Cooking Haru Recipes

Cooking Haru Recipes – One of the things I had on my “must do” list for our Japan vacation was a cooking class. I have always been interested in learning about the cuisines of other countries and Japanese food is one of my favorites. Since we spent 6 nights in Kyoto, I thought this would be the perfect place to try such an experience and deepen our immersion in the local culture.

If you are a foodie, Haru Cooking Class is an experience not to be missed. An intimate class (max 6 people) led, in English, by Taro Saeki (ex-chef and manager of a Japanese inn) and his lovely wife Yoshiko and it’s all about easy and classic home-cooked Japanese cooking…just the way I love it. it! I have to admit that Taro has my dream job!

Cooking Haru Recipes

Classes are held at Taro’s home in Shimogamo, a peaceful residential area near the Kamo and Shimogamo Jinja rivers. Taro will meet you at the local bus stop for the short walk to his house. Be sure to kick off your shoes before entering and taking a seat for a great introduction to the culinary experience that awaits you while you sip a hot cup of tea. Since Taro speaks very good English, make sure you ask all the questions you’ve been asking in your head since you arrived in Japan!! 😉

Minute Cheesy & Crunchy Garlic Butter Bread Pizza Recipe

As you know we were traveling with our 2 daughters but that was not a problem. Taro was kind enough to let them come to class and they had a great time. I think it became their favorite memory of the whole trip, also thanks to the beautiful little girls Taro and Yoshiko: Haruko (who is the same age as my youngest) and little Kyoko. I’m always amazed how kids don’t need to speak the same language to play and have fun together!

We learned about the five types of soy sauce and how and when they should be used in Japanese cooking. Did you know that light colored soy sauce, which contains more sodium, is usually used in soups and sauces because it gives a different taste? On the other hand, dark soy sauce tends to be used to hide or reduce other unwanted flavors.

We also learned about (and tried) the different types of miso paste available…from lighter (which is lighter) to darker (which tastes a bit like…sundried tomatoes!).

We also learned a lot about the world famous Kobe beef. As you know, Japan is the home of wagyu beef (which literally means “Japanese beef”). Taro explained to us that four types of beef belong to the ‘wagyu’ category, one of which is Kobe Beef – the most famous. Taro told us that Kobe cattle breeders are very meticulous in breeding their cattle and very few animals are bred for better quality, and of course higher prices. In addition, he told us that real “wagyu” can only be eaten in Japan because wagyu can only be considered as such if the meat is slaughtered in Japan itself. I’ll make sure I remember it, next time I’ll order it here!!

This Japanese Ramen Spot In Pj Serves Their Ramen With Extra Thick & Juicy Torched Pork Belly

For the Taro class, it’s generally used cut lengthwise, and the supplier gives it a certificate showing the steak’s authenticity, so you know you’re getting the real deal. The certificate also gives you a “tracking number”. If you enter it on the website provided, you can go through all the information about that cut of meat, including details about the breeder, location, cows, etc. Too much information for my taste… 😉

Taro buys all his ingredients from the Nishiki market to support local farmers, and you can also join him on a market tour to check it out for yourself (more info below). But book early, we found no availability!

The first thing we do is prepare Dashi broth (Ichiban dashi). It is the most important ingredient in Japanese cooking and it is what gives so many dishes their unique flavor. Dashi is made from boiled kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes and is very easy to prepare. Taro recommends heating the kombu in water over low heat until it boils and then removing the kombu. Overcooking kombu can make your broth dark, cloudy and even bitter. You can use the discarded kombu as a side dish: cut it into thin strips and quickly saute it with sugar, soy sauce and mirin.

Taro explains that while there are convenient powdered dashi products on the market, many are full of added salt and MSG, so it’s best to make your own if you have the time (and it only takes about 15 minutes to make!).

The Haru Aki Cafe Project By Ron Liu, Jessica Chiep, Thomas Wang — Kickstarter

While Dashi was cooking, we started preparing the Miso Soup. This dish is so popular in Japan that it is served with almost every meal (including breakfast). Miso paste, made from fermented soybeans, is added to the dashi stock and heated over low heat until dissolved.

Be sure to use a sieve when dissolving the miso in the dashi, as it sometimes has a grainy texture that you don’t want to transfer into the soup.

Various dry ingredients such as tofu, crackers and wakame (a type of seaweed) are added to each bowl before soup is spooned over them.

The next thing we prepared is Amazu Miso Dare. We use this sweet and sour sauce for a dish of pickled Japanese vegetables: daikon (radish), kintoki (red carrot), cucumber, shiso leaf and fried tofu skin (aburaage). This is a refreshing and crunchy dish! I love the texture and color!

Haru Cooking Class (kyoto)

Another side dish we prepared is Nabeshigi (sweet miso-sautéed), which consists of minced chicken, green pepper/chili, lotus root and burdock root cooked in a mixture of soybeans, miso, mirin and sugar.

This simple dish was by far my favorite dish of the day (besides the Kobe beef of course ;-)). It was an incredible explosion of flavors!

The most fun dish to cook is the Japanese rolled omelette. Dashimaki tamago (tamagoyaki) is made in a rectangular pan and filled with a light soy sauce, dashi and calverni.

Taro is very skilled at making them using chopsticks. We try our best, but I think we still need some practice!

Reinventing The Latke — The Chef’s Wife

After finishing our side dishes, it’s time to cook Kobe beef. Premium beef is cooked with Kobe beef fat to retain as much delicious flavor as possible. The only additions were a few cloves of garlic in the cooking oil, and some salt and pepper.

After the beef is removed from the pan, some green peppers, enoki and shimeji mushrooms are lightly cooked in the remaining fat, giving them a truly unique and delicious flavor and making the perfect accompaniment to delicious Kobe beef.

Haru’s Cooking Class is a very intimate experience (they only accept up to 6 people in a class, with a maximum of two different classes per day). It also gives guests a glimpse into a typical Japanese household.

Taro provides all the recipes that have been prepared along with some additional recipes to add to your collection of Japanese recipes.

Potatoes Instead Of Flour! Crispy And Soft! Potato Hot Dogs! Everyone Loves It.

There are three different experiences available, including a Vegetarian cooking class, a Kobe Beef cooking class (which we did), and the Nishiki Food Market Experience.

To order or find out more, check out the Haru Cooking Class website or send an email directly to Taro at [email protected]

Located just a short bus ride from downtown Kyoto and JR Kyoto Station, classes are held at the Taro family home in Shimogamo, a peaceful residential area. The easiest way to get there is to take the city bus (number 4 or 205) from JR Kyoto station (or anywhere on Kawaramachi dori). Get off at the Shin-Aoibashi stop. Taro will meet you there. If you like pizza or pretty much any bread recipe, then you have to try this crunchy and cheesy version from Cooking Haru 🙂 on YouTube! This amazing dish is the perfect recipe for a snack, has the perfect garlic and buttery flavor, and the crust is so crispy and crunchy that you’ll want to eat it every day. You can also modify the ingredients and use all the leftovers you have in the fridge and make them as a topping, you can put whatever you want on top and I guarantee it will taste amazing!

Cut each bun in half, then slice the onion and parsley, then slice the sausage and black olives. Melt the butter in the microwave, then add the minced garlic and honey. Mix everything together until well combined, then place the bread slices on an ovenproof dish, and brush with the garlic-butter mixture until well coated.

Kyoto’s Haru Cooking Class

Place a small slice of cheese in the center, then top with the tomato sauce and sprinkle the onions, sausages and olives on top. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese so that it is well covered, then sprinkle some parsley leaves, and put it in