February 2022

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Kuwai, a seasonal vegetable for autumn and winter, is a vegetable with a unique appearance. It is an essential vegetable for Osechi dishes as a lucky charm that brings out "success" from the appearance of buds growing out of the round tuber. The most common type is the blue kuwai, which has a beautiful blue skin, a unique bitter taste, and a crunchy texture when cooked.

Kuwai has been certified as a Kyoto brand product and a seasonal vegetable of Kyoto. Its production area is said to have been around Toji Temple in Kyoto's Minami Ward, where the altitude was low and the area was suitable for kuwai production because it was a humid area where water gushed out as soon as a well was dug.

It is said that the production of kuwai began in 1591. In order to protect the capital of Kyoto from foreign enemies and disasters, Toyotomi Hideyoshi built the Odoi, which created low-lying areas, and indigo plant was cultivated in the fertile lowlands, and kuwai was cultivated as an interim crop. However, due to the emergence of artificial indigo plants and the decrease in farmland, it is no longer produced in the city, and today, only a small amount of kuwai is being cultivated in Kyoto and other places.

Kuwai is commonly used in Japanese dishes such as stewed kuwai and Japanese sweets such as kuwai rice crackers, but it can also be enjoyed fried or cooked in cream. Serve it on Appi Urushi Studio's Jubako, a traditional and beautiful lacquerware, or Moyai Kogei's Zelkova Bread Plate, which is perfect as a pastry plate as well.

Appi Urushi Studio's Jubako
https://www.shokunin.com/en/appi/jubako.html 
Moyai Kogei's Zelkova Bread Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/moyai/ 

References
https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/sankan/page/0000029308.html 
http://www.the-brand-kyoto.jp/agricultural_marine/post_21.html.php 
https://life.ja-group.jp/food/shun/detail?id=113 

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Sukiyaki is known all over the world as one of Japan's representative dishes among the "nabe" dishes that we want to eat in this season when we miss warm food. The happiness of gathering around a hot pot of sukiyaki with your loved ones is a symbol of family togetherness, and sukiyaki is truly a dish to be enjoyed on special occasions.

Sukiyaki is one of the most popular nabe dishes in Japan, but did you know that there are actually two types of sukiyaki, Kanto-style and Kansai-style, and that there are major differences between them?

Sukiyaki in the Kanto region, which was called "gyu-nabe (beef pot)" before the Great Kanto Earthquake, involves pouring soy sauce, mirin, sugar, soup stock and other ingredients into a pot, simmering it with the meat and vegetables, and dipping a beaten egg into it after it is cooked. Through this process, the ingredients also release their broth, and the flavor of the meat and vegetables can be tasted.

In contrast, in the case of Kansai-style sukiyaki, the meat is first placed in a pot and cooked, and once cooked, it is seasoned with sugar and soy sauce. After that, the vegetables are added and adjusted with either sake or water, without using the sukiyaki stock. As the beef is cooked in high-quality beef fat, you can feel the spirit of directly enjoying the flavor of the meat.

The basic ingredients and seasonings are almost the same in both Kanto and Kansai styles, but the cooking method gives each a different taste and flavor. When making sukiyaki at home, please use Kiya's Sukiyaki Pot and compare the results. Thanks to the kettle links that can be attached to both ends of the pot, you can easily carry a hot pot to the table without using a pot grabber. How about warming up with your loved ones along with functional daily necessities?

Kiya's Sukiyaki Pot
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/sukiyaki.html 

References
https://kasuitei.jp/blog_kyobashi/ 
https://recipe.rakuten.co.jp/news/article/333/ 

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[Diet Cure]

As the first day of spring has passed, various plants have begun to sprout from the soil, and we have started to see butterbur sprouts in the market. Japanese butterbur, one of the most popular foods of this season, has a unique bitterness that is not found in other foods. We actively pick it up because we feel that this bitterness will reset our senses and rhythm of life that have been dulled during the winter and invite us to an active spring.

We think the easiest way to enjoy the taste of Japanese butterbur is to cook it in oil. The ingredients are simple: Japanese butterbur, red hot pepper, salt, and good olive oil.

Blanch Japanese butterbur in plenty of hot water with the red hot pepper. Transfer it to a colander, squeeze it firmly with both hands, and chop it into desired sizes. If you like it spicy, you can add chopped red hot pepper, which has been boiled together. Fry them in a pan with plenty of olive oil. The only seasoning is salt, but you can add bouillon granules if you like. It is ready when it becomes brown and paste-like.

Just a little bit on top of well-seasoned meat or fish will give you a strong spring flavor.

Sori Yanagi's Punching Strainer
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yanagisori/bowl.html 
Rikucho Ogasawara's Frying Pan
https://www.shokunin.com/en/rikucho/fryingpan.html 
Noda Horo's Square S with a Lid
https://www.shokunin.com/en/noda/