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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Untangling My Chopsticks ...with the latest Cook the Books selection.

When she was twenty-five, Victoria Riccardi left behind a good job, a good boyfriend, and a good apartment in New York City and moved to Kyoto, Japan.  Memory and longing led her to study tea kaiseki...and in turn gain knowledge in ancient Japanese traditions, wisdom, and customs.  While only there for one year, this multi course meal that evolved in the Zen monasteries of Kyoto and its link to Zen Buddhism would have great influence on her life.  You can read more in Untangling My Chopsticks by Victoria Abbott Riccardi, the latest Cook the Books selection.  I am always romanced into books like this.  Imagining myself dropping everything and going somewhere to to immerse myself in an unfamiliar culture.  Putting my finger on the pulse of the people the way I know best...through the kitchen.  I couldn't help but draw on my fondness for Memoirs of a Geisha once Riccardi arrived in Japan- describing the atmosphere.  Subtly stunning kimonos.  Cherry Blossoms.  The art of refinement.  Stark beauty. 

Tea kaiseki is a meal that is based on rice and comes before the actual formal tea ceremony.  During the ceremony a moist sweet will be served before the bowl of thick tea and a dry sweet will be served before the bowl of thin tea.  The food is subtle, beautiful, and it readies your palate...and your mind...for the actual tea.
Although the recipes nestled in at the close of each chapter called to me one by one.  What I would up making was inspired by the simplicity and beauty of the dishes presented for kaiseki.  Although this particular dish would never be served at a tea kaiseki because the amount of salt and chile flakes would dull your palate before the tea master presented you with your tea.  My friend Deb sent me a little package of ogo seaweed with some gorgeous red Hawaiian sea salt from Hawaii and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to put it to use.  And I just knew I wanted to use tofu when I read that Buddhists brought it with them to Kyoto...which now produces the finest tofu in all of Japan!
Tofu Poke
yield ~1 lb.

1 lb. tofu, pressed overnight & drained
~2 Tbs. Sesame Seed Oil
1 small bundle of dried ogo seaweed
Hawaiian Red sea salt, to taste
crushed red chile flakes, to taste

Cube the pressed tofu and toss with the sesame seed oil.  Rehydrate the dried ogo in hot water for two minutes, then squeeze dry and chop.  Toss with tofu and sesame oil.  Add in salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
Simple beauty.  Worth untangling your chopsticks for.
"I had tasted the origins of tea kaiseki at Enryaki-ji and at last experienced its spiritual roots." ~Victoria Abbott Riccardi
CooktheBooksClub foodiesreadingchallenge

Would you like to comment?

  1. What a great name...love this tofu recipe with the kick!

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  2. What an elegant dish! I will have to hunt for the ogo seaweed- Could be tricky around here.

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  3. To be captured by the essence of another world through the eyes and words of another is truly an uplifting experience.

    Thank you so much for sharing, Heather. Your Tofu Poke looks simply delightful...

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  4. The Tofu Poke looks amazing. I have to make this for my daughter. She'll love it! Terrific picture.

    Kristi

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  5. I saw another post from this book, and I am excited to see if I can get it. What a beautiful dish, and a nice gift from Deb. I have everything except the seaweed!

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  6. haven't used red sea salt before looks delicious

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  7. that book is on my to-reads list and i can't wait, it sounds so good!

    i have yet to learn to make tofu right, so i will have to try this. it looks delicious!

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  8. How fantastic is this! I too dream of picking up and just following my dreams wherever they take me and it's definitely nice to read about someone who actually does it so that I can live vicariously through them. The tofu sounds fantastic!

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  9. You made something I wouldn't have even dreamed of attempting. Looks fabulous. I have been a slacker on visiting lately and working on another project (some of which you helped me!) and I am playing catch up now!

    Good book...I never got my hands on a copy but lately, I have a pile of books from the library that have definite due dates...so I'm plodding away!

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  10. I love the name and the color and texture is very intriguing.

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  11. This elegant post and dish really got into the spirit of our featured book. Great job Heather, as always (ye of the candied cherries).

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  12. Thanks for the book review. My best friend is Japanese. For a couple years I have been begging to go back home with her... I am still working on it. She is one of my favorite people in the whole world to cook with!


    BTW... just for laughs, the word verification for this comment is crotch. Really? I am going to get a laugh out of that for awhile...

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  13. Wow, I like all the red toppings! The seaweed is new.

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  14. Great to learn about this specialty, this is new to me, would love to try this!

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  15. I would love to try the red sea salt. Great review. The tofu looks good.

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  16. Beautiful tofu poke--one of my favorites (although I usually have to have some ahi poke alongside my tofu too). ;-) So glad you put the packet to good use. A great representation of the book.

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  17. It looks so beautiful! At first I thought it was nougat!

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  18. Wonderful review and I love the simple, beautiful recipe choice.

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  19. Beautiful! Great way to celebrate the book. ☺

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  20. This recipe is a new one for me. Never heard of it or seen it before. I'd love to give it a try because it looks really pretty and maybe, just maybe, I could actually eat it with the chopsticks. LOL!

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  21. Truly beautiful in its simplicity. I have never seen this kind of seaweed. The color contrast with tofu delights the eyes.

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