3-Colored Turnip Flowers

Nov 2, 2019 | Autumn, Kitchen Culture, Tools & Techniques

3-Colored Turnip Flowers
三色花蕪Sanshoku Hana Kabu

Emblematic of Japan and its culture, chrysanthemums appear in many guises: as the exalted Imperial household crest (a special, layered 16-petal design), the “official” stamp of the Japanese government (passport cover), and as a motif for textiles and table accessories glorifying the autumn season.

Here, culinary art mimics nature: Decorative knife skills carve white turnips into chrysanthemums. A combination of techniques (salt-wilting and marinating in a sweet-and-sour brine) flavors the turnips. Natural food dyes – gardenia pods and red shiso leaves – tint the turnip-flowers yellow and purple, respectively. These piquant turnips most often garnish platters of grilled fish or meat.

To make eating the turnip-flowers a bit easier, the kakushi-bōchō (“hidden” knife-work) technique is used: large “flowers” are pre-cut into four to six wedges and then reassembled to make a whole. The purple (slightly plum-flavored) flowers are usually garnished with white sesame toasted seeds, the yellow (gardenia-pod dyed) flowers are usually garnish with toasted black sesame seeds and the white flowers are finished with a touch of shichimi tōgarashi chili pepper.

When you’re ready to try your hand at creating these tasty, eye-catching garnishes, DOWNLOAD the recipe for 3 Colored Turnip Flowers

Hand-Stretched Noodles

Hand-Stretched Noodles

Hand-Stretched Noodles  手延べ素麺 TÉNOBÉ SŌMEN As the heat and humidity of summer settles in, appetites begin to wane. That’s when chilled sōmen noodles provide solace. Indeed, sōmen have been refreshing heat-weary Japanese since at least the 8th century. Sōmen noodles...

Small Plates

Small Plates

MAMÉ-ZARA   豆皿  (Small Plates) One of the distinctive features of Japanese food arrangement is the use of many small plates and bowls in serving a meal. These vessels are typically varied in appearance (color, shape, design) and generally hold small portions of food...

Seasonal Word Play

Seasonal Word Play

In Japanese, the words for martial spirit (shōbu, 尚武), victory (shōbu, 勝負), and a reed that is a botanical relative of the iris flower (shōbu 菖蒲) make a fortuitous pun. Throughout Japan, during Golden Week, fragrant bunches of shōbu (iris reeds), are sold in...

New Beginings

New Beginings

In Japan, April is the time for new beginnings -- the start of a new school year, a new fiscal year, and changes to many established programs on TV, radio and other media outlets. In tune with this custom, I've made some changes at A Taste of Culture this month. I...

Recent Posts & Projects