In talking about Japanese food culture, we cannot just simply reduce everything to the discussion of food. Placement, harmony within the home and the entire experience surrounding the meal all play an important role.

In Japanese culture, orchids represent refinement. In the past, they were considered to be rare and generally reserved for the wealthy and privileged few, and therefore, even today, are considered a symbol of things that are rare and precious. White orchids are seen as being especially auspicious, because white is the color of purity and cleanliness, the color of the gods.

This is one of two orchids that hold a special place on our kitchen window sills. It has been in full bloom for several weeks and we wanted to share it with you.

‘An evening Orchid

Hidden in its scent,

The flower’s whiteness.’

A haiku by Yosa Buson (1716-1783), translated by R.H. Blythe

Since we introduced the principles of Washoku in our last post, we wanted to experiment with a couple of recipes, seeing how easy it would be to adhere to these guidelines. We do admit to loving most Asian foods, with the possible exception of raw fish and some seafoods, but do not lay claim to being experts in Japanese cuisine. As a result, this necessitated a trip to our local libraries, pretty much emptying all the resources available on anything Japanese. We found several treasures hidden among the stacks, but Harumi Kurihara’s book on Japanese Cooking (Harumi’s Japanese Cooking), stood out from the rest. We are told that in Japan, she is considered the national equivalent of  ‘Martha Stewart.’  She pretty much runs a cooking and lifestyle empire, appearing on television shows, owning house ware shops and a chain of restaurants throughout Japan.  She is a modern Japanese woman, but her cooking is rooted in traditional Japanese cuisine, with an an easy to duplicate method for anyone in the rest of the world.

We selected one of her recipes to share with all of you, since it appeared to us to include some of the Washoku guidelines. The recipe is for Steamed Chicken Salad with Sesame Sauce (Mushi Dori no Gomadare Salad), and is very easy to make. Don’t let the seemingly complicated references to Washoku scare you off.  Not only does it address  the five tastes of sweet (sugar), sour (rice wine vinegar), spicy (chili paste, ginger), salty (gluten free tamari), and bitter (garlic, daikon), but also the five colors of red (chili paste), yellow (ginger), green (green onions, cucumber), black (sesame seeds, peanut butter), and white (sesame seeds, garlic).

Three of the five ways of cooking are included in this recipe;  the raw element  by the inclusion of  fresh cucumbers and green onions,  simmering of the chicken, and boiling of the noodles, as well as the marinating of the chicken and green onions in the sauce.

The five senses involve the texture of  the noodles, the crunch of the raw cucumbers, the soft chewiness of the chicken, the harmonizing flavors and the nutty aroma of the sauce.

We should note, that we did make some changes to the recipe. Gomadare, means “dressed with a sesame sauce”  and is very common in Japanese cooking, used for both meat and vegetables. It can be made with either ready-made sesame paste, or more traditionally by grinding toasted sesame seeds to a rough paste in a suribachi (mortar and pestle). The author points out that the Greek-style sesame paste tahini can make a reasonably substitute, although it is not made from toasted sesame seeds, altering the flavor slightly. She also recommends the substitution of unsweetened peanut butter, if you are unable to find sesame paste, which we chose for our version of her recipe.

Traditionally, this recipe is served either as an appetizer, or over cold noodles, as part of a Bento-style lunch, or dinner. Since we prepared this for dinner, we included a recipe for Ginger Bok Choy, which was not included in the above-referenced book.

You will need the following ingredients to make these recipes:

Ginger Bok Choy and Steamed Chicken Salad with Sesame Sauce:

• 1 packet of gluten free brown rice spaghetti (Peacock brand). You can also use gluten free glass noodles.
• 5 green onions
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• approx. 1 inch. piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped