83rd Edition: [Koshi no Utage Waran Ken-o Store] × Special Junmai Gokujo Yoshinogawa
With August here, we've been experiencing unsettled weather, with temperatures consistently higher than body temperature every day and sudden, torrential downpours. How is everyone managing their health? Let's get through this summer by using air conditioning appropriately, staying hydrated, and getting enough salt! I recommend enjoying delicious food and drinks to boost your energy.
When it comes to summer at Yoshinogawa, the highlight is undoubtedly the "Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Display on August 2nd, featuring a three-foot diameter firework." This year, the Nagaoka Festival was held on a weekend, so many people came to Nagaoka, and many also visited our brewery.
The Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Display features approximately 20,000 fireworks launched over two days from the Shinano River. Recently, it has also been streamed online, so many people may have watched it that way. This year, the "Shosanshaku-dama" (three-foot diameter fireworks) provided by Yoshinogawa bloomed into a large and beautiful flower. No matter how many times you see it, that feeling of awe is wonderful. I hope you will experience that vibration with your whole body at least once.
Now, in this segment called "Tipsy One Dish," we visit restaurants and bars in Niigata Prefecture and ask them to create snacks that pair well with Yoshinogawa sake. This time, the restaurant that will be preparing the dishes for us is "Koshi no Utage Waran Ken-o Store" in Tsubame City. They have created dishes that pair perfectly with the Special Junmai Gokujo Yoshinogawa!
"Special Junmai Gokujo Yoshinogawa" is a junmai sake brewed using 100% locally grown, contract-cultivated sake rice [Gohyakumangoku], resulting in a rich flavor and aroma of rice. It has a full-bodied yet crisp finish, making it a sake you won't tire of drinking and leaving you wanting another glass. In 2019, it won the highest gold prize in the premium warm sake category at the National Warm Sake Contest. It is also recommended to enjoy it warm or chilled. Please enjoy it.
The dishes for this occasion were prepared by "Koshi no Utage Waran Ken-o Branch," located near Tsubame-Sanjo Station. While it was formerly a restaurant specializing in gyoza, it has now become a sophisticated izakaya where you can enjoy both gyoza and straw-grilled dishes!
With seven private rooms available for all customers, the restaurant is popular not only with regulars but also with business entertaining. The dumplings are all handmade, from the wrappers up, and the straw used for straw grilling is sourced from Koshihikari rice grown by a farmer in Motomachi, Tsubame City, with whom they have a contract.
For this occasion, we asked the manager, Masahiro Yamamoto, to prepare a dish that would pair well with the special junmai sake, Gokujo Yoshinogawa, and he made chilled dumplings for us.
Have a gyoza party with your kids this summer! By the way, these gyoza wrappers can also be used for pan-fried gyoza.
Now, let's get straight to the recipe!
★Ingredients★ (6 servings)
<Dumpling wrappers>
・Strong flour: 300g
Salt: a pinch
・Boiling water: 150g
• Potato starch: appropriate amount (used as dusting flour)
<Dumpling filling>
Ground meat: 240g
・Alcohol: 12g
Sesame oil: 12g
Soy sauce: 12g
Chicken stock: 84g
Grated ginger: 4g
Cabbage: 360g
<Condiments> *Adjust quantities to your liking.
・Japanese ginger
・Perilla
・Plum meat
・Radish sprouts
<How to make>
1. Add a pinch of salt to the bread flour and mix well.
2. Pour in boiling water, mix it a bit with a wooden spatula, then knead it well with your hands and shape it into a ball.
POINT: It's OK as long as the dough comes together.
3. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about an hour.
4. Knead the dough well until there are no wrinkles, then make a hole in the center to form a donut shape, and make a cut in one place to form a rod shape.
5. Divide into 15g portions, sprinkle with flour, and flatten into rounds using a rolling pin.
6. Stack three pieces of dough together, cut them in half, fill with the filling, and wrap.
POINT: Place the half-moon shaped dough with the cut side facing you, place the filling in the center, and wrap it up.
7. Boil in boiling water for 3 minutes, then cool in ice water for 3 minutes.
POINT: When you first add the dumplings, stir them lightly as they tend to stick to the bottom of the pan.
8. Once plated, it's done!!
Topped with your favorite condiments and dipped in refreshing ponzu sauce, these dumplings offer a slightly cool mouthfeel, a smooth texture, and a burst of juicy meat filling, creating a refreshing summer experience that unfolds in your mouth like fireworks. The rich flavor and crisp finish of the special junmai sake, Gokujo Yoshinogawa, are a perfect match! This is the first time that boiled dumplings are being offered at our restaurant, so please enjoy them along with the chic atmosphere.
• Chilled boiled dumplings: 650 yen (tax included) *Summer only
And here's another recommended item from the restaurant!
• Straw-grilled rock oysters: Market price
*For the photo shoot, we used rock oysters from Iwafune.
The restaurant's popular "straw-grilled" dishes vary depending on the seasonal ingredients and what's available. This time, they introduced us to "straw-grilled rock oysters" as they've received some excellent rock oysters. The price is subject to change, but it's usually available during the summer season. With rock oysters, the surface is lightly smoked, allowing you to enjoy the raw, milky flavor inside. The aroma of straw and the rich flavor spread in your mouth, and if you then wash it down with the special junmai sake, Gokujo Yoshinogawa, the flavor of the sea and the umami of the sake combine to create a wonderful harmony. Please give it a try.
The details of this event will be broadcast on NST from 6 PM on Saturday, August 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].
"Koshino En Waran Ken-o Store"
[Address] 2-222 Idomaki, Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture
[Telephone] 0256-64-2935
[Business Hours]
Monday to Friday: 18:00 to 24:00 (LO 23:30)
Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays: 17:00 - 24:00 (Last order 23:30)
[Regular closing days] Irregular closing days