Kappabashi Kitchen Town & Cucumbers

Kappabashi Kitchenware Town かっぱ橋道具街 an area in Taito City, Tokyo. Take the Tokyo Metro’s Ginza line to Tawaramachi Station walk west and turn right and you’re greeted by an enormous statue of a chef with his 11-metre-high head, and white chef’s hat, it has come to symbolise this neighbourhood and the start of  Kappabashi Kitchen Town district.

With over 170 shops in its 800m (half-mile) radius Kappabashi is the ultimate paradise for professional and amateur chefs alike.

The area’s history dates back to 1912 when it began as a secondhand tool market. Over time, Kappabashi evolved into a hub for the restaurant and catering industry.

You will need to dedicate a few hours at least to browse the many stores full of ceramics, knives and kitchen supplies.

In fact, many restauranteurs come to Kappabashi to buy their chefs’ coats, signs and noren so you’re sure to pick up something a bit unique for a souvenir.

Why the name “Kappabashi”? Originally, the name “Kappabashi” is thought to have come from either the raincoats (“kappa”) worn by nearby residents and hung out to dry on the bridge (“bashi”), or from a prominent merchant at the time named Kihachi Kappaya. However nowadays even though Kappabashi has nothing to do with a mythological amphibious mischievous water demon (kappa 合羽) of Japanese folklore, you will find it almost a mascot adopted by the shop keepers finding statues and signs all over the area.

So what is a kappa?

Kappa is one of the many creatures of Japanese folklore and is one of Japan’s 3 most popular yokai (妖怪) supernatural spirits along with Tengu and Oni. Kappa kind of look cute with his little boy features also known as kawatarō (川太郎, “river-boy”) typically depicted as green, human-like beings with webbed hands and feet and turtle like shell on their their backs. On its head is a dish (sara), the source of his power which retains water, and if this is damaged or its liquid is lost (either through spilling or drying up), the kappa is severely weakened and the only way a kappa can go on land is if it is full. But don’t be fooled by the cuteness of this water deity who lives in rivers and other bodies of water for he will drag people, horses, and cattle into rivers, drowning them, and feast on their organs.

Because of the reputation of this you will often see a kappa depicted on “No Swimming” signs warning children to beware of the water. 

But there is one thing kappa love more than flesh and that’s cucumbers! Just feed him cucumber and he’ll thank you by sparing your life. This is probably why a cucumber filled sushi roll is known as Kappa Maki かっぱ巻き.

In the humid hot summer Japanese people all love their cucumbers and you can find many varieties of cucumber snacks during the summer season. If you’re visiting a summer matsuri you may see them being sold as a refreshing street food chilled on a stick.
Kyūri Asazuke きゅうりの浅漬け are the perfect summertime on-a-stick food, asazuke, refers to quick pickles that take just a few hours.

Known as Kyūri キュウリ in Japanese it is high in vitamin K, and contains vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, manganese, vitamin A, riboflavin, and calcium. It has valuable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, benefits, and it provides excellent hydration. Cucumbers are best eaten raw but it is also popular in soups, stews, juiced, and pickled.

Cucumber on a stick are easy to make:

In a saucepan mix half a teaspoon of kombu dashi powder, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoons of brown rice vinegar, 2 teaspoon of soy sauce and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and turn on the heat until the sugar dissolves, add one more teaspoon of brown rice vinegar then leave to cool.

You will need x4 medium cucumbers, cut off the ends and rub the ends together to take away any bitterness. I used some mini cucumbers which I thought would make the perfect snack. Peel the skin into stripes, this gives a more attractive look and  it helps absorb more marinade .

Sprinkle half a teaspoon of salt onto the cucumbers and rub it in then set aside for 5 minutes then rinse off the salt and pat dry.

Discard the seeds from 1 small red chili pepper and cut into thin rounds.

Add your cucumbers to a ziplock bag and sprinkle on the seasoning and chill pepper. Seal the bag and  rub the cucumbers from the outside until evenly coated in seasoning. Leave in the fridge to marinate for 4 to 5 hours.

Insert a skewer into the centre of each cucumber and serve the cucumbers on a stick over ice cubes, they cool and crisp with a nice crunch.

Cucumbers are wonderful to use in the summer as a Tsukemono (pickle) they make a refreshing side dish to any meal.

Ingredients

1 ridge or Japanese cucumber

1/2 teaspoons salt

Marinade:

1/2 tbsp black vinegar

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp maple syrup or sweetener of choice

Garnish

sesame seeds and a dash of Shichi-mi tōgarashi pepper

Method:

1. Wash your cucumbers then slice off the ends. Place between a pair of wooden chopsticks and slice at an angle all the way down. Flip and repeat and chop into chunks.
2. Put into a bowl and sprinkle some salt over to draw out any excess moisture. Set aside for 5 mins then rinse and squeeze out any liquid. 
3. In a bowl mix your marinade ingredients and pour over your prepared cucumber
4. Chill in the fridge and when ready to serve add your sesame and schichimi pepper or a few drops of chilli oil. 

Cucumber is delicious and refreshing grated finely with a Japanese grater called a Kyocera ceramic grater it is also ideal for grating ginger, garlic or spices and making Daikon oroshi. Just simply grate the cucumber and place in a bowl adding a little yuzu or lime citrus juice. Then add this to chilled silken tofu in the summer.

Cucumber is an ingredient that everyone uses in their salad making. It’s cooling in the summer and has a high water content so is hydrating. However in Japan they also cook cucumber and this was something I was intrigued to try out. We cook zucchini which is similar so let’s try cucumber.

This dish is so easy but so flavourful that after I made it I thought I really wanted to share it with you. Just simply serve on rice maybe with a miso soup and you have a wonderful meal.

Kyuri Itame

I like to use a peeler and peel the skin into stripes it makes the dish more appealing but you don’t have to do that . I used ridge cucumber but you can use any cucumber you like. Depending on how many people your making this for I used half a large cucumber per person.

Cut the cucumber at an angle into thick slices and then half the slices.

Put your slices into a pan. Mix together equal parts of  mirin, tamari or soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, a little salt and sesame paste . I use Japanese sesame paste if you can’t get it then use tahini.

Mix together adding a little water. I used one tablespoon of each for each half a cucumber also add a teaspoon of grated peeled ginger.

You could also add a little miso as an alternative to the sesame paste for a different flavour .

Heat your pan and pour in the mixture and sprinkle in some sesame seeds. I also added some radish for colour. Stir fry until browned slightly and the sauce has thickened. Spoon out onto warm freshly cooked rice.

I hope you will enjoy eating cucumbers this summer and watch out for those kappas!