In Japanese/Kyoto cuisine, the combination of ingredients in each dish is one of the most important elements. As Japan is blessed with nature, we have a large variety of ingredients both from the mountains and sea. We like to find and enjoy the best possible combination of seasonal fish/seafood (or meat) with vegetables (or seaweed). We call it ‘umi no sachi ‘ (blessing from the sea) and ‘yama no sachi’ (blessing from the mountains) in Japanese.
In October what you must not miss is the combination of matsutake and hamo.
Matsutake is a mushroom that has an elegant flavor, particularly the ones grown in Kyoto. They are quite expensive, though. (So not necessarily the ones grown in Kyoto) Hamo is a fish that also has a very good but modest flavor, thus doesn’t compete or interfere with matsutake’s wonderful flavor. Hamo's season will end soon; please hasten to it!
Dobin-mushi of matsutake & hamo
'Dobin-mushi' is a Kyoto autumn special; kind of a clear soup dish. Using a tiny pottery tea-pot, we cook it and we drink the soup in tiny sake cup
Matsutake mushroom
Simmered taro potatoes with prawn amber sauce
For meat-lovers: taro with ground chicken sauce
Another combination from the mountains and sea:
Nagaimo yam(potato) and fresh tuna(fish) cocktail
Shiitake mushroom and prawn tempura
Matsutake gohan : cooked rice with matsutake mushroom
Shimeji gohan : cooked rice with shimeji
Shimeji is other kind of mushroom
Topping-ginkgo nuts
One class : fish・fish・fish
O-sashimi: raw fish dish with wasabi
Sushi and grilled fish
