Mushi pan (蒸しパン) literally means “steamed bread,” and it emerged in Japan in the late 19th to early 20th century, around the time Western-style baking was being introduced during the Meiji era. Ovens weren’t yet common in Japanese homes, so steaming, already a familiar technique used for foods like dumplings and rice cakes became a practical way to recreate soft, bread like textures.
These early mushi pan were simple, often lightly sweet and made with wheat flour, sugar, and eggs. Over time, they evolved into a popular homemade snack and a staple in school lunches and convenience stores across Japan. Their appeal lies in their ease and adaptability you’ll find versions flavoured with chocolate, sweet potato, or seasonal ingredients.
The addition of matcha reflects Japan’s deep tea culture, rooted in traditions like the japanese tea ceremony, where matcha has long been prized for its flavour and symbolism. Meanwhile, preserved salted sakura (cherry blossoms) are a distinctly seasonal touch, often used in springtime sweets to celebrate the fleeting beauty of blossoms, especially during hanami celebrations.
Soft, and delicately fragrant, matcha mushi pan is a comforting Japanese steamed cake that brings together simplicity and elegance . Unlike baked cakes, this treat is gently steamed, giving it a moist, cloud-like texture that feels both light and satisfying. The earthy depth of matcha pairs beautifully with the subtle sweetness of the batter, creating a balanced flavour that’s both calming and indulgent. Topped with preserved salted sakura, each piece carries a hint of springtime in Japan. Whether enjoyed as a quiet afternoon snack or shared with others over tea, this mushi pan is a small moment to celebrate the freshness and beauty of springtime.
Rooted in tradition yet wonderfully simple, my mushi pan recipe is completely plant based without the use of eggs or dairy using silken tofu and soy milk as an alternative but carrying on using traditional Japanese ingredients.
Together, all these elements bring both history and seasonality into each bite.
Recipe Ingredients:
Dry
4 gms sifted matcha
120 gram of self raising flour
Wet
180 gms silken tofu
2 tablespoon of flavourless oil
100 ml of soy milk
120 ml agave sweetener
x6 salted preserved sakura blossoms (sometimes sold as tea)
You will also need some parchment paper, a 15cm bamboo steamer, x1 bowl, a sieve and a blender.
Method:
Wash the salt off the sakura flowers and lay them on some kitchen towel and pat dry.
Sift the flour and matcha into a bowl and mix
Blend all the liquid ingredients
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and fold in
Line the bamboo steamer with parchment paper and pour in the ingredients
Place the sakura on-top
Place the bamboo steamer with the lid on over a pan of boiling water and steam for 30 minutes until you can put a skewer through cleanly.
Remove the steamer from the pan and leave to cool slightly
Serve in slices (nice still slightly warm)
Once steamed to perfection, these matcha mushi pan are best enjoyed warm, when their soft texture and delicate aroma are at their peak.
The gentle bitterness of matcha alongside the floral-salty note of sakura creates a beautifully multi-layered flavour that lingers pleasantly. Serve them with a cup of green tea for a truly soothing experience, or simply savour them on their own as a mindful treat.
However you choose to enjoy them, these little cakes offer a taste of tradition and a moment of calm.
Before the celebrated cherry blossoms appear, the quiet beauty of plum blossoms signals that winter is at an end. The delicate flowers of the plum tree, known as ume, bloom in the coldest weeks at the end of winter. Their blossoms often appear while the air is still crisp, making them a symbol of resilience and the first promise of spring.
In Japanese culture, plum blossoms are admired for their quiet strength, blooming bravely even when frost still lingers. They are often represented in seasonal sweets and tea utensils during late winter gatherings inspired by Chanoyu 茶の湯 (Japanese tea ceremony). These early blossoms gently prepare the heart for the season to come.
In Japan, the changing seasons are felt not only in the landscape but also in the small rituals of everyday life. A bowl of tea prepared in the quiet atmosphere of Chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony), a seasonal sweet carefully chosen for its colour and meaning, or the first blossoms appearing on a tree all become ways of noticing the passage of time.
Soon after, the cherry blossoms begin to bloom, transforming landscapes across Japan into clouds of pale pink. Their brief but breathtaking beauty is celebrated through the tradition of Hanami 花見,when people gather beneath the blossoms to appreciate their fleeting splendour.
Together, plum and cherry blossoms represent the unfolding of spring itself. Plum blossoms offer the first quiet whisper of the season, while cherry blossoms mark its joyful arrival.
Just as plum blossoms hint at spring before the cherry trees bloom, sweets such as sakura mochi allow us to taste the coming season before it fully arrives.
In Japan, the seasons are not simply observed as they arrive; they are gently anticipated. Long before the first cherry blossoms open, subtle signs of spring begin to appear in everyday life.
People begin celebrating the feeling of the coming spring through tea gatherings, seasonal sweets, and carefully chosen tea ware.
A tea bowl decorated with plum blossoms, a sweet shaped like a spring flower, or a scroll in a quiet alcove hinting at warmer days to come.
This quiet anticipation reflects a deep cultural sensitivity to the passing of time and the beauty of seasonal change. In the world of Chanoyu, the host carefully prepares a gathering that allows guests to feel the coming season before it has fully arrived. Winter lingers outside, but inside the tea room the promise of spring is already present.
Unlike many cultures that celebrate a season once it has arrived, Japanese seasonal appreciation often begins weeks earlier. In tea gatherings, hosts select utensils and sweets that hint at the coming season rather than the current one.
For example, during the final weeks of winter, tea hosts may already introduce imagery of plum blossoms or early spring plants. This subtle transition helps guests emotionally shift from the heaviness of winter toward the hope and renewal of spring.
This approach reflects a philosophy sometimes described as “meeting the season halfway.” Another saying is “kisetsu no hazama” きせつのはざま “between seasons”. The flow from one season to another can also be known as “kisetsu no meguri” the cycle of seasons.
In tea culture, every object used during a gathering carries meaning. Tea bowls, hanging scrolls, and sweets may depict early spring themes such as plum blossoms, young grasses, or flowing water.
A host might choose a tea bowl decorated with plum blossoms to evoke the first flowers of the year whose blossoms appear before cherry blossoms and symbolize resilience and renewal.
Even the hanging calligraphy scroll in the (tokonome) “alcove”may reference spring with a phrase suggesting warmth returning or snow melting.
Japanese confectionery, known as wagashi plays an important role in expressing seasonal anticipation. In late winter tea gatherings, guests may be served sweets shaped like buds, spring flowers or plum blossoms. These delicate creations visually suggest that spring is about to emerge.
The sweets are often eaten before drinking powdered green tea such as matcha,balancing the tea’s bitterness with subtle sweetness while reinforcing the seasonal theme of the gathering.
Japanese language contains many seasonal expressions that capture the emotional transition from winter to spring.
In Japan there are many words for the subtle moments that mark the approach of spring haru no kehai, the signs of spring in the air; yoharu, the lingering chill of winter; or ume ichirin, the first plum blossom quietly opening. Together they express the gentle art of harumachi—waiting for spring.
These expressions appear in poetry, tea gatherings, and everyday conversation.
Haru-machizuki (春待月) – “The month waiting for spring”
This poetic term refers to the final month of winter, when people begin anticipating spring’s arrival. The phrase evokes a feeling of quiet patience, as nature prepares to awaken.
Haruge (春気) – “The feeling of spring in the air”
This word describes the subtle change in atmosphere when winter begins to soften. It might be felt in slightly warmer sunlight, the scent of earth, or the first hints of new growth.
Kigo (季語) – Seasonal words in poetry
Another seasonal marker appears in traditional Japanese poetry forms like “haiku”where specific “kigo”(seasonal words) signal the time of year. Words like plum blossom, thawing snow, or bush warbler all hint that spring is near.
Mono no aware (物の哀れ) – The gentle awareness of impermanence
A central aesthetic in Japanese culture,mono no aware, describes the bittersweet awareness that beautiful moments are fleeting. Anticipating spring reflects this feeling: the joy of the coming season is heightened by knowing it will soon pass.
Hanami (花見) – Flower viewing
The well known spring tradition of hanami celebrates the blooming of cherry trees. Yet the anticipation of the blossoms watching the buds swell and waiting for the first bloom is just as meaningful as the celebration itself.
Haru no kehai (春の気配) – “The signs of spring”
This phrase describes the first subtle hints that spring is approaching, a slightly softer breeze, the lengthening of daylight, or the earliest buds beginning to form. In the context of a tea gathering inspired by chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony)it reflects the host’s effort to bring the feeling of the coming season into the tea room before it fully arrives.
Yoharu (余寒) – “The lingering cold of early spring”
Even as spring approaches, there are still cold days that remind us winter has not quite left. This word captures that gentle in-between moment when warmth is beginning to return but the air still carries a chill. It beautifully reflects the transitional mood often expressed through seasonal wagashi and tea utensils.
Ume ichirin (梅一輪) – “A single plum blossom”
This poetic phrase refers to the first plum blossom of the year. Because plum blossoms bloom earlier than cherry blossoms, they are often seen as the earliest herald of spring. In Japanese poetry and tea culture, a single blossom symbolizes hope, resilience, and the quiet beginning of the new season.
Harumachi (春待ち) – “Waiting for spring”
This simple but deeply evocative phrase expresses the feeling of patiently anticipating spring’s arrival. It reflects a shared cultural appreciation for the gradual unfolding of the seasons rather than their sudden arrival.
Anticipating spring in Japan is not only about aesthetics, it is also about emotional awareness. Winter is seen as a time of stillness and the coming of spring symbolises renewal, hope, and gentle excitement.
Through tea gatherings, seasonal sweets, and poetic language, people collectively share this transition. The experience becomes less about marking a date on a calendar and more about feeling the gradual awakening of nature.
This sensitivity to seasonal change is deeply embedded in Japanese life, from cuisine and clothing to festivals and art.
The famous blossom viewing tradition known as hanami celebrates the blooming of cherry trees but even this celebration is anticipated weeks in advance through forecasts and gatherings.
By the time the blossoms finally open, people have already been emotionally preparing for the moment. In Japan, spring does not arrive suddenly. It is sensed in small details the curve of a tea bowl, the sweetness of a seasonal confection, the quiet awareness that spring is just around the corner.
One sweet that perfectly captures the feeling of early spring in Japan is sakura mochi 桜餅. Soft pink or white rice cakes filled with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in a gently salted cherry leaf evoke the delicate blossoms that will soon appear across the country.
Traditionally enjoyed in early spring and especially during Hinamatsuri, sakura mochi reflects the Japanese love of seasonal symbolism. The pale pink colour mirrors the blossoms of the cherry trees, while the preserved cherry leaf adds a subtle salty fragrance.
Served alongside a bowl of Matcha during a tea gathering inspired by Chanoyu, sakura mochi allows guests to taste the coming season before the blossoms themselves have fully arrived. In this way, the sweet becomes more than a dessert it is a small expression of anticipation, inviting us to welcome spring with both patience and delight.
Kansai-Style Sakura Mochi (Domyoji)
The Kansai version of sakura mochi is made using coarsely ground glutinous rice rather than a thin pancake. The rice grains remain slightly visible, giving the sweet a soft, textured appearance that resembles tiny flower buds an image that beautifully echoes the theme of early spring.
This style is strongly associated with the western region of Japan, particularly the cultural area around Kansai region which includes historic cities such as Kyoto, Osakaand Nara.
Kansai sakura mochi is normally made with Domyoji flour, derived from a traditional ingredient called domyoji-ko 道明寺粉. This is glutinous rice that has been steamed, dried, and coarsely ground. When rehydrated and lightly steamed with sugar, the grains become soft while still retaining a delicate texture. This gives Kansai sakura mochi its characteristic soft but slightly chewy bite, quite different from the smooth crepe-like version found in eastern Japan.
This can be quite difficult to obtain so today I am sharing with you an easier recipe using sweet glutinous mochi rice which is more easily available.
The Kansai version is usually formed into a small round cake filled with sweet red bean paste (anko). The soft pink rice is then wrapped in a salt-pickled cherry blossom leaf (“sakuraba no shiozuke”.) I have a recipe for making these on this site when the young leaves emerge in May. However you can buy them now from the wasabi company in the U.K. Please use my discount code TOKYOPONY10. See link at the bottom or side of your page.
The leaf provides a gentle saltiness and floral aroma that balances the sweetness of the bean filling. Visually, the contrast of pink rice and green leaf reflects the colours of spring just before the cherry blossoms bloom.
Like many forms of wagashi Kansai-style sakura mochi is designed to evoke the coming season rather than simply represent it. Its colour, shape, and fragrance all hint at the arrival of cherry blossom season and the tradition of flower viewing . Finish with a preserved salted sakura flower (“oka no shiozuke”.)
If you would like to make your own this year I again have a recipe on this site. However if you would like to make your sakura mochi now in anticipation of the season they can be again obtained on line often sold as sakura tea.
Served with a bowl of freshly whisked matcha, the sweetness of the rice and red bean filling softens the tea’s bitterness while also preparing the senses for the subtle seasonal theme of the gathering. In this way, sakura mochi becomes more than a seasonal dessert. It is a quiet gesture of anticipation an invitation to pause, savour the moment, and welcome the approaching beauty of the cherry blossoms.
Through sweets such as sakura mochi, the coming of spring is welcomed before the cherry blossoms open. The soft pink rice, sweet bean filling, and fragrant cherry leaf offer a small taste of the season ahead. Soft, fragrant, and gently sweet, sakura mochi offers a taste of spring long before the cherry blossoms open an edible reminder of Japan’s quiet anticipation of the changing seasons.
Recipe For Sakura Mochi 桜餅
They are made with sweet half pounded ( hangoroshi ) mochi rice.
The above shows mochi rice as well as Japanese bought and homemade sweet bean paste (anko).
You will need 1/2 a rice cooker cup of sushi rice and 1/2 a rice cooker of cup sweet mochi rice (mochigome) available on line in the U.K. from places like natural natural, or check your own Asian grocery stores.
The plastic rice cooker cup that comes with the rice cooker is 3/4 cup (180ml). In Japan, this amount is called ichi go (一合).
Red bean paste filling available from natural natural or the Japan centre in the U.K. or check your own local Asian grocery store or online.
Some salted Sakura leaves from the wasabi company and salted sakura flowers from the Japan centre.
Pink food colouring (natural beetroot juice or beetroot powder mixed with a little water)
1: First give the rice a good rinse changing the water until in runs clean.
2: Soak your rice in four cups of water over night.
3: Drain in a sieve and leave for 30 minutes.
4: While the rice is draining rinse the salt off the flowers and leaves and lay them out on some kitchen towel cover them over with another sheet and blot off the excess water.
5: Cook in a rice cooker with two cups of fresh cold water.
6: Mix a few drops of colouring into the rice when the rice is done.
7: Mash your rice but not fully so you still have some grain and leave to cool covered with a cloth so it doesn’t dry out.
8: Divide the rice into balls and flatten out. Use damp hands and a wet clean cloth to hand. I like to use a little sakura syrup mixed with water but you could also use a sugar syrup if you wish.
8: In the middle of each flattened ball add a ball of anko and then fold the rice over the anko to make a sealed ball. Carry on making until all are done.
9: Place each rice ball onto a leaf and fold the leaf over. Continue with all the remaining rice balls.
10: Finish with a salted sakura flower
11: Enjoy
In this way, the anticipation of spring becomes something to savour slowly shared in the warmth of tea, the beauty of seasonal wagashi, and the quiet awareness that nature is beginning to awaken once again.
Why not check out my other sakura mochi blogs on this site where I talk about sakura no hi (さくらの日), Day of Cherry Blossoms and have a recipe for Kanto style style sakura mochi known as Chomeiji mochi 長命寺餅.
Planning a trip to Tokyo or Kyoto this sakura season? Why not check out my walking tours on my travel section.
On March 16th in the rural farming areas of Japan just before the spring equinox, according to Shinto belief the rice deity comes down from the mountains once more after their hibernation over winter to protect the rice paddy fields.
This deity is called Ta-no-Kami田の神 .
Ta-no-Kami (田の神) is a kami (spirit) who is believed to observe the harvest of rice plants or to bring a good harvest. Ta in Japanese means “rice fields”.
In this unusual blog post I discuss why 16 rice balls are eaten at this time and the origins of a dance which turned into a food we now enjoy on a skewer.
This celebration is a folk calendar observance rather than a formal Shinto festival. That’s why you’ll see several closely related names depending on region.
The most common name is Ta-no-Kami Matsuri (田の神祭り)
This is the most widely used descriptive name for March 16 literally meaning “Festival of the Rice Field Deity.” It refers specifically to welcoming Ta-no-Kami into the fields. In villages, people often did not think of it as a “festival” in the modern sense, but later matsuri was applied as a convenient label.
Because the key idea is descent from the mountains, some regional names focus on that moment, Ta-no-Kami oroshi (田の神降ろし) “the descent of the field god” highlighting the crossing from mountain to field. Kami-mukae (神迎え)”welcoming the deity”a very old ritual term also used for other seasonal spirit arrivals.These names emphasise hospitality toward the kami, rather than celebration. In premodern contexts, the day might be described more formally as Sangatsu jūrokunichi (三月十六日) “The sixteenth day of the third month” This sounds plain, but in agrarian life it functioned as a fixed sacred marker, much like “Obon” does later in the year.
It is actually significant that there is no singlename as Ta-no-Kami belief predates centralized Shinto. It belongs to local, household based religion where such observances weretransmitted by word of mouth and varied from village to village. So the function of the day mattered more than its title.
As mentioned before it is custom to eat sixteen rice balls on this day so the day can also be referred to simply as Jūroku-dango (十六団子) “The sixteen dumplings.” In practice, people might say “today is jūroku-dango.” This is especially common in Tohoku and eastern Japan, where food based naming of ritual days is frequent.
Ta-no-Kami literally means “the deity of the rice paddies.” Rather than a single, fixed god, Ta-no-Kami is best understood as a seasonally moving spirit connected to rice cultivation, ancestors, and the landscape.
In many regional traditions, Ta-no-Kami has two identities depending on the time of year. Yama-no-Kami (山の神) the mountain god, dwelling in the hills during winter. Ta-no-Kami (田の神) the rice field god, descending to the paddies in spring. This reflects an older belief that mountains are the realm of ancestral spirits and they descend to protect and energize the fields during planting season then after the harvest, they return to the mountains once more. In this sense, Ta-no-Kami is often linked to ancestral spirits, not just agricultural fertility.
The 16th day of the 3rd lunar month (later mapped onto March 16 in many regions after calendar reforms) was widely regarded as the day when Ta-no-Kami descends from the mountains to the fields.
Meaning of this date marks the beginning of the agricultural year. Farmers ritually “welcomed” the deity to ensure healthy seedlings, protection from pests and flood and a bountiful harvest. This date appears repeatedly in folk calendars across Japan, though exact timing could vary by region and climate.
Practices differed locally, but common elements included,welcoming rites offeringrice, sake, vegetables, or mochi. Also setting up yorishiro (objects to invite the deity), such as branches, bamboo poles,straw decorations plus cleaning irrigation channels and paddies as a form of ritual purification. Shared meals helped bind the community and symbolically shared sustenance with the deity
The number 16 itself carries symbolic weight in Japanese folk religion. The 16th often marks a boundary day between sacred and ordinary time. For example. The 16th day of the 7th month is when ancestral spirits are believed to return to the other world after Obon. This reinforces the idea that March 16 is a threshold moment, when a deity crosses between realms (mountain to field). Even now, echoes of these beliefs persist.
Ta-no-Kami statues (often humorous or rustic) can be found in rural areas, especially in Kyushu and southern Japan. Short, squat bodies large or exaggerated heads, sometimes holding rice sheaves sake cups and farming tools. Occasionally smiling, laughing, or slightly grotesque or ancestral representation. Many scholars believe Ta-no-Kami statues are memorialised ancestors, not abstract gods. Their human like appearance reflects this, the rice deity and the ancestral spirit are effectively the same being. Grotesque or exaggerated features are common in protective objects. They ward off disease, crop failure, and malevolent spirits.
Ta-no-Kami statues are often placed at the edge of rice fields, near irrigation channels and at village boundaries. These are spaces exactly where spiritual protection is thought to be most necessary.
Spring festivals still include welcomingrites for field deities, ritual plowing or planting demonstrations, some communities continue to mark March 16 (or its local equivalent) as a special agricultural observance
When Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1873, lunar dates like “the 16th day of the 3rd month” no longer aligned with seasons But agricultural timing is seasonal, not numerical. Villages responded in different ways to this, some fixed rituals to March 16 others shifted rites to a similar seasonal moment the nearest convenient festival day many continued rites quietly, without official recognition.
The custom of eating 16 rice balls (十六の団子・十六団子) on the 16th of the 3rd month is one of the clearest survivals of Ta-no-Kami belief.
On this day, households traditionally prepared 16 small rice balls or dumplings and offered them to Ta-no-Kami, after which they were eaten by the family or community.
This practice is usually called: Jūroku-dango (“sixteen dumplings”)
As mentioned earlier, 16 is a powerful number in Japanese folk religion between past and present , the living and the spirit word etc.
It appears at moments when spirits move between worlds.The agricultural cycle turns sacred time briefly overlaps with everyday time. You see this same logic later in the year: 7/16 ancestral spirits return after Obon 3/16 Ta-no-Kami descends to the fields So the 16 rice balls function as a properly measured offering for a deity crossing realms.
In folk belief, gods and spirits require symbolic sufficiency, not abundance. Sixteen represents wholeness, balance and enough to sustain the deity during the growing season The rice balls were often made small, emphasising number and ritual correctness rather than quantity.
While details varied regionally, a common pattern was sixteen rice balls prepared early in the daythen offered at a Ta-no-Kami statue, the edge of the rice field, a household altar or temporary shrine.Sometimes accompanied by sake, salt and seasonal greens. Later the rice balls were shared among family members, or eaten communally. Eating them was important it completed the ritual by sharing substance with the deity.
In some regions the head of the household ate first, in others, children were encouraged to eat them for health. Occasionally, one rice ball was left uneaten or placed in the field “for the god.”These variations reflect whether Ta-no-Kami was imagined more as an ancestor, a protective spirit or a force inhabiting the land itself
In many places today this ritual is a quiet survival, people no longer eat exactly 16 rice balls but you still see spring rice offerings, first planting meals and special foods eaten “because it’s the season”.
Even when the explanation is forgotten, the pattern persists.
Why not make small rice dumplings to enjoy as a seasonal treat.
You could make shiratama dango or rice balls enjoyed in a broth with seasonal vegetables known as domako nabe (rice ball hotpot) a popular dish from mountainous regions of Tohoku. Or try making temari sushi small rice balls with different toppings.
Ta-no-Kami and Inari have similar roles with different origins.
At first glance, Ta-no-Kami (田の神) and Inari (稲荷) look like the same deity both are associated with rice. But they come from very different religious layers.
Ta-no-Kami is local, ancestral and rooted in folk belief,closely linked to ancestors mountains and field seasonal movement.
Worship is communal, and rarely has a shrine building in the early period Ta-no-Kami is less a “god” in the modern sense and more a presence or force that must be welcomed, hosted, and seen off correctly.
Inari Emerges as a formal deity by the Nara/Heian periods became closely associated with rice and prosperity.
Inari absorbed Ta-no-Kami functions In villages, people might say “Inari-sama” but still perform rites that are clearly Ta-no-Kami in structure. The fox, now iconic for Inari, may have replaced older animal or ancestral symbols.
In this blog post I also wanted to introduce a Japanese food you probably have heard of, “Dengaku” (田楽) which literally means “field music” or “rice-paddy music.” It originated in the Heian period as an agricultural ritual performed to pray for a good rice harvest.The performances took place near rice fields and involved dancers balancing on tall stilts, thought to encourage rice plants to grow tall. Music played on drums, flutes, and hand held percussion with sometimes acrobatic movements. By the late Heian and Kamakura periods, professional performers known as dengaku hōshi emerged, and the dance evolved into a form of popular entertainment as well as a ritual. Dengaku performances became especially fashionable among both commoners and elites in the Muromachi period, influencing later theatrical forms. So how did a dance become food?
The connection to food came through visual resemblance during performances, dancers often carried or manipulated long poles or stilts, skewered foods especially tofu cut into rectangles and grilled on sticks were seen as resembling these poles. Over time,foods served on skewers began to be called dengaku, metaphorically referencing the dance.By the Edo period, this culinary meaning became dominant, and for most people dengaku meant food rather than dance.
The classic elements developed in the Edo period skewered tofu, konnyaku, eggplant, or taro grilled and topped with a sweet or savoury miso glaze. Variations depended on region white miso (Kyoto/Kansai) red or hatchō miso (Nagoya area) and mustard miso combinations in some areas. Tofu dengaku in particular became associated with Buddhist temple cuisine, since it was vegetarian and affordable.
In modern Japanese, dengaku almost always refers to the food, but the original meaning survives in historical texts, and folk performance research.
Dengaku fits naturally into this worldview, It was performed in or near rice fields,the rhythmic stomping, music, and elevated movements were thought to awaken the land and encourage rice to grow tall and strong. When performed around spring rites, it functioned as a visible offering to Ta-no-Kami. So dengaku was not just entertainment it was communication with the divine, enacted through sound and movement.
This helps explain why foods like tofu dengaku could later carry such symbolic weight. By the Edo period, the ritual meaning faded for most people,but the structure remained,keeping those relationships in balance. Dengaku the dance speaks to the gods. Dengaku the food preserves the memory of that act.
This year I put all this together into one celebration meal by making 16 small rice balls with chopped shungiku (chrysanthemum greens), red shiso and ume vinegar, adding two of each to aburaage fried inari pouches, the favourite food of inari. Finishing off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a salted sakura flower, to welcome in the spring.
How ever you might celebrate the seasonal change it helps link us to the past, keep us in the present and preserve for the future.
When we think of Japanese cuisine, it’s easy to focus on flavour or, technique, and seasonal ingredients, but equally important is the way a dish is presented. At the heart of this aesthetic lies tenmori (天盛り), a deceptively simple yet deeply meaningful finishing technique that brings harmony, beauty, and spirit to the plate. A feeling of “Kisetsukan” 季節感 “sense of the seasons” in every bite.
What Is Tenmori?
The word tenmori comes from the kanji 天 (ten, meaning “sky” or “top”) and 盛り (mori, meaning “to heap” or “to place”). In the culinary world, it refers to the final garnish placed on top of a dish, not just to beautify, but to subtly enhance the dish’s character, seasonality, and emotional impact.
Tenmori adds visual balance, seasonal expression (shun)旬, and connection to nature, a core concepts in washoku (和食) “Japanese cuisine”. The plating often gives a subtle cue to the flavour or seasonality of the dish, and reflects Japanese omotenashi (hospitality), showing care for the guest through presentation, and a sign that no one has touched the dish yet.
Some chefs say that tenmori is like the “final breath” of a dish it embodies spirit (kokoro), not just technique. It’s a moment of connection between chef and diner. A cultural, spiritual layer of depth.
Unlike Western garnishing, which can sometimes be showy or superfluous, tenmori is thoughtful, restrained, and symbolic. It’s the culinary equivalent of a haiku, minimal, yet expressive.
Tenmori is more than just a garnish, traditional kaiseki cuisine and refined home-cooked meals, tenmori acts as a final breath, a moment of intent from the cook to the diner. It’s a way to communicate the season, the feeling, or the essence of the dish in a single visual gesture.
It also reflects the Japanese principles of wabi-sabi (beauty in imperfection and impermanence) and shun (seasonal peak), both of which deeply influence Japanese culinary arts.
Common Tenmori Elements
The beauty of tenmori lies in its subtlety. You might not even notice it at first, a tiny curl of citrus peel, a delicate sprig of herb, a petal floating on broth. Yet each element is chosen with care.
Some classic examples include:
Yuzu zest: This adds brightness and fragrance in winter dishes.
Kinome (young sansho leaves): A springtime favourite with a peppery aroma.
Shiso blossoms: Used to accent sashimi or tofu with gentle fragrance.
Edible petals: Chrysanthemum, sakura, or wild herbs.
Grated daikon with chili (momiji oroshi): Colourful and cooling.
A thin sliver of myoga (ginger bud) or wasabi leaf.
Each of these reflects not only the flavour of the dish, but the season, the temperature, and sometimes even the region.
Seasonality and Symbolism
Japanese food is deeply connected to the natural world, and tenmori is a beautiful reflection of that.
Common Tenmori Symbolism
Spring: Kinome and cherry blossom petals. Represent rebirth and freshness.
Summer: Ice, cucumber curls, young herbs. Represent coolness and lightness.
Autumn: Maple leaves and chrysanthemum petals. Represent fleeting moments and warmth.
Winter: Grated daikon and yuzu peel.Represent cleanliness and purity.
Using these elements isn’t just about looks, it’s about storytelling. The garnish whispers the mood of the season to the diner before the first bite.
How Tenmori Differs from Other Plating Styles
While many cuisines celebrate plating, tenmori is about restraint, harmony, and intentionality. There’s no excess just the right amount of detail to elevate the dish.
Unlike modern Western styles where the plate may be a canvas for visual drama, tenmori invites quiet appreciation. It’s not center stage it’s a final note, a breath, a whisper.
Try Tenmori at Home
You don’t need to be a trained chef to embrace tenmori, the principles can be adapted to home cooking too.Whether you’re plating a simple bowl of noodles or a small rice dish, consider:
A single herb or zest curl placed slightly off-centre. Seasonal touches like edible flowers or micro-greens.
A colour contrast that complements the dish (green on white tofu, gold on dark broth).
Avoid inedible garnishes unless they’re clearly symbolic (like a maple leaf in autumn).
Remember, less is more. Tenmori should never compete with the dish it completes it.
In many ways, tenmori represents the Japanese culinary spirit itself, subtle, seasonal, and deeply respectful of nature and those who eat the food. It’s a small gesture of care, but one filled with meaning.
So next time you prepare a dish, even a simple one, consider adding that final touch. A curl of zest. A tiny bloom. A sprig of green. A sense of the seasons.
Shiso (紫蘇) The Flavourful and Healthy Herb You Should Know
If you’ve ever enjoyed a plate of sashimi or a refreshing umeboshi, chances are you’ve encountered shiso, an aromatic herb that’s a staple in Japanese cuisine. With its distinct flavour, often described as a cross between mint, basil, and cinnamon, shiso not only enhances dishes but also brings a wealth of health benefits. In this post, we’ll explore both the green and red varieties of shiso, their nutritional perks, and ways to enjoy them with a couple of delicious recipes.
What Is Shiso? しそ, 紫蘇
Shiso (紫蘇), also known as Perilla, Japanese mint, or Ooba (大葉), which belongs to the mint family. It’s widely used in East Asian cooking, particularly in Japan, Korea, and China. There are two main types commonly used in Japanese cuisine:
• Green Shiso (Ao-jiso / 青じそ): Often used fresh, wrapped around sashimi, added to salads, or chopped into rice and noodle dishes. Delicious julienned as a garnish on cold tofu or tomato dishes.
• Red Shiso (Aka-jiso / 赤じそ): Typically used for pickling, especially in making umeboshi (pickled plums), beni shoga red pickled ginger and Kyoto pickles like Shibazuke a traditional Japanese pickle.
Health Benefits of Shiso
Both red and green Shiso are celebrated not just for their flavour, but also for their medicinal properties:
1. Anti-inflammatory & Antioxidant Properties
Shiso leaves are rich in rosmarinic acid, an antioxidant that helps fight inflammation and oxidative stress. This can benefit skin health, reduce allergies, and support overall wellness.
2. Rich in Vitamins & Minerals
Shiso contains vitamin vitamin C,A and K, also iron, calcium, and potassium, which are all essential for maintaining a healthy immune system, strong bones, and energy levels.
3. Allergy Relief
Studies suggest that shiso may reduce symptoms of seasonal allergies by suppressing histamine release in the body.
4. Antibacterial & Preservative Qualities
This is one reason shiso is often used with raw fish—it has natural antibacterial properties that help preserve food and aid digestion.
5. Supports Respiratory Health
Traditional herbal medicine often uses shiso to ease coughs and asthma-like symptoms due to its anti-inflammatory effects on the respiratory tract.
This Spring I bought the red and green varieties of shiso in the form of small plant plugs to grow on from “The Wasabi Company”.
Over the summer as both plants grew I used the green variety picked fresh for vegan sushi, salads, noodles and tempura dishes and the first harvest of red I used to make a red shiso syrup. I had been seeing it a lot served in the summer mixed with ice and soda in Japan as a cooling summer drink known as Aka Shiso Juice (Red Perilla Juice) 赤紫蘇ジュース.
Red Shiso Juice (Shiso Juice / 紫蘇ジュース)
Ingredients:
• Red Shiso leaves
• Water
• Sugar
• Lemon juice
Instructions:
Boil Shiso in water for 10–15 minutes until the colour fades. Strain, add sweetener and lemon juice. Chill and serve over ice. See my post “live by the shun summer” for the full recipe.
You can also make red shiso vinegar, which is a wonderfully aromatic and tangy ingredient.
All you need is a handful of red shiso leaves
200 ml of brown rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put the leaves into a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and massage the salt in gently with your hands.
Leave for 20 minutes.
Massage again, squashing the leaves gently then with your hands and then discard the liquid.
To a clean jar add the vinegar to the shiso leaves. Close the jar it and keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.After this time discard the shiso, and strain the vinegar into a bottle and it will keep for months. Use in salad dressing, to season rice, marinades and pickles and even in cocktails and mocktails.
But now the summer is over and the weather is starting to turn cool so before the first frost I want to gather what shiso I have to dry and be able to use later.
The first thing I did was gather some of the green shiso to make shiso pesto.
1. Green Shiso Pesto
A Japanese twist on a classic, great over soba noodles pasta or pizza. Or spread on sandwiches or bruschetta.
Ingredients:
• Fresh green Shiso leaves
• Olive oil
• Garlic (if you wish)
• Pine nuts or walnuts
• Parmesan (optional) or for a vegan version I used nutritional yeast.
• Lemon juice
• Salt to taste and maybe a pinch of nutmeg
Instructions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth adjusting the amounts until you get your desired texture and flavour. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Here I added it to green tea soba noodles.
Yukari (Shiso Rice Seasoning) ゆかり
You can make this from either the red or green variety a type of furikake ふりかけ a Japanese condiment that comes in flakes or powder and is used as a topping for cooked rice or also used to flavour onigiri and is made by drying shiso leaves slowly in the oven on a low heat. Just pick your leaves, wash them and pat them dry.
Lay them out on parchment paper and set your oven to low 40 minutes at 170°F (75°C) until the leaves are dry and completely crispy.
Add the dried leaves to a suribachi (mortar and pestle and grind them down. Add a little flaky sea salt and some sesame seeds if you wish and you’re done.
Add as a topping to freshly cooked rice
Or roll onigiri edges in the furikake
With the last of the red shiso cut the stems to hang upside down to dry and make a soothing fruity tea.
Just steep a few leaves in hot water. I recommend adding a little citrus juice it really makes the colour pop like in making the shiso syrup.
Shiso is more than just a garnish—it’s a flavourful, health-boosting herb deeply rooted in Japanese culinary traditions. Whether you’re experimenting with green shiso’s fresh, zesty notes or enjoying the earthy complexity of red shiso, this herb has a place in your kitchen.
If you want to buy your own shiso plant plugs next year why not go on the Wasabi Company waiting list and don’t forget to use my discount code for 10% off your first purchase using Tokyopony10. Direct link at the bottom or side of the page depending on your browser.
Kyoyasai (京野菜) Kyoto’s traditional heirloom vegetables.
These vegetables hold within their seeds a history deeply tied to Japanese culinary tradition and sustainable agriculture, they play an important role in Kyo-ryori (京料理), the traditional cuisine of Kyoto.
When people think of Kyoto, images of serene temples, geisha, and ancient tea houses often come to mind. Kyoto is all that, but nestled in the basins culinary heart of this historic city is a lesser-known treasure with its roots dating back to a time when Kyoto prospered as Japan’s national capital during the Edo period (-800-1,200 AD).
“Kyoyasai” the traditional vegetables of Kyoto. Vibrant, flavorful, and steeped in cultural heritage, these vegetables are as much a symbol of Kyoto as its famed temples.
Kyoyasai refers to a collection of heirloom vegetables that have been cultivated in the Kyoto area for 1200 years. Unlike modern hybrid vegetables, these varieties have been passed down through generations, preserved for their unique taste, appearance, and adaptability to Kyoto’s climate and soil.
They are often more colourful, aromatic, and nutrient-rich than their mass-produced counterparts, making them a favourite among chefs, especially in kaiseki ryori — the refined, seasonal multi-course cuisine of Kyoto.
Kyoyasai stand as a reminder of the importance of local, seasonal eating. These vegetables are deeply linked to Kyoto’s cuisine , manyare grown with traditional organic or low-impact methods, aligning with sustainable farming practices.
Moreover, preserving these heirloom varieties helps maintain biodiversity – an increasingly urgent issue in modern agriculture dominated by monocultures.
Kyoyasai were designated in 1989 as produce that had been cultivated in the region from the Meiji period or earlier. There are over 30 major Kyoyasai considered essential to Kyoto cuisine here are just a few standout examples of Kyoto’s traditional vegetables each with unique shapes and tastes:
Mibuna : A leafy green and natural hybrid of Mizuna greens, but with a milder peppery kick. It’s perfect in salads, soups, and pickles.
Mizuna: Another leafy green rich in vitamin E used as an ingredient for simmered dishes with deep fried bean curd, salad, marinated food with mustard, and pickles.
Kamo Nasu : A large, round eggplant with a dense, meaty texture When cooked, these eggplants become creamy and savory Ideal for grilling or simmering. Rich in vitamin C it’s prized in Kyoto-style cooking for its rich flavour and ability to absorb umami-packed sauces.
Kujonegi: Slickness in the leaves gives it a sweet flavor and tender texture it is a condiment with its rich aroma.
Shogoin Daikon: A large, round daikon radish known for its mild flavour and tenderness. Commonly used in oden and stews and making senmaizuke, pickles made from turnip sliced very thinly. Along with other varieties of daikon and turnip like Kyo-kokabu turnip a small variety. Which you can also use in a simple salad, or eat the leaves.
Shishigatani squash: an unusually shaped squash a mutated variety from the Edo period during the Meiji period these squashes were mostly eaten nowadays there is hardly anyone left who cultivates these and they mainly come from Ayabe City in central Kyoto Prefecture.
Kintoki Ninjin : A vibrant red carrot often used in traditional New Year’s dishes due to its bright colour and sweet taste.
I also had to add to this list Kyoto Dainagon a variety of azuki beans. The bestbeans for making Tsubuan (mashed sweet red beans) Essential to making high quality sweets including Kyoto sweets.
Other vegetables include hon shimeji mushrooms, Japanese rapeseed, Kyo bamboo shoots, fushimi chilli pepper, manganji pepper, Kyo yamashina eggplant, Kyo summer soybeans, purple soybeans, ebi-imo, horikawa burdock, Japanese yam, kyotango melon, kyotango pear, tamba kuri (chestnut), black soybeans. Along with Iwai brewers rice and tango egg cockle mollusk and tango guji horse head fish.
Products carefully selected for their exceptional quality are certified as Kyoto Brand Goods and are sold with the “Kyo Mark.”
The design mark is formed by the initial letter “K” of “Kyoto”. The three ellipses drawn on the right side of the mark represent the rich fruits of ‘agriculture’, ‘forest’ and ‘fisheries’. And the three lines represent ‘earth’, ‘water’ and ‘sun’.
The “Traditional Vegetables Of Kyoto” meet the following five conditions.
1) Originate before the Meiji period
2) Grown throughout Kyoto Prefecture
3) Include bamboo
4) Exclude mushrooms and ferns
5) Include cultivated or preserved things and extinct species
if you would like to read more about each specific Kyoto vegetable please check out KYOYASAI.KYOTO
You can find Kyoyasai at Kyoto’s Nishiki Market: Often called “Kyoto’s Kitchen”, this lively market offers a chance to see (and taste) fresh Kyoyasai straight from the source.
Other places you can try are Farm-to-table restaurants. Many Kyoto restaurants specialize in menus built around Kyoyasai, especially during the changing seasons. You can also find it at Kaiseki dining, which are high-end, traditional Japanese restaurants where Kyoyasai are often featured as stars of the plate.
Obanzai: The Soul of Kyoto Home
Obanzai (おばんざい) is a perfect complement to Kyoyasai it is a traditional style of home-cooked Kyoto cuisine that often features these heirloom vegetables. Obanzai cuisine captures the warmth of home-cooked meals and reflects Kyoto’s rich culture and history.
To truly understand how Kyoyasai are used and appreciated, look no further than Obanzai. Kyoto’s humble, heartwarming home-style cuisine.
Obanzai isn’t just a cooking style; it’s a philosophy rooted in simplicity, seasonality, and sustainability. The word itself refers to daily dishes prepared using seasonal, local ingredients often Kyoyasai, in a way that minimizes waste and maximizes nourishment.
Obanzai (おばんざい) is the name for traditional Kyoto home cooking, known for its gentle flavours, seasonal ingredients, and deep respect for food. The word comes from the Kyoto dialect, meaning “daily food”,dishes that are humble, balanced, and made with heart.
Obanzai isn’t about fancy plating or rare ingredients. It’s about working with what’s at hand, the day’s seasonal find from the market, yesterday’s leftover greens, or that single perfect kamo nasu in the kitchen basket.
A Taste of Everyday Kyoto
Unlike the refined elegance of kaiseki ryori, Obanzai represents the everyday meals enjoyed by kyoto families. Where kaiseki dining is elegant and precise, Obanzai is an intimate cuisine passed from grandmother to mother to child, quietly nourishing homes through generations. Think simmered vegetables, vinegared dishes, lightly pickled greens, and sautéed tofu — all infused with the subtle, umami-rich flavors of miso, dashi, and soy sauce. The cooking methods are simple: grilling, steaming, frying, boiling and sautéing with the Kyoyasai being the soul of many Obanzai dishes.Their bold flavours and unique shapes shine in simple preparations.
Here are a few dishes:
Kamo nasu dengaku – Grilled eggplant glazed with sweet miso, soft and smoky.
Mibuna no ohitashi – Lightly blanched mibuna greens served with dashi broth
Simmered shogoin daikon with miso andyuzu
Kintoki ninjin kinpira (stir-fried sweet red carrots with sesame and soy)
Kabocha no Nimono (Simmered Pumpkin
Koya Dofu no Fukume-ni (Simmered Koya Tofu)
These dishes might be served all together at a small family table, each one in simple ceramic bowls and plates which patterns change with the seasons along with the food served on them.
They are easy to create at home, offering a comforting meal that’s nutritionally balanced. Bringing the essence of Kyoto’s culinary heritage to your own home. Even if you don’t live in Kyoto you can still practice the principles of making Obanzai.
A Practice of Gratitude
At the heart of Obanzai is the principle of mottainaiもったいない, a sense of respect for ingredients and avoidance of waste and Ichibutsu Zentai” (一物全体) a Japanese concept emphasizing the value of using all parts of a food to minimise waste. Cooks make use of vegetable peels, roots, and off-cuts, transforming them into flavorful side dishes. Every element is appreciated, every dish telling a story of resourcefulness and care.
A Moment in Kyoto
In a small alley off Teramachi Street, I met Okamoto-san, a woman in her seventies who still cooks Obanzai at her family’s machiya (townhouse). Offering me her Omotenashi the essence of Japanese hospitality, she welcomed me in with slippers, a tea cup, and a simmering pot of nimono.
“I don’t follow recipes,” she smiled, stirring slowly.
“You taste. You feel. You use what’s fresh. That’s Obanzai.”
In her kitchen, nothing went to waste. Radish tops became pickles. Kombu from yesterday’s broth flavored today’s simmered pumpkin. “It’s not fancy,” she said, “but it’s good for your body and kind to the world.”
Where to Experience Obanzai in Kyoto
If you want to experience Obanzai for yourself, here are a few places to try:
Obanzai Menami – Tucked in Gion, this intimate eatery offers daily-changing Obanzai platters.
Izusen (at Daitoku-ji Temple) – Traditional shöjin ryori (Buddhist cuisine), often blending Obanzai-style techniques with temple vegetarian dishes.
Nishiki Market Bento Counters – Grab small portions of Obanzai to-go, including Kyoyasai sides, perfect for a picnic.
One of my favourite places is Mumokuteki Café A cozy spot near Kawaramachi serving plant-based Obanzai with Kyoyasai.
As interest grows in plant-based eating, zero-waste cooking, and seasonal diets, Obanzai offers timeless wisdom. Cook with what’s fresh and seasonal, appreciate what we have, waste nothing, nourish the body, cook with care not perfection. Obanzai ryori teaches us take things slowly following the flow of the seasons helping us connect with nature. Obanzai embodies sustainability, mindfulness and community values what I feel the world needs more of. Obanzai is a quiet ritual of gratitude – for the soil, the seasons, and the hands that prepare the food.
In every bowl of simmered greens or sweet miso eggplant, you taste not only Kyoyasai, but Kyoto’s philosophy of harmony with nature.
I have lots of recipes on my seasonal recipe pages which I’m sure you can use to inspire you to make your own special obanzai style home cooked meal. Just remember….
“Obanzai is not about recipes — it’s about using what you have, with heart.”
Every spring, cherry blossoms, or sakura as they are known, bloom across Japan at different times, depending on their variety and location. People from all over the world visit Japan to partake in hanami 花見 the spring tradition of admiring the sakura and celebrating its beauty. 花 (hana) means “flower,” and 見 (mi), means “to view.” together, hanami literally means “to view flowers.” The sakura flowers are symbolic for the people of Japan, representing hope and new life.
March 27 is Sakura no Hi (さくらの日), Day of Cherry Blossom. This was decided by the Nihon Sakura no kai (日本さくらの会), Japan Cherry Blossom Association in 1992. They made it that date because the pun of sakura 3 (sa) x 9 (ku) = 27. Saku (咲く) in Japanese means “to bloom”.
Some say that cherry blossom is the national flower of the country although some dispute this and say the chrysanthemum is the correct national flower of Japan.
Nevertheless there is something to be said about the beauty and wonder the cherry blossom season brings.
There are 9 original species of cherry blossoms in Japan, and Japan has over 200 types of sakura trees, Somei Yoshino makes up almost 80% of them with their light pink flowers with five tiny petals. With each variety coming into flower at different times depending on where in japan they are. The earlier blooms tend to appear in tropical Okinawa in January, with the last on the northernmost island of Hokkaido in early May.
Other varieties are Kawazu-zakura an early blooming cherry blossom, Shidare Zakura, weeping cherry trees,Yaezakura. Yaezakura with their double pink blooms and Yamazakura which typically grow in mountainous areas in Honshu.
The arrival of the cherry blossoms in Japan is a big deal, people eagerly wait for the forecasts of when the blossoms will bloom making the national news when the first blossom opens.
The Japan Meteorological Agency determines the state of Tokyo’s sakura season by the flowers on a particular tree in the Yasukuni Shrine called the Index Tree. When only five or six blossoms have opened, Tokyo’s cherry blossoms are considered “in bloom.” When 80 percent of the buds on the tree have opened, Tokyo is considered to be in “full bloom.” Forty seven other prefectures have their own index tree.
The term mono no aware (物の哀れ) was brought about by Motoori Norinaga, the eighteenth century literary scholar, by combining aware, which means sensitivity or sadness, and mono, which means “things.” It literally translates to “the pathos of things.” But more loosely, it could also mean “the beauty of things passing.”
In traditional Zen Buddhism Japanese aesthetics mono no aware is study of beauty and the impermanence of such beauty. Impermanence is all around us and the sadness connected to it, knowing that everything doesn’t last forever.The changing of seasons are not to be mourned, but cherished and appreciated in their impermanence.
The cherry blossom is a common symbol of mono no aware it’s meaning symbolizes both life and death, as the coming of spring promises new life, at the same time, their short lifespan is a reminder that life is fleeting.
The unique flavour and aroma of salted pickled cherry blossom is very distinct and if you are a Japan lover you will know this smell automatically. In Japan the Sakura bloom for a very short time the fleeting essence of nature is celebrated by all things sakura themed in Spring.
Sakuragari 桜狩り means ‘Sakura Hunting’. Will you be hunting out the best places to view cherry blossoms this year?
Cherry blossom viewing or “hanami” 花見 as it’s known started in the Edo period. Throughout Japan many people will be celebrating the cherry blossoms with viewing parties and picnics, taking place in gardens and parks.
Many sakura themed and flavoured foods are eaten at this time. So this year after seeing one of the most trending teatime cafe treats in Japan at the moment, sakura cheese cake terrines, either with a thin biscuit base or no base at all, I decided to make a vegan version. This is on a similar theme to last year’s tofu cheese cake but using plant based cream cheese and having no biscuit base.
It was so easy to make and came together in minutes in a blender!
The only thing you have to wait for is for it to set in the fridge.
Recipe for Sakura cheesecake terrine (no biscuit base )
Ingredients:
x2 cups of cashew nuts
1/3 cup of vegan honey, agave or light coloured sweetener
x2 tubs of plant based cream cheese at room temperature ( I used Philadelphia Vegan Almond & Oat Soft Cream Cheese Alternative 145g a tub
90g of raw cacao butter
x1 tablespoon of sakura syrup I used Monin Cherry Blossom Flavouring Syrup which can also be used to make sakura latte
x1 teaspoon of beetroot powder
For decorating salted preserved sakura flowers.
(wash off the salt and blot between kitchen towel)
(You will need a high speed blender like a nutribullet a rectangular container and parchment paper.
Method:
1: Place your cashews in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave to soak for a few hours to soften.
2: Prepare your Sakura flowers if using
Line a container with parchment paper ( if you don’t have a rectangular container you can use an empty milk carton, just cut off the top and side and seal back together with tape or a clip then line with parchment paper. My container measured 7 inches long by 3.5 inches wide.
3: Add the cacao butter to a basin over boiled water in a pan to melt. This is called a A bain-marie or double boiler.
4: When the cashews have finished soaking drain off the water and add them to a blender with themelted cacao butter, sweetener, cream cheese, sakura syrup and beetroot powder.
5: Give it all a good blend until nice and smooth.
6: Pour into your container
7: Push inpreserved sakura flowers to the top.
8: Place in the fridge to set for at least 3-4 hours.
9: Slice and serve
Extra (if you want to make a biscuit base)
Ingredients & Method:
You will need 20 vegan digestive biscuits which is around 250g and 100g of melted vegan butter.
Method:
Add the butter to a bowl under simmering water in a pan and gently melt the butter.
Add the biscuits to a food processor and process into fine crumbs.
Remove the biscuits from the food processor and add this to a bowl, then pour in your melted butter.
Mix well, it will be the consistency of wet sand.
Tip out the base mixture into your prepared lined container and press it down well.
Perfect with a matcha sakura latte, coffee or tea. The sakura terrine stays together without having to be frozen so you can take it to a hanami picnic and share it with friends.
Here I served it with some mini vegan short bread cookies.
I hope you are able to enjoy hanami even if you are not in Japan just by doing those little things that make you feel closer to Japan.
March 8th is International Women’s Day, as designated by the United Nations, which in Japan is better known as Mimosa Day (ミモザの日). Similar to “Festa della donna” in Italy where women receive bouquets of mimosa flowers to symbolise their strength and beauty.
To gift a bouquet of mimosa flowers is to deliver a message of love and friendship. It symbolises respect, elegance, dignity, kindness and gratitude.
Recently more people in Japan are giving mimosa as gifts to express gratitude. Mimosa are bright yellow clusters of small pom-pom flowers that are soft and fluffy. They are also popular as a dried flower decorations often seen made into wreaths. It is given in Italy by men to women but in Japan due to the language of flowers they are often given as a gift for friends. Many people like to express their gratitude on mimosa day by giving a gift of mimosa.
In Japan, Mimosa trees grow in small city gardens and sometimes as trees in the streets. Mimosa is often sold by the branch in flower shops. Bring a touch of spring into your home by displaying mimosa.
For the last few years I have been making wagashi (Japanese sweets) to symbolise today.
When I go travelling anywhere other than Japan I am always trying to get my Japan fix, looking for shops selling ingredients, or cafes for that perfect vegan Japanese meal.
I am always on the look out for shops selling Japanese gifts or pottery.
I like visiting Japanese style gardens or visiting Japanese exhibitions.
All the above are from my trip to Paris last year. While wondering around I came upon a Japanese style wagashi confectionery store called “La Maison du Mochi” selling freshly made mochi with a variety of original flavours using carefully chosen ingredients.
I was inspired by one such wagashi mochi roulé, “rolled mochi” with nut purée to make this years wagashi for mimosa day. If you are ever in Paris definitely pay them a visit.
How to make my “lemon mochi roulé with almond and white bean paste filling” inspired by La Maison du Mochi in Paris
To make the nut filling:
I decided to go for an almond style marzipan with white bean paste. If you cannot get white bean paste you can make it without.
Add to a bowl 150g of ground almond flour to the almonds add x2 tablespoons of agave and x1 heaped tablespoon of white bean paste.
Start to cream the above ingredients together until it forms a stiff dough. Add a little more agave if needed, you don’t want the mixture too wet or too dry. Put to one side while you make the mochi.
100g of joshinko flour
x1 tablespoon of sugar
x1 teaspoon of turmeric (for the yellow colour)
A small drop of lemon essence for flavour if you wish
Add the above ingredients to a bowl and mix
You will also need some potato starch for dusting and a piece of parchment paper.
To the joshinko flour add 130ml of cold water and whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cook in the microwave for 3mins.
After this time take the bowl out and remove the plastic wrap. Using a damp spoon scrap the mochi from the sides. When the mochi is cool enough to handle, with damp hands remove the mochi from the bowl and start to knead it. When it’s nice and kneaded scatter some potato starch onto a work surface and roll it out with a rolling pin with a dusting of potato starch to stop it sticking. Roll it into a rectangle as much as possible.
Take the almond filling you had put to one side and roll it out to the same size on parchment paper then flip it over onto the top of the mochi. Cut the edges so you have a rectangle you can patch up any filling and re roll until you get a regular shape. Keep any off cuts to one side.
Start to roll the mochi into a log shape, then with a potato starch dusted knife carefully carve the mochi into pieces. Carving the mochi will stop it getting squashed. If you like use any offcuts to make pretty flower decorations for the top using a cutter.
As with all mochi they are at their very best eaten within a few hours of making. Store that day in an airtight container or if you do not plan on eating them all in one day they freeze beautifully. Just put them in a container and take one out an hour to defrost before you plan to eat it. They are perfect enjoyed with a nice green tea.
I think you can definitely have fun with this recipe I know I’m going to be making more this year in different colours. Why not try making pink ones for Sakura season or matcha ones. You can colour the mochi and flavour the almond paste. If you end up making these please tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations.
The recipe is my gift to you this mimosa day.
So what do all the above have in common? Well let’s go back to my visit to Matsumoto to find out.
Matsumoto 松本 is a picturesque historical castle-town located in Nagano Prefecture, nestled between the mountains at the foot of the Japanese Alps.
On walking the streets lined with preserved old merchant buildings I kept seeing a reoccurring feature popping up everywhere, from lampposts, posters to even manhole covers, of colourful spheres of works of art.
These spheres are a traditional Japanese toy know as a temari ball 手毬. The word temari combines the characters te (手), meaning hand, and mari (鞠 or 毬), a ball.
The art form originally came from China where it was known as a kemari (‘kick ball’) and was originally made from ribbon decorated cloth. However It is said over 200 years ago, a wife of the ruling Matsumoto Clan nobility created the first ‘temari’ handball, which has now become the symbol of Matsumoto.
They were first made from silk and kimono scraps and the temari balls were popular as simple toys for little girls to play with. Matsumoto was for a time a major producer of high-quality silk and as production grew the temari ball became a carefully intricately crafted item of beauty using silk and cotton threads to produce beautifully-decorative temari we see today.
The popularity of temari grew during the Edo period, from the 17th to 19th centuries, and became an at-home craft for mothers as a popular art form. The balls are made by winding colored threads of silk to create various shapes and patterns. Once given to daughters by parents on New Year’s Day as a symbolic wish for their child’s happiness. It went further for them to also be given to brides as a good luck charm to symbolize deep friendship and loyalty with the bright coloured threads symbolising a brilliant and happy life for the receiver. They were also given by brides to the grooms family as a symbol of harmony between families. Nowadays, they are mainly used as gifts as popular good luck souvenirs and interior decorations.
The Matsumoto City Museum of Art celebrates Matsumoto’s rich cultural heritage including having some intricate folk art temari balls on exhibition.
I picked up a coaster with the same temari motif as a souvenir of my visit.
As temari balls have connections to daughters and happy occasions, temarizushi (手まり寿司) named after such decorated balls has been one of the traditional festive foods to prepare for Hinamatsuri ひな祭り (雛祭り ) Girl’s Day in Japan, held annually on March 3rd. This is when families celebrate the health and happiness of young girls (generally up to 10 years old). Hinamatsuri is one of Japan’s five sekku, or seasonal festivals. If you would like to read more about Hinamatsuri you can by searching “Hinamatsuri” on my recipe pages where you will find lots of recipes and ideas of how to celebrate this special day.
Traditionally, girls in Japan invited their friends to a home party to celebrate this festival.
Temarizushi are balls of sushi rice with colourful toppings, and are perfect finger food for a party. You could even have a Temarizushi making event where guests make their own with provided toppings.
All you need to make your own are balls of sushi rice and a variety of toppings of pickled and sliced vegetables. You don’t need any practice or expert skill to make them just have fun creating. I particularly enjoyed using pickled radicchio just rub a little salt into the leaves and sprinkle with vinegar then leave over night. You can then wrap balls of sushi rice with the leaves.
Why not even put little surprise fillings inside the balls like umeboshi or add a little wasabi to the top of the ball before wrapping it in a pickled leaf. Use your imagination the combinations are endless and part of the fun of making them.
This year to accompany the temarizushi I made sanshoku dango三色団子 which literally translates to “three coloured rice dumpling” There are three specific colours associated with Hinamatsuri green for health, white for purification, and pink for luck. Some times the colours are referred to as : Green colour of spring. White the last snow that is melting away. Pink spring flowers, such as cherry blossoms and peach blossom
I also made sakura mochi 桜餅 a traditional spring soft, chewy, sticky rice cake wagashi filled with sweet azuki red bean paste. Both are madefor Hinamatsuri and also to celebrate spring and the coming sakura season.
The Sakura mochi were extra special this year as I had made my own salt-cured cherry leaves known as sakuraba no shiozuke last May. If you would like to know how to make these and also oka no shiozuke (salt-cured cherry blossoms)
I have recipes on my recipe pages along with recipes for sakura mochi and sanshoku dango .
The Japanese macrobiotic concept of layering organic vegetables using the Buddhist principles of the balance of Yin negative & Yang positive energy.
This will be one of the simplest Japanese recipes you will ever make. All you will need to know is how to layer your vegetables, but let’s delve a little deeper into this Japanese concept known as kasaneni.
Based on Hokei Ogawa’s method the founder of this culinary tradition of kasaneni, on how to combine vegetables to get the maximum flavour.
According to the concept all living things and food have yin and yang properties. Our bodies tend to lean either toward yin or yang due to the influence of our living environment. This cooking method gives an energy balance in the middle, not yin or yang. Also by incorporating the layered cooked vegetables in other recipes yourmeals will be balanced.
It is important to choose your seasonalvegetables with care and as much as possible be locally grown and organic (pesticide free).
As well as the vegetables the pot used to cook them in is also important. Since layered cooking requires slow cooking with little water, it is recommended a stockpot with slow thermal conductivity is used like Clay, iron, ceramic, and stainless steel or heatproof glass.
The only other ingredient needed is a little good quality salt, to help bring out the flavor of the vegetables
Just use salt made from seawater and rock salt, not scientifically synthesised sodium chloride.
I picked up some salt from a local produce store in kanazawa on my last trip to Japan. The salt is from Suzu sea, Noto Peninsula.
The skin on the vegetables are kept on as much as possible. This can result in maximum nutritional value and with the original taste of the vegetables.
The main recipe is the order in which you layer the vegetables. Place negative vegetables “yin”at the bottom and positive vegetables “yang” at the top. So how do we know which vegetables are yin and yang?
The vegetables (yin) that grow skyward are at the bottom of the pot. The vegetables (yang) that grow in the ground are placed at the top. Chopped vegetables are layered according to their energy.
If you’re having trouble remembering , think how they look in the fields when they’re in season.
Place a pinch of salt on the bottom of the pot.
Be mindful when cutting the vegetables one by one, cutting them carefully and with gratitude.
Think about how much work and effort has been put into producing the vegetables. It is said that your feelings will influence the taste of the food and that taste will then enter your body. So if you prepare your food when in an angry mood this transfers to the vegetables you are preparing and thus to the meal served.
Next, layer the vegetables you have prepared in order of the most negative energy: negative (bottom layer), and positive (top layer).
To briefly explain the order,
Seaweed → mushrooms → fruit vegetables → leafy vegetables → beans → potatoes → root vegetables finally any protein.
Here is a diagram for you to follow.
The cooking method causes a spiral convection, where the upward force of yin and the downward force of yang interact with each other in the pot and cook the vegetables by steam.
I decided I wanted to use my kasaneni vegetables for miso soup.
As well as vegetables at the very top you can add any protein you want to cook fish, meat or tofu. I decided to use Shimi-dofu 凍み豆腐 which is tofu that has been frozen then thawed and pressed. The result is a completely different texture of the tofu which becomes more like a sponge and is perfect for soaking aromatic broth. I used the firm variety of “Shizenno Megumi” tofu.
To make Shimi-dofu place a pack of tofu still in its original water in the freezer and freeze until completely hard. Then remove from the freezer and leave to defrost (I normally do this over night).
When the tofu is completely defrosted take it out of its container, and wrap the tofu in a cloth then press out as much liquid as possible then slice into pieces.
I added a mixture of mushrooms for my first layer sliced shiitake, enoki and maitake.
Then added cabbage and leek next, Japanese sweet potato, daikon radish and lotus root, sliced onion and carrot.
The basic layered stew uses three types of vegetables: mushrooms, onions, and carrots. However you can use other seasonal vegetables.
After adding all your vegetables finish with a pinch of salt and add your protein (in this case tofu) on the very top. Before adding the lid to the pot place both hands over the pot give thanks to the vegetables and the kindness of the person who created them. This is a common practice for making kasaneni.
You can add a tiny amount of water to start the cooking process. Place on the lid and put on the stove top on as low heat as possible. Cook for around 20-40 minutes. When the vegetables are tender place them in a container and allow to cool they can then be stored in the fridge for a few days. You can then use your vegetables and tofu for the perfect miso soup.
Just use which ever miso you like I enjoy the unpasteurised organic miso by “Hikari Miso”.
Just add your miso to a pan simply with water or kombu dashi and add some of your kasaneni vegetables. Heat gently and enjoy.
This meal is very good for our gut bacteria,by giving our gut probiotics with the miso, as the fermentation process used to produce it may be especially beneficial, potentially boosting digestion, aiding the immune system and helping fight disease. As well as prebiotics which is a source of food for your gut’s healthy bacteria given by the vegetables.
The kasaneni vegetables can also be used as fillings for a variety of side dishes like spring rolls or dumplings. By having these already cooked vegetables to hand it cuts down on preparation time for meals later on. You can use the vegetables for soups, pasta sauces, curries or salad.
For mothers blend with a blender to make a healthy baby food.
“The kitchen is the family’s medicine chest” By making these vegetables in the winter with lots of root positive energy vegetables it will warm you up on the inside. It is said this will help your body warm up slowly and increase your immune system.
Let kasaneni vegetables nourish our lives by eating delicious and healthy foods.
Hambāgu (ハンバーグ), or Japanese Hamburger Steak (ハンバーグステーキ) is a popular Yoshoku meal (western-influenced Japanese dish) that is normally made from ground meat with finely chopped onions, eggs and breadcrumbs, flavoured with various spices, and made into a flat, oval shape about 4 cm thick. It is related to Salisbury steak, which uses ground beef and considered the origin of the hamburger.
I first came across it at a vegan restaurant in Tokyo where it came out sizzling on hot cast iron plates with a side of vegetables and rice rather than buns.
In Japan, the dish dates back to the Meiji period and is believed to have been first served in Yokohama, which was one of the first ports opened to foreigners. Hamburg steak became popular during the 1960s as a more affordable way to serve otherwise costly meat.
Some variations include hanbāgu topped with cheese (チーズハンバーグ, or chīzuhanbāgu), hanbāgu with Japanese curry, and Italian hanbāgu with tomato sauce.
Today I’m going to share with you my All Plant based recipe in a wafu style.
Wafu 和風 food is the meeting of Japanese ingredients and western cooking I will be making Hamburger Steak with the super firm “Shizenno Megumi” tofu from dragonfly foods and choosing Japanese grated daikon, chopped shiso leaves and umeboshi paste on top, along with a thin ponzu dressing to serve this Yoshoku meal (western-influenced Japanese dish)
Ingredients:
You will need x1 pack of the super firm Shizenno Megumi Tofu drained of the liquid it’s packed in.
1/2 cup of walnuts pulsed into crumbs
1/2 an onion and a few shiitake mushrooms chopped finely
x4 tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 tablespoons of potato starch
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato purée
Salt & pepper
Oil for frying
Method:
Place the drained tofu in a muslin cloth or similar and squeeze out as much water as possible then tip this into a bowl with the pulsed walnut crumbs. Mix to combine.
Sauté the chopped onion and mushrooms in a little oil until tender then add to the tofu. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine.
I find it better to use your hands to get it properly mixed into a ball then you can divide the mixture into burger patties. Make four balls then flatten them slightly to make a thick oval burger and dust with a little potato starch.
Heat up some oil in a pan and fry on a low heat to start with then turn up the heat turning them over so they are browned on both sides.
Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for a further ten minutes.
Ponzu sauce
You can serve the burgers with a citrus ponzu
Equal amounts of soy sauce or tamari, yuzu juice and mirin or you can buy store bought. To make it extra fiery you could add a small amount of kuzu kosho.
Alternatively you can serve it with a thick tonkatsu style sauce. You can again buy store bought or make a quick easy style with equal amounts of ketchup,vegan Worcestershire sauce and maple syrup.
To make the Hambāgu wafu 和風 add grated daikon to the top of the burger this is known as daikon oroshi it is a Japanese condiment made from grated daikon radish that’s known for its refreshing, tangy flavor and fluffy texture. The word “oroshi” means “to grate or shred”.
To grate finely i recommend using a Japanese grater called a Kyocera ceramic grater 京セラ セラミックおろし器.
I also topped the Hambāgu with chopped shiso and umeboshi paste.
To serve.
It is recommended that you serve Hamburger Steak with chunky steamed vegetables and roast or baked potatoes along with rice and miso soup.
They are also perfect for the Tsukurioki method of cooking which I wrote about in my Kiku no Sekku blog post back in September, which means pre-made or put aside. If you do not intend to eat them straight away just leave to cool and put them in a container in the freezer. They make the perfect meal for a busy week night. Just take out the night before to defrost then warm through and serve with your choice of vegetables the next day.
I would say that Hambāgu is like a single serve vegan meat loaf you may even consider this as an alternative to a Christmas nut roast served with all the trimmings.
The 2nd of October is Tofu Day “Nihon Tofu Kyokai”(日本豆腐協会), Japan Tofu Association decided that Oct 2nd as Day of Tofu (豆腐の日: tofu no hi in 1993. It’s a bit of a play on words due to the date. In japan the month comes before the day so the 10 for the month of October and 2 for the 2nd day in that month read in Japanese is 十二 is also read as to (十) fu (二) .
Tofu is one of the foods which represents the essence of traditional Japanese cuisine. The soybean, which is the key ingredient of tofu is rich in vegetable protein along with vitamins and minerals. Recently the world has come to recognize the health benefits of tofu and the appeal as an Ingredient.
In this blog post I discuss this and take you on a tofu journey for “tofu no hi”.
You may of noticed I’ve been creating tofu recipes this year using “Shizenno Megumi” tofu from Dragonfly foods. Shizenno Megumi means natures best, the brand was started to follow the traditional style of tofu making in Japan.
Nestled near the beautiful Devonshire coast is Dragonfly Foods. A tofu manufacturer that has gone above and beyond to uphold making tofu by a small group of passionate members, who bring traditionally made Japanese style tofu to the U.K
So how is tofu actually made ?
I had a rare chance tosee first hand for myself a traditional tofu factory at work when I visited Dragonfly Foods this summer. And took an exclusive look into the art of making tofu and find out the process of what makes “Shizenno Megumi”tofu stand out from the rest.
I was greeted by Shunzo Horikawa the managing director of Dragonfly Foods, who arrived in the U.K. in April 2022 from the parent company Hikari Miso, who bought dragonfly foods in 2015 a company that had been producing tofu since 1984. Hikari Miso wanted to upscale capacity and start to make tofu in a traditional Japanese way. To dothis they decided to take on the massive task of shipping a whole new purpose built facility for making tofu from Japan to Devon in 2017.
Shunzo was so kind to take time out of his dedicated busy day to give me a guided visit of the factory and an overview of the tofu making process.
We put on our protective clothing so we could enter into the factory.
First I was shown the organic soy beans from which the tofu making process all starts. The beans are soaked in water for 9 ~ 16 hours, after this time they have increased in size considerably. Once the soybeans have fully absorbed the water they are then washed and ground with water to make a slurry this is called (Namago). The slurry is then cooked under strict temperature control.
The heated slurry becomes Nigo and is then squeezed to separate soyamilk and okara (soy bean pulp).
Shunzo then explained that when soy milk is heated it produces foam and this is where Dragonfly Foods tofu becomes special. Other tofu may have an anti-former added to reduce foam developing. Dragonfly do not add any processing aid, and uses equipment called a Deaerator to remove foam by chilling milk while removing foams naturally.
Heated soya milk is then mixed with coagulant called Nigari to create curd. Nigari naturally promotes umami and sweetness, Nigari derived from the Japanese word for “bitter” is a product created through harvesting sea salt and letting the water evaporate. Nigari contains a high concentration of minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, copper, zinc, selenium and chlorines.
The soya curd is then placed in a box and pressed gradually to make the appropriate firmness tofu slab.
Tofu slabs are then cut into 300g sizes and packed into individual containers.
The packs of tofu are filled with water, sealed and go into a pasteurisation system for 3.5 hours. Finely the tofu is checked for weight and quality .
Dragonfly tofu is made with modern equipment but with a traditional method as purely processing as possible and the taste and texture profile is targeted to be similar to Kyo Tofu and Shima Tofu for richness in soya flavour and sweet after taste.
Who would have thought so much love and attention goes in to every single block of tofu.
The origins of tofu:
It is said that tofu originated in China over two thousand years ago when a cook over seasoned a soy milk broth with too much salt. The salt then caused the milk to coagulate and that is how tofu became to be. Tofu was introduced into Japan with Buddhism as Buddhist eat in general a plant based diet. It soon became the quintessential Japanese ingredient becoming a popular food among the general population during the Edo period.
The book “Tofu Hyakuchin”, which contained one hundred tofu recipes, was published in 1782 towards the end of the mid Edo period. The book shows an extensive variety of cooking techniques and a variety of ways of eating tofu. The most popular way of eating tofu was “yu-dofu”, a simple dish of boiled tofu with a dash of soy sauce. I think to truly taste tofu you have to first strip back everything to its freshest form by adding just a small amount of condiment. Only then can we really appreciate the subtle sweet flavour. I was lucky enough to try fresh tofu just as it had been made when I visited the tofu factory it was still warm and I could have just eaten a pack just as it was with nothing else.
Tofu and the health conscious:
Tofu has now become a popular choice for people trying to be more health conscious in their diet, being low in calories and packed with nutrients. Tofu is a concentrated source of easy to digest protein along with amino acids for cell growth, calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium, folic acid, essential B vitamins and more. Soybean has also something called isoflavones which has shown to reduce cholesterol, help regulate sugar, help with osteoporosis and even the menopause.
For those wanting to cut down or restrict meat totally from their diet tofu is the perfect meat alternative due to its high protein content one 115 gram serving of firm tofu containing around 20% of your daily requirements.
Cooking with tofu:
Tofu is an incredible versatile ingredient to cook with, it has little taste of its own but absorbs flavours extremely well. Dragonfly make three kinds of tofu in their Devonshire factory Firm, Super Extra Firm and Soft.
The soft variety this year I have been working with to produce a multitude of delicious desserts for you to try from donuts to ice cream, the softer variety also work with for dips and dressing as well as adding to the humble miso soup. The firmer varieties work wells in dishes like my recipe for Chanpura or my yakitori skewers or anything from frying, marinating, grilling or stir frying.
Shopping for tofu:
When shopping for tofu make sure you choose organic, made with the highest quality ingredients and containing no GMOs. Choosing Organic Dragonfly Tofu gives you that peace of mind as they are BRC AA+ soil association approved, the highest grade possible, they are also BRCGS food safety certificated. After purchasing simply store in the fridge and use before the best before date stated on the pack. When ready to use unpack from its packaging and discard the water. Your tofu if soft is ready to use straight away or press out any remaining liquid from the firmer varieties.
Yudofu 湯豆腐
Why not try using it simply in yudofu taking inspiration from the “Tofu Hyakuchin” cook book or Buddhist temples where it is often served. Buddhist kitchens focus on cooking natural foods with simple techniques. Yudofu 湯豆腐 is a nabe (hotpot) which is healthy, light and packed full of umami flavour.
Japanese hot pot is usually cooked in a clay pot called donabe (土鍋), however if you do not have one at home, you can make it in a regular pot.
All you need to do is simmer tofu in water konbu (昆布, kelp) and then eat it with a tsuyu dipping sauce and various condiments known as yakumi 薬味.
Yakumi are small amounts of condiments that are seasoning to bring out the umami of a particular dish. They are said to bring out the five tastes, amai (sweet), nigai (bitter), suppai (sour), karai (spicy) and shio (salty). Think of the paring together of wasabi and sushi. Some dishes have yakumi on the side where others are incorporated into the meal it’s self, like sauces and dashi.
Some of the most common yakumi are chopped green onion, schichimi pepper, shiso, oroshi daikon (grated daikon), sesame seeds and grated ginger. Yudofu is about one of the simplest forms of Japanese cuisine you can make, it is sometimes referred to as boiled tofu, although it is actually cooked at just below boiling.
To make Yudofu you will need a piece of dried konbu and one to two packs of Firm “Shizenno Megumi” tofu drained and pressed. If you would like to add some greens like watercress or mizuna that’s nice also.
You will also need your Yakumi any of the ones listed above.
You will need a dipping sauce and I find a citrus variation works wonderfully with the delicate flavours. If you want to make your own simply add 4 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoons of mirin to a bowl and dilute with some kombu dashi, adding a little citrus juice is definitely recommended like yuzu or sudachi juice which you can buy already squeezed in bottles.
Put a 2-3 inch piece of kombu in a donabe or pot and enough water to half fill the pot, turn on the heat and when you see bubbles take out the kombu. Prepare your tofu then cut it into large squares, now gently add your tofu to the kombu infused liquid (dashi). Let the tofu simmer gently with the lid on for the tofu to warm through. Don’t let it boil. Add any greens to wilt in the hot water. With a slotted spoon or ladle transfer to your serving dish. Serve with your sauce poured over and experiment with flavours by adding condiments of choice.
However you decide to use tofu in your diet even if you are not vegan or vegetarian I am sure you will enjoy using it for its versatility and health benefits. I hope you will try out some of my many original tofu recipes that I have to offer on my recipe pages.
Tekkadon 鉄火丼 is a rice bowl dish topped with raw marinated tuna sashimi.
I wanted to make a refreshing but vegan friendly version of this dish and this is what I came up with.
To make it use the same method as if you were making Tomato no Ohitashiトマトお浸し. You will need three large firm tomatoes cut a small cross section on the bottom of each tomato and drop into a pan of boiling water. To cook the tomato doesn’t take long you will know they are done when the skin starts to peel. Plunge the tomato into cold water to cool and then peel off the skin from the cross section you cut into the tomato.
When the tomatoes are peeled cut them into quarters discarding the seed part.
Make a marinade of tamari, lime juice and mirin (around two tablespoons of each) you can add some shichimi spice pepper if you like. Coat the tomatoes in the marinade and chill in the fridge.
When you want to serve your Tekkadon wash and cook some sushi rice in your rice cooker and when your rice is done place into the bottom of a bowl.
Top the warm rice with the marinated tomato chopped green onion a sprinkle of sesame seeds sliced lettuce kizaminori (shredded nori) and angel hair chilli threads if you can get them. They are called Ito togarashi if you live in the U.K. You can get them from www.souschef.co.uk
The gentle bitterness of matcha alongside the floral-salty note of sakura creates a beautifully multi-layered flavour that lingers pleasantly. Serve them with a cup of green tea for a truly soothing experience, or simply savour them on their own as a mindful treat.
Winter: 
Lay them out on parchment paper and set your oven to low 40 minutes at 170°F (75°C) until the leaves are dry and completely crispy. 
Add the dried leaves to a suribachi (mortar and pestle and grind them down. Add a little flaky sea salt and some sesame seeds if you wish and you’re done.
Just steep a few leaves in hot water. I recommend adding a little citrus juice it really makes the colour pop like in making the shiso syrup.
When I go travelling anywhere other than Japan I am always trying to get my Japan fix, looking for shops selling ingredients, or cafes for that perfect vegan Japanese meal.
I am always on the look out for shops selling Japanese gifts or pottery.
I like visiting Japanese style gardens or visiting Japanese exhibitions.
Take the almond filling you had put to one side and roll it out to the same size on parchment paper then flip it over onto the top of the mochi. Cut the edges so you have a rectangle you can patch up any filling and re roll until you get a regular shape. Keep any off cuts to one side.
As with all mochi they are at their very best eaten within a few hours of making. Store that day in an airtight container or if you do not plan on eating them all in one day they freeze beautifully. Just put them in a container and take one out an hour to defrost before you plan to eat it. They are perfect enjoyed with a nice green tea.
On walking the streets lined with preserved old merchant buildings I kept seeing a reoccurring feature popping up everywhere, from lampposts, posters to even manhole covers, of 
To make Shimi-dofu place a pack of tofu still in its original water in the freezer and freeze until completely hard. Then remove from the freezer and leave to defrost (I normally do this over night).
Then added cabbage and leek next, Japanese sweet potato, daikon radish and lotus root, sliced onion and carrot.
The basic layered stew uses three types of vegetables: mushrooms, onions, and carrots. However you can use other seasonal vegetables.
The heated slurry becomes Nigo and is then squeezed to separate soyamilk and okara (soy bean pulp).
Tofu slabs are then cut into 300g sizes and packed into individual containers.
The packs of tofu are filled with water, sealed and go into a pasteurisation system for 3.5 hours. Finely the tofu is checked for weight and quality .
