Learn How to Cook Refined Japanese Dishes at Cross Kitchen in Omotesando!

At Cross Kitchen in Omotesando, you can learn directly from well-known chefs and teachers that specialties in a variety of delicacies. The cooking course that provides this offers you the chance to create food anywhere from Japanese to western dishes, everyday dishes to sweets and overall covers a variety of topics. And thankfully since Cross Kitchen offers use of all of their kitchenware, from aprons to towels, there is nothing you need to prepare in advance to participate. Every month you can learn a different style of cooking, so no matter how many times you attend class it’s always something new and exciting!

Our reporters Hikari Shiina and Kumiko Funayama took the time to visit the restaurant “Sugimoto” run by chef Sugimoto in Azabudai. The two recipes that our girls tried their hand at were the soy sauce stewed sea bream and the sea bream rice hot pot. They made them both at the simultaneously.

After cutting off the head of the sea bream, they then proceeded to cut the body into two as you can see pictured. They then prepared what looks like a tail for cooking the soy sauce stewed sea bream and the sea bream rice hot pot. Despite their love of fish, there are many Japanese who struggle with the use of a knife when it comes to preparing fish, so Hikari Shiina was guided by the chef as she cut hers.

After adding some light soy sauce and Japanese sake to the hot pot with the sea bream, they turned on the heat and waited for it to cook. While they waited, they then began preparing for the rice pot. They cut up some mushrooms and washed the rice.

They boiled the seam bream thoroughly using a hot pot. This prevents the fish from crumbling and gets rid of any bad smells or sliminess.

Then, they put in the washed rice, some water, followed by the sea bream and mushrooms into the hot pot and began simmering it.

In order to create good quality, fluffy rice, it is important to wait about 15 minutes even after the steam is released before opening the lid of the rice cooker.

Just as the rice finished cooking, they seasoned the soy sauce stewed sea bream. After adding the plum flower-shaped carrot and roundly cut yuzu peel that Chef Sugimoto had prepared, their dishes were complete! The decorations used to give the recipes such a fine presentation was of course all thanks to the chef. There are quite a few extra touches that you can learn here that aren’t possible to learn while cooking by yourself at home.

The hot pot rice and soy sauce stewed sea bream were brought to a dining table and looked absolutely mouth-watering! After taking a bite out of their dishes, the girls were brimming with joy as they made comments such as “It has such a nice light taste!” and “It’s especially tasty because we made it ourselves!”

Our girls were also lucky enough to enjoy a specially made kurikinton topped with a golden leaf. Kurikinton is considered a staple dish in any traditional New Years meal in Japan, but chef Sugimoto’s is made with boiled chestnut. Chef Sugimoto’s stylish recipe is also made with orange and is more like a sweet rather than a part of a main meal.

If you’re ever in Tokyo, why don’t you drop by at Cross Kitchen in Omotesando for a cooking challenge without the stress? After learning how to create Japanese dishes that can be found in refined Japanese restaurants, we highly recommend you then try cooking them in your home country!

Translated by Cheryl Coyle

Cross KitchenJapanese foodKawaii Asia

Author

Miki

A university student who loves literature and art. On weekdays I usually take part in works something related with Manga's promotion and designs. On weekends I spend my time with drawing illustrations or visiting some exhibitions. I love cities of Harajuku and Ikebukuro in Tokyo and Barcelona in Spain. I hope to live in Edinburgh in some day.

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