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Japanese Sake Night in June. ♪

We had a Sake Party in June. The guests were the same member of January. They enjoyed my handmade plum wine (梅酒・うめしゅ)  for an aperitif.  Now, I’m making a new plum wine of this season. ^^

First Sake was a Hiroki (飛露喜) Junmai Daiginjo (純米大吟醸) by Hiroki Shuzo in Fukushima prefecture. The scent was mild and it had a very deep and savory taste.

 

And this is Asahitaka(朝日鷹・あさひたか) of Takagi Shuzo in Yamagata prefecture. This is a local limited version and my husband got it there.

 

He also got dried codfish (棒たら)  in Yamagata.

I eat this as the dish of New Year’s Osechi. But I’ve never cooked it myself. It was my first experience cooking dried codfish. I soaked it in water overnight and simmered with soy sauce and water for almost half a day till the codfish become soft. It took time for the preparation but very tasty and good for sake!

 

Bitter Gourd is a seasonal vegetable now. I cooked it with minced chicken (ゴーヤの肉詰). Marinated Deep-fried Horse Mackerel (アジの南蛮漬け）was pickled fish with vegetables.  It had a refreshing sour taste and good for the rainy season.

 

Albacore Tartare (マグロのタルタル）with Yuzu Koshou(citrus pepper) was also great with Sake.

 

I got this albacore tuna (トロビンチョウ） from Kochi prefecture. These are the fatty (トロ）part of albacore and very tasty! ❤️

 

 

I made various tsumami (つまみ) as usual, like simmered vegetables and fried dishes.

 

And the last dishes were two kinds of chirashizushi (ちらし寿司).

 

This is a chirashizushi of Horse mackerel (鯵・あじ).

 

I enjoyed the wonderful night with guests and delicious sake! ❤️

 

If you want to try my dishes with Japanese sake, contact me. We can negotiate and I will arrange for you. ♪

 

 

I also write a Japanese cooking blog here!

 

 

 

Some of my friends loved my plum wine. ^^  This year, we tried to make it together.

This is a simple recipe for a typical plum wine or Umeshu!

What you need:

• Green plums —– 1kg
• Rock sugar —— 600g ~ 1kg
• Shōchū with a 35% alchohol/volume, or brandy ——- 1.8L
• Container (such as a glass jar with a lid)

Steps

1. Wash the green plums, wipe off the excess water around the plums and take off the stem using a stick.
2. Make sure the container (glass jar) is clean, and put in the green plums from step 1 and all of the rock sugar (or honey). Pour in the liqour (shōchū or brandy), close the lid of the jar and store it in a cool and dark place.
3. Occasionally shake the jar gently to mix the contents together. The wine can be consumed after around three months, but it is better to wait for around a year to make it even more tastier. Remember to take out the plums after one year.

 

Every year I also prepared non-alcohol plum syrup for my children too. It’s good for children and people who want it without alcohol.

This year I made two types of plum syrup: a regular one with rock sugar and another with brown sugar.

 

We had a sushi making event and lunch after making the plum wine.  We made California rolls together and ate Temaki Sushi and other food that I had prepared. I didn’t have time to take photos here. ^^;

I can’t wait to try out the wine next year!

 

My Japanese cooking blog is  here!

I had an Okonomiyaki & Takoyaki Cooking Party in May!

There were 6 participants and was a lively party. ^^

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese salty pancake putting cabbage and pork ( can also put shrimp, squid, etc.).

 

Takoyaki is a round shape dish made with flour with octopus inside.  This is a table dish we can cook together at the table. It was so funny everybody was trying to make nice round shapes.   ^^

 

I hope they will try to cook at home with family. ❤️

 

 

 

 

I had a Japanese Sake Party in May since my husband got nice sake from Aizu. I served “Snowdrop（スノードロップ）” as an aperitif for my guest.

This was made of Japanese sake and yogurt by Akebono liquor in Aizu. We chose a  fresh strawberry flavor that is a limited product only in spring. The sweetness is modest and very tasty. Everybody loved it .^^

 

We  chose  “Kazenomori（風の森)” for next one.  This was made by Yunaga liquor in Nara.  This sake was full with umami with a slightly sparkling texture, and had a refreshing taste like wine.

 

I made some seasonal dishes using some fresh horse mackerel(Aji) and bonito(Katsuo).

 

If you want to try  my dishes with Japanese sake, contact me.　 We can negotiate and I will arrange for you. ♪

 

I also write a Japanese cooking blog here!

Japanese sake party in April!

I had a Japanese Sake and my homemade dish lunch party.  There were three guests that joined this time.

 

One of my guests from Singapole just traveled around western Japan and brought a famous sake (Kagatobi ) from Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture.

 

I  tried to arrange the food using seasonal vegetables like Takenoko (Banboo shoot), Shin-tamanegi (New onion), and Shin-jagaimo (New potato).

 

Nikujaga is a dish of simmered meat and potatoes. I cooked New potatoes and New onions with beef this time.

 

Sushi Cake

 

Salmon tartare

 

I just came back from Okinawa and got some ingredients.

I arranged a regional food in Okinawa, “Kubu Irichi (Sauteed sliced kelp)”.

 

 

 

I enjoyed cooking for my guests and had a wonderful time talking with them.

Let’s have fun together again when you come back to Japan! ^^

 

2018.04

 

I also write a cooking blog here!