95th Edition: [Steamed Dish Dining Raifu] x Special Junmai Gokujo Yoshinogawa
As August began, the torrential rains gave way to intense sunshine, and Settsuya is now experiencing a full-blown heatwave. The continuous heat makes it easy to stay cooped up in a cool room, but why not take a break and go out for a change of scenery?
At the Yoshinogawa Sake Brewery Museum "Jozo," you can relax and enjoy delicious sake and chilled amazake in a historic setting. Remember to stay hydrated and replenish your electrolytes, and enjoy a pleasant summer moment in the cool Jozo!
When it comes to summer in Yoshinogawa, the highlight is undoubtedly the "Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Display on August 2nd, featuring a three-foot diameter firework." This year's Nagaoka Festival was a great success.
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 "Tipsy OneDish" 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 "Seiro Mushi Dining Raifu" in Mitsuke City. They have prepared dishes that will go well with the special junmai premium Yoshinogawa sake.
"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 restaurant that prepared the dishes for this occasion, "Seiro Mushi Dining Raifu," is an izakaya (Japanese pub) where you can enjoy steamed dishes. When it first opened in 2003, it was an izakaya, but in 2010 it changed into a hidden gem of a restaurant that mainly serves steamed dishes and is frequented by many local regulars. At the seats, a custom-made induction heater is embedded in a single piece of wood, so even though the steaming hot steamer is right in front of you, the room is comfortable and you can enjoy a relaxing time without using an open flame.
For this occasion, we asked the owner, Tsuneo Kawai, to prepare a dish that pairs well with the special junmai sake, Gokujo Yoshinogawa, and he created a steamed dish and a dipping sauce: "Steamed summer vegetables wrapped in bacon and served with plum sauce." This plum sauce is a versatile condiment.
Now, let's get straight to the recipe!
★Material★
Eggplant: Half
・Cherry tomatoes: 2
・Zucchini: 1/3 of a piece
・Corn: 1/3 of an ear
Bacon: 8 slices (thin slices)
・Perilla leaves: 4 pieces
<Plum Sauce>
- Chopped pickled plums: 2 tablespoons (use a low salt concentration of 10% to 15%)
Light soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
- Brown sugar: 1 teaspoon
Rice vinegar: 1 tablespoon
・Vegetable oil: 2 tablespoons
<How to make>
1. Cut the vegetables to your desired size, place a halved shiso leaf on top of the bacon, and roll it up with the vegetables.
POINT: Boil the corn before separating the kernels.
2. Lightly wet the steamer basket, place the bacon rolls on a piece of parchment paper with holes poked in it, and steam for 8 minutes.
POINT: If you don't have a bamboo steamer, you can substitute it by placing a steamer basket (available at 100-yen shops, etc.) on top of a frying pan filled with water.
3. For the plum sauce, mix together chopped plums, light soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and salad oil.
POINT: Add the vegetable oil last while mixing.
4. Once plated, it's done!!
Thinly sliced bacon-wrapped juicy zucchini, melting eggplant, and popping corn are perfectly complemented by the aroma and saltiness of shiso leaves! Steaming in a bamboo steamer concentrates the delicious flavors of the summer vegetables, and the refreshing acidity of the plum sauce further enhances the sweetness of the ingredients. The plump, refreshing, and rich flavor pairs perfectly with the special junmai supreme sake, which highlights the deliciousness and crispness of the rice. The flavors of each ingredient enhance the others, making it a blissful dish that you'll enjoy with every bite. This plum sauce is also recommended as a side dish for chicken breast, chilled tofu, and somen noodles. Be sure to try it to prevent summer fatigue this year.
Steamed summer vegetables wrapped in bacon on a skewer ¥1,012 (tax included)
Here are the restaurant's recommended dishes!!
Niigata Sweet Pork and Colorful Vegetables Steamed in a Bamboo Steamer - Standard (Serves 1.5-2 people) ¥1,859 (tax included)
The details of this event will be broadcast on NST from 6 PM on Saturday, August 8th.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 "NST Niigata General Television Official ChannelYou can view it at [link/website].
"Steamed Dish Dining Raifu"
[Address] 1-12-13 Shinmachi, Mitsuke City, Niigata Prefecture
[Telephone] 0258-62-5190
[Business Hours]
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, and public holidays: 17:00 - 23:00 (Last order for food: 22:00, drinks: 22:30)
Friday, Saturday, and the day before a public holiday: 17:00 - 24:00 (Last order for food: 23:00, drinks: 23:30)
[Regular closing day] Tuesday