This is the first in a series of quarterly posts from author Elizabeth Andoh.
Greg's Introduction
In 2007, I was one of five chefs to be selected to represent San Francisco in its then sister city, Osaka, Japan, to celebrate 50 years of this relationship. This culinary trip was my first time to visit Japan. Like many people’s first time to Japan, it was both a mind-blowing and life-changing experience.
At the time, I had no idea the impact that trip would be on my life. I was just a young chef experiencing Japan for the first time. One of those moments I still reflect upon, was taking a class with Elizabeth Andoh. For those of you not familiar with Elizabeth, she was one of the first English-language authors to write about Japanese cuisine. Elizabeth’s first cookbook, WASHOKU: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen, published in 2005, was way ahead of its time. In the years since meeting her, the term washoku has become a thing, from a cooking competition (Washoku Challenge, which I tried out for once), to cooking classes people can take in Japan.
The class I took with her was great. She naturally talked about washoku, but also everything from seasonality to the benefits of eating seaweed. The seaweed connection is key, because in the summer of 2023 Chris and I traveled to Rausu to see the konbu harvest and shortly after we wrote a blog about the trip. One of the comments we received praising the blog was from Elizabeth. When I read her email, I remembered the time I took a class with her in Osaka and how she talked about seaweed.
We exchanged a few emails back and forth chatting about that time, then she graciously invited me to come cook with her in her Tokyo apartment. I was over the moon and super excited to cook with her. We found a date that worked for us and this past February I met her at her house.
Greg with Elizabeth and Atsunori - selfie from February 2024
It is hard for me to put into words what happened that day, but my culinary journey found a new direction. The way Elizabeth explained Japanese food in detail and the reasons why eating a washoku diet is advantageous greatly impacted me. At that moment, I realized my life long Japanese culinary journey was about to go into a new direction of pursuing washoku. Since then, I have really focused on changing my thinking and began to incorporate washoku into my everyday American life. This is not easy. For example, I do not have fresh Japanese ingredients readily at my disposal. It has taken planning, a gradual shift in habits, and is still a work in progress.
I am still pinching myself, but we here at The Japanese Pantry are so excited to introduce Elizabeth Andoh and her books, WASHOKU: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen and KANSHA: Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions, to our customers. Over the years she has written for various publications including The New York Times and The Japan Times. In addition, she teaches Taste of Culture from her studio in Tokyo. Without further ado, it is my pleasure welcome Elizabeth!
Elizabeth's Washoku Kitchen Wisdom
Thank you for your kind words of introduction, Greg. My goal as a teacher is to become a catalyst for getting others to re-think assumptions and habits they already have regarding food as both nourishment and as enjoyment. Knowing that I influenced you in taking a positive turn is the greatest of compliments!
I’m delighted that you asked me to contribute to your blog space. Here is Part One in a series of essays, with recipes, about WASHOKU KITCHEN WISDOM.
My first encounter with washoku, Japan’s indigenous food culture, was a bit of serendipity: a chance to visit with a family in rural Shikoku. At the time (mid-1960’s) I was not especially interested in Japan, nor in cooking. But a short stay with the Andoh family made a powerful, and lasting, impression on me. Indeed, it was the start of a lifelong journey of discovery, studying Japan’s food and culture. Eventually I married into the Andoh family!
Elizabeth and Atsunori Andoh - then and now
Kiyoko Andoh (my future mother-in-law) was an enormously energetic woman who managed to feed dozens of people delicious, nutritious food throughout the day. I marveled at how she did this cheerfully, on a limited budget, in cramped space, and with decidedly old-fashioned equipment. What fueled and inspired her, she explained to me, was something called kansha – a deep sense of appreciation for nature’s edible gifts and gratitude for those who steward and source that bounty. Practicing kansha means using food fully with nothing going to waste. It is the mainspring of Japan’s washoku food culture.
The thinking behind creating a washoku meal is rather straightforward: harmony is achieved through balance – of color, of flavor, of preparation method. Being mindful of each of these elements when planning and preparing food ensures a satisfying, nutritionally balanced and aesthetically appealing eating experience. Here are the basic guidelines for creating a washoku meal:
When considering COLOR, the Japanese speak of 5 of them: red, yellow, green, black & white. Food is (naturally) pigmented, and the colors signal the presence of certain nutrients. Red foods, for example, are typically rich in carotene and polyphenol antioxidants while dark green leafy foods are packed with vitamins A, E and K… generally, yellow foods are brimming with vitamin C. By including foods from each of the 5 color groups in every meal you can achieve nutritional balance without complicated calculations.
There are 5 TASTES, too: sweet, sour, salty, bitter & spicy…Balancing these flavors helps you avoid food cravings that can lead to over-eating.
Preparation methods are spoken of as the 5 WAYS. They are expressed as actions: Simmering, searing, steaming, frying, consuming foods raw… Why bother to include such a wide variety of methods when preparing a meal? Because doing so provides textural interest to your food that, in turn, promotes satisfaction at table. And it enables frugal, creative cooks to showcase whatever limited foodstuffs are available to them. The same ingredient can be transformed into many, utterly different eating experiences by changing the method of preparation.
Washoku guidelines may sound complicated if you’re hearing about them for the first time, but I think you’ll find the practical approach of including 5 colors, 5 tastes, and 5 ways provides you with a template that simplifies your mealtime preparation on those frantic days when you wonder what to serve. You don’t need to be Japanese to benefit from washoku kitchen wisdom. Practicing washoku and kansha can elevate your culinary prowess and provide nutritional benefit no matter what cuisine you choose to prepare. I’ve written extensively about practicing washoku ways in my book WASHOKU: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen, and about kitchen mindfulness in KANSHA: Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions. I invite you to explore these notions in your own kitchen.
I’d like to share a recipe with you for one of the many memorable dishes I had my first summer in Shikoku: Tosa Salad with Smoky Tangy Miso Dressing (Kyuuri to Wakamé no Tosa-zu Miso Aé). Born and bred in New York City, I had never tasted sea vegetables before arriving in Japan but with my first bite of briny-sweet wakamé, I was hooked.
Tosa, one of several districts in Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, faces mountains to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Tosa is historically known for its katsuobushi (bonito flakes). On menus or in cookbooks, if you see Tosa in the name of a dish, you can be sure katsuobushi will be one of the ingredients in it.