Chef Takumi
Mock Eel (うなぎもどき, Unagi Modoki)
This is not eel pretending badly. It is temple cooking's clever answer: tofu and mountain yam shaped on nori, fried until tender inside, then glazed like kabayaki.
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Chef Takumi
Gomashio (ごま塩, parched sesame salt)
Black sesame, parched until fragrant, ground just halfway, then mixed with dry-warmed salt. Keep it small and fresh, and a spoonful gives rice or porridge a quiet, nutty lift.
Chef Takumi
Fresh Wheat-Gluten Dengaku (生麩田楽, Nama-fu Dengaku)
Nama-fu dengaku is softer than it looks: fresh wheat gluten browned gently, brushed with sweet aka-miso, and served in small skewers that taste of Kyoto restraint.
Chef Takumi
Stir-Fried Vegetable Trimmings (雲片, Unpen)
Unpen turns peels, stems, and small vegetable ends into a quiet temple dish: finely cut, lightly sautéed, then bound with kuzu until the scraps gather like clouds.
Chef Takumi
Simmered Wheat-Gluten Cakes (大徳寺麩, Daitokuji Fu)
Daitokuji fu looks like a serious temple secret, then gives itself away: soak the wheat gluten well, simmer it gently in sweet shōyu, and let it rest until the seasoning reaches the center.
Chef Takumi
Fresh Lifted Yuba (引き上げ湯葉, Hikiage Yuba)
Soy milk, heat, and patience. Lift the skin the moment it gathers strength, and fresh yuba becomes a quiet dish with nothing hidden.
Chef Takumi
Simmered Toasted Wheat Gluten (焼き麩の煮物, Yaki-fu no Nimono)
A pantry dish with monkish patience: dry toasted wheat gluten drinks clear dashi and seasoning until it becomes tender, savory, and quietly useful beside rice.
Chef Takumi
Fucha Bamboo Platter (笋羹, Shunkan)
Shunkan looks formal because it arrives as one generous mound, but the method is plain: good spring bamboo, temple dashi, patient simmering, and a light kuzu gloss that lets every piece keep its own face.
Chef Takumi
Ganmodoki (がんもどき, Hiryōzu)
Ganmodoki is tofu made brave: pressed dry, kneaded with roots and seaweed, fried until bronzed, then given a quiet bath in konbu-shiitake dashi for a weeknight main that keeps.
Chef Takumi
Daitokuji Nattō (大徳寺納豆, Kyoto salt-fermented soybeans)
This is nattō without the strings: soybeans turned by kōji, salt, and time into black glossy beads, so strong that three beans can season a bowl of rice.
Chef Takumi
Sesame Tofu (胡麻豆腐, Goma-dofu)
Goma-dofu looks like tofu but belongs to sesame and kuzu. Stir steadily, chill it well, and the knife reveals a cool, nutty block with nothing hidden.
Chef Takumi
Gisei-dofu (擬製豆腐, mock tofu)
Mock tofu sounds like a trick, but the dish is plain good sense: crumble tofu, season it gently, bind it, press it back into shape, and let each slice show the work.
Chef Takumi
Sesame-Dressed Kabocha (かぼちゃのごま和え, Kabocha no Goma-ae)
Kabocha no goma-ae is autumn squash made plain and good: steamed until tender, then folded through fragrant ground sesame, shoyu, and sugar while the flesh is still warm.
Chef Takumi
Walnut Tofu (くるみ豆腐, Kurumi-dofu)
Walnuts and kuzu make a cool, silken tofu without soybeans: autumn richness held in a quiet square, set patiently over the flame and served with wasabi, soy, and restraint.
Chef Takumi
Temple Simmered Vegetables (お煮しめ, Onishime)
Obon's temple plate looks complicated because every vegetable keeps its shape. The secret is careful simmering: each piece drinks the same dashi while keeping its own character.
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