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Higo Cochin Chicken Kombu-Cured and Rolled with Julienned Vegetables, Umasu Vinegar Jelly

As for the Higo Cochin chicken in the vinegared dish, this is an extremely rare ingredient — even within Kumamoto, it's only available in Yamaga.

Grilled barracuda marinated in sweet white miso, small abalone finished with Arima sansho pepper, king crab miso-grilled, grilled matsutake

As for the grilled dish's tokobushi (small abalone) Arima-yaki: I first clean the tokobushi thoroughly, then score it with a fine cross-hatch knife…

Pufferfish aspic, grilled shimeji and salmon roe, five-color crab namasu

For the maezara (appetizer plate), I made three dishes, each using a distinctively flavored vinegar. As for the fugu nikogori, I set fugu skin into a…

Scorpionfish Steamed in a Thin Egg Custard with Its Own Stock

The alternate clear-soup course is okoze steamed in a thin egg custard with its own stock. This one uses the okoze's head and nakaochi, the meat…

Small clam adductor steamed dumpling and winter melon

Seafood Washoku Gratin

The seafood washoku gratin uses rice porridge, since this is a Japanese dish. I've added matcha, but since that makes it a little bitter, I've also…

Softly simmered whale skin, crab and eggplant steamed Hakata-style, and new potatoes in sweet soy glaze

For the simmered dish, the softly simmered whale skin: the whale skin is parboiled in rice-bran water, rinsed in cold water, then gently simmered in…

Ise Lobster Umani, Thistle-Cut Winter Melon, Shikishi-Cut Kabocha, Sea Bream Roe and Shiitake Simmered Together, and Brussels Sprouts

This simmered assortment (takiawase) is actually a chilled simmered dish. I tried topping it with a jelly made from a rich, flavorful dashi.

Conger Eel Rolled in Green Chili, Grilled with Kagura Nanban Miso

The kagura nanban used in the grilled dish, conger eel rolled in green chili and grilled with kagura nanban miso, is a thick-fleshed chili pepper…

Green Pea Tofu in a Light Kuzu-Starch Broth

Butterfish Daitokuji-yaki, butterfish spring-green grilled, butterfish new-ginger grilled

For the grilled course's butterfish Daitokuji-yaki, a wheat-gluten bread named for Daitoku-ji temple is reconstituted in a seasoned soaking liquid…

Persimmon and Kyoho Grape Custard Cream

Fiddlehead fern in fried tofu, green-necked duck roast

Our guests are mostly somewhat older women visiting on pilgrimage during the day, and business parties such as client entertaining in the evening…

Grilled Eggplant Surinagashi and Sesame Tofu

For the clear-soup course's grilled eggplant pureed soup, this time I deep-fried the eggplant in oil and peeled it so the color wouldn't fade, but I…

Turban shell and rapeseed blossoms with wasabi

For the turban shell and rapeseed blossoms with wasabi, store-bought pickled wasabi is pressed through a sieve, then lightly tossed with a light soy…

Spring vegetables, Ogawa-mushi

For the wasabi leaf in the spring vegetable ogawa-mushi: pack it into a jar, pour in hot water, and shake it well — this brings out a strong…

Snow crab deep-fried in a paper-thin wrapper

For the fried course's snow crab in a paper-thin wrapper: boil the snow crab and remove the meat. Rehydrate bamboo shoot and peel it into a long thin…

Persimmon cup with first ice, baby eggplant and arrowhead bulb, tree-ring salmon and yuba roll

For the fried course's persimmon cup with first ice: hollow the persimmon into a cylinder and sear it once with a torch — this brings out more…

Turnip and shark fin egg custard, shrimp tsukune with usugaki garnish, cod roe wrapped in yuba, shrimp-shaped taro simmered to soak

For the simmered-dish course's shrimp tsukune, I make it twice a year — once when new spring onions come in, and once in autumn when the firm…

Pike conger mixed vegetable salad with plum sauce, grilled sea urchin flower crown, fragrant grilled avocado, fish-bone jelly, seared baby abalone, white asparagus with jade sauce, sansho-leaf miso, mock whale pork, black sesame sauce

For the appetizer's hamo chigusa salad, I mix in mountain yam cut into small dice with ten to fifteen kinds of chopped vegetables such as myoga…

Sea Bass Wrapped and Grilled with Summer Vegetables

For the grilled course's sea bass wrapped and grilled with summer vegetables, we made what would be called a tomato stew in Western cooking, wrapped…

Beef grilled with aromatics

The basket holding the susumezakana's (an extra course meant to encourage sake drinking) deep-fried vegetables in black vinegar marinade is made of…

Roe-bearing sweetfish kombu roll, spiny lobster simmered in the shell, tofu skin fried and simmered, autumn eggplant simmered in wine

For the simmered course's autumn eggplant simmered in wine, the eggplant is first color-simmered to preserve its hue. The seasoning is kept light…

Corn kuzu dumpling, turnip-steamed with thickened sauce

Uses "Ajinomoto" Knorr corn cream soup.