Englishman rare foreigner to master Japanese beverage
• Kaiseki dinner complements sakés
• Cooking with saké gives more flavor to many foods
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
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| The variety of saké (and containers) can be mind boggling. The "Insider's Guide to Saké" can help. Saké courtesy Fujioka's, The Honolulu Wine Merchants.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser Prize winner The only American-made winner in the National Saké Competition here last week was that of Ozeki Saké USA, the oldest operating saké brewery in the nation, founded in 1979 in California. This reasonably priced saké competed against ginjo (high-grade) and junmai (no added alcohol) sakés from Japan, receiving gold (ginjo) and silver (junmai) awards. The company is a subsidiary of one of Japan's largest liquor producers, Ozeki. |
He is also the only foreigner ever to receive the title of master brewer in Japan — or at least the only one he knows of. And he would know.
He would know because a gaijin (foreigner) in a saké factory is about as common (and perhaps as welcome) as mashed potatoes at a sushi bar.
And he would know because he is the author of the definitive "Insider's Guide to Saké" (Kodansha, paper, $14.95), and was among the judges for last week's National Saké Competition in Honolulu, the only officially sanctioned saké competition held outside Japan.
Chris Pearce, the Honolulu-based saké consultant who invited Harper here, said the young man is a rare combination: a talented English-language writer who has had the rare opportunity to learn the most intimate secrets of saké-making.
"Whatever he learns, he can present. Not everyone can do that," said Pearce, who noted that saké is very much the beverage of the moment in New York bars and restaurants.
Harper, 32, a Cornishman, moved to Japan in 1988 after graduating from college with a degree in English and German literature and living for a while in Germany, where he explored beer and wine. In Osaka, he took a job teaching English as a way to remain in the country, and embarked on a serious study of saké.
Well, not at first. At first, he was just caught up in the common "office man" practice of enkai — after-work rounds of cold beer and hot saké with colleagues. Right away, he enjoyed the opportunities for socializing (and getting away from boring seatmates) afforded by o-shaku, the polite practice of mutual service, each drinker taking a turn filling fellow drinkers' tiny choko cups.
But Harper thought he might have to give it all up when he became familiar with another enkai effect: the crushing saké hangover.
Then a friend, Fujiki, introduced to him to high-quality saké, served chilled, in the more restrained atmosphere of a first-class saké bar. Something happened with that first sip that Harper, who is much more talkative in print than in person, can't really put into words.
He began "consuming (his) salary by the glassful." As there are more than 2,000 saké breweries in Japan and a mind-boggling variety of saké-making styles, this was easy to do. He also visited historic kura (breweries) and became fascinated by the arcane and complex art of saké-making (which his book described in lucid and exacting detail).
Not long after, Fujiki left the city to work in a saké brewery while Harper moonlighted in a saké bar. Soon, with the brewery owner's permission, Harper was making working visits to the brewery, Ume No Yaro in Nara prefecture near Osaka, spending a week or a long weekend learning how is it done in a from-the-bottom kind of way.
An inspiring passion
Back at the bar, he found himself growing mighty tired of listening to ill-informed saké-philes. He was also becoming increasingly passionate about saké: An irony of post-boom Japan, he said, is that appreciation for saké has grown (at least among the generation that is now middle-age or older), as has the availability of fine saké. But saké breweries are going belly-up by the dozens because of the downturn in the economy, competition from other beverages and the indifference of young Japanese to anything traditional.
"If it wasn't for that sense of urgency, that this was going to be lost, I'm not sure that I would have taken the next step," he said.
But take it he did, landing a job at Ume No Yaro. Later, the boss revealed that he never thought Harper would stick it out. And the response of the toji — the chief brewer — to the news that a gaijin was joining his select team? "How awful!"
Harper would remain at that brewery for 10 years, working in difficult, bone-chilling conditions.
Except in the largest breweries, where more modern techniques and schedules have been adopted, saké still is made according to age-old tradition — one batch at a time, dozens of batches in the course of a single season during which the brewing team works 10- to 14-hour days.
The winter months are the best time to make saké because the cold weather is helpful in controlling the complex microbacterial reactions employed by the wily toji.
How saké is made
In a gross simplification that would probably make Harper wince, here is how saké is made. Brown rice is polished until as much as 60 percent, or as little as 20 percent, of the outer layer has been milled away; the more polished, the higher grade the saké (because of the sweet, pure flavors concentrated in the starchy center of the kernel).
The polished rice is washed, steeped and steamed to create a starter mash. Koji (a mold culture made from rice, considered the heart of the brewing process) is blended with the mash along with water and yeast in a three-stage process, and the whole is fermented. At this point, brewer's alcohol is added to some types of saké.
Finally, the mash is pressed and the result is raw, unpasteurized, unfiltered, undiluted saké. Called nama genshu, this earthy, highly aromatic drink has a following among some Japanese saké purists and is more readily available in Japan because of refrigeration. Post-brewing processes can include filtration, pasteurization (to stabilize the saké so it can travel without spoilage) and the addition of water to bring the alcohol content down (raw saké is pretty potent, 18 to 20 percent alcohol).
New challenge
This fall, Harper, who is now married and probably permanently settled in Japan, begins a new job, charged with forming a new, young brewing team to take over when an older team retires in Ibaraki prefecture, north of Tokyo.
"One reason that smaller breweries are going out of business is that, when the toji retires, they can't find anyone to replace him," Harper said.
"He has a big challenge," said Pearce, "but I think he can probably rise to it."
Harper has already tackled a large challenge: tucking a vast amount of saké knowledge into a small, pocket- or purse-sized book suitable for carrying on saké-shopping and saké-drinking excursions.
This book is Saké 101-102: The Lecture and the Lab. It tells how saké is made and how it fits into Japanese culture.
But it also explains how to read saké labels (and offers a kanji cheater guide), how to shop for and store saké, how to order and drink it and where to find it in restaurants and bars in the United States and overseas.
There's also a long segment that is a guide to specific sakés from Japan and a shorter one on U.S. sakés.
Now he's at work on a second book, that will cover a wide variety of saké topics, including saké-and-food matching (the principles, he says, are similar to those that govern serving food with wine made from grapes).
In general, Harper said, saké is a great complement to Japanese food, to salty snacks or complex appetizers and to seafood of all kinds.
• • •
Kaiseki dinner complements sakés
At an extraordinary kaiseki dinner (a Japanese multi-course tasting feast) at the tucked-away Kacho Sushi & Seafood restaurant in the Waikiki Parc Hotel, Chef Yuji Urawa and his staff prepared a typical progression around a fall theme: hassun (appetizer), mushi mono (steamed dish), otsukuri (sashimi in kamakura ice basket), yakimono (variety of meats, marinated or salted, then grilled broiled or pan-fried), nimono (simmered vegetables and tofu) and the customary last course of rice, miso soup and tsukemono (pickled vegetables) followed by a tempura ice cream dessert.
All were designed to complement a succession of sakés, including a silly, reisling-like new saké for the dessert course, meant to appeal to young Japanese women, called KomeKome Shu (Rice! Rice! Liquor!).
The hassun first course was unforgettable: Like a fall scene in a high-sided lacquer tray. A hollowed-out bright orange kaki (persimmon) held a shi ra-ae (mashed tofu salad, this one made with the flesh of the fruit). On an ochre leaf (which one of the chefs gathered near the Honolulu Academy of Arts) was displayed in a moon of bright yellow steamed sweet potato; a sliver of nigiri sushi wrapped in rose-colored paper-thin young ginger; potatoes cut and deep-fried to resemble a matsutake mushroom; an arrangement of fried green-tea soba to mimic pine needles; rounds of fried lotus root like brown leaves that had fallen to the ground; lemon-colored ginko nuts on soba stems.
With this, we drank two chilled daiginjo sakés (literally, "great special designation" sakés, the highest grade): Hoyo "Kura No Hana," like a fragrant waft of spring air; and Kamotsuru Sokaku, a more full-flavored and very delicious saké.
The second course was also welcome to both eyes and palate: a delicate shrimp broth with matsutake (pine mushrooms) and a perfumey herb called mitsuba, served in a miniature teapot with a small bowl for sipping and a wedge of lime for ratcheting up the flavor. We sipped from the bowls and fished in the pots with our chopsticks for the delicious matsutake.
With this and other courses, my favorites included Dewazakura "Oka," a popular saké which Chris Pearce, a Honolulu-based saké consultant, rightly describes as "soft on the tongue ... floral rather than fruity, though there is a touch of pear or perhaps melon."
Everyone enjoyed the Dewazakura "Dewansansan," which we were able to compare to a Dewansansan "Nama Gensu" (unpasteurized, unfiltered) — light, smooth, bouncy and very nice chilled. But potent!
I was taken back to my earliest saké experiences, at a Seattle sushi bar in my 20s, by Masumi "Okuden Kantsukuri," a widely available and, as Pearce says, "comfortingly familiar" saké, round-flavored and a natural sweetness, which was served slightly warm.
Kacho, which offers full formal kaiseki, chef's special mini kaiseki and sushi kaiseki meals along with other Japanese cuisine, is just mauka of the Halekulani Hotel on the first floor of the Waikiki Parc Hotel (managed by Halekulani). Prices are surprisingly affordable for a high-quality Waikiki restaurant and they serve three meals daily (idea for a weekend excursion: have Japanese breakfast). Reservations: 931-6645.
— Wanda A. Adams
• • •
Cooking with saké gives more flavor to many foods
Saké consultant Chris Pearce says Japanese restaurants often use at least as much saké in cooking — for marinades, sauces, stocks — as they sell to diners.
The International Saké Institute (www.sakes.com) offers these hints for cooking with saké:
- Saké lends a hint of sweetness and gives a balance to acidic foods.
- It may be substituted for white wine in recipes.
- It acts as a tenderizer for red and white meats, poultry and fish.
- It suppresses the "fishy" flavors associated with some seafood.
Ideas for using saké:
- As a substitute for vinegar in chutneys or in fruit sauces.
- In sauces made with butter and flour, add saké to the pan juices of vegetables, meat, chicken or fish to enhance the flavor.
- Combine saké with lime juice and use as a glaze for meats, poultry, fish or vegetables.
Experts at esaké.com suggest using ginjo (high-grade) saké for flavor-sensitive, delicate foods. Heartier foods, such as pork or duck, can stand up to homier and even slightly stale sakés.
Here's a recipe from the International Saké Institute for a marinade. A brand is specified, but you can use any ginjo-level saké that appeals to you.ÊThis subtle marinade, colorful with red pepper flakes, accents the flavors of any firm, white-flesh fish steak (marlin, shark).
Saké-marinated Fish Steaks
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh marlin or other fish steaks, 3/4- to 1-inch thick, cut into 4 pieces
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 cup Momokawa Silver Saké
- 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Rinse fish, and pat dry with paper towels. Place in glass baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine lime juice, saké, garlic, oil, honey, and red pepper flakes. Pour over fish, turning to coat both sides. Marinate 30 minutes.
Prepare heat source for the grill. When grill is hot, brush or spray vegetable or olive oil on the cooking surface. Place fish on grill, about 4 inches above heat source. Cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is opaque in thickest portion, turning once. Transfer fish to individual dinner plates. Serve hot. Serves 4.
— Wanda A. Adams
