French-Japanese Culinary Workshop by the Japanese Culinary Academy
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| Mr. Y. Murata makiing dashi from Konbu | Creation by Mr. N.Yoshida |
Following the success of last year’s seminar, the Japanese Culinary Academy, renewed its visit to the Ecole Gregoire Ferrandi (Paris), a prestigious school for French cuisine & restaurants professionals, to promote French-Japanese exchange in the field of culinary culture.
The year 2008 being the 150th anniversary of the diplomatic exchanges between France and Japan, the workshop is officially qualified, amongst other cultural manifestations, to celebrate this particularly important year.
The seminar was divided in two parts:
- Japanese cuisine course - Lecture on Dashi and Umami
- Comparative demonstration of French-Japanese Culinary techniques.
Part 1 Lecture on Dashi & Umami by Mr. Yoshihiro Murata
When a European wishes to learn more about the Japanese Cuisine, he or she shall inevitably encounter the word “Dashi”, which is a multifunctional bouillon, invisible but present in almost all kind of dishes in Japan.
Mr. Yoshihiro Murata, whose restaurant “KIKUNOI” in Tokyo, was recently honored with 2 stars in the Michelin Guide, offered to the attendants a close-up on Dashi and explained how the dashi is one of the pillar of Japanese cuisine in terms of taste and cooking technique.
What are the characteristics of Dashi?
Mr. Murata says that the taste called Umami, which the Dashi procures is situated in the heart of Japanese seasoning. As it is internationally known today, Umami is considered as the 5th basic taste after sweetness, bitterness, saltiness and sourness. In Japanese cuisine, these four other elements are placed in a concentric circle around the Umami taste. In culinary practices, Umami substances naturally enhance the original taste of other food products, without the need of adding sugar, salt or fat. This is also the reason why Japanese cuisine is delicious and healthy at the same time.
When you eat typical Japanese dishes, from the simplest dish like Miso-soup, passing through the soup for Udon or Soba noodles, to the more elaborated dishes such as Suki-yaki, Shabu-shabu, you are also experiencing the delicate composition of Japanese taste based on the Umami of Dashi.
How to make Dashi?
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| Making dashi from Katso-bushi flakes | |
The principal ingredients of traditional Dashi are Konbu and Katsuo-bushi :
- Konbu is seaweed belonging to the family of Kelp produced on the coast of the extreme north of Japan. Once dried naturally on the spot it is left in a specially controlled cellar at least for 2 years before it is commercialized. The dried Konbu is the product which contains the highest level of Glutamine in natural food products and has been appreciated since the antiquity in Japan as a very precious product which makes tastier dishes. (For further information, please refer to our article on the Konbu Seminar)
- Katsuo-bushi is made from a fish called Katsuo (Bonite), a migratory fish close to the Tuna family. Having been cleaned and cut into 2 or 3 pieces of fillet, it is smoked more than 10 times and dried with the help of the mildew for several months before it is transformed into what we call “Katsuo-bushi”.Being considered as the hardest food in the word, it is used in the form of extremely thin flakes. It contains an Umami substance called, Inosinate, which characterizes the taste of Katsuo-bushi.
Other products such as the Shiitake mushroom, Beef, Chicken or Pork can also be used to make Dashi, however in Japanese culinary history the best dashi called “Ichiban Dashi” (Ichiban literally means premium), is made from the combination of Konbu and Katsuo-bushi. Today it is proved that once the different substances of taste are combined, such as the combination of the Glutamine and Inosinate in the Ichiban-Dashi, the Umami effect becomes reinforced and intensifies the savory taste of the dishes.
Demonstrations
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| Ohitashi – Green Salad Leafs marinated in Dashi Sauce |
After the above explanation, Mr. Murata showed how to cook, Ohitashi, an ideal dish to understand how the simplest taste of green salad leave becomes richer once marinated in Dashi sauce.
To accompany this Ohitashi, Mr. Murata introduced a new type of Sushi called Inari-sushi, still not well-known in France. This delicious vegetarian sushi is quite easy to prepare because you only need to put the vinegared rice into a small pocket made with fried Tofu (Abura-age). At the practice of rolling maki-sushi, the students of Gregoire-Ferrandi, showed their surprising adaptability. Their earnestness in learning Japanese Culinary know-how shall certainly help them to enlarge their capability and creativeness in their future carrier.
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| Students making the Maki-roll | Maki-sushi & Inari-Sushi |
Part 2. French- Japanese Culinary Atelier
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| Mr. Pascal Barbot, Mr. Fabrice Biasiolo and Mr.Yoshiro Murata, tasting Mr. Biasiolo’s Chicken Dashi |
The participants were extremely honored to have 3 stared chef, Mr. Pascal Barbot of the restaurant Astrance (Paris) as the commentator of this workshop.
The curiosity to discover the new taste and new raw materials, pushes European chefs to learn more about Japanese food products, which remain almost unknown abroad. In order to encourage them, the Japanese Culinary Academy proposed this year, three ingredients immediately recognizable as part of Japanese culinary art, Green Tea, Yuzu and Wasabi, as the ingredients with which a couple of French and Japanese chef should work with for their own creations. It was also an excellent occasion to present the new generation of cookery stars, coming from Japan to enrich this event.
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| Three new talents in Japanese Cuisine (Mr. Kuroyanagi, Mr. Yoshida, Mr. Shimoguchi) accompanied by Ms. Y.Aihara, Food Journalist. |
You’ll find hereunder the summary of the products, participants (Chefs) and the surprising results of their work;
Green Tea for Mr. Hideki SHIMOGUCHI (Restaurant CHIKURIN, Kyoto) and Mr. Eric BRIFFARD (Restaurant LES ELYSEES, Paris)
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| Macha Miso Dengaku of Foie Gras by Mr. Shimoguchi |
Frozen Caille de Brebis with Green Tea & Barba Juans snack by Mr. Briffard |
Very popular drink in Japan, green tea can be used both in dishes and in sweets. The Macha, powder of the highest quality tea leaf, rich in vitamins and amino-acids, used for the tea ceremony, is a noble ingredient especially appreciated by the culinary professionals.
Yuzu for Mr. Nobuhisa YOSHIDA (Restaurant SHUHAKU, Kyoto) and Mr. Fabrice BIASIOLO (Restaurant UNE AUBERGE EN GASCOGNE, Astaffort)
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| Fried Langoustine with Yuzu-Miso, Wasabi taste Celeri-rave By Mr. Yoshida |
Green Asparagus’s tartare with Yuzu Sauce & Chicken Dashi by Mr. Biasiolo |
Among many citrus grown in Japan, Yuzu is very appreciated for its extremely rich flavor and aroma, considered as an indispensable ingredient to make Japanese authentic course menu.
Wasabi. For Mr. Takeshi KUROYANAGI (Restaurant Mugitoro, Aichi) and Mr. Christophe PELE (Restaurant La Bigarrade, Paris)
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| Salmon and Celeri-rave roll & Wasabi powdered vegetable Chips by Mr. Takahashi |
Marinated Scallops in the Granny Smith & Wasabi Sauce, Nougat of Almond & Coriander by Mr. Pele |
The expansion of Sushi eating habit in the world has made its green spice, the Wasabi, a very popular condiment in the western word. Often called the green mustard, the real taste of natural Wasabi is much more delicate than the industrial green power made from the European horseradish. It gives a very elegant spicy touch once used as an ingredient.
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