Japanese cuisine is one of the healthiest and most fascinating in the world, and as our friend Vero had warned us in Japan they eat a lot more things than sushi.
So we didn't think twice and as soon as the opportunity arose to do a Japanese cooking course in Kyoto we signed up.
Cooking Sun cooking school is one of the best in all of Japan: we sign up for the morning class that consists of preparing a Japanese bento.
WHAT IS A BENTO?
The bento is a great inbento, I say ... invention! It is a dish consisting of small portions of several meals, ideal for traveling or eating out (although you can eat it at home eh!). It's a bit like the Japanese version of tapas: with a bento you eat a little of everything.
JAPANESE COOKING COURSE
We arrived around 09.00 in which it turned out to be a machiya, a beautiful traditional house in Kyoto, where our teachers and the owner of the school were already waiting for us: Shohei.
We were greeted with a smile and a cup of steaming green tea 🙂 Soon the other 'students' arrived and we started with the class, we didn't remember that going to school was that cool.
The first part of the course is theoretical: having put on the samue Traditional told us more about the dashi broth. This fish stock, the basis of many Japanese foods, is prepared with kombu (a type of seaweed), katsuobushi (dried and smoked nice shavings) and dried shiitake mushrooms.
We also learned more about the different sauces (soy, sake, mirin) and the types of miso, so used in Japanese cuisine. We even tasted all these ingredients ... a somewhat weird breakfast hehe.
The second part of the course is totally practical: for our bento! During the morning we prepare 6 different dishes:
1) Coleslaw and plum salad
This dish does not have much secret: cabbage cut into small pieces mixed with umeboshi plum (fermented in sea salt for 2 years!) It is a VERY healthy dish although we are not going to lie to you: the taste is very peculiar, we did not like: - p
2) Salmon with vegetables
We use carrots, taro (a kind of potato), mushrooms and salmon. We cook all the ingredients in dashi broth and add doja and mirin sauce (which has a sweet taste that we love).
3) Tamagoyaki (tortilla roll)
A dish as simple as tasty: to the egg we add a tablespoon of dashi broth and a teaspoon of soy. The best thing about the dish is that it is a roll-shaped tortilla, so with the sticks, you have to roll it up… it seems easier than it really is huh! In the end it went well 🙂
4) Tempura
One of our favorite Japanese dishes: these are battered ingredients in a flour paste and water (tempura) and fried. We made shrimp tempura, squash, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant and a green vegetable that we did not quite understand what it was. They were delicious: especially prawns and squash.
5) Miso Soup
One of the most famous soups in Japan, as an accompaniment to rice or meat dishes is great. It is prepared with dashi broth, seaweed and miso. Miso is a fermented paste of soybean seed and sea salt. We love it, especially shiromiso (the clearest and sweetest flavor).
6) Sushi
What are we going to tell you that you don't know now? Well, for example, the rice used to prepare sushi has a lot of white vinegar and sugar ... that's why it's so delicious!
It is very important to use a glutinous rice and, above all, mix it very well with the ingredients that we incorporate: vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Another funny stage was to fan the rice ... not even Cleopatra haha, but it is essential to cool before you can work it. Do not worry that soon we pass the recipe complete, step by step!
The third part of the course is the tastiest: to eat! And of course, eating something so delicious (that you have prepared with your little hands) fills your stomach and soul 🙂
If you are passionate about gastronomy we recommend this Japanese cooking course, we are delighted and we do not see the time to re-cook these dishes so rich (coleslaw and plum salad not haha).
USEFUL INFO
Where
Funaya-cho 679, Higashinakasuji Matsubara agaru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto. About 20 min walk from the station, here you can see exactly how to get there: //www.cooking-sun.com/location/
Schedule
09.30-13.30
How much
7,200 ￥ -7,800 ￥ (about € 55-59, depending on the number of people)
Contacts
- //www.cooking-sun.com/contact/
- Web: //www.cooking-sun.com
