Mr. & Mrs. Hang

First attempt at a kaiseki-inspired course meal to honor springtime in Tokyo, after returning from a sakura-and-kaiseki filled trip to Kyoto earlier this month…

Did my best to follow not only the selection of typical food used but also the spirit of the kaiseki (color, texture, flavor, presentation, and tradition). Though, I doubt any real Japanese person would consider this “kaiseki” - it was still a good attempt on my part, I thought.

Anyway, here’s the menu I came up with and some photos of how the dinner panned out. Not too bad, right?
 

• Ebi edamame with crisp potato croutons and a puff pastry lotus
• Parboiled Japanese ‘firefly’ squid [ホタルイカ - hotaruika] with spinach
• Pan-seared diver scallops [ホタテ - hotate] with japanese dashi-tamago eggs and eringi mushrooms
• Spring chicken-vegetable tsukune in a white miso dashi
• Pan-seared Norwegian salmon and lemon
• Hokkaido crab and mitsuba [炊き込みごはん - takikomigohan] steamed mixed rice in an earthen pot
• Azuki redbeans in a baked mochi shell and strawberries
• Japanese green tea