How to Enjoy Japanese Beef, Fish & Sake: A Tasting Event Explains
Photo from left: Madai Kobu-jime, Madai Ramen with yuzu flavor soup (courtesy of M Square GLOBAL Inc.) and Japanese sake
In an effort to cultivate interest in Japanese beef, seafood and sake, the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago hosted a tasting event at the Consul-General’s official residence in Evanston on Oct. 4. Local restaurant owners and food suppliers were invited.
Photo left: Consul General Hiroshi Tajima
About 50 guests gathered to take a bite of Wagyu (Japanese beef) and Madai (red sea bream), in dishes prepared by Consul-General’s Chef Satoshi Ito, while several kinds of Japanese sake was offered for tasting by U.S.-based distributors Breakthru Beverage Group and Joto Sake.
Hisanobu Osaka, Corporate Chef at Lettuce Entertain You, gave a presentation about what Wagyu and Madai are and how they are enjoyed in Japan. Representatives of the two distributors explained the unique qualities of their sake brands and the best way to enjoy them.
Similar events were hosted by the Consulate-General recently, one at the North Side liquor store Konbini & Kanpai on Sept. 30 and another at Chicago Gourmet in downtown Chicago, an annual food festival featuring Chicago’s top restaurants and chefs, on Sept. 24.
Hiroshi Tajima, Consul-General of Japan in Chicago, said in his opening remarks that the Consulate has been promoting Wagyu and other Japanese food in the U.S.
Wagyu beef has become increasingly popular in the U.S. in recent years, but there are still very few restaurants in Chicago that serve genuine Wagyu beef, he noted.
A photo of madai and the behind scene is madai farm in Japan
(Photo from presentation material prepared by JETRO)
Madai, known as the “King of Fish” in Japan, is also gaining recognition recently in North America, particularly on the East- and West-Coast regions. Tajima said he hopes people in Chicago and the Midwest discover and enjoy Madai, a “representative of Japanese seafood.”
Sake has a variety of flavors depending on the climate of the region it is produced, as well as the quality of rice and water that is used to make it. “Sake can be paired with a variety of food,” he explained.
“We hope today’s event will deepen your understanding of Japanese food and sake,” he said. “We also hope that you will visit Japan in the future and . . . be able to enjoy food and sake there.”
Presentation by Chef Osaka: Madai
Distinct with its shiny copper-red body, Madai has traditionally been regarded as a “celebration fish” in Japan. It is still consumed on a celebration table today, as its appearance and taste symbolize good fortune and luxury. An average Madai measures 13- to 15-inch long, but some grow up to 40-inch long. It lives up to 40 years.
Photo left: Chef Hisanobu Osaka
Wild Madai is caught in Japan’s coastal waters, but the landings are not substantial. A majority of Madai supplies on the Japanese market is farm raised today.
The benefits of Madai farming include easier quality control and production stability assurance. In 2019, 62,301 tons of farm-raised Madai were produced. By region, the top producer of farm-raised Madai in that year was Ehime Prefecture (56.7% of the total national production), followed by the prefectures of Kumamoto (13.4%), Kochi (10.2%), Mie (6.1%) and Nagasaki (3.8%).
Delicious no matter how it’s prepared – sashimi, grilled, deep fried or simmered - Madai is a healthy option in our diet, according to Osaka.
The fish has a unique aroma and umami taste, while it is low in fat and high in protein. The high quality protein helps build our muscles and organs, while producing enzymes and hormones in our body.
It is also rich in amino acids such as glutamic and inosinic acids, which help the fish’s flavors remain in the mouth for a long time. Taurine, rarely found in meat, is abundant in Madai and helps lower blood cholesterol and strengthen heart functions. Madai’s head and bones also contain omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA, which are good for our heart and brain. Nutritious and easy to digest, Madai in our diet is ideal for the elderly, infants, and convalescent patients.
The best part of Madai is found between its flesh and skin. The “umami” is concentrated there, and it complements the fish when eaten in raw (sashimi) or sautéed. Fish skin is generally removed when served in sashimi. But in the case of Madai sashimi, slices are served with skin on to enjoy the umami to its fullest. In the serving style called “Kawashimo zukuri,” boiling water is poured onto the skin, and then the sashimi is quickly cooled with ice water.
Popular Madai dishes include “Tai okashira” (dishes that use Madai head), “Kobu-jime” (sashimi slices cured with dried kelp), “Kabuto-ni” (simmered head), “Nitsuke” (simmered and braised), “Tai-chazuke” (slices on rice with tea or stock) and “Tai-meshi” (seasoned rice cooked with Madai), as well as Carpaccio and Chinese-style steamed Madai.
Chef Ito served the guests with Kobu-jime and Tai ramen, a bowl of ramen seasoned and topped with Madai.
In Kobu-jime, the umami of the sashimi slices was enhanced by the flavor of kombu (kelp). Because it’s cured with dried kelp, the dish can last longer in the refrigerator than uncured sashimi slices.
Tai ramen was served in Madai stock-based soup, topped with skin-on Madai slices that’s been boiled and marinated in soy sauce and fish stock. A slice of a yuzu citrus added a refreshing taste to the deeply flavorful dish.
Presentation by Chef Osaka: Wagyu
On the Japanese beef market in the U.S., a domestic brand called Washugyu is currently dominant, according to Osaka.
Washugyu is a crossbreed of Japanese full-blood Wagyu and American Black Angus cows. Its meat has “a good amount of fat from Japanese Wagyu and a good amount of red meat from American beef.” The Wagyu beef marketed in the U.S. is often dubbed as “Kobe beef,” but true Kobe beef is the name given to select Tajima Wagyu.
A genuine Japanese Wagyu is “totally different” from Washugyu, Osaka explained.
Each Wagyu cattle in Japan has a unique ID and traceability, which helps assure its quality. Using this information, every single beef can be traced where it comes from. Japan has many regional brands of Wagyu depending on where they are produced, such as Omi beef, Matsuzaka beef, and Saga beef.
The fat quality is also different in Wagyu and Washugyu, Osaka said. Wagyu fat’s melting point is 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), causing Wagyu beef to literally melt in the mouth. It also releases a characteristic, coconut-like sweet aroma when heated to 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius).
Photo from left: Wagyu steak, Wagyu shabu shabu style and Wagyu fried rice. All sample dishes are cooked by Chef Satoshi Ito.
Wagyu beef is ranked in 15 categories, from A5 to C1, according to its meat quality and yield grade. Chef Ito served the guests the highest grade of Shinshu beef, ranked A5, from Nagano Prefecture, prepared in steak, shabu-shabu, and fried rice. The steak truly “melted in the mouth.” In the Shabu-shabu dish, thin-sliced beef was lightly cooked in a yuzu-flavored soup, with well-simmered slices of daikon radish and mushrooms. The fried rice using Wagyu fat was flavorful yet not oily.
What Restauranteurs Say
Among the guests were Troy Fujimura and Patrick Grasso, the owner and the general manager of Arami restaurant in Chicago, respectively. Arami is known for contemporary Japanese cuisine and a collection of as many as 100 kinds of Japanese sake. Grasso supports Fujimura as a wine and sake expert.
Photo left: Troy Fujimura (L) and Patrick Grasso
“One of the things that make our restaurant very special is our sake list,” Fujimura said. Arami has an extensive list of high-grade sake and Japanese whiskeys.
Another thing is that the place is well equipped with experts. “Patrick is an expert in wine and sake hospitality, and we have our sushi chef, Ismael Lopez, who is an expert in fish and fish handling,” Fujimura continued.
When Grasso was first introduced to sake, he thought it was “much more nuanced, much more delicate” in flavor than wine. “So it presented [me with] much more difficult challenges with tasting [than wine],” he said. “But just like any other new venture, learning has great rewards.”
“One thing truly special about Patrick is that he bridges the gap and translates the wine language into the sake language,” Fujimura commented. “[That way, he] builds a cultural balance.”
Grasso said he tries to create rapport with his guests, not so much as teaching them but helping them through sake and wine experience. “So it’s a more interactive experience than teaching what [the guests] should be tasting,” he added.
Fujimura was born in Hawaii, where most of his family members still live today. It was 12 years ago when he and his brother opened a restaurant called Small Bar in Chicago. He launched Arami five years ago.
Having grown up in Indiana before he moved to Chicago, Fujimura is still in search of authentic Japanese experience. Opening Arami was a way for him to “get to know [his] own culture” by exploring his own heritage, Fujimura said.