Recipes to go with sake

by | Nov 18, 2018 | Sake News from Japan

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The Niconico News site reports on videos released by the brewers of the Hakutsuru label to promote recipes for dishes that go with their range of sake.

Snacks (つまみ, tsumami or 肴, sakana) are called ate in Western Japan, referring to anything that can be whipped up quickly and easily to be eaten as you drink.

Looking for a fun and easily understood way of showing customers recipes to make at home, Tatsuuma-Honke (makers of Hakutsuru) turned to video. The name of the series is Ate-na Recipe (アテなレシピ), which sounds like it should be a word even though it isn’t, playing on the fact that the recipes are made to go with sake.

Hakushika has long prided itself on being a sake label that enhances the taste of food, and Tatsuuma-Honke have worked for years with food scientists Tetsuya Ishii and Yuka Itsuka to develop the recipes that are now being shown in video format. Each video introduces an ate that can be made easily in about 10 minutes and enjoyed with their sake.

The first video is for an autumn-style chicken dish to go with their autumn-exclusive release Kuromatsu Hakushika junmai karakuchi hiyaoroshi binzume. The junmai has strong flavours, so the recipe brings out the savouriness of the chicken and also includes meaty shiitake with a rich sauce.

Recipe (serves 2)

  • 300 g chicken thigh
  • 4 fresh shiitake
  • 12 cm leek
  • 1 tbsp katakuriko (vegetable starch powder)
  • Salt
  • Oil

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp sake
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes

Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and slice thinly. Slice the leek lengthways into strips and combine with the sauce ingredients.

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, sprinkle with salt, then sprinkle with the katakuriko and rub it in.

Pour a generous amount of oil into a heated frying pan and cook the chicken. When the chicken is mostly cooked, clear some space and add the mushrooms.

Use kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil. Add the leek and sauce and heat through.

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