Messori Produced by Recruit Matcha can be used as "seasoning".We had a tea researcher to teach an arrangement recipe that makes use of umami.

Do you like matcha?

Of course it's delicious to drink, but it's actually super good as a "seasoning". When used in cooking, it creates a synergistic effect of umami, and gives richness and depth.

So this time, as a simple and delicious recipe using matcha,

Introducing three. In any recipe, matcha balances the overall flavor and adds a touch of glamor to the dish.

The person who introduces us is Mr. Akihiro Sugikawa, a tea researcher who runs a souvenir shop "Kirin Shoten" in Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture.

▲Mr. Akihiro Sugikawa welcomed us with roasted shiitake mushrooms on the brazier. This is delicious with tea

▲Click here for the previous article that taught me how to make cold brew green tea.

▲The store name “Kirin Shoten” is an abbreviation of “Kirishima no Yokamon (good thing)”.

▲As the name suggests, there are many Kirishima products such as tea, seasonings, shiitake mushrooms, sweets, and folk crafts.

Matcha enhances umami

──Matcha can be used in various dishes.

Mr. Sugikawa: Matcha is rich in theanine, a type of amino acid. Theanine is said to have a synergistic effect that increases the umami flavor by 5 to 8 times when combined with the umami component inosinic acid, which is abundant in chicken, pork, beef, and bonito flakes. So when you use it in cooking, you can enjoy it in a different way than when you drink it.

▲Matcha with a beautiful bright green color

──I used to eat tempura with matcha salt, but I had never used it in my cooking.

Mr. Sugikawa: By adding matcha, I feel that the whole dish is harmonious and balanced. You can also use it by mixing matcha with fish paste to eliminate the odor. Depending on the ingredients, matcha can be difficult because it can kill the flavor, but if you can use it well, it's a great ingredient. I'd like to introduce you to the recommended recipe for the time being. I hope you can use this as a reference to expand the range of usage yourself.

Only 3 ingredients! "Chabushi"

[Ingredients] (for 1 person)

*Amounts are approximate. Adjust to your liking

▲ Only 3 ingredients: dried bonito, barley miso, and matcha.

Mr. Sugikawa: Chabushi is a local dish from the southern part of the Satsuma Peninsula, and is generally made by pouring green tea into bonito flakes and barley miso. . If you use matcha, you don't need to use a teapot, so it's easier and more mellow and rich.

──The tea festival is really nice, isn't it? You can easily recharge your energy in a busy morning, and drinking it the day after drinking alcohol or when you are tired will make you feel relieved.

Mr. Sugikawa: You can use whatever bonito flakes you like, but it's better to use freshly shaved bonito flakes for a more fragrant and delicious flavor. Among them, Honkarebushi (dried bonito with mold on its surface. Characterized by its elegant flavor with little fishy smell) is recommended for its great aroma. Katsuobushi can be stored in the freezer, so if you have a lot of them shaved and frozen in small portions, you can enjoy Chabushi whenever you want. The type that is subdivided into a pack is also good.

▲If you want to enjoy it easily, the individually wrapped bonito flakes that are often sold at supermarkets are convenient.

Mr. Sugikawa: As for miso, barley miso is common in Kyushu. It's sweet and mild, so it's delicious when paired with matcha. Mixed miso, soybean miso, etc. are also fine.

Mr. Sugikawa: If you don't have matcha, you can use powdered green tea with matcha instead.

【How to make】

1. Place the three ingredients in a bowl.

2.Pour hot water to complete. Only this.

▲ Super easy. It warms your body, and the richness of dried bonito, barley miso, and matcha permeates your body. I want to say "Ah, it's delicious!"

Mr. Sugikawa: As I explained earlier, matcha contains theanine, bonito flakes contain inosinic acid, and miso contains glutamic acid, which is also known as an umami component. All different types of umami ingredients are mixed, and the moment you put it in your mouth, you will experience a “big bang of umami”!

▲“Kagoshima Yuzu Kosho (480 yen before tax)” and “Kirishima Chili Pepper (480 yen before tax)” are Kirin Shoten original products.

Mr. Sugikawa: It is also recommended to add condiments such as yuzu pepper, shichimi, and shichimi to your liking.

──The yuzu kosho tastes a little fancy. It's a good feeling to be tangy and toned. Both warm your body.

Mr. Sugikawa: Chabushi is also popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Some of my acquaintances are addicted to starting the morning after they go camping with Chabushi instead of drip coffee. It's easy because you just bring bonito flakes, miso, and matcha, and it will soak into your body just after waking up. It is also recommended for sending money to children who have started living alone. You don't need a pot, let alone a teapot, just put the ingredients in a bowl and pour hot water. You can get nourishment easily and have vitality.

Change to usual rice "Matcha salt rice ball"

[Ingredients] (Easy to make amount)

Mr. Sugikawa: Matcha is delicious even if you use it like sprinkle. Recommended when you want to add a little change to your usual rice.

【How to make】

1. Cook rice with glutinous barley.

2. Put the glutinous rice in a bowl and let it cool down a little, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and matcha. Sprinkle the matcha through a tea strainer to avoid clumping and give it a nice appearance.

3. Mix with a rice scoop.

4.

5. Complete with seaweed if you like. The rounded shape is cute. It's ok to just put it in a bowl without making it into a rice ball.

Mr. Sugikawa: Actually, a slightly smaller bale shape is cute, but this is the limit with my hands...

──It's delicious. The taste and aroma of matcha is elegant and modest, but it also has umami and richness.

Mr. Sugikawa: When matcha is added, it looks and tastes gorgeous, and it's fun. It is mild and rich, and brings harmony to the overall taste of the dish.

Harmony of Dashi and Matcha Umami "Matcha Chazuke"

[Ingredients] (for 2 people)

(topping)

, etc., as you like

Mr. Sugikawa: Basically, it's a simple ochazuke with dashi and matcha. You can eat lightly when you want something light, and you can enjoy a wide variety of toppings by expanding the range of flavors. It takes more time than the first two, but it's my favorite recipe this time.

【How to make】

1. First, make a dashi stock with kelp and bonito flakes. Put the kombu and water in a pot and heat over low heat until it starts to boil, then remove the kombu. *If you have time, you can soak the kombu seaweed in advance to make the soup stock better.

2.Add bonito flakes, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and filter.

▲Use the kombu and bonito flakes after making the dashi for second dashi and tsukudani.

3. Add a pinch of salt. The soup stock is now complete.

4. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and roast the glutinous barley and sesame seeds. When it pops, turn off the heat and it's done. This is a topping for rice. The texture of the glutinous barley and the aroma of the sesame give a different flavor to the ochazuke.

▲The aroma of roasted glutinous barley adds a nice accent to the dish. At Kirin Shoten, it is also used as a topping for zenzai and curry served in the store.

Mr. Sugikawa: I could buy hail at the supermarket, but I thought I could make something with local ingredients from Kirishima. I use it for toppings. You can also use brown rice instead of glutinous barley.

5. Put the roasted glutinous barley and sesame on the rice, and pour the dashi stock over it.

6. Sprinkle matcha with a tea strainer and you're done.

This is an ochazuke that has a light and refreshing taste with a strong umami and aroma. While elegant and understated, the gorgeousness of the matcha is summarizing the whole well.

Please prepare various toppings as you like. If you line up a lot, you can enjoy it in an atmosphere like "Ochazuke party".

Mr. Sugikawa: If it's hard to make dashi, you can use dashi packs or dashi granules. But it's not that difficult, so I'd like you to try it once. If you can freely arrange and enjoy it on top of that.

▲Various arrangements. When you get a good fish or ara at the supermarket, you can make a richer chazuke by adding fish to the soup stock.

──Thank you for teaching me various things. I was surprised that matcha matches the dish more than I expected.

Mr. Sugikawa: Matcha is a wonderful ingredient, so I would like to see more use of it in cooking. There are many affordable ones to high-end ones, so which one you choose depends on how you want to use it and how you enjoy it. I think it's good. This recipe is not only delicious, but also "fun" and "easy to incorporate". If you try it without being particular about it, you will find unexpected discoveries, so please try various things first.

▲Mr. Sugikawa is considering tea recipes after business hours. "There are times when my obsessions get in the way, so I'm trying not to be obsessed as much as possible."

Bonus: How to enjoy Kirin Shoten, a shop that will never be completed

We offer seasonal tea recipes such as cold-brewed green tea in the summer and chabushi and ochazuke using matcha in the winter. Mr. Sugikawa, who made the proposal. Kirin Shoten also offers a variety of menus centered around tea depending on the season. As a bonus this time, I asked Mr. Sugikawa about the shop.

── Kirin Shoten has seasonal menus.

Mr. Sugikawa: I think that incorporating the four seasons of the region is very enriching. For yourself and for your guests.

▲A drink made from a 100-year-old fragrant tree in front of the store is now a classic autumn item at Kirin Shoten.

──Where does the driving force to always “change the store” and “change the menu” come from?

Mr. Sugikawa: It's because I get bored easily. An acquaintance who owns a bar once told me, "You have to keep yourself from getting bored in business. If you get bored, the customers will get bored too." . That's why I'm doing it as a "shop that will never be completed". While there are universal pillars such as "telling you how to enjoy tea" and "handling Kirishima's good things", while incorporating a lot of values ​​and culture according to the times and the moment , I want to change more and more. If we don't change, we will be out of step with the times and needs. I think that having customers enjoy the store with surprises such as, “Is there such a product or menu?” will lead to the creation of a more attractive store.

▲In the fall of 2021, we will set up “Jiguri Korokoro” in the garden of the store. It seems that children who got tired of looking at the inside of the store started playing outside. “Even when I grow up, I remember the shops that I have happy memories of when I was a child,” says Mr. Sugikawa.

▲ Mochi behavior at the end of the year. "Matcha mochi" using plenty of matcha is a luxury you can't see anywhere else

──Lastly, please tell us your recommendation for this winter.

Mr. Sugikawa: Zenzai. “Matcha latte zenzai” was popular this summer. The “Zenzai and Kirishima Matcha Set”, which is an upgraded version for winter, is delicious, so please come and try it.

As a "shop that will never be completed", Kirin Shoten's inquisitiveness and curiosity that pursues delicious menus and things that customers can enjoy may be what attracts customers.

I think that all of the matcha recipes you taught me this time are easy to try at home. With this recipe as a trigger, open the door to the deep and fun world of matcha. And if you have a chance to come to Kagoshima, definitely go to Kirin Shoten!

Store Information

Kirin Shoten

Address: 1424-2 Yado Kubota, Makizonocho, Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture Phone: 0995-76-1355 Business hours: 10:00-17:00 (13:00-17:00 only on Thursdays) Closed: Tuesdays and Wednesdays (In addition, it may be closed depending on the day, so please check the business information on Instagram)

https://www.instagram.com/kirinsan_a_sugikawa/?hl=ja

Written by: Chie Yokota

Freelance writer living in Kagoshima. She gathers data mainly in Kyushu, and does everything from planning to photography and writing for both the web and paper. Kagoshima has a lot of ash, so the problem is that the wipers of the car are easily damaged. I love hot springs.

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