Monthly Memo From Doi's Culinary Philosophy
Original text by Doi Yoshiharu
Translated by Yoshiko Fukuda
October-Kannazuki
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As soon as one hears the various sounds of October, the weather begins to cool down. Finally a true autumn has arrived, not only just on the calendar.
Autumn, a harvesting season, is a symbol of fullness, ripening, and gathering. Moreover, it is a time for me to crop the rice that I helped to plant in the beginning of summer, to be exact on the 28th of September.
At the Oshima village of Nigata, the summer with its tadpoles and dragonfly larvae had passed and a new season had arrived. The season has brought wind that gently blows Japanese pampas grass, and red dragonflies with its crimson belly that rest on people's head and shoulder.●Harvesting
With rubber gloves, rubber boots, and a straw batch attached to my waste, I was ready for the big occasion; harvesting rice. Sickle in my hand, I entered the golden rice field. From the weight of the paddy, the rice was drooping its head. I squat and level myself to the ground and cut the rice plant from the bottom. Reaping the rice with my right hand and holding the bottom of the bunch with my left hand, the cutting process is repeated about four times before I can place them down. Then, I group them together with the straw from the bundle attached on my waste. I pull out about seven to eight of the straws, then I grab the bunch with both my hands. I hold the straw with my thumb of my left hand and after I spread the bunch out like a fan, I tie the bottom with the straw. Then, by turning the whole bunch clockwise, I make a knot. The straw on the right hand side is brought around the bunch and then make another knot. One batch is finally complete. What is left to do is to throw the batch over to the ridge at the end of the rice paddy.
Of course, easier said than done. The process can be explained rather simply in words, yet the actual procedure is much harder. The first try after being taught the process, I end up with one complete batch. But in my next try, for some reason there is always something wrong. Either the knot is not there or the bunch is not all together. It is rather embarrassing when a whole group of people are with me gathering and harvesting. The other farmers who helped me, worked in an intimidating expeditious speed as soon as the took up their tool. With their bright charisma they had reaped and tied the rice together, and thrown it over to the side. Shortly there was a thick pile of crop. Since experts work with no excessive movement, it becomes a form of art. In the end, with no surprise I only completed a third of the work and gathering, compared with their amount.
We carried the crop to the "hasakake" located in a area that catch the most sun. Hasakake is a wooden structure made to dried the harvested crop. I borrowed a 40 year old straw rain coat to do this next set of work. First, I laid the straw rope in a upside-down u shape on the slope of the ridge of the rice paddy. Then I twisted the bottom of the rice crop and laid the twisted part on the rope. After I piled on enough crop bundles, I lowered my body down facing my back toward the pile and brought the two ends of the rope over my shoulders and under my armpits. Then I tied the ends of the ripe together and stood up. The straw raincoat helped lessen the weight that was concentrated by the ropes. Moreover, the weight of the crop was balanced out evenly on my back. Maybe it was the joy of becoming one with rice, something had made me feel extremely satisfied and contented. I walked feeling the ripened life on my back at every step I took.
During the 120 days after the rice saplings were planted, they were cultivated with utmost care. To harvest and feel the weight of the crop that the farmers have focused their effort and time, was one of the most gratified moments in my life. But my fulfillment must have been nothing compared to what the farmers feel every time when they harvest their own crop.●Kobiri
(refer to the June 2000 Monthly Memo about the different kinds of meals served during a work day at the field)
On the days when I am out working in the fields I always look forward to having kobiri which is a light repast.
One time my kobiri included six kinds of food.
One dish was bota-mochi or mochi dumpling served in two flavors. The steamed glutinous rice was made into palm sized-ball rice cake (mochi) which is either flavored with sweetened red bean paste or graded white sesaeme seed. Hence the bota-mochi are in two colors, dark red and white. In addition there were a miso flavored simmered Japanese ginger and vinegar pickled zuiki (edible leaf of sweet potato) and narazuke (sake pickled vegetables such as egg plants, white radish, lotus root and other root vegetable). Also fresh vegetables like cucumber and egg plants were picked from the fields, washed then served with miso paste. For dessert ripened purpled fruit of akebi (the fruit is light purple colored with edible white flesh and black seeds) was served in halves.●Hasakake
The bundled rice is twisted at the bottom where it is tied around with straw, and is hanged on the vertical wood structure of the hasakake. This work is not so complex compared to all the other work I had done so I worked extra hard to make up for the loss in other areas of the fieldwork. At this point the day was almost over with the sunset shone on the rice turning it into a bright gold color. A beautiful sight at a laborious day's end.
If the weather is sunny throughout the week, the crop is left out on the hasakake in order for the rice to receive as much sunlight. During the month I will return to steam the rice in a large iron pot with the chaff for fuel. The fire made by a pile of chaff is tender enough that even when a hand is placed over it, the fire only wraps it up in warmth. Rice cooked in a "chaff pot" (nukagama) has its unique flavor and characteristic scent. Even when the rice is steamed in an ordinary metallic pot, the rice itself carries an appetizing smell. It truly is a wonder. Traditional bath heated with firewood is said to contain soothing water. Likewise, maybe the "chaff pot" pulls out the best in rice. By the way, in 1998 the Koshihikari brand rice, harvested in Oshima village, became the number one in taste in Niigata prefecture.●Rice cooked at Kamado
(a traditional style oven, where a pot is held in place by a concrete structure which leaves a hollow space for a fire to be set up directly under the pot)
In the Kansai region, the kamado used to steam rice was called 'okudosan'. In the past, the women, from a farmer to a merchant, worked as much as the men did on top of the housework they had to do. Therefore there is an interesting quotation from a book which stated that the only time they could rest was the time they were adjusting the temperature of the okusadon. They worked so hard that they had no time clean off the soot that covered their faces from maintaining the okusadon. Hence the invention of the electronic rice cooker after the world war might have functioned as the introduction to a cultured life. Nowadays, the rice cooker which can be seen at most households in Japan includes various functions that one can have time to chat while the rice is getting cooked and even after it is done it will keep the rice warm as long as it is needed. Modern technology is indeed very useful yet the burden is that it will take a set amount of time to steam the rice, even if the amount of rice varies.
Nowadays, the advantage of learning how to steam rice without the automatic rice cooker is completely ignored since everything seems to be about speed and less work. However, cooking rice is actually easier than usually perceived, and also is rather engaging. Moreover, one will learn how to cook rice in a way which the time used for steaming directly relates to the amount of rice.●Cooking Rice Without A Rice Cooker
*Washing the Rice
These days, compared to the past, the rice is polished more, that not only the chaff but the germ part is also completely taken off. Thus, rice should not be washed too harshly, since the individual rice might crack if it is rubbed too hard. In the past, rice was washed until the water became clear and did no longer become opaque from the rice. But now, the water only needs to be changed about twice. If the rice is washed excessively then the rich flavor of the rice will be lost.
The best rice is haigamai, or the rice with the germ still attached. The rice which you polish yourself will still contain the germ and enough chaff that when it is washed there is a creamy texture. In that case, the rice should be washed until the water becomes transparent.*Amount of Water
Determining the moderate amount of water for a set amount of rice is easier than how it seems. In rice cooking the water gets added to the washed rice before steaming. When the rice cooker is used, the amount of water needed is usually marked on the pot. But in other cases the amount of water required is not stated. Thus, a method to determining the right amount of water is needed.
The key to determining the correct amount of water lies in moistened rice. Rice after it absorbs water from washing, increases in mass about 20%. The time needed for this transformation differs according to the age of the rice. The newer the rice, more moisture it contains to begin with.
First, extra moisture on the surface of the washed rice needs to be dried up. Then the rice is placed on a drainer for about 30 minutes in the summer and closed to an hour in the winter, this for the rice to fully absorb the moisture. Afterwards, the rice is measured, since the same exact amount of water is required to steam the rice. For example, if the rice was two cups after it increased in amount from the moisture, then the same amount, two cups of water is required to cooked that rice. Now two cups is not the original amount of the rice but two cups is what the rice grew to be.
This method works every time. Hence, the amount of water decided by this method can function as the standardized amount, and in order to cook rice according to your preference the amount of water can be adjusted accordingly.*Pot For Steaming
The best pots to cook rice are the ones with a firm lid. The lid should be heavy enough to put a reasonable amount of pressure like the old traditional thick wooden lid. If the pot has a large diameter then a soaked cloth can be put under the lid to avoid any steam from escaping. If the lid is too light then something should be put on top of that to keep it firm.*Adjusting Heat
First the pot should be put on high heat so that it will come to a quick boil. Then the heat should be lessened to low. Let it steam until it does not steam any more.
It is simple as this…of course in words. If this process fails then the first boil must have been too weak that the top layer was undone. Also if the heat is not lowered then obviously the rice will be scorched.
About ten minutes after the heat is lowered, the rice will be cooked from the top. If the rice is to be eaten right after it is cooked then it should be served from the top layer and from the edges of the pan like in a shape of a donut leaving the middle.
Even at restaurants this method will work. The chef must predict the time the customers will be asking for their rice. Of course, that predicted time is to be shifted since anything from a second cup of sake can delay that expected time for 30 minutes. Then in those cases, the heat should be maintained at low until when the rice should be served. In that way the customer can always enjoy a hot bowl of rice that was just made. For an extra touch, the heat can be put on high right before the rice is served. Then at the bottom part of the pot the rice will be scorched giving the whole rice a richer flavor.It is important to not forget to steam rice with your eyes, nose and ears.
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