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Quote by Emiko Jean

“In Japan, the most honored guest eats first. That's me. "Itadakimasu," I say, keeping my back straight as I take a bite of prawn. In kaiseki, the focus is on the food's essence and is reflective of the rhythms of the seasons. The meal is heavily influenced by nature. It's May, so our menu will be inspired by spring and feature bamboo.”

Quote by Emiko Jean

Book:Tokyo Ever After
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Tokyo Ever After

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Emiko Jean

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“Sweetfish with pickled plum. I like it!" "This is the season for pike conger, but since they're better down in Kyoto I decided instead to use sweetfish that was caught this morning in the Kano River." "Wow, this one is such a pretty, light pink color. The flesh is smooth, and it has a nice, firm texture..." "It's saltwater eel sashimi. Tastes rich." "Lessee, then the last one is..." "It's flyingfish sashimi from Sagami Bay. Please try it with the miso vinaigrette." "Hmm... flyingfish has a strong taste that's probably too much for most people. But this miso dressing gives it a nice, rich flavor.”

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Book:Japanese Cuisine
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“Cubes of Mita's Kuroushi Beef." "Oh, raw meat? At first glance, it looks raw, but it's actually been cooked. And when you bite it all the juice from the meat comes seeping out!" "Ohh... if it was raw, you wouldn't get such a succulent juice coming out of it. This has been cooked very skillfully." "One has soy sauce with Japanese mustard, and the other has soy sauce with wasabi on it. Two different sauces to enjoy." "We slowly roasted a prime tenderloin of the Mita Beef, and then cut away the meat on the outside... ... to take out the meat on the inside." "What an extravagant thing to do." "Hmm, this meat is top-notch, but Mamiya's skills have definitely improved. It's not easy to cook the meat so delicately..." "This one is wrapped in a bamboo sheath... I wonder what's inside. Oh, it's tilefish." "And underneath is..." "It's shredded snow peas with tilefish on top... ... wrapped in a bamboo sheath and steamed. Please pour some kuzu sauce on it... You can also place some wasabi on it if you want to." "The fish has been steamed to perfection. If he had steamed it any more, the flesh would have become tough, but if he had steamed it any less, it would still be a bit raw. It is just soft enough, and the juice is still left in it too..." "The snow peas have sucked up the flavor of the tilefish and have bloomed in flavor.”

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Book:Vegetables
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“In the bottom right is the grilled fish of the day--- in this case, teriyaki yellowtail. Top left is a selection of sashimi and pickled dishes.: Akashi sea bream, Kishu tuna, and flash-grilled Karatsu abalone. Seared Miyajima conger eel, served with pickled cucumber and myoga ginger. And in the bottom left is the matsutake rice--- the mushrooms are from Shinshu, and wonderfully fragrant. I'll bring some soup over shortly. In the meantime, enjoy!' Nagare bowed and turned back to the kitchen. 'Let's tuck in,' said Tae, joining her hands together in appreciation before reaching for her chopsticks. 'It's delicious,' said Nobuko, who had already reached into the bento and sampled the sea bream. 'The sashimi looks wonderful, but these appetizers are simply exquisite. Let's see... rolled barracuda sushi, dash-maki omelette, and those look like quail tsukume balls. And this simmered octopus--- it just melts on your tongue!”

SeafoodSushiJapanese CuisineSashimiBento
Book:The Kamogawa Food Detectives
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“As Hideji's gaze skipped between the various dishes, Nagare went on: 'Stewed arame and deep-fried tofu. Okara croquettes. Kikuna leaves dressed with sesame and miso. Kurama-style sardine. Hirosu tofu ball in broth. Pork belly simmered in Kyobancha tea. Fresh tofu curd with sour plum paste. Oh, and Kioshi's rice-bran-pickled cucumbers. Nothing too extravagant. If anything, the highlights are probably the firmly cooked Goshu rice and the miso soup with ebi-imo taro. Anyway, enjoy the meal. Oh, and make sure you put a good sprinkle of sansho pepper on the soup--- it'll warm you right up.”

Japanese CuisineTofuMiso
Book:The Kamogawa Food Detectives
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“Miyajima oysters, simmered Kurama-style, miso-glazed baked butterburs with millet cake, bracken and bamboo shoot stew, chargrilled moroko, breast of Kyoto-reared chicken with a wasabi dressing, and vinegared Wakasa mackerel wrapped in pickled Shogoin turnip. In the bottom right you have a hamaguri clam broth thickened with kudzu starch. Tonight's customer asked me to create something that evoked both the lingering winter and the onset of spring, which led to the dishes you see here.”

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Book:The Kamogawa Food Detectives
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“Seeing as it's cherry season, I've gone for an imitation of a lunchbox from a blossom-viewing picnic. On top of that folded kaishi paper is the wild vegetable tempura. Ostrich fern, mugwort, devil's walking stick, koshiabura and smilax. There's some matcha salt on the side, or you can try it with the regular dipping sauce. The sashimi is cherry bass and halfbeak. Try it with the ponzu. For the grilled fish dish, I've gone with masu salmon in a miso marinade, together with some simmered young bamboo. Firefly squid and wakame seaweed dressed with vinegared miso, overnight Omi beef, and deep-fried chicken wing-tips. In that wooden bowl is an Asari clam and bamboo shoot broth.”

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Book:The Kamogawa Food Detectives
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“Everything on this platter is hamo eel or ayu sweetfish: two essential parts of Kyoto summer cuisine," explained Nagare. "Starting from the top left: miniature hamo sushi rolls. One teriyaki-style, and one shirayaki--- without any seasoning, that is. Next to that, in the small bowl, is shredded hamo eel skin, pickled and served with okra. On top of the bamboo grass leaf are two little ayu, caught in the Katsura River--- salted and grilled. In the glass sake cup is a delicacy known as uruka--- basically the salted entrails and roe of the ayu. Similar to shiokara, if you've had that. The deep-fried dish in the middle on the right is ayu fry. They're sprinkled with sansho pepper salt, so you can enjoy them as they are. Bottom right, on the perilla leaf, is hamo no otoshi: boiled slices of the eel, served with pickled plum paste and myoga ginger. Bottom left, meanwhile, is hamo no hasamiyaki, which is seasoned with white miso and fried between slices of Yamashina eggplant.”

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Book:The Restaurant of Lost Recipes
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