Something about the tofu-ten

I'll introduce some facts of Kazama tofu-ten.

It was founded in 1952 in Odawara, Kanagawa pref., by Kazama Juusaku (風間重作). The business was based in then Juu-ji machi (十字町), a historical part of Odawara that included mostly present Minami-cho.

Kazama Juusaku's family continues the business that involves tofu, aburaage and other soy bean products. It includes production, wholesale and retail.

Their main customers are: general retail stores, supermarkets, fishmongers ("sakana-ya"), greengrocers ("yao-ya"), meat shops ("niku-ya"), Japanese style inns ("ryokan"), 

hotels, restaurants, sushi restaurants, Japanese high-class restaurants ("ryoutei"), hospitals, kindergartens, nursing homes etc. 

In 1955 Kazama tofu-ten moved to its present address in Itabashi.

In 1972 changed to Co.Ltd.

They were awarded "Kanagawa Excellent Companies" in 1992.

Their philosophy is, in contrast to industrial mass-production, to offer products that are natural, fresh and healthy. We can find both in Japan as there are many small tofu makers like Kazama that still use traditional ways of making tofu and aburaage which taste far better and are more natural than industrial products. Since I have come to Japan I became quite a fan of tofu and aburaage, and I think Kazama's taste best in Odawara! 

Address: Kazama Tofu-ten
             250-0034 Odawara-shi
             Itabashi 82
Tel. 0465-22-3424

Fax. 0465-24-3511

Spring is here soon!

A customer came today and brought some "fuki no tou" (ふきのとう, butterbur sprout). It is one of first produces of the season (hatsumono) and that makes them special in Japan. Japanese believe that eating hatsumono fills you with strong vitality. In early spring fuki no tou start to appear from the ground or from under the snow.

Fuki no tou tempura is an early spring delicacy! It's not so bitter when fried in oil and goes well with Japanese sake.

Fuki no tou is a sign of spring in Japan. 

Oinari-san

Lots of aburaage are made every day at Kazama tofu maker's. We talk about a number of ca. 2000 per day! That's a lot! Most of that is delivered to different places, such as sushi restaurants, hotels, kamaboko (fish-cake) makers, even temples and kindergartens.

Aburaage are mostly used for "inari-zushi", Japanese traditional food. 

Inari-zushi are a kind of sushi or rice ball. It is a "casual" sushi, good for picnics because it is easy to eat, right from your hand. Many supermarkets sell inari, but home-made is best, as we all know. Seasoned aburaage bags are stuffed with vinegared sushi rice. Aburaage are a bit greasy so the best thing is to boil them in hot water and then let them soak in salty-sweet sauce as long as you can.

Sushi gets more tasty if you add vegetables to rice. Carrots, shiitake mushrooms, gobou root, konbu or hijiki seaweed, sesame seeds etc. gives extra flavor and of course, sushi looks more appetizing! When I first came to Japan I didn't prefer inari so much, but now I love it because of it's rich taste. 

Yesterday we ate inari-san for lunch. Matsumoto-san, a lady who also works at Kazama-tofu, made a lot of them! They were very tasty and made everybody happy…Sesame and konbu seaweed gave extra flavor. Very nice of her! :-))) 

What about the name "inari"? Inari (or Oinari) is a fundamental part of Shinto belief. It is a Japanese god (natural deity or spirit) of rice, tea, sake, fertility, agriculture, general prosperity and success. It is believed to control a good harvest and business prosperity and that's why the shape of inari-zushi is straw-bag. Sushi is also called "oinari-san".

Foxes (kitsune) are messengers of inari and it is believed they like aburaage! :-) That's why inari-zushi are served to inari god. Interestig! I like this photo a lot! :-)))

Eating aburaage

What about aburaage's serving suggestions? 
There are many ways you can eat them: boiled, fried, as inari-zushi, in different dishes as miso soup, udon noodles, nabe pot…The simplest and most popular way is to pour soy sauce and sprinkle some chopped green onion. Nice and tasty! And it goes well with Japanese sake or beer so it makes good otsumami (snack eaten with alcohol)!

Making aburaage

Since I have started at Kazama Tofu-ten, I have been helping mostly with aburaage. It is not easy to make them! Like tofu they are made from soy beans, but also deep-fried. Once cooled down, air is blown into them and they are usually cut into halves. I help with that, so I get to do the easier part. Here are photos of fried aburaage: 

I will explain the process of making aburaage. First "dough" ("shinko") is made and later fried. 

1. Soy beans are soaked in water the day before. 

2. Next morning softened beans are mashed/grinded in grinder.

3. The paste becomes syrupy and thick and is called "go" (呉).

4. Go paste is boiled in boiler for 5 minutes. 

5. Soy milk (豆乳, tounyuu) and okara are extracted from boiled go. In the past it was done manually using cloths to squeeze the milk out.

6. Soy milk is poured into a big metal cask.

7. Bittern ("nigari") is mixed gradually into soy milk. "Nigari" is a concentrated solution of 
salts, especially magnesium chloride, and is used in tofu production.

8. Only liquid is removed to obtain gritty and solid tofu form.

9. Solidified portion of tofu is then poured into wooden boxes.

10. Stone weight is put on top to drain excess liquid.

11. Once enough liquid has drained, tofu is put into water tank.

12. It is cut into big blocks and then sliced by slicer.

13. These slices are called "shinko" and are placed on bamboo mats.

14. Several mats are put together and again under stone weight for two hours.

15. When drained, they are ready for frying!

Foreigner in a tofu maker shop

For a while ago I started working for a small tofu maker close to my home. It is a family business that has been run since 1953 (Showa year 28 according to Japanese imperial calendar). 

It is a kind of manufacture where tofu and tofu related products are made. Still almost everything is made manually with great effort and care. Few generations are involved in business. Everyone participates and helps each other.

Their main products are tofu (豆腐) and aburage (油揚げ, fried tofu). Tofu maker is called tofu-ya (豆腐屋／豆富屋).