Tomoya Kawada is from Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture. When he was little, there was a Sichuan restaurant near his house. He said he particularly liked dishes such as mapo tofu, bar chicken, and dan dan noodles.
``I wanted to be a chef since I was in kindergarten, and I thought Chinese cuisine would be my favorite.I was interested in China, a country with a grand scale, and I also liked kanji.There was an Ashikaga school nearby. My kindergarten was next to Ashikaga School, so I grew up in an environment where I was exposed to Confucian teachings."
Ashikaga School is a higher education institution established in the Middle Ages. The reason why ``moderation'' appears in Kawada's words may be because he was exposed to Confucianism early on. “Moderate” is a state in which you cannot add or subtract. Kawada's cooking is exactly that image.
Its clear taste and appearance
Beautiful food slowly sinks into your heart
For example, pheasant soup. "Chazenka"
``Kiuntento'' has a clear taste and impressive aftertaste. The wontons contain pheasant meat and a small amount of minced chicken meat. Finally, top with seasonal vegetables (cress).
"Peasant meat, including its blood, is added to the soup stock and then clarified. The scum is carefully removed, and the food is placed in a sous vide cooker and left on ice for three days to increase the flavor. The aroma is extracted. I only add 15-year-old Shaoxing wine for seasoning. I add some Jinhua ham and kombu, and after it boils for XNUMX minutes, I take it out like I'm making dashi."
Add the minced pheasant to the soup stock little by little.
When it is then heated, the scum and other substances are absorbed by the minced meat.
Leave the minced meat in and remove the scum. The soup turned golden brown.
Pheasant has a delicate taste, so it's not good to use it in stews, but it's good to make soups. It's clean and has a wide range of flavors, which speaks to Kawada's desire for the deliciousness of Chinese cuisine in Japan.
``Qingtan Dried Abalone'' topped with a sauce packed with the flavor of abalone.
The dried abalone dishes are also simple.
“We have 35 dried abalones (per 600g per loaf) and 20 dried abalones.The ones from Yoshihama in Japan are the best.I think it would be best to finish the dried abalone so that the flavor of the dried abalone remains in the center. Abalone is boiled with pork and chicken, but the gelatin of the pork and chicken comes together.When I tried cooking it with kelp soup, it didn't taste good at all, and the cooking technique was poor. I think it’s amazing.”
The dried abalone is from Yoshihama, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture. It is considered the highest peak in China.
Dried abalone is soaked in water for two days and then cooked for one day. Add the pig, chicken, and Kinka ham to it. It won't become tender unless you cook it slowly with a small number of dried abalones.
The only seasonings are Shaoxing wine and Chinese soy sauce. This dish, called ``Qingtan Dried Abalone'', is paired with Kotobuki Kombucha. The refreshing green tea contains kelp cut into a sushi shape, and the closer you go to the bottom, the more flavorful the kelp becomes.
``This dish is complete when paired with tea.I decided to add the flavor of the kelp that the abalone eats later.I think this is the kind of flavor that the Chinese emperor loved.''
This taste is called tan. Chin is considered to have a taste similar to water, and light is considered to have a strong, fiery taste.
"I like the kanji ``tan''. I think it's a good kanji. It has flame in it, and it feels like it's not only delicate but also has strength.''
Kawada believes that dan represents the conflict between the water of Japanese spirit and the fire of Chinese wisdom. "I value moderation in cooking. Cooking is all about the state of being unable to add or subtract. I think that is the ultimate goal."
The "Chazenka" course gradually gets more exciting. It uses a variety of seasonal ingredients, and is a dish that feels good even after eating it. It is said to be thicker and contain less oil to make it less filling. Although it is a course meal, the contents of the course differ depending on the table. Depending on the day, about seven different courses are prepared in the kitchen.
``The menu uses four letters to represent the dishes.To make the conversation more exciting, we created an atmosphere similar to a Chinese poem, so that people can understand Japanese rather than Chinese.First, we want people to read it and get an idea of it. "Yeah," Tomoya Kawada said with a smile.
→Click here for "Chazenka" Tomoya Kawada's philosophy of Japanese soul and Chinese wisdom (Part 1)
(Titles omitted)
Tomoya Kawada
Born in 1982, from Tochigi Prefecture. After graduating from culinary school, he worked part-time at Azabu Nagae at the age of 18 and joined the company two years later. After becoming the sous chef at the age of 2, he began training at the Japanese restaurant Ryugin at the age of 26. He joined Taiwan's Ryugin from its launch and left the company after serving as sous chef. After returning to Japan, he opened "Chazenka" in February 28 after a period of preparation. In December of the same year, he received two stars from the Michelin Tokyo 2017. She participated in MADRID FUSION 2 the following year, and also participated in DINNINGOUT Kunisaki with Lexus in May. . In 12, it debuted at 2018rd place in Asia's 2018 Best Restaurants.
Sazenka
4-7-5 Minamiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Reservation only TEL: 050-3188-8819
info@sazenka.com
Business hours: 17:00-23:00 (Last order 21:00)
Regular holidays: Irregular holidays mainly on Sundays and Mondays
https://sazenka.com/
Text by Akiko Ishizuka
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