Prawn & buckwheat
noodle soup (recipe p 68).
AFTER A SOY BEAN CROP
HAS FINISHED, IN GOES THE
BUCKWHEAT, MEANING YOU
GET TWO CROPS OUT OF
ONE FIELD. IT ALSO MEANS
THEY PAIR WELL. HERE, YOU
COULD ADD BOILED EGG
OR THROW TOGETHER A
VERSION WITH LEFTOVER
MEATS OR VEGETABLES.
LAST NOVEMBER WE SPENT five days in Tokyo with friends for my wife’s birthday,
to celebrate the only way we know how – with non-stop eating. Beforehand, I had the
pleasure of meeting Nancy Singleton Hachisu (author and font of wisdom on Japanese
cuisine) at Pope Joan through Michael Dalton, owner of Fino Foods, who then travelled
with us. Alongside was Mami Kitani, the president of Yamaki Jozo, a company growing
organic soy, rice and buckwheat, and making organic soy products.
Mami took us to a village in Saitama, surrounded by organic vegetable growers, to see
how they work with soy. We tried soy doughnuts, soy ice cream with soy sauce – you
name it – before trying different tofus and tofu curd. Rich and creamy, the curd inspired
a recipe for tofu bagels that I’ve shared here. Next, we saw how soy sauce is made. I can’t
put into words the intricacy: the mashed soy, the crushed wheat, the koji, the salted
spring water – all fermenting to create shoyu. The tofu left the biggest impression on me,
though, and inspired these recipes that I hope will remind me of this trip for a long time.@mrwilkinsons @Wilkinson_Matt Download our enhanced App for Cook Mode