In a collaborative effort with producers from Gunma Prefecture, these culinary maestros came together to share creative ways of working with a wide variety of produce in a virtual cooking demonstration
The fact that quality Japanese produce is readily available in Singapore is widely appreciated, while the diversity of ways to feature them in today's innovative culinary scene continues to grow. To boot, prefectures like Gunma produces quite a variety of popular fruit and vegetables, including some unique condiments. This is why organisations such as Jetro (The Japan External Trade Organization) have decided to work with some of the Singapore’s top chefs to help showcase this exceptional myriad of products.
Together with Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture, its latest initiative—a two-hour virtual “live kitchen” demonstration to showcase new ways to work with the food and drink products of the region—was held just last week and featured chefs Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida alongside Meta’s Sun Kim, Cloudstreet’s Rishi Naleendra, Fernando Arévalo of Preludio and Sam Aisbett (previously of Whitegrass restaurant).
(Related: Phase 2 Dining in Singapore: How Restaurants That Opened in the Middle of a Pandemic Have Adapted)
The dishes presented were expectedly diverse, offering a taste of each chef’s creative approach as well. Hashida got the ball rolling with his three dishes that included a cocktail-appetiser made with tomato juice and rice malt from the region, as well as a dish starring nameko mushroom and bora karasumi (salted and dried mullet roe similar to bottarga) enhanced by the use of Makino Shuzo sake lees for an added boost of umami.
Surprised by the quality and sweetness of humble ingredients like tomatoes from Sanko Farm he had tried on a recent visit, Aisbett included a naturally sweet treat, paring the said tomatoes that were baked with Gunma yuzu, plum, daikon, jumbo pear and apples. “The tomatoes were like lollies,” he shared with a laugh. He also prepared a prettily plated serving of grouper sashimi with pickled radish and nashi pear.