Editor’s be aware: Within the Style of Life collection, cooking specialists, cooks and others concerned within the subject of meals introduce their particular recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
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Cooking knowledgeable Megumi Fujii purchased a second residence in Hara village in Nagano Prefecture in September 2020. She had been in search of a spot the place she might take a while away from Tokyo, the place work prompted her stress.
After visiting Nagano many instances with that in thoughts, she got here throughout a home the place a girl in her 70s had been dwelling on her personal, and ultimately she grew to become the brand new proprietor.
The village is in a highland that spreads throughout the foot of the Yatsugatake volcanic group. Although the typical temperature in winter can drop to under zero levels, the realm produces in-season greens seamlessly from the edible wild crops in spring to tomatoes, corn and extra by the top of autumn.
“Every time I am going, I’m amazed at how good the greens style,” Fujii mentioned. Usually, she eats them contemporary or just cooked with olive oil. “I get pleasure from their intrinsic taste. They’re so succulent that I don’t get bored with them in any respect.”
Although Tokyo presents loads of good components, they arrive from totally different manufacturing areas. Whereas in Nagano, she prepares meals solely with native produce and permits herself the posh of having fun with solely meals which can be in season.
As she spends time gazing on the sky and mountains, she feels herself stress-free. Even when she is again in Tokyo, she started noticing how fairly the crops and flowers rising on the roadside are.
In Nagano, she began to present miso-making a attempt.
“As a cooking knowledgeable, I used to be typically requested to create time-saving or easy dishes that might be ready rapidly, however I had at all times wished to make preserved meals,” Fujii says.
On the earliest, the miso is able to eat two to 3 months after preparation.
“The candy and refined odor is the signal,” she says.
Partly as a result of the temperature is low in Nagano, it takes about six months for the aroma to rise. If the miso is left to mature additional, the flavour deepens.
“It’s enjoyable discovering the maturity you like,” she mentioned.
She can also be attempting to bake bread utilizing pure yeast. After activating the yeast and making the dough, she seems for a spot in the home with the acceptable temperature and lets it slowly ferment.
The surroundings of her life is shifting slowly–from days when she was in a race in opposition to time to life the place time is on her aspect.
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Megumi Fujii: Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1966, Fujii is a cooking knowledgeable and nationwide registered dietitian who graduated from Kagawa Diet College. She is understood for her extensive repertoire, starting from day by day aspect dishes to small dishes to accompany drinks. She has written many books, together with “Fujii Bento” revealed by Gakken Plus.
BASIC COOKING METHOD
Principal Elements (Quantity that’s the best to make)
500 grams soybeans, 1,000 grams contemporary rice koji (kome koji), 300 grams salt
1. Totally rinse soybeans and immerse in beneficiant quantity of water for 10 to fifteen hours.
2. Add drained soybeans in pot and pour in simply sufficient water to cowl them, then place on warmth. When pot involves a boil, take away bubbles and simmer for five to six hours with lid on whereas including water whether it is diminished. Prepare dinner till soybeans will squash simply between fingers.
3. Separate beans and simmering liquid. Place beans in plastic bag and crush right into a paste. Set 250 grams of simmering liquid apart.
4. Add 250 grams salt to rice koji and totally combine.
5. Add soybeans and blend as if turning it over. Add simmering liquid and blend nicely. Kind into balls the dimensions of a softball.
6. Slam and pack 5 into disinfected storage container so pockets of air don’t stay. Sprinkle 50 grams of salt on prime. Cowl with plastic wrap and place drop lid. Place a weight of about 500 grams, cowl and let it age for 3 to six months.
About 4,970kcal and 299 grams salt for the whole quantity
About 35 kcal and a couple of grams salt per 1 Tbsp
(Nutrient calculation by the Diet Clinic of Kagawa Diet College)
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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Jinsei Reshipi (Life Recipe) column
