Gion Matsuri : Hamo Matsuri

During July we have the biggest festival, Gion Matsuri.
Gion Matsuri has another name, 'hamo matsuri' as we have a lot of hamo (fish) dishes during the festival. Hamo is pike conger, a long fish, looks like an eel. But the taste is quite diferrent from eels. I like the eel dishes, but I love hamo dishes much better. Hamo has a sophisticated taste, not greasy.

Here are some hamo lovers and hamo dishes.


Sini is making her favourite hamo-zushi




Sansho peppers can be a good accent for hamo-zushi






Bianca is happy with her 'hamo no teriyaki';grilled hamo fish




Yuba-roll of hamo

Tanabata : the star-lit night

Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com

Tanabata, the Star Festival is celebrated on July 7th, which is from one of the ancient Chinese legends originally--on the Milky Way the two stars have the once-a-year rendezvour on July 7th, but if it rains that night, they won't be able to meet. Wising for the star-lit night.......

Here are some vegetarian summer dishes.
They will make you cool!


top- cold soba (buck wheat) with dipping sauce, condiments and nagaimo-yam (potato)
bottom-left goma(sesame)d(t)ofu
bottom-right summer vegetable agar jelly
center- kimpira gobou (burdock-root & carrot light-fried dish)


Perrine is trying 'sasagaki gobou':
burdock root shaving cut





Summer sweet
kuzu-manju


Fergus is good at making kuzu-manju ↑

Karlie is fascinated with kuzu manju

Kamo-nasu : A Kyoto summer treat

Uzuki showcase in July



Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com






flower: kikyou




Kamo-nasu no Agedashi : Deep-fried Kamo-nasu with hot (broth) soup
Garnish- grated daikon raddish & cucumber and myoga (ginger bud)


Kamo-nasu is the Kyoto eggplant (aubergine).
During the summer Kyoto people enjoy this special eggplant very much.
Its shape is chubby and perfectly round, looks like a ball, 10-15cms in diameter.
It is quite heavy with its thick flesh, the big ones can weigh up to 800g! Its texture is fresh and smooth. The skin color is dark purple and feels velvety.

In summer it is very hot, here in Kyoto and Kamo-nasu grows well in the sun. While eggplants can help to reduce the temperature of the body; they keep us cool! Deep-fried Kamo-nasu is not greasy as it doesn't absorb much oil because of its high dense. They are healthy, tasty and please us with the noble color and the dignified shape.

Dengaku; fried Kamo-nasu dressed with Kyoto miso (soybean paste) and Agedashi;
deep-fried Kamo-nasu with hot broth (soup) are both popular summer dishes.


Mizu youkan; summer red bean jelly

Nagoshi no Harae : Summer purification

Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com

Since the old time, on the last day of the first half of the year (the last day of June) we have a purification ceremony at shrines in Kyoto.
This is called ’Nagoshi no Harae’ (summer purification).
We visit the shrine to purify every bad thing in the first half of the year and to pray for happiness and good health during the rest half of the year.

Also on the last day of June we have a sweet called ‘minazuki’ , which is Japanese old name for June.
In the old lunar calendar June is the mid-summer. Those days people could hardly get ice in the summer-time.
In stead of ice, they had the sweet, ‘minazuki’ which feels ice, asking for coolness.

Chi-no-wa at Okazaki Shrine, my favourite shrine, here is really quiet

We pass through this big ring and pray.


Minazuki is the triangle-shaped cake, which expresses a piece of ice, with red beans for topping as people believed red beans protect us from evils like diseases.

Minazuki - kuzu(plant root) & mochi rice flour cake with sweet red beans


Mizu-youkan a la Nagoshi no Harae

ingredients - red bean paste, sugar and agar powder

Thank you so much ⅲ

I thank you, all the attendants so much this first half of the year.
I had a very enjoyable time with them each class.
Here are some photos from among the attendants.
So sorry I couldn't put all the attendants.

I'm looking forward to having a cooking session with you, too!

Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com


A seven year-old girl, Olivia is having her 'chirashi-zushi' elegantly.














A 5 year-old boy, Alex who is the youngest chef in my class, is cracking eggs very well!




Ginny, Bruce and James


Nancy, Ron and Maria


Barbara and Aimee


Isabel, Javi and Marta


Nicole and Noah


Michelle and Brian


Jeremy, Bridget, Byron,
Justin and Sophie



Jo-Anne and Brendan



Jean and Betty











Jennifer and Roz

Thank you so much ⅱ

I thank you, all the attendants so much this first half of the year.
I had a very good time with them.
Here are just some photos from among the attendants.

Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com



Ragnhild and Yumi


Tim and Tim


Renae and Catherine




Elizabeth & Lillian
and Meagan



Petra & Jerome
and Steph


Jean and Graham


Sinead and Jean


Camila
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　She loves 'shojin-ryori'- Japanese vegetarian cuisine; temple foods very much 　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Frederic, Stephane,
Guy-Antoine and Sophie
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　

Thank you so much ⅰ

I thank you, all the attendants so much this first half of the year.
Here are just some photos from among the attendants.
I'm looking forward to having a cooking session with you!!

Please visit the website- kyotouzuki.com


Navid


Ella and Jan

















Amy and Annie are making basic broth; dashi
Elaine is cutting yuba(soy-milk skin)






Emily and Brian









Susan and Nicole












Laura, Caroline and Alex










　　
　　　　　　 Ryan is good at 'usu-zukuri'(thin-slicing of sashimi)




　←　Cecilia & Paul









　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　↑
　　　　　　　　　　　Camile & Justin, who are good at cooking, with their mom and dad