Going back to the beginning of this year....., we have done Knife sharpening lesson as the first Japanese cooking class 2022. Preparing the blade of kitchen knife in the New Year, which makes us holy feeling. Then our heart for the cooking becomes ready.
People brought their knives including Japanese knife, hunting knife, generation knife inherited from their grandparents, as well as the popular SMEG knives got from New World (Supermarket). I saw each one's serious but a calm expression to face the knife and Toishi-stone. The simple movement, listening to the sound, checking the tip of blade, which were totally meditation time.
Once the front face of the blade was done, we checked the BURR at the edge of the back face. Then did the back face to take off the BURR.
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To check the result, I gave them lots of slice/cut work. 調理実習は、春雨サラダと牛たたき。切れ味を確かめるのにピッタリのメニューでしょ。
Harusame-vermicelli salad "Harusame" is the Japanese name for this bean vermicelli. Japanese character kanji 春雨 means spring (春） and rain (雨). Such a poetic name for this thin clear noodles, isn't it? Cucumber, carrot, ham should be finely Julienne cut to go along with the vermicelli noodles.
握っておいたお寿司のトッピングにも。 Sliced Gyu-tataki was good for the topping of Nigiri-zushi.
Thanks everyone for participating. Don't forget to maintain your knives regularly. 皆さま、ご参加ありがとうございました。
When you face to the knife which you treated heartily, you should realize the pleasant sound to cut the ingredients and can feel good touch through the blade. Without breaking fiber of the ingredient as it is not stressful to it when we cut it, the food should be completed deliciously. Difference in sharpness makes the difference in the taste of our cooking.
There is a calligraphy work in my house, with splendid phrases that teach us the way of our spirit
4 years ago, I was asked by Karate teacher, Jack Sims in Auckland, through my local friends Ian and Jeannette, to write the same words as the Dojo-kun* for his Karate dojo studio. *Dojo-kun : is the Japanese martial art KARATE's term and is psychological mindset for the practices.
The original one at his dojo got damaged during some flooding, then he asked me to write the same phrases.
When he sent me the photo of it, I was completely glued to it. The phrases affected my heart. I want to be one of them to connect the words to the pupils at the dojo.
４年前の11月、オークランドの空手道場、致道館の館長をしていらっしゃる Jack Sims先生から、ワナカの知人を通して、道場訓を書いてほしいとの 依頼がありました。 何十年も前に、ある日本人（佐々木さんという同じ苗字の方）が書かれて、 道場の皆さんが稽古前に読み上げて練習に励んできたものが、前年に浸水 被害を受けたので、私に書き直してほしいとのことでした。
Separately from the work I sent to Jack, I decided framing for the one left here, for myself use. It leads me to the correct way when I read it. Technology advanced, and the occasion to write by our hand decreased now. I want to write heartily, daringly in this time. The human power should be in there, I believe.
Calligraphy - preparation of the sumi-ink by suzuri-stone and sumi-stick, writing with a brush on the rice paper. It is the real meditation and art. Wondering if I can introduce it here as the workshop...
I cook often those as a Tempura ingredient, with other vegetables. As for the batter, I use mix of rice flour & buckwheat flour with egg & water, which is gluten free Tempura batter, our family doesn't have gluten allergy though. By using this batter, Tempura cooking becomes easy. 旬の野菜を数種類用意して天ぷらに。 下記の他に、マッシュルームとカボチャも。
I used chopped leek too, cooked both in Kombu-kelp stock, seasoned with NZ Miso from Urban Hippie in Nelson, and Sake-kasu from Zenkuro (Sake brewery in Queenstown). As the final touch, soy milk makes the soup taste deliciously round!
It's time to make fermented foods when we felt mild air. In addition to my Georgian yoghurt which was continued home fermentation for these 14 years, I started making sauerkraut of German food recently.
I added dried chili, black peppercorns, and bay leaves for the flavour.
お好みで香辛料など加えて （唐辛子やブラックペッパーなど） （風味付けにベイリーフ）
Shake the bag to let the inside combine well. Release excess air from the bag, then leave it in the room temperature until it starts to ferment. (around 3～6 days, depends on the temperature)
When the color of cabbage green changed to yellowish, and when it began to show some little bubbles in the bag, that means it fermented.
Try to taste, acidity is slightly felt. Yay, it did !!! It can be stored in the fridge for 3～4 weeks. We can enjoy it with our everyday meal, while the fermentation gradually advances and the taste deeper day by day.
Homemade sauerkraut always ready in the fridge! It becomes handy addition to salad, to make the looks colourful and attractive, to make the taste delicious, also we can get great benefit for our healthy gut. Sauerkraut helps to increase the number of desirable bacteria and to restore the correct balance beneficially in our gut.
TOFU DRESSING : Mash soft type of tofu (100g), mix with Kombu-kelp dashi-stock powder (or Kombu-cha), Sushi-vinegar mixture, olive oil, and a little of sweetener if you like. Then squeeze lemon.
Originally, the fermented food, which the microbe which was in the natural world attached to the food, were created accidentally. We thank for the benefit and would love to use it deliciously.
The original one at his dojo 
こちらは晩秋からお店に並ぶようになった
I used chopped leek too, 
ひさこさんにお願いして届けてもらった
Spring is in full bloom !
Just chop cabbage (1kg) thinly
Shake the bag to let the inside 
Beautiful colour inside!
It becomes handy addition to 
One of the filling for the sandwich, 
Cut fresh vegetables 
