Washoku: cuisine with a heart

Chef Katsuya Honda presents an age-old culinary art that has recently found its way into UNESCO'S heritage list

Washoku. The word invokes images of a large, boisterous Japanese family gathered around an elegantly-laid table, all set to sample the marvels of this traditional cuisine. Such is the cultural significance of this age-old culinary art that it was recently included in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a feat earlier achieved only by the French cuisine. And now, one can savour the flavours of this culinary art at EN, a newly-opened eatery in Delhi's plush Ambawatta Complex. It seeks to reinterpret contemporary Japanese cuisine. Chef Katsuya Honda, who has an experience of 15 years in Washoku cuisine, will be presenting his craft at EN for the next six months. "This heritage status is the one of the biggest honours that a Japanese chef can get. It is at par with a Michelin star," says Honda.

He describes the art that is Washoku. "The cuisine is associated with a spirit of respect for nature and is closely related to the sustainable use of resources." One can witness the cuisine in its glory during the New Year celebrations in Japan. "The Japanese make various preparations to welcome the deities… pounding rice cakes and preparing special meals using fresh ingredients, each of which as a symbolic meaning," is how the cuisine is described in the UNESCO list. One of factors that has led to the heritage status is that the cuisine plays an important role in strengthening social cohesion among the Japanese and gives them a sense of identity.

Washoku is slowly emerging as a global phenomenon with chefs from Britain, France and the US taking off to Japan to familiarise themselves with the cooking techniques. London-based chefs Heston Blumenthal, Sat Bains, Valentine Warner and Jozef Youssef waxed expansive about the cuisine in an article The Guardian. While Warner was quoted as saying, "I think it's (Washoku) going to replace Scandinavian cooking as the next in food", Youssef said, "It seems very simple, but some of the methods are quite complicated. They use colour, texture, scent and presentation to enhance the diner's sense of seasonality and transience."

Honda will be presenting dishes like omisoshiru or traditional white Miso soup. You can request for traditional Washoku fare like the shira-ae, a mashed tofu salad that is served chilled. Made with carrots, spinach, jelly-like konnyaku, green beans and tofu, the shira-ae is not an easy dish to find in most Japanese restaurants.

Washoku is all about cooking from the soul, a belief treasured by Honda. "I bring a method that has been honed over time to create a signature style. I always put something special in my food - my heart or kokoro, as they say in Japanese," he says.

And if you wish to try your hand at some of the traditional dishes at home, then Elizabeth Andoh's book, Washoku: Recipes From The Japanese Home Kitchen is a must-have. Andoh is considered an authority on Japanese cuisine and bides her time between Tokyo and Osaka. She has written at length about the philosophy and folklore associated with Washoku, while mentioning traditional recipes. The book mentions five basic principles underlying a Washoku meal: the five colours (go shiki); five tastes (go mi); five ways (go ho); five senses (go kan); and five outlooks (kan mon). Like Andoh, Honda too believes that Washoku is not just a technique but an experience, both for the chef and the diners. "Hopefully our cuisine made with all my soul will help you discover your own latent tastes," he says.