Yip Jump Japan: Cooking Nihon Ryori

Another cooking class came and went this past Tuesday, and it was another delicious feast. I've been going to cooking class once a month since coming to Japan, and not once has it disappointed. This is the kind of food that is truly authentic, but that you just can't find in restaurants. It's got that home cooked feel, while also being totally gourmet. This week we had these amazing scallop dumplings (?) in a kind of miso (?) sauce, along with amazing cabbage soup and rice seasoned with fish and fresh ginger. To top it off we had eggplant wrapped in bacon ( I swear every class we have features something wrapped in bacon, it's amazing), bread with a tomato topping, salad, and a delicious special mochi for desert, all the way from Amami island.

I hope I can manage to translate these recipes and simulate them somehow when I get back to the states. Class usually consists of the nihonjins doing all the important work, and us guijins standing around trying to find jobs to do, following whatever mama chef tells us to (usually the menial tasks). There's always a lot of people in the kitchen, and I don't always witness the magic... but really, the eating is what we truly come for of course. It was sugoi oishikatta!

Because I didn't start this blog until a few weeks ago, here are a few more pictures of previous cooking class dinners. All amazing! Hopefully I can attempt some of these things for you all when I get back.