Chef ``Haruka Mano'' makes a new message
The charm of fermented food & liquor store/Kakuuchi

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Chef Haruka Mano

Profile

Focusing on proposing fermented foods that go well with sake, he is active in a wide range of activities, including developing recipes, writing columns, and leading cooking classes (temporarily on hiatus). Moved from Tokyo to Kyoto in 2023.His books include ``Easy and Delicious Fermented Food Recipes'' (Seibidoshuppan) and ``The Best Snack Encyclopedia to Make Regular Drinks 100 Times More Tasty'' (Seitosha).

Haruka Mano started a small liquor store at the entrance of a townhouse, a 3-minute walk from Mototanaka Station on the Eizan Electric Railway, down an alley next to an English cram school.The opening date is June 2023, 6, and you can drink all kinds of sake at Kakuuchi, and you can purchase what you like.You can enjoy pairing it with fermented food snacks, and Mano also sells carefully selected seasonings such as soy sauce and miso, as well as venison.

The liquor cabinet that doubles as a counter and the square round table are my favorites and were commissioned by the creative unit SIBO.Alcohol is served in cute choko cups from Konyoido, and Mano's favorite things are crammed into a small space.

Sake is the beginning of it all

Mr. Mano is active in many fields with the theme of fermented foods.It was sake that got him interested in fermentation in the first place.When I was aiming to become a food coordinator, I met a person involved in sake PR activities, and after that, I started covering sake breweries and cooking at sake parties. I realized that it would be delicious."While beer has a refreshing aftertaste, sake brings out the deliciousness.I thought the difference was interesting.

This was about 10 years ago, when the level of sake brewing was rising nationwide and various types of sake were being made. "I discovered a lot of things about the taste that I had every time I drank it. The timing was also huge."

I have visited around 70 sake breweries so far.When I first started reporting on sake breweries, I peered into fermentation tanks and was struck by the wonder of fruit-like aromas coming from the mash, which was originally rice, and the techniques used to control fermentation with an exquisite balance. I felt a mystery in the effect of this.

“When I first tried making amazake, I was disappointed.I wanted to learn more and more about fermentation.
For a short time, I attended Tokyo University of Agriculture's Brewing Department as a research student."

He is now interested not only in traditional Japanese foods such as miso and pickles, but also in fermented foods from around the world.Recently, I've been learning from Seiji Komatsu of the Laotian restaurant Komatsutei Thammasat to make padek (a type of fish sauce) and meat narezushi. "Since this is not available in stores, I am thinking of introducing the recipe on notes."

Pairing with fermented snacks to make sake delicious

*Sake price is for 45ml

Sengoku Organic Nature 400 yen x Fermented Ufumayo 500 yen
A completely additive-free sake brewed with only rice, koji, and water.It uses brewed yeast to make Kimoto with a rice polishing rate of 90%, and recreates the old method of brewing in wooden barrels. ``The label looks like wine, so I wanted something French-ish,'' she says, pairing it with fermented ufumayo.A boiled egg served with a luxurious mayonnaise sauce with the aroma of truffles made with sake lees from the craft salmon brewery ``Ina to Agave.''

Tatsusen Junmaishu 300 yen x Herring pickled in Japanese pepper 500 yen
Aizuwakamatsu's local sake ``Tatsusen'' was paired with herring pickled in sansho, another local food from Aizuwakamatsu.Sweet and spicy herring with the scent of Japanese pepper can be enjoyed as a side dish or as an accompaniment to alcohol. ``This depends on the region. The pickled herring with sansho is made by ``Sakana Tenmi.'' ``Tatsusen'' is a sake with roots in the local area, and the brewer is also very good. It's delicious even when drunk warm. you know".

Hana Tomoe Suimoto Junmai Unfiltered raw sake 350 yen x Funazushi rice cheesecake 500 yen
The cheesecake was jointly developed with a pastry chef in Tokyo. ``Funazushi rice is kneaded into the dough, making it a sweet that goes better with Japanese sake than coffee.``Hana Tomoe'' is a combination of fermented foods that are similar in acidity and sweetness.''Mizumoto-zukuri, in which raw rice is soaked in water and fermented with lactic acid, is a reproduction of the production method from the Muromachi period.Slightly sweet and sour with a cheese or yogurt-like aroma.

Other recommended drinks include:

Iwashimizu GOWARINGO raw sake 500 yen
This rare sake is produced in small quantities and is only sold here west of Nagoya, and only at 10 stores nationwide.From the squeezing process to storage and distribution, the temperature is strictly controlled to below -5℃. ``Made with 5% koji and yeast that produces malic acid, it has a fresh taste without any unpleasant tastes.''

Tanzawayama Junmaishu Reiho 90ml 600 yen
It is recommended to be served hot at 60℃ or above, making it perfect as an accompaniment to a meal. ``Although this sake has been carefully aged, it doesn't have that much of a so-called aged aroma.This is the sake that made me appreciate hot sake, and it has a flavor that absorbs easily into your body without making you feel tired.''

Sparkling hop salmon SOUR ver. 330ml1,430yen
"Pukupuku Jozo" is a phantom brewery (a brewery without facilities) based in Fukushima Prefecture.This is the only place you can get it in Kyoto. "It's a hop-infused liquor made by a craft beer brewery called Hop Japan. It's 8% alcohol and is popular for its ability to be gulped down."

Mano's destination

Mano says that every day in Kyoto is full of stimulation.The charm of Kyoto is the perfect distance between nature and the city, and it seems that her life has completely changed from when she lived in Tokyo. ``I started a farm in Ohara, experienced fishing at Lake Biwa, and cooked wild plants.I started to approach ingredients more simply.Also, I learned traditional food recipes from local people, which I have never done before as a teacher. I'm relearning what I used to do."

This store is the starting point, so to speak.Eventually, they hope to create a larger space with space for workshops.At the current location, we are planning to start with Shiba-zuke and plum work preparation sessions, and in the winter we are planning to make miso.In addition, ``I would like to invite brewers, collaborate with restaurants, and utilize my record collection to hold sake gatherings while listening to music.''

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of circle of people this small liquor store will grow from.