Lesson Report: Special Five-Week Course (Part2: 1-week izakaya)
Nov 15, 2024
This article highlights the 1-Month Special Culinary Training Course held from April to May for Peter, who is from Hungary but now works as a notable French cuisine chef and the head chef on a super yacht. For the next 4 days, he is going to take our Izakaya Course.
The course begins with popular rice and home-style dishes that are beloved in Japan. It’s an enjoyable and enlightening experience for him, as each dish he learns is so delicious that he says, with a big smile, he wants to try making all of them when he returns to his country!
Mr. Matsumaru, the lead instructor of our Izakaya Course and Washoku Chef Training Course, is a highly skilled chef with an extensive repertoire of recipes and deep expertise in maximizing the flavor of ingredients and preserving them for extended periods. He is the perfect instructor to help Peter achieve his three main goals.
Peter’s first goal is to learn the techniques for preserving food for as long as possible. Once he departs from a port, he cannot source fresh ingredients until he reaches the next one, making it essential to keep fish, meat, and vegetables in good condition for extended periods to reduce food waste. Instructor Matsumaru, who tirelessly dedicates himself to mastering the art of cooking, generously shares his extensive knowledge and techniques in food preservation with Peter. Curious about the secret? If so, why not join the Izakaya Course?
Another goal for Peter is to broaden his repertoire of Japanese cuisine, particularly appetizers that showcase traditional Japanese seasonings and cooking techniques such as simmering, pickling with vinegar, and deep-frying.
Peter’s final goal is to develop new ideas for marinades and dipping sauces for barbecuing, with a focus on Japanese-style flavors. These marinades are based on ingredients like Japanese sake, mirin (sweet rice wine), and dark soy sauce. Instructor Matsumaru incorporates elements such as garlic, chili pepper, Sichuan pepper, sesame seeds, miso, and other seasonings to create a diverse range of marinades and dipping sauces. Some offer rich, bold flavors, while others are light and refreshing. By offering a variety of dipping sauces with the meat, guests can enjoy a dynamic range of flavor experiences.
Our Izakaya Course also includes a Japanese sake food pairing session. Instructor Yuki, a certified sommelier and Sake Expert, serves a variety of sake alongside dishes and discusses with Peter the optimal pairings between sake and food. With Peter’s deep knowledge of wine, he thoroughly enjoys tasting Japanese sake and discovering which varieties complement different dishes.
Peter mentions that although he has learned a great deal over the past four days, he will definitely return, as there is still so much more to explore. We sincerely hope to have another enjoyable and even more in-depth lesson with him next time.
