Beyond Bordeaux - to Japan
We're taking you with us on our exotic adventures as we travel around cuisines of the world. Bordeaux is amazingly cosmopolitan, thanks in large part to its history as a vibrant port. Bordeaux continues to welcome people from all over the world and some of them stay, making their home here. For summer, Kaori Suzuki Brand shares her story and her favorite veggie Japanese inspired dishes for the warm sunny days and evenings. If you think Japanese food is only about Sushi- think again.
Meet Kaori Suzuki Brand
An international career as a lifestyle journalist has taken Kaori across the world, from Japan to Australia and now, since 2015, France. Writing about travel and food in France sparked her interest in wine; she studied WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) wine courses and moved to Bordeaux to be closer to the wineries.
After completing her studies and gaining experience through internships in the wine industry, including at one of Bordeaux’s leading trading firms, she founded Bordeaux Wine Communications in 2023. She now lives on the banks of the Dordogne, not far from Sally’s vines in Fronsac, and shares her passion for wine by helping Bordeaux wineries break into, and communicate with, the Japanese market.
Food remains a passion, and she also helps restaurants with recipe creation and communication. We were lucky to slot into her busy timetable as she shared some veggie versions of her favourite summer dishes. Her recipes are simple, fresh and delicious, with a Western slant on Asian classics. The ingredients are easy to find, even in a local supermarket.
Wine friendly
As a starter, she shared her Vegetable Spring Rolls recipe. Although Vietnamese in inspiration, they are popular with everyone in Japan. They are great for matching with wine, as you can chop and change the dipping sauces that take us on a tour of Asia. The peanut sauce with gochujang (sweet and spicy chilli paste) has a Korean flavour and goes brilliantly with red wine, especially a lighter, fruitier red. It also adds protein (as do the sesame seeds).
The spicy yuzu citrus sauce adds a Japanese touch, adding some yoghurt to the mayonnaise lightens the mouthfeel and pairs well with dry white wine.
The sweet soy sauce with Japanese seven spice mix is a southern Japanese influence, whereas in Tokyo you’re more likely to find savoury soy. The sweeter version complements the cream cheese beautifully. The crème fraîche and sweet chilli sauce has more of a Southeast Asian influence.
Kaori used coloured rice sheets, the pink ones tinted with beetroot, the yellow with turmeric. They added a lovely summery touch, but plain ones will do nicely.
For non-vegetarians, Kaori suggests adding some 'jambon à la truffe', in which case omit the coriander. Prawns also make a good addition for a little more protein.
The Japanese eat lots of pasta and love Italian food. Kaori brings these two food cultures together in her ‘Noodle Salad’, a staple summer dish in Japan. If you can’t find soba noodles as per the recipe, use Capellini - they are finer, wheat-based noodles that make a good replacement and are easy to find. She sprinkles her dishes liberally with Japanese seven spice - a mixture of ginger, Japanese pepper (sanshō), red chilli, black and white sesame, nori and yuzu -a traditional 16th–17th century recipe.
And dessert ?
Kaori originally trained as a pastry chef. Her favourite Japanese dessert is mochi, a popular dessert that goes back over 2000 years. She makes mochi-based recipes adapted to European pâtisserie styles and shared her Mochi Flan with us.