which is a must see for visitors to Kyoto. If you are going to visit the villa, be sure to stop by Nakamuraken. If you are not heading out to Katsura, you can find Nakamuraken’s products in Takashimaya Department Store.

English:
English website: no
English menu: no
Location and Access: Approximately 20 minute walk north-east from Hankyu Katsura Station, located just around the corner from the Katsura Imperial Villa. (There are signs along the way. Alternatively a taxi or bus can be taken.)
Address: Kyoto-shi Nishikyo-ku Katsura Asahara-cho 61 (京都市西京区桂浅原町61)
Telephone: 075-381-2650
www.nakamuraken.co.jp (Japanese language only)
Map:

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Heianden 平安殿
Heianden is located near Heian Shrine and Okazaki Park, a popular destination for visitors to Kyoto. Okazaki Park is where most of Kyoto’s prominent museums are located.

Heianden makes not only Japanese sweets, but also Western sweets and always uses notable Kyoto places and cultural objects as a motif on their products.

English:
English website: no
English menu: no
Location and Access: Approximately 5 minute walk from Higashiyama Station (Tozai Subway Line), south of Heian Shirine.
Address: 605-0038 Kyoto-shi Higashiyama-ku Sanjo-agaru Jingu-michi Horiike-cho (京都市東山区平安神宮道三条上ル堀池町)
Telephone: 075-761-3355
www.heianden-wagashi.jp (Japanese language only)
Map:
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Sentaro 仙太郎
Sentaro, established in 1886 and maintains it’s own farm lands in the agriculturally rich area of Tamba. Sentaro’s wagashi has a decided natural look to it, nearly everything in the showcase is shades of brown with occasional punctuations of green (yomogi) and pink (salted plum blossoms). Sentaro has a strict policy of not using any preservatives, artificial colors, or even much sugar.

English:
English website: no
English menu: no

Location and Access: Sentaro Honten (main store) is located on Teramachi Street about a 2 minute walk south from Shijo Street.
Address: 604-8032 Kyoto-shi Shimogyo-ku Teramachi-dori Bukkou-ji agaru Nakanomachi 576
(京都市下京区寺町通り仏光寺上る中之町576)
Telephone: 075-344-0700
www.sentaro.co.jp (Japanese language only)
Map:

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See previous KyotoFoodie article here.

Daigokuden 大極殿
The first castella in Japan was brought from Portugal and was very, very expensive food. The second generation owner of Daigokuden heard about castella and went to Nagasaki where the Portuguese were to learn how to make castella. He then returned to Kyoto to make affordable kasutera for common people.

Daigokuden developed the first electric oven in Japan in order to make even better kasutera. This oven is now in the Kansai Electric Power Company museum.

English:
English website: no
English menu: no
Location and Access: Approximately 5 minutes walk from Karasuma Station (Hankyu Railway) near Nishiki Market.
Address: 604-8117 Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Rokkaku-dori Takakura Higashi-iru Minamigawa
(京都市中京区六角通高倉東入南側)
Telephone: 075-221-3311
www.inoda-coffee.co.jp/miyabi/shohin/daigokuden/index.html (Japanese language only)
Map:

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Tawaraya Yoshitomi 俵屋吉富
Tawaraya Yoshitomi established in 1755 and is now a very well known throughout Japan. Tawaraya Yoshitomi even has a wonderful confectionary history museum that is free and open to the public. They have a new store and cafe near both Omotesenke and Urasenke School of Tea H.Q.

English:
English website: no
English menu: no

Tawaraya Yoshitomi Honten (Main Store)
Location and Access: Approximately 5 minute walk from Imadegawa Station (Karasuma Subway Line).
Address: 602-0029 Kyoto-shi Kamigyo-ku Muromachi-dori Kamidachiuri-agaru (京都市上京区室町通上立売上ル)
Telephone: 075-432-2211
www.kyogashi.co.jp/b-1.html (Japanese language only)
Map:

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Tawaraya Yoshitomi Museum 京菓子資料館
Location and Access: Approximately 5 minute walk from Imadegawa Station (Karasuma Subway Line).
Address: 602-0021 Kyoto-shi Kamigyo-ku Karasuma-dori Kamidachiuri-agaru Yanaginozushi-cho 331-2 (京都府京都市上京区烏丸通り上立売上ル柳図子町331-2)
Telephone: 075-432-3101
www.kyogashi.co.jp/b-3.html (Japanese language only)
Map:

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Cafe Tawaraya (茶ろんたわらや)
Location and Access: Cafe Tawaraya is a new and delightful cafe. It is located in a fairly inconvenient but very historic neighborhood. If you are a tea ceremony fan and planning to visit Urasenke or Omotesenke, or going to the Nishijin historic weaving district, stop in at Cafe Tawaraya. See map.
Address: 602-0062 Kyoto-shi Kamigyo-ku Teranouchi-dori Ogawa-nishiiru, Hokyoin Higashi-machi 592 (京都市上京区寺之内通小川西入ル宝鏡院東町592)
Telephone: 075-411-0114
www.kyogashi.co.jp/b-2.html (Japanese language only)
Map:

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Father’s Day, ‘Kyoto’ style. Yummy wagashi on the theme of work, fishing and love. Thanks Dad!

While wandering around Gion, Peko dropped into one of his favorite wagashi shops and discovered these delightful Father’s Day themed wagashi set. Kawaii indeed goes a long way to communicate feelings of love and affection.

The Wagashi

Salaryman Shirt and Tie Wagashi

Work: Dads work hard!

Creel with Ayu Wagashi

Weekends: Dads like to fish. This is a woven fish basket with ayu. Ayu is a very well-loved river fish that is in season here in the early summer.

Rose Wagashi

Love.

Father’s Day Wagashi Set

The Package

Box: Wrapped

Box: Unwrapped

The message, “お父さん ありがとう” means, “Thanks Dad”.

Box: Opened