A Twist to Your Regular Food Experience by Serving “Drinking Food”

Yusuke Shimoki runs a tiny bar in Kaga under the name Engawa. The bar is situated in Japan on the mountainous north-central coast. The food artist recently visited America, and when he arrived, he packed bottles of local sake into his luggage.

More than luggage and clothes, he tried to bring in experience. To assure this, he brought six styles of glassware to serve Sake, as well as a bottle of his favorite soy sauce and, for no particular reason other than because he is proud of it, a framed certificate naming him a qualified sake sommelier in Japan.

The Experience Known as “Drinking Food”

A brief encounter with this talented enigma opened people up to a great variety of food. He was spotted in Brooklyn while he was at dinner with Hannah Kirshner. Kirshner is a food writer and recipe developer who publishes the small magazine Sweets and Bitters. Although Shimoki was a guest, his culinary skills and passion turned him into a host. On being asked what exactly Kaga means, he said that it’s Japanese for “porch.” A porch can be defined as a place to gather, to drink, and to eat together.

The food he prepares is not only different in taste but also unique in experience. So, as he removed from the refrigerator a large bowl of egg yolks he had pickled in soy sauce, it was a matter of wonder that what would sort of meal would be on the plate or in the bowl. It also had a small strip of the dried kelp known as kombu. The eggs were very fresh and were combined to give a sweet, salty soy and savory funkiness. The kelp had darkened the yolks’ color to burnt orange.

The Flavors, the Textures and the Recipe

If the appearance wasn’t different enough, sampling the meal opened up new textures. As Shimoki instructed to spoon the yolks onto the rice, they were burst with a pinch of the chopsticks. The egg yolks had an amazingly different flavor and texture, firm at the edges but thick and molten at the center. As soon as the yolks were burst, a heavenly, molten filling stained the rice, giving it a stunning hue. A spoonful was put into the mouth, and the taste buds tingled with flavors. The silky, strong taste evolved into a salty and rich flavor like an oceanic butter.

Shimoki calls this combination of rice and sake “Drinking Food.” Sake’s perfect match is a good snack or light dinner to repeat on a monthly basis, at least. The recipe is not even close to easy and requires awareness and diligence to prepare. One not only needs to use the freshest eggs, but also needs to master the process.

To pickle the eggs, add homemade brewed soy sauce. The sauce has to be thick in consistency. Marinate the yolks in the sauce for more than 12 hours along with that small strip of kombu, which imparts a crucial, sea-vegetal umami to the sauce. Use a blend of tamari and mirin—sweet rice wine—to achieve a similar consistency and taste. The extended recipe should be practiced a few times to reach perfection: a bite full of Drinking Food, as beautiful and ironic as it sounds.