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After a short walk from Echigo-Yuzawa Station, you can hear the flowing sound of the foot bath, and you’ll have arrived at “Murangottsu”.
Head chef, Mr. Kuwana, says “It only feels right to reward guests for traveling all the way here by serving them local dishes that they can only enjoy here. For example, our Nishime.”
The first image that popped in my mind when I heard “Nishime” (simmered) was chicken stew. However, I was shocked to see a bright and contradictory dish.
Carrots, tofu, baked gluten, konjac, osakina leaves.
All the vegetables were freshly cut and vibrant-the greens and reds were so vivid, the vegetables looked raw. As it turns out, the secret to keeping the bright colors intact was by boiling each vegetable separately.
As if that wasn’t special enough, the simmering stock is none other than local hot spring water.
♬(From here will start a “trickling” sound, raise the volume, shortly read “SE”)
By the way, what does Murangotsu even mean?
※The Nishime Meal is only available during Breakfast
Breakfast Hours of Operation
7:30〜9:30（LO9:00）
Address：2455 Yuzawa, Yuzawa Machi, Minami Ounuma
Phone Number：025-784-3361
Price Range：¥2,000（Excluding Taxes）
URL：http://murangozzo.com/breakfast/index.html
The local food which can only be noticed by a chef that wasn’t raised in Snow Country.
──An Interview with Mr. Kuwaba of Murangottsu.↓
-What is A-Class Gourmet to you Mr. Murano?
Unless you are able to move your customers, there is no way that it will be passed on forever. Nishime is a treat for our customers who come here. Depending on the household the flavor and the ingredients differ, but the intention to create something special for their guests is without change. Of course, we are the same here. This is a flavor we want to share with people who come to visit from far away.
Murarangotsu is a “Mura No Gohan” (the village meal) in the local dialect right?
I’m actually not from this area. But my wife is from Niigata. The first time I ever ate Nishime was actually at my step-mothers house. While there is a fondness of shoyu in this area, the meal itself looks very simple. Everything is just, brown! But the flavor has soaked straight through. There are some ingredients that can only be found here, for example, we used crushed soybeans in our stew. You may be wondering why we go through the trouble of crushing the soy beans. The only answer we have is that, that’s how we have always done it. There are so many great things like this here in this area.
-And there are many ways of eating Nishime as well?
My Grandmother’s Nishime is made up of many different ingredients served on a large platter. Taro, Daikon, Carrots, Konnyaku, and mountain vegetables. That’s the traditional way right? That’s the kind of cuisine which would be served at a meeting of engaged couples before their marriage or as an engagement gift. But nowadays, there are less and less people who are able to make this kind of cuisine. The hostess of our shop can make it, but it really does vary from person to person. There is no handbook or recipe book for this kind of thing.
-Have you had Keyaki’s Noppe Stew? What is the difference between this and the Noppe Stew?
Noppe Stew, and Noppe-Ni. There are small differences between them, but both of them are the local cuisine of Niigata. The thickness of the Noppe Stew is its unique quality, Nishime is made with a different flavor, ingredients, and cooking style.
What would you like people to feel when they first try the Nishime?
For example, the Umami of nature. We take special care in our dashi broth. We don’t use any chemical seasoning, but instead focus on making sure the broth is well absorbed. In the past there were no chemical seasonings, and we aim to recreate that.
-Do you use the “Hot Spring Water” (Onsen Sui) in your Broth?
Onsen Sui is soft water. The pH levels are at 8.9, I think. By using the soft water, we are able to bring out the umami of the Kombu seaweed and the Katsuo fish flakes. It doesn’t have the smell of the onsen water, so it is convenient to use. Despite all this, there are not many places which use the Onsen Sui in their broths. There are some places which boil their vegetables in the hot spring waters, but I think it is rare to see these restaurants using this in food.
Do you boil the vegetables in one take?
We actually change the stewing process depending on the vegetables. For example, carrots are naturally sweet are they not? So we boil them in a way that will moderate that sweetness. When you boil the ingredients together, they end up tasting the same, and the smell of the carrots would affect the other ingredients. The vegetables all cook at a different pace as well.
-You also use Takano Tofu I see?
We cook the Takano Tofu in oil once before boiling them. By doing so, the broth soaks into the tofu better. We rehydrade the Bran in hot water. By doing so in hot water rather than in water, we can preserve the gluten consistency and thickness. In terms of the ingredients like Takano Tofu and Bran, that lack in original flavor, we have to think of ways to bring about flavor by having them absorb the broth as much as we can. When you bite into the ingredients in particular, the broth comes gushing out of them.
-Do your ingredients change depending on the season?
In the fall, we serve homemade Konnyaku jelly. We make our Konnyaku Jelly with Taro, which results in a very smooth texture. Then, we have the Ozaki Vegetables. The local greens are already nearing the end of their peak season, so we use Touna greens in their stead during the fall.
-Why do people continue to live in such a snow ridden land?
Like I said, I was not born here in the Snow Country. To be honest, I first came here because I love winter sports. But once this becomes your lifestyle its a bit different. There was a day when I thought it was all too difficult, and I just wanted to go home. But 20 years have passed since then, and I even own a home here now..I wonder what happened.
I wonder too? (laughs)
The seasons here are really unique in their own right. In areas where it doesn’t snow will feel like it’s winter because it is starting to get cold in Winter. In the Snow Country, we know it is winter because the whole world is under a blanket of snow. And in April, the snow begins to melt but the vegetation doesn’t start to grow yet. Each week different plants start to appear, it’s really a mysterious process. While all of the plants have started to wither, they slowly started to turn green as it gets closer to spring. In the fall, everything turns bright red. My wife said that’s what is so great about the Snow Country, and I started to feel that way about.
When it comes to cuisine there are somethings which can only be noticed from an outsider right?
Have you heard of the “aka-gohan” or “red rice?” When you think of red rice, you think of rice that has a slight pink hue mixed with small adzuki beans and topped with sesame seeds and salt. But our rice is closer to “Okowa” or Japanese sticky rice flavored with Shoyu. Then we add red kidney beans, which are about 5 times the size of adzuki beans, to the mixture. The flavor is completely different. There is also a local dish where they stir fry Daikon leaves leaves and combine them with rice called “Nameshi.”. Depending on the household, the seasoning of this dish is different. It’s the same with the “Niina” dish. This is a dish that is made by pickling Nozawana leaves in salt as a food to be eaten in Winter. But since you are fermenting so much in one barrel, over time it starts to go bad. But by using Lactic Acid fermentation, you can bring out that acidity and you don’t have to throw out what has gone bad, but rather you can use it in stir fry for another dish. That is the “niina” dish I mentioned earlier that is served with rice.
-You have even found a way to preserve the leftover food you have stored for winter. That makes sense due to this areas commitment to food.
There is no recipe for food like this. When I try food, I often try to think of ways to make the same kind of flavor, but when I actually do make it, I still feel like the version that my grandmother made is better. Whether it the flavor, or that there is just something different when someone with older hands makes food, it’s a flavor that can’t be reproduced by professionals.
I think it’s because people are drawn to the seasons here, not just spring, but the changes that occur all year long.
Mr. Kuwana lives in the foothills of Hakkaisan. From his window, he can see the changing of the seasons. “When spring comes, the flowers bloom. When Summer comes, the sky is a clear blue. When fall comes, the autumnal leaves are everywhere. When winter comes, the snow falls. He uses this view as inspiration for his daily menu as well.
It is said that you can see this same kind of view around the Tomioka White Museum. Why don’t you take a walk around this area?
Also, Muragottsu also has a snow room exhibition. Mr. Kuwana told us a bit more about this;
“In the winter, the temperatures regularly fall below 0. So when you are walking around on top of the snow, you grow stiff from the cold. In this area we call it “shimiru” or to penetrate, you become completely transparent.”
“If you are growing vegetables outside, you have to place a blanket over them. If not it is said they will “catch a cold, or freeze over.” The more Snow Country phrases you learn, the more interesting it becomes.
