April 2023

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[Morning Nabe]

There is a recommended use for small earthenware pots. It is "morning nabe." Just like "morning curry," how about eating nabe in the morning? It is easy to prepare, warms you up, and is perfect for those mornings when you want to start the day with a full energy level.

You can use whatever ingredients are in the refrigerator that morning. For the soup base, you can simmer slit kelp together or use a commercial dashi packet; cut Chinese cabbage and cabbage into easily cooked sizes, and thinly slice carrots with a peeler. Add pork, sausage, tofu, mushrooms, green onions, etc. and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add udon noodles when the vegetables are cooked through, or arrange to your liking.

For dipping sauce, we recommend refreshing ponzu (Japanese citrus juice) and grated onioroshi (grated radish). While simmering, grate the daikon using onioroshi and combine with the ponzu. Grated daikon contains diastase (amylase), which mainly helps break down starch and other substances, and protease, which promotes the breakdown of proteins, making digestion smoother when ingested.

Matsuyama Tokojo's Dobai Hanten Donabe S is perfect for a morning pot for one person. Using only heat-resistant clay from Iga, the traditional earthenware pot body stores heat well, allowing the food to cook slowly to its core and bring out the umami flavor. Warm up your body with a morning pot and start the new season in good spirits.

Matsuyama Tokojo's Dobai Hanten Donabe S
https://www.shokunin.com/en/matsuyama/donabe.html
Yoshita Handi-Design Studio's Peeler
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yoshita/peeler.html
Kagoshima Takeseihin's Onioroshi
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kagoshima/onioroshi.html

Reference
https://tokubai.co.jp/news/articles/4844

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[Handmade Butter]

Have you ever made butter by hand? Perhaps some of you may have made it during school trips or school events when you were students. Butter is easy to make if you have some patience. It tastes a little different from the store-bought kind, and is creamy and very delicious.

The ingredients are simple. 200 ml of fresh cream (with at least 35% milk fat), salt to taste, and any other seasoning you would like to add to the finished butter. And a container with a lid large enough to hold the cream. A protein shaker or similar is just fine, and a hand mixer or food processor makes it easier and easier.

To make the cream, simply put the well-chilled cream in the refrigerator in a container with a lid (it saves time if the container is also chilled) and just keep shaking it. The time is about 15 minutes. Then the cream will separate into solid butter and liquid buttermilk, but your hands will get tired, so if you want to take a break, put the whole container in the refrigerator and take a break. If you have a hand mixer or food processor, you can also mix until the butter separates and comes together.

The resulting butter is creamy and milky as it is. You can knead simple and salt into that butter, or you can spread it on bread or serve it with your favorite rock salt, herb salt, or other seasonings of your choice. Mixed with rum raisins or dried fruit, it makes a great snack with wine when spread on crackers or cookies. Garlic toast, mixed with grated garlic and spread on bread and baked, is also a good choice.

The buttermilk that can be made together is a small amount, so it is good to drink as it is and can also be used for baking bread and pastries, so there is no waste.

It doesn't last long, so use it up within the day, or if you want to store it, divide it into small portions, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer. Try this creamy homemade butter!

Yoshita Handi-Design Studio's Butter Knife
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yoshita/cutlery.html
Azmaya's Butter Case 200g Whole
https://www.shokunin.com/en/azmaya/buttercase.html