Recipes
500 g (approx.) tomatoes
Salt (1% of the tomato weight)
Remove tomato stems. Purée tomatoes (including skin and seeds) with salt.
Strain through a cheesecloth-lined fine sieve (or a double layer of paper towels) and allow to drain overnight without pressing. Collect the naturally extracted tomato water and chill. (Use 200 ml for this recipe.)
(Serves 2)
50 g kudzu starch (Japanese arrowroot powder)
110 g water
15 g TREHA®
Accompaniments
4 okra pods
20 g salted mirin seaweed (a type of edible red algae)
30 g junsai (watershield), optional*
5 ml light soy sauce (usukuchi)
Salt, to taste
Fresh wasabi, as needed
Shiso flower buds, as needed
*Junsai is a traditional Japanese aquatic vegetable prized in fine dining as a summer delicacy. Its young shoots are naturally coated in a delicate gelatinous layer that provides a clean, silky texture.
Trim both ends of the okra and, using a skewer, gently remove the seeds without breaking the pod, then slice thinly.
Add 3% TREHA® (not included in ingredient list) to boiling water and blanch the okra. Transfer immediately to the chilled tomato water and cool.
Thoroughly mix and dissolve kudzu starch, TREHA®, and water.
Pour the kudzu starch slurry into a tray and place it over plenty of boiling water to steam until sets evenly and flat.
Once set, immerse the tray in hot water until fully transparent, then transfer it to water (no ice) to cool.
Desalt the mirin seaweed and cut into approximately 5 cm lengths.
Remove the fully cooled kudzukiri sheet from the tray (step 5), cut it into thin, noodle-like strips, and add them to the clarified tomato water with okra mixed in.
Add the cut mirin seaweed and junsai (watershield). Season with light soy sauce and salt.
Plate in chilled bowls; garnish with freshly grated wasabi and shiso flower buds.
Preserves the vibrant green color of blanched okra and extends freshness.
Keeps the kudzukiri transparent even when chilled, while reducing firmness and hardening.
Kudzukiri is traditionally enjoyed with a variety of sauces, allowing the dish to take on many different expressions depending on the pairing. For a refined confectionery interpretation of kudzukiri, explore our traditional wagashi (Japanese confection) recipe: Kudzukiri with Cherry Blossom
