An article about Kyoto in Asia Eater, a brand new magazine about food

I have an article in the premier issue of a brand new food magazine called Asia Eater. Published by Sabre Media, a company in Bangkok, Thailand and printed in Singapore, it’s a quarterly printed magazine all about food. As their website states:

Asia Eater is a quarterly print magazine about Asian food and food culture in Asia. Through features, essays, photo series, guest contributions, interviews and recipes we aim to cover all aspects of Asian food and drink including cooking, eating, farming, production, sustainability, trends and chefs. The magazine does not feature restaurant reviews nor any paid content.

I just received a copy of the first issue, and I really love it. It’s really refreshing to see a brand new print magazine in this day and age anyway, but one dedicated to food? From Asia? That’s not all about poncey restaurant reviews, but rather features in-depth articles about food, interviews with chefs, and even some recipes? I’m in, even if I didn’t have an article in there. Each feature is copiously illustrated with full color photographs (including mine) too. It’s slightly smaller than regular magazines, sort of a National Geographic size but wider, so I can see keeping the issues for referring to again and again. I highly recommend it if you are interested in Asian cuisine in general. The first issue has articles about Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and a lot more.

My article is about the kanmidokoro, or traditional tea and sweets restaurants, of Kyoto, with a bit of the long history of wagashi in that historic town. If you enjoyed my Postcards from Kyoto series or plan to visit Kyoto someday, I think you will enjoy it.

In any case, as I said it’s really nice to see a well put together food magazine make its debut. Check it out!

Asia Eater website I’m was interviewed by editor in chief Terry Blackburn for the latest edition of their podcast too. (I have such a hard time listening to my own voice. >.<)

ETA: You can also buy a digital copy from this link (Sorry I forgot to mention that earlier!)

View the original article here

Monday photos: Yuzu miso container from Yaosan, Kyoto

One of the many reasons that I love Kyoto is the sheer amount of history that you can discover on almost every street and slleyway. Not just the kind of top-down history that you normally encounter, in the form of impressive palaces and places of worship, but quiet signs of things that have outlasted wars and disasters for generations. This is one example.

Yuzu miso is a sweet, fragrant concoction of white miso (usually Saikyo miso if it’s made in Kyoto), grated yuzu zest and various other ingredients. Traditionally used as a sauce or topping on dishes like furofuki daikon (simmered daikon radish), it’s also a great all-around condiment. One of my favorite ways to enjoy yuzu miso is spread thinly on buttered toast.

Yaosan is a maker of yuzu miso that has been in business in Kyoto since 1708. Although there are other makes of yuzu miso in Kyoto and elsewhere, Yaosan is particularly famous, in particular because of their colorful yuzu shaped ceramic containers. The container, which is rather like a Japanese version of majolicaware, comes in 3 sizes, packed with yuzu miso of course. You can bring in your empty container to the store and have it re-filled with fresh miso.

Yaosan is a shinise (a long-established business) with a vengeance. It has managed to stay in business for more than 300 years doing just one thing: the making and selling yuzu miso. (It is all made locally, in a outlying area of Kyoto called Mizuo).

On the back wall of the tiny store hangs this impressive hand carved store sign (kanban). It was carved by Rozanjin Kitaoji, a.k.a. Rosanjin, a famous gourmet of the late 19th-20th century. The equivalent in Western terms might be something like a endorsement by Brillat-Savarin - but one chiseled into wood by his own hands. (Fans of the original Iron Chef show may remember frequent mentions of Rosanjin in that show.)

Yaosan is marked on my Maki’s Kyoto Destinations map. Kyoto addresses can be a bit difficult to locate, but Yaosan, despite its tiny size, is famous, so just ask the hotel staff. In the Tokyo area, Yaosan also periodically sells its yuzu miso at Takashimaya in Nihonbashi or elsewhere (such as Yokohama and Tamagawa), though they rarely sell their yuzu shaped containers anywhere but at the Kyoto store. The yuzu miso filled ceramic containers start at around 2100 yen for the smallest size. You can also buy the miso alone starting at 850 yen for 130g.

Yaosan (???)???????????????????(???)(on Anekoji-dori/intersection with Higashinotouin Nishi (on the northwest corner))Tel:075-221-0318Hours: 9:00~18:00Public transportation: Karasuma Oike on the Karasuma metro line (Exit 3) Closed Sundays, national holidays and 3rd Thursday of the month

View the original article here

Kyoto jo-gashi (wagashi) and iced matcha in the Japan Times

This month’s Japan Times article is about the elegant world of Kyoto jo-gashi, or high end wagashi (traditional Japanese pastries). The online version is divided into two parts: the main article The nostalgic and sweet life of Kyoto, and then the recipe-of-the-month, Serving green tea in your home which is actually about making iced matcha. You probably know that matcha comes as a bright green, very fine powder. If you’re into making matcha, you may already have a chasen, the delicate bamboo whisk that is used to mix matcha with water. The whole mixing process is a critical part of the taa ceremony, and it’s very beautiful. But you aren’t conducting a tea ceremony, you don’t need a chasen to make great matcha, especially iced! The easiest, though rather inelegant, way to mix the fine tea powder with water hot or cold is to just dump both in a cocktail shaker, as I suggested in the article. Close the lid and shake vigorously- voila, foamy smooth matcha! (Incidentally, I suggest boiling the water first and then cooling it down because that gives the tea a slightly cleaner flavor if using tap water. You can use bottled water if you like instead.) You can use a jar or any container with a tight fitting lid instead. Alternately, use a small whisk - I have one that I got in a cake-making kit aimed at kids - an whisk well until the tea is combined. You can make matcha latte by substituting warm or cold (if you’re doing iced) milk for all or part of the water.

I’ve already written about Kagizen Yoshifuka as part of my Postcards from Kyoto series. It’s one of my must-stops whenever I’ve in Kyoto. The interior of the shop is surprisingly modern - but then, Kyoto has a number of very nicely designed modern retail spaces.

I ran out of space for the addresses of the places I mentioned in the article, so here they are if you are interested in visiting them when you’re in Kyoto:

Kagizen Yoshifusa main location: Higashiyama-ku, Shijo-dori, 264 Gion-cho Kita-gawa. Tel: 075-561-1818. 5 minutes walk from the Keihan Shijo Station. The tea room is open 7 days 9am-6pm; there is a store in the front for purchase of hannamagashi and higashi. 2nd location at Koenji. Demachi Futaba: Kamigyo-ku, Demachi-dori Imadegawa-agaru, Seiryu-cho 236. Tel: 075-231-1658. 5 minutes walk from Demachi Yanagi Station. Takeout only. Kamo Mitarashi Chaya Honpo (main store): Sakyo-ku, Shimokamo Matsunoki-cho 53 (opposite the entrance to Shimokamo shrine). Tel: 075-791-1652 20 minutes walk from Demachi Yanagi Station, or take the Kyoto City Bus to Shimokamo Jinja-mae stop.

Check out my Google map of Kyoto also (I do need to update it; I have so many other places to add to it.)

View the original article here

Snapdragon Kyoto Plum Vinaigrette, 10.1-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 6)

Journey to the culinary capitals of Asia with Snapdragon, where every stop brings a new taste discovery. Snapdragon Kyoto Plum Jasmine Rice Vinaigrette is a blend of sweet plums with rice vinegar and a touch of chili.

Price: $23.94

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