Japanese Winter Taste Of Workshop #2 with Aiko

Aiko embraces omotenashi--a deeply caring and attentive sense of hospitality--that you will immediately experience through the peaceful beauty of her home, warm personality, and enticing cooking. Aiko will welcome you with refreshing cold-brewed green and barley teas, as well as an assortment of Japanese snacks, which could include onigiri (sticky rice triangles with assorted fillings) and seaweed salads. Aiko will share with you the simplicity and balance that underlies Japanese cooking and teach you the respect for ingredients and attention to detail that she learned from her mother and grandmother as a young girl. Throughout the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to help prepare and taste the unique ingredients and seasonings that form the foundation of Japanese cuisine and learn from Aiko where to buy them and how to select the highest-quality items. You will go home with recipes for the dishes you learned and a shopping guide to Aiko’s favorite Japanese markets, leaving you well-prepared to recreate a satisfying, authentic, and home cooked Japanese meal.

Onigiri (Seaweed Wrapped Rice Balls)

• This Japanese staple is often served as a lunch or picnic food, latenight snack, or added to a kids lunch box. Triangular sticky rice balls wrapped in nori sheets (dried seaweed). 

Nikujaga (Beef and Vegetable Stew)

• A sweet-and-savory beef stew made with shiraki noodles, carrots, and edamame, cooked with dashi and soy sauce, and served with white rice. 

Miso Soup with Vegetables

• A light soup made from miso and homemade dashi and ribbons of fried bean curd, simmered with a variety of vegetables.

Yamitsuki (Addictive Cabbage)

• A popular Japanese restaurant dish known as "addictive" cabbage made by salting the cabbage then mixing with garlic and toasted sesame oil.