Cooked both buri teriyaki and dashimaki tamago again this week. Both served with crushed, moisture-filled daikon – that is one wonderful, magical ingredient. And on Wednesday I took the day off to do a sake tasting tour in Kobe – four beautiful old breweries and many samples later, I learned quite a bit about sake-making and about taste. I know now that I like shiboritate sake, which is the very fresh, unpasteurised type. And, an evocative image that stayed with me - once upon a time the rice was mashed during the sake-making process to the rhythm of a song which not only functioned to regulate the workers’ movements, but also worked as a timer. Well, there is a whole lot more to learn about sake, but enough about that for now and onto korokke.
Korokke are not strictly speaking Japanese, but here they are usually made with potato or with a white cream sauce, so this is a seasonal variation. They are lovely and sweet and also a really beautiful colour and are not at all hard to make. The pumpkin and cream mixture is shaped into patties, dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and deep-fried. I can think of a few nice variations on this which I want to try in the coming weeks. The problem I had with korokke is that it’s not so easy to team with other foods. There is always the ubiquitous white rice, and korokke are usually served in restaurants with this and a very simple salad. I have to admit I find these a little bit boring but I couldn’t come up with anything especially exciting instead and I made lotus-root 'steaks' (renkon suteki) and salad. Korokke are more suitable as a lunchbox kind of food, and would probably go very well with some of that buri teriyaki, some sesame-sprinkled rice-balls, and other bento staples.
My guest, M, was more than happy to imbibe a little sake brought back from the tour, pre- and post- meal. I didn't think korokke would taste great with sake; she suggested Guinness as a better alternative. I think that combination would probably be perfect for a plum-viewing picnic party, for which the season has just begun…
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