Creating a kaiseki menu is poetry for Japanese chef
Print Edition
TAKAYUKI Oshima traveled to Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai, this week to present his kaiseki menu — a traditional fare with a modern touch and some western influence.
Oshima is now group executive chef of the Japanese restaurant corporation, Nadaman, but he entered the culinary profession four decades ago and has worked in various outlets across Asia. Now the 59-year-old oversees kitchen operations of the Nadaman group’s restaurants in and outside Japan.
Kaiseki, the multi-course formal Japanese dinner, requires a significant collection of cooking skills and techniques. Experienced chefs seek premium ingredients of each season, craft dishes in suitable ways and present the final artwork in the most appropriate vessels.
A kaiseki dinner emphasizes on the order of the dishes presentation and the connection between each course.
“I think about composing a poem when arranging the menu from start to finish, there’s the calm and exciting moments in both the flavors and presentations, the climax arrives in the rice and soup course, and concludes peacefully through the dessert,” said Oshima.
Oshima’s traditional kaiseki menu blended elements from Western cuisines, like the fresh fig wrapped with uncured ham, blue cheese sandwiched with fava bean and the Japanese spiny lobster simmered with miso and cheese sauce, which is topped with truffle.
“Kaiseki is very traditional and can only be found in Japan, but with globalization a lot of things are mixed together. I think kaiseki has also made progress,” said Oshima. “And on the other hand, we are seeing Michelin-starred restaurants in France now incorporate Japanese elements in their cooking.”
A particular interesting dish was the cream cheese marinated with Kyoto white miso paste, which presents an intense yet charming flavor.
“The Kyoto white miso paste was traditionally used to marinate fish, as the world is becoming more of a global village. I attempted to pair it with foreign ingredients,” he explained.
Oshima places one layer of the miso pate beneath a cooking cloth, adds the cream cheese on top and cover with another cooking cloth with miso paste spread above in sandwich style. After 24 hours, the intense flavors of the miso paste are introduced to the cream cheese without touching them directly.
Oshima’s job as the group’s executive chef includes arranging and managing chefs in various Nadaman outlets. Though Japanese cuisine highly emphasizes on skills and techniques, he said passion for cooking is the foremost and only quality he seeks in a young chef.
“From observing a chef’s work and life, if the person smokes, drinks and plays a lot, points are deducted. Yet if one has enough passion, other things can come afterwards because it’s the most important quality,” said Oshima.
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