Old Japan Hand and suspect foodie mjm put up a question on how to pair wine with Japanese food some months ago. I guess this could be widened into a general food/drinks pairings thread, so any advice on good shochu - food, sake - food or similar pairings? Don't know if beer should be included?

I'll start with a recent experience of tempura of tuna and tiger crab in a wasabi and soy sauce that was paired ( by the chef, not myself ) with a 2005 NZ Villa Maria Private Bin East Coast Gewuerztraminer ( http://villamaria.co.nz/search.php?wineid=179 ). While I have no idea about tasting terminology, that Kiwi wine can somehow handle the wasabi bite and actually contribute to overall flavour.

Also got to taste some great Okinawa shochu yesterday after years of abstinence from that poison. The Itamae who offered it was from Nara so he had no clue what to eat with it and only shrugged with a "butaniku kanaa..." commentary. :D

Okinawa shochu

Awamori?

Maybe your Nara chef was thinking that it should be served with Okinawan specialities such as pigs ears. To achieve the "authentic" okinawan feel, he would probably also want to have a side plate with some umi budou ("sea grapes" seaweed) and a main dish of some champuru (okinawan stir fry) with niga-uri (bitter marrow)**. Quite a few izakaya in Tokyo have been doing this kind of thing for the past couple of years.

I have found that a lightly diluted awamori goes quite well with sashimi such as kampachi. The "bite" of the awamori can hold up very well against an invigourating wasabi. Probably a different dynamic to the kiwi wine & wasabi that you mentioned.

** a.k.a. "Goya"

I guess the Gewurz matching supports the school of thought that Gewurz and Riesling are good matches for Asian food.

Personally with fatty pork (kakuni and that sort of thing) I like a yamahai sake (aka "kimoto"). They've got good acidity and can cut through the fat quite nicely.

Haven't been able to break into awamori and shochu, even diluted, but given how much I drink I suppose I should be pleased there are some things I don't like. Sorta like how it's just as well that I hate cannoli.

Personally, I like iced oloongcha. It goes well with all Japanese food, and in summer, it is very refreshing.

When I read this post I immediately started to imagine the spicy tastes of the Kiwi white with the wasabi. Can easily imagine it working. As I tend towards Pinot Gris (Grigio) and Sauvignon Blanc, I had not even considered that combo.

Still curious to see what combos with either Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc are good. I think Pinot Gris and a spicy dish (Thai, Vietnamese, etc.) works rather well, but in Japan there is not much spicy food. Maybe one dish out of several at a meal if at all.

Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful combo with vinegary dishes and many vegetables so I am thinking I may find more flexibility there fr pairing with local cuisine.

Reds are a whole diferent topic and have not even tried going there with Japanese food yet.

So many great chefs in town these days are adding a bit of French, Italian, etc. to their base Japanese cooking that the pairings with that food make it possible to dine on "enhanced" (for lack of a better term) Japanese cooking 7 days a week and never run out of possibilities. I am truly enjoying that particular experience as often as possible.

Given the currently fashionable nature of Shochu, I am keen to develop a bit more of a sense about that particlular tipple.

I love having these troubles. The path to resolution is such a gluttonous delight. :)

Mike


Old Japan Hand and suspect foodie mjm put up a question on how to pair wine with Japanese food some months ago. I guess this could be widened into a general food/drinks pairings thread, so any advice on good shochu - food, sake - food or similar pairings? Don't know if beer should be included?

I'll start with a recent experience of tempura of tuna and tiger crab in a wasabi and soy sauce that was paired ( by the chef, not myself ) with a 2005 NZ Villa Maria Private Bin East Coast Gewuerztraminer ( http://villamaria.co.nz/search.php?wineid=179 ). While I have no idea about tasting terminology, that Kiwi wine can somehow handle the wasabi bite and actually contribute to overall flavour.

Also got to taste some great Okinawa shochu yesterday after years of abstinence from that poison. The Itamae who offered it was from Nara so he had no clue what to eat with it and only shrugged with a "butaniku kanaa..." commentary. :D

Awamori?

Maybe your Nara chef was thinking that it should be served with Okinawan specialities such as pigs ears. To achieve the "authentic" okinawan feel, he would probably also want to have a side plate with some umi budou ("sea grapes" seaweed) and a main dish of some champuru (okinawan stir fry) with niga-uri (bitter marrow)**. Quite a few izakaya in Tokyo have been doing this kind of thing for the past couple of years.

I have found that a lightly diluted awamori goes quite well with sashimi such as kampachi. The "bite" of the awamori can hold up very well against an invigourating wasabi. Probably a different dynamic to the kiwi wine & wasabi that you mentioned.

** a.k.a. "Goya"

The taste reminded me of European herb-infused schnapps, very mellow and sophisticated touch. Awamori?

Are you supposed wrap the pigs ears in the seaweed or eat them separately? I've always liked offal and especially sínce spending extended periods of time in the Korean provinces. Have you tried the Korean steamed pig's head breakfast soup w/a bowl of rice? It's only available at market stalls as far as I know but pretty tasty.

The stir fry is with pork, to(o)fu and niga-uri, right? I think I've had that once or twice on Honshu. Very bitter taste, would be interesting to try with awamori/shochu.

Thanks a lot for the sashimi tip. ^ Maybe I can finally get my Korean people stop complaining about Japanese drinks being too sweet. The soju/peksekchu mix lately popular in Korean sashimi places should be quite similar in taste ( but inferior in quality) to awamori.

Would you ( or any others ) know of any good english/japanese website on Okinawan cooking?

Given the currently fashionable nature of Shochu, I am keen to develop a bit more of a sense about that particlular tipple.


Mike
Is this a subtle hint?

T

The stir fry is with pork, to(o)fu and niga-uri, right? I think I've had that once or twice on Honshu. Very bitter taste, would be interesting to try with awamori/shochu.

Cut the stir fry with some miso paste to tone down the bitterness.....also gives it a slightly nutty taste. Also the pork should be boiled first then fried.

You sir, and of course your knowledge of potato hooch, are welcome anytime. ;)

Is this a subtle hint?

You sir, and of course your knowledge of potato hooch, are welcome anytime. ;)

Hey, I am not a one trick pony ;) .......I mostly drink Champagne/red wine. I leave the hooch to the locals, nothing like the price of fine wines/liquors in Japan. Especially the prices at Costco for a bottle of Tattinger/Veuve/single malt, blended scotch is cheaper than anywhere I can remember.

Back on topic, I recently (last night) was served tsukushi(do you know what it is?), and it went well with some beer. We then had fresh strawberry(Amaoo strawberries) daifuku with some excellent Yame "green"green tea. Ah, life in inaka........

The stir fry is with pork, to(o)fu and niga-uri, right? I think I've had that once or twice on Honshu. Very bitter taste, would be interesting to try with awamori/shochu.
If it's done right, which entails both picking the gourd at the right stage of development and preparing it correctly, it's only very slightly bitter -- and very tasty.

As for Okinawan food and drink pairings, I'd recommend some hanazake from Yonaguni paired with anything at all (say, a handful of gravel). It's 60% and by tradition must be drunk straight until the bottle is empty :o

The taste reminded me of European herb-infused schnapps, very mellow and sophisticated touch. Awamori?

Sounds like it could be awamori. I have only scratched the surface of awamori. There is a huge variety in what I have tasted.

Are you supposed wrap the pigs ears in the seaweed or eat them separately?

The pigs ears ("mimiga") that I am thinking of are sliced thin and mixed with vinegar. There is no need to wrap them in anything. Your Korean friends might want to add some hot chillies.

In Okinawan markets they also sell whole pig faces for you to slice and dice however you see fit.

The "umi budo" seaweed is not the kind of seaweed that you could use to wrap something. It looks like a bunch of grapes - and it gives a pretty good "snap crackle and pop" in your mouth as you eat it. It looks like this:
http://www.umibudou.com/umibudou001.htm

I've always liked offal and especially sínce spending extended periods of time in the Korean provinces. Have you tried the Korean steamed pig's head breakfast soup w/a bowl of rice? It's only available at market stalls as far as I know but pretty tasty.

I'm not big on offal. But Okinawa has some dishes which are supposed to be offally nice if that's your thing. :D

I found the following blog which describes some unusual dishes in Okinawa:
(See the entry for Jan 12)
http://futenma2.blogspot.com/


The stir fry is with pork, to(o)fu and niga-uri, right?
That's right - and egg too.


Would you ( or any others ) know of any good english/japanese website on Okinawan cooking?

Still looking....

Back on topic, I recently (last night) was served tsukushi(do you know what it is?), and it went well with some beer. We then had fresh strawberry(Amaoo strawberries) daifuku with some excellent Yame "green"green tea. Ah, life in inaka........
Yo ate sukushi? :eek: Did you pick them yourself. Resistance is futile, you've been assimilated. ;)

Yo ate sukushi? :eek: Did you pick them yourself. Resistance is futile, you've been assimilated. ;)
The tsukushi Queen picked them and fried them up with egg....others were just steamed with soy and fish flakes a la tsukemono.........
Tonight I had nanohana tempura :eek: , G-D save my soul ;) !

The tsukushi Queen picked them and fried them up with egg....others were just steamed with soy and fish flakes a la tsukemono.........
Tonight I had nanohana tempura :eek: , G-D save my soul ;) !
Actually that reminds me, the takenoko must be in season now. I love that stuff.

Nanohana tempura, yum..... Love fuki no tou, too. That's another thing to look forward to on my April trip!

Personally, I like iced oloongcha. It goes well with all Japanese food, and in summer, it is very refreshing.

Sorry to bump this thread but a Japanese friend just recently introduced the best of both worlds with food: Half a glass of shochu with the other half filled with oolongcha. It works pretty well with sashimi and sushi at least, I have to say.

Mosburger,

Isn't that just an oolonghai [ウーロンハイ]?

There's also a green tea version, which is called "ryokuchahai" [緑茶ハイ] (and is also WAY better tasting than oolong, but that may just be because I don't like oolong tea).