400年続く『秘伝のタレ』でおにぎりづくり！【老舗佃煮工場／味見ツアー】★ ONLY in JAPAN

400年続く『秘伝のタレ』でおにぎりづくり！【老舗佃煮工場／味見ツアー】★ ONLY in JAPAN

A steaming hot bowl of Japanese rice is kind of boring until Japan upgraded it. And trust me, this 400-year-old simmering dish upgrade is the highest level. This is the core of Japanese cuisine, the onigiri. A comfort food you’ll find everywhere around Japan. It’s more than just a simple rice ball. The crunch of seaweed on the outside, healthy, delicious, but the magic is what’s on the inside. Salmon, miso, tuna. Those you probably know as toppings inside. But the one inside here, most people don’t. This is sugani. Salty, sweet, simmered down to pure umami. A dish born in the ado period, still beloved today. An umami flavor so powerful it once hooked the shogun. Will journey from the factory floor to a familyrun shop that’s been selling it for generations. And of course, a chance to eat it, too. [Applause] Get a sh [Applause] only in Japan. The Uni Giddi rice ball in every convenience store around the country with so many different fillings for just about a dollar. I picked up a favorite. Simple, cheap, tasty, and healthy. Rice is anything but boring here. It’s kelp, sukuani, simmered in soy sauce, bursting with flavor. It’s the magic that makes rice dance in your mouth. This dish has a legendary history. Starting with the future shogun in Osaka. In 1582, Tokugawa was in Osaka when he heard devastating news. Oda Nobunaga, his ally, had been betrayed and killed. Surrounded by possible assassination, Ayasu fled the city. But when trying to escape, he was stranded at a large river, a dead end. Exhausted and hungry, he encountered fishermen from Scooa village in Osaka. Together with a boat to cross the river, they offered him small salted fish, a fisherman’s meal, but rich with care. Never forgot the taste that helped him endure that journey. Years later, when IU became shogun and built his new capital city, Ado, he remembered those fishermen who had helped him survive. He invited them to settle on a small island at the mouth of the Sama River, naming it Skurajima after their home in Osaka. As Ado flourished and soy sauce entered mass production in the mid- 18th century, their salted fish evolved, slowly simmered in soy sauce, median, and sake, becoming tsukurani, a taste born from loyalty, endurance, and the sea we know today. On ancient maps of Ado, you can see in Tokyo Bay, only Takuda Island sits here. These days though, it has really been built out by reclaimed land. But Scooa, the original island in Tokyo Bay, still sits at the same place it was so long ago. [Music] I’m down there in the old village on Scoduckle Bridge. A sign reminds people of the port built by the Shogunate and the ancient piles that remain below the canal. This island is quiet, centered around Sumioshi Shrine, the streets, a throwback to an era past, and just two stops on the subway from Tokyo Station, and Ginsza. Scuda Island is where Tsukodani was born. But as the city of Ado grew into the world’s biggest city, much bigger than London at the time, tastes evolved with the mainstream use of soy sauce in the mid 1800s. Production spread from the island to Shimashi. Tamakia started making and selling tsukodani in 1782, starting with Zazen Mame. By this time, Adel was not a small fishing village, but the largest in the world. The store’s history goes back many generations. Seeing the photos with Tamaki, the 10th generation owner, is a real look back through time. [Music] Wow. To better understand the taste, I went to their factory to observe the process. Tamakia’s factory is in nearby Chiba where they are producing zazen mame black bean sugani and amii a small shrimp two of my favorites. The zazen mame are soaked overnight to ensure even hydration. They’re transferred to a large cauldron and simmered gently in fresh water until the texture is just soft enough to absorb flavor, not mushy. The skin must stay intact for that glossy look, and the scum or foam is skimmed off the top regularly. They’re called zazen mame meditation beans because they were once offered at temples during long zen sittings. It’s a name that connects Japanese food to its quiet spiritual side. When ready for the next step, the beans are strained and returned to the pot. This time for tsukadanification. Soy sauce adds salt and umami. Meaning and sugar give sheen and sweetness, and a hint of sake or ku seaweed stock deepens the aroma. The temperature is carefully controlled over several hours. As the sauce reduces, the beans absorb the flavor and that slow evaporation gives them that lacquered glaze, a hallmark of tamakia. The ammy will soak up that mother sauce, a secret mix that hasn’t changed much over the centuries. After resting, they’re packaged and shipped to the store. Making Zazen Mommy requires calm patience and a practiced hand. The staff are like chefs, ensuring perfection for every batch. Meanwhile, just 10 meters away, another line of cauldrons are at work. This time for Ammy, the tiny coastal shrimp of Japan’s inland islands. They’re simmered in the mother sauce, a blend of soy sauce, median, and sake, refined and reused for years. Each batch deepens the next, a living sauce that carries generations of flavor. When the base reaches its perfect balance, the fresh ammy are added. Ami is a freshwater fish like a micro shrimp caught in Japan. Loaded with minerals, especially calcium. They simmer gently, caramelizing over time. Japanese sake is poured in, breaking down any fish odor, tenderizing the shrimp and adding a subtle aroma. As the alcohol evaporates away, the heat is picking up. The amii are stirred constantly and carefully enough to coat every piece without breaking their fine texture. [Music] At peak simmer, the pot comes alive. Sauce and shrimp dancing in rhythm. That sweet and savory soy aroma filling the air. This process is an art. When done, they’re strained to keep as much of that mother sauce for the next time. You can see they’ve really absorbed that umami taste. They’re moved to a centrifuge to spin out excess sauce. Still steaming hot. The sauce has been removed. The ammy is done. These tiny shrimps wouldn’t have had much value raw. It’s the process that makes it real treasure and delicious. They rest for a while before packaging. Centrafused and thick, the ammy comes out looking like wet mulch, rich, sticky, and bursting with flavor. That secret mother sauce, it’s saved and returned to the process to live again. Once portioned and sealed, the Tucani pouches are placed into large hot water or steam vots for sterilization. This final hot bath kills bacteria, locks in flavor, and gives each pack its remarkable shelf life. Proof that Ado tradition continues through modern precision. Next, it’s time to go to the store and eat it. All right, so we’re going to try to make an uni kegle being an uni master. Thank you. Better than me. And we’ll see her how her uni compares with my homemade uni with these hands right here using sukuani. Let’s go. [Music] Three key word toss, rotate and squeeze. And he use this angle. The chef first divides the rice in half. [Music] She places it in the other hand and makes a flattened ball. Next, using her index finger, she makes a well in the center, a pit that is about half the depth of the rice ball. [Music] She picks atani zazen mame black beans and puts them in the center hole. [Music] When enough is added, take the other equal half and place it on top, covering the filling. We’re almost done. [Applause] Next, we need to mold the rice. shape it into that iconic triangle. The chef uses a clasped hand like this that shapes the corners evenly, rolling it back in measured turns. She’s made thousands of uni giddy in her life. Much of it comes from feeling. Not too soft or it’ll break apart. Not too hard or it won’t be pleasant in the mouth. If done right, it’s got good tension into the bite with slight chewiness breaking apart so evenly. After a few more molds, it’s done. Looks like Mount Fuji and fits in the hand perfectly. [Music] Perfect. I asked for some advice before trying it myself. Be careful. Don’t squeeze too hard. Don’t squeeze too soft. Moderate. Wait, how? Okay. How do you know if it’s too hard or too Okay, I guess you just feel it. You can work it. The best situation your rice ball when you bite the rice ball the rice will be crumbling in your mouth is the best situation. Okay. Yeah. So that’s why too hard. Oh and too soft. I can imagine that. Okay. Remember correctly. Divide it into four sections here. Take a portion of it. Put it in your hand. Your finger. Don’t go deep. Too deep. But just enough. Yeah. Yeah. This is the nigiri kata, one of the oldest hand techniques in Japanese food culture. The rotations require feeling. I tried to channel deep feelings from within. But my childhood memories are from a far away land called America. So instead of a sacred comm, I seem to be channeling Saturday morning cartoons in the 1980s. The chef said gentle mountain form. Mine came out more like the guitar riffs from Creep by Radio Head. So good. Fantastic. Fantastic. My oni filled with 1980 1990 American passion inspired my Japanese instructor. You know, I really dug deep. I’ve also thought about when I eat the oni, I really remembered you made the comment how it will break apart in my mouth. Which one looks best, mine or the chef? Perhaps it comes down to which one has the most zucodani inside. It’s It’s hard to judge. perfection. But I suppose Yeah. Nice. If it does look like it does look like uh Mount Fuji in a way. Yeah. The chef added a little salt to it for flavor. Oh, okay. That’s very on it. And just a cover. Finally, it’s wrapped in seaweed and finish like this. Oh, I see. This is tamakia style. Wow. A Japanese sandwich in a way. The rice ball called uni literally means to grasp or squeeze. An appropriate name. Sukudani is the perfect filling for uniiritti and there are so many of them. This is amii, a tiny shrimp. Here we have ku, seaweed kelp. Next is asadi, little neck clams, zazen mame or black beans and shrimp glazed from the process. You can find mixes too. There are dozens of different kinds of tukodani, like toppings for a pizza. The chef explains about how tucani can be paired beyond rice, like in cheese or caramelized with nuts. Also eaten as is as a snack with chopsticks or even in pasta, adding that umami, taking it to another level, or in miso with a carrot stick. You can get quite creative paired with sake or wine or any drink really. Tamakia’s Tucani experience is a great way to try so many of them. The store has dozens of kinds on sale. Some are seasonal. They’re quite famous and New Year’s Oichi cuisine. It’s fun to try different ones. Stock up on the ones that you like best. My wife asked me to bring some home. In Japanese homes, tukodani is eaten more as a topping for rice. My wife Kai made it as part of the dinner. [Music] It’s fun to have a few kinds added as you like. We have amii, ku, ebie, asari, and zazen mame along with kai’s kabotaa or pumpkin specialty and miso soup. This will fill us up pretty good. Let’s eat the mame. My son Leo loves the shrimp and the zazen mame. It’s pretty good. Then deep reflection. Kana eats it as a rice topper. [Music] Leo likes to make a kind of burrito. There’s zazin mame shrimp ammy in there. Interesting. Thumbs up. The tsukodani nori burrito is a hit. [Music] I’m a bit lazy. I put it on the rice with a small seaweed sheet. Pinch it together with my chopsticks. That’s just my style. Knowing the background of the dish though, the hard work the makers put into keeping the same recipe from the age of Shogun Tokugawa to today makes me feel more connected with Japan’s long history through its food. Well, that was fun. I put a link in the description if you’re interested in taking the Tsukadani experience at Tamaki in Shimashi. Highly recommend it. Tugani also makes a wonderful gift to take back home. If you liked this episode, I know you’re going to love that episode on Japanese chicken in Miyazaki, as well as this one, farm to table on a Wagyu beef brand near Kyoto. Or another adventure on this channel as I take you to every single corner of Japan. Matan.

Japanese Cuisine goes beyond sushi, ramen and tempura. Onigiri or Japanese rice balls often have a special filling called Tsukudani – beans, seaweed or seafood simmered in soy sauce, mirin and sake, also a rice topper and snack on its own. It’s missed on most foodie lists – until now. We’ll go from the factory to the store to try some of the best Tsukudani at Tamakiya in Shinbashi, Tokyo. They’ve been making Tsukudani for centuries. It was a dish that wowed Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and evolved as Edo became the world’s biggest city through the 18th century.

We’ll also join a hands-on “Taste Tsukudani & Make Onigiri” experience — where you can learn the art of combining freshly cooked rice with savory tsukudani to create your own onigiri.
The tour offers a rare glimpse into Japanese food culture, craftsmanship, and hospitality — all in one delicious bite.
📍 Shinbashi Tamakiya (新橋玉木屋) — a tsukudani specialty shop since 1782
Visit their official site here:
https://tamakiya-shop.jp/view/page/forinternationalcustomer

🎌 Tsukudani Experience Tour:
Taste Tsukudani, a Beloved Seafood Delicacy from the Edo Period, & Make Onigiri おにぎり
https://m.wabunka-lux.jp/3Uasqc4

History: In 1582 Ieyasu Tokugawa was in Osaka when his ally Oda Nobunaga was betrayed and killed known as the Honnō-ji Incident (本能寺の変). Tokugawa had to escape through city alleys avoiding possible assassins but came upon a large river, a dead end. Fortune struck when fishermen from Tsukuda Village in Osaka heard of the incident and came to help with a boat and – for this story – preserved salted fish for their journey back to Mikawa. The legend says that Tokugawa really enjoyed the taste of Tsukudani that day but it’s more likely he appreciated the gesture and food that got him back home. This happened before Soy Sauce came to Japan from China and Tsukudani, as we know it, did not evolve until the mid 1800s when soy sauce use became more main stream. Tokugawa became Shogun in 1603 and soon after, he granted the fisherman who saved him that night an island in Edo on Tokyo Bay still called Tsukuda to this day. Tsukudani likely began in the late 1700s and spread quickly as soy sauce became cheaper and more common. Tsukuda village 佃 is a quiet Tokyo neighborhood trapped in time and worth a visit, just 10 minutes from Ginza, Tokyo Station, Tsukiji.

This episode is a paid promotion for Shinbashi Tamakiya. #tokyo #japanesefood

00:00 Start
01:35 History, Shogun Saved by Fisherman
02:43 Tsukuda Island (Tokyo)
03:28 History of Tamakiya
04:48 Factory Tour
09:06 How to Make Onigiri Rice Balls
13:30 Kinds of Rice Toppings
14:00 Eating Japanese Cuisine Class
14:40 My Wife Cooks at Home