With seasonal ingredients right in front of you, how do you cook them to make them the most delicious? There are many people who worry about this. In such a case, refer to Ai Hosokawa's recipe! I can confidently recommend Ai Hosokawa's recipes because they bring out the flavor of the ingredients and create a gentle flavor.

This time, I'm going to make a recipe using ``new ginger,'' an ingredient that often appears at the Hosokawa family's table and at taishoji cooking classes around the time of early summer. Unlike the ``hine ginger,'' which is available in supermarkets throughout the year, new ginger has a soft, refreshing aroma and a slight spiciness that even children can eat. Hosokawa says that he wants people to enjoy it as much as possible, as it can become the main ingredient in a dish, just like an aromatic herb.

The rest can be chopped up and pickled in vinegar, oil, salt-malt, etc., making it very useful as a seasoning.

Kind to your body and mind. Enjoy seasonal scents and colors

Hosokawa said that when he received the first new ginger from Shoei Farm in Karatsu, his eyes were opened to its deliciousness and potential. The Matsumoto family, which runs the farm, has been growing rice and new ginger for generations, and ``Daikoku Ginger Ale,'' created by combining new ginger with delicious local water, can also be purchased at Hosokawa's online shop ``Seishin.'' It is also a popular product.

This time, he uses new ginger from Shoei Farm to introduce a recipe for a refreshingly fragrant hot pot and rice using fava beans. Ai Hosokawa told me that our family often eats hotpot dishes even in the summer, because hotpot dishes made with plenty of seasonal ingredients allow you to enjoy flavors that can only be enjoyed at that time of year.

Chicken and fresh ginger hot pot (for 4 people)

1 piece each of chicken thigh and breast
Shio-koji 10% of the weight of chicken
Liquor Same as above
1 large piece of fresh ginger
4 medium fresh onions
8 medium tomatoes
4 cabbages
4 pieces of lettuce
1 piece of grilled tofu
2 tablespoons sesame oil
coarse salt

Remove excess fat from chicken and season with salt koji. Sprinkle roughly chopped fresh ginger in the same amount as sake and salt koji, and leave in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.
Cut the remaining fresh ginger into strips.
Place fresh onions and tomato wedges in a clay pot, and sprinkle with the skin and hard parts of fresh ginger.
Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
Cover and heat over medium heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer.
When the tomatoes and fresh onions are soft enough to not fall apart, cut the chicken into easy-to-eat pieces and top with a generous amount of julienned fresh ginger in the center.
Cover and continue to simmer over low heat. Once the chicken is cooked, adjust the saltiness and separate the soup.
Halfway through, add cabbage, lettuce, and grilled tofu that are easy to eat.
When the liquid has reduced, add water to adjust the salty taste.

*It's delicious if you add plenty of fresh ginger and boil it.

Broad beans and fresh ginger rice (for 4 people)

2 cups of rice
2 tablespoons sticky rice
2 cups fava beans (out of pod)
1 piece of fresh ginger
coarse salt

Combine the rice and glutinous rice, rinse, and set aside in a colander for at least 30 minutes.
Remove the broad beans from the pods and wash them.
Cut the new ginger into strips.
Place in a pot and add the same amount of water as rice, broad beans with skins, and fresh ginger.
Cover with a lid, heat over medium heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer.
Mix well, place in a bowl, and sprinkle with coarse salt.

This time's order