74th Edition [Niigata Fish Season Minamo] × Newly Brewed Junmai Sake
Are you all enjoying some delicious drinks? It's gotten suddenly colder this month. Take care of your health and enjoy your drinks to the fullest!
At Yoshinogawa, the sake we're introducing today isNewly brewed sake made with new rice, pure rice sake.The new batch of sake has been released from the brewery, and a new "sugidama (sakabayashi)" has appeared. This is a common sight at many sake breweries around this time of year, and a sugidama with green leaves serves as a sign that "the new sake is ready again this year!!"
We've also uploaded the process of making a cedar ball (sugidama) below, so please check it out!
Now, in this "Tipsy One Dish" corner, we visit restaurants and bars in Niigata Prefecture and ask them to come up with snacks that pair well with Yoshinogawa sake. This time, the restaurant that will be preparing the dishes for us is "Niigata Uo Shun Minamo," located in Chuo Ward, Niigata City. They have prepared dishes that go well with the new sake made from newly harvested rice, Junmai!
This new sake, Junmai, is made using the first harvest of new rice from Niigata Prefecture this autumn. This year's rice is said to be of exceptionally high quality, with large, plump grains that dissolve well in the mash, making it a rare find in recent years. This sake was carefully brewed, taking into account the characteristics of this year's rice, to bring out the sweetness, umami, and freshness that only sake made with new rice can offer.
The restaurant that will be preparing the food, "Niigata Uo Shun Minamo," is a seafood restaurant that opened in September 2023 and is located right next to the Bandai Exit of JR Niigata Station. It is a sophisticated space that can be used for both casual meals and entertaining important clients. Head chef Katsumi Kobayashi says that "chefs are producers of ingredients, and behind the scenes, the chefs use the main ingredients to bring out their best," and that he wants to offer suggestions for enjoying familiar ingredients from a different perspective than the conventional way. He said that when you come to the restaurant, please feel free to tell them your requests.
This time, we asked them to prepare "stir-fried daikon radish" as a dish that would pair well with the new sake brewed from newly harvested rice.
Now, let's get straight to the recipe!
★Material★
・Radish: 200g
Ponzu sauce: 50g
・Water: 50g
• Sugar: 5g (Note: Coarse sugar was used during the photo shoot)
・Salted kelp: 5g
<How to make>
1. Put water, ponzu sauce, sugar, and salted kelp into a frying pan and mix lightly. Heat the daikon radish, cut into bite-sized pieces, in a microwave at 500W for about 2 minutes and add it to the frying pan.
POINT: To save time, cut the daikon radish into bite-sized pieces and heat it in the microwave at 500W for 2 minutes!
2. Stir-fry until the liquid is gone (approximately 10 minutes).
3. Completed ~
By heating the daikon radish in the microwave (500W) for 2 minutes, the flavor permeates all the way through, as if it had been simmered for a long time. It's delicious even when served hot, but to pair with this new sake made from newly harvested rice, we recommend letting it cool down a bit. The slightly citrusy, tangy flavor that oozes out when you bite into it is the perfect accompaniment to the sake. As an alternative, you can also add squid and simmer it! The restaurant will be offering a special limited-time set, so please be sure to visit and enjoy it.
Stir-fried daikon radish: 700 yen (tax included)
And here's another recommended item from the restaurant!
- Live abalone with liver sauce: 3,000 yen (tax included) and up
Fresh abalone is generously tossed in a sweet Kyushu-style soy sauce and liver sauce, allowing you to enjoy the different textures of each of the three parts and savor the aroma of the sea. When you pour in a new batch of newly brewed junmai sake, the refreshing acidity and crisp finish characteristic of new sake match the flavor of the sea and further enhance the deliciousness of the abalone. Please enjoy.
The details of this event will be broadcast on NST at 6:00 PM on Saturday, November 9th.Smile StadiumIt will be broadcast within "[program name]!". It will only be broadcast within Niigata Prefecture. For those outside the prefecture, please check the YouTube channel "I love Niigata! ChannelYou can view it at [link/website].
"Niigata Fish Season Minamo"
【address】2nd Floor, Seine Building, 1-5-27 Higashi-odori, Chuo-ku, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture
[Telephone] 025-290-7741
[Opening Hours] 17:00 - 2:00 the following day (Last order for food and drinks: 1:30 the following day)
[Regular closing day] Sunday
[Total number of seats] 14 seats