Learning to Make Soba Dashi at Honke Owariya

April 30, 2008 18 Comments

Learning to Make 'dashi' at Honke Owariya

We were privileged to visit one of our favorite Kyoto restaurants, Honke Owariya that is among the oldest restaurants in the world, and learn how to make their incredibly delicious ‘dashi‘ broth for soba noodles. Having about 540 years of experience to draw upon is a fantastically delicious thing!…

Wagashi: Ryuen Rakuseki and Maccha Rakuseki

March 11, 2008 10 Comments

Wagashi Series: Ryuen Rakuseki and Maccha Rakuseki (柳苑: 楽石・抹茶楽石)

Wagashi: Ryuen Rakuseki and Maccha Rakuseki

Ryuen specializes in a simple and elegant wagashi that combines a center of candied kuri (chestnut) embedded in koshian (sweet azuki bean paste) with a coating of sugar and kuzu (arrow root starch), some with the addition of sugary green tea powder (maccha). Ryuen‘s wagashi is decidedly classical in…

Wagashi: Sentaro Rice Flour Kasutera, Soba and Wheat Manju

March 9, 2008 11 Comments

Wagashi Series: Sentaro Rice Flour Kasutera, Soba and Wheat Manju (仙太郎)

Sentaro‘s kasutera (Castella sponge cake) is a real treat! It’s sophisticated in flavor, caramelly and very mochi-mochi (soft and chewy). Sentaro‘s manju, both soba (buckwheat) and wheat are excellent and unique.…

Sake: Learning to Make Sake at Kitagawa Honke Sake Brewery in Fushimi – Part 5

February 28, 2008 7 Comments

This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series Kitagawa Honke Sake Brewery

Sake: Learning to Make Sake at Kitagawa Honke Sake Brewery in Fushimi – Part 5

Fushimi, Kyoto still has some beautiful places and offers a glimpse into what Fushimi must have been like before industrialization. I took my camera around the neighborhood and visited Okinaya, a…