It's noon back in the courtyard, enjoy an authentic vegetarian meal in the meditation room, and I heard that the most famous thing here is tofu?

When it comes to island tofu, the first impression may be that kind of supermarket bagged egg tofu, but in fact, it is just a derivative of tofu. The real island country tofu is similar to the domestic tofu, but the relationship between the water source and the geology is slightly different.

In the 7th century, it was brought back to Japan by envoys from the Tang Dynasty, and at first, it was only a high-class food for nobles and monks, but in the Edo period in the 18th century, it became a daily dish for the common people.

I heard that Megumi said that there are more than a dozen kinds of products available on the market, mainly divided into kapok tofu and silk tofu. Kapok tofu has a hard texture and is equivalent to old tofu. Silk tofu, on the other hand, is more delicate and similar to tender tofu.

In particular, restaurants often see the so-called Koya tofu, which is actually frozen tofu. From the Edo period, many monks practiced penance, and tofu became the most frequently eaten food, so the craftsmanship was the most exquisite.

The key is that the water quality of Kyoto, which is weakly alkaline, is very suitable for making tofu, and temples and long-established shops insist on using weakly alkaline groundwater as brine, so Kyoto is full of temples and shrines in Sanbuichi.

Tofu three flavors, the sesame tofu of the appetizer, soaked in a light yellow color, the thick sesame aroma and the light bean aroma complement each other, awakening your sense of taste.

Next is the most classic way to eat silk tofu, Leng Nu, which is actually cold sauce tofu. A pinch of shallots, a pinch of ginger, and a little soy sauce are poured on it, and every bite is delicious.

It is also served with a piece of tender and refreshing red bean bran on the side, which is a perfect match!

As with other cuisines, the original flavor of tofu is inherently light, and SC Johnson has found the ingredients to be light and pure in order to accentuate the taste and texture.

In particular, boiled water tofu is a dish made with only tofu, water, and kombu in dashi. Put some raw bran and yuzu peel before serving. The grapefruit peel brings out the tenderness of the tofu, while the raw bran makes the taste of the whole pot of boiling water more varied.

I didn't expect the inconspicuous raw bran to be a rare delicacy, and it was soaked in the special dipping sauce in the small pot next to the pot, and it was silky at the moment......

Then there is the raw tofu skin, which is directly fresh tender tofu skin, and here it belongs to the type of sashimi.

After taking a small bite, the rich bean aroma instantly melts in the mouth, like a thin light veil, slowly enveloping the taste buds.

The masterpiece is snow rice, eight cups of tofu cooked, put into the heated Xiaoningle tea bowl, put radish puree, soup and rice.

Tofu is cut into thin strips and cooked in a ratio of 6 parts of dashi, 1 part of sake, and 1 part of soy sauce.

Thickened with kudzu root powder, Tofu Baizhen's evaluation of this rice is: There is no second taste for such a clear taste!

SC Johnson is most amazed by the tofu in the soup, a whole pot of soy milk is roasted, a thin film is condensed on the surface, and the film is picked up with bamboo skewers and dipped in soy sauce before eating.

The soft and delicate taste is like a fine silk, and the special fragrant bean fragrance is wrapped around the tip of the tongue, docile and mellow.

The soup base is made with kombu broth, which is kept warm by a charcoal fire, and the handmade tofu is densely dipped in a handmade sauce to discard all the beany flavor and only sweetness flows on the tip of the tongue......

Finally, rice, miso soup, kimchi, and a plate of freshly fried Kyono tempura. Tempura with pumpkin, bamboo shoots, lion pepper and seaweed roll cheese in your mouth.

The pumpkin is soft and sweet, the bamboo shoots are mellow and crispy, the lion pepper is spicy and refreshing, and the cheese is rich and delicious......

Six points full and very comfortable. Leaning against the window, sipping a cup of hot tea, and enjoying the courtyard style is really a great thing in life.

After a short break, everyone changed into kimonos and went to the tea ceremony club next to it. A female tea master, dressed in a simple kimono and with an elegant demeanor, politely greeted her and led everyone out.

Before entering the tea room, you must pass through a short deep courtyard, let nature calm people's minds, remove all mundane thoughts, and fully integrate the body and mind to experience the beauty of the tea ceremony.

A water tank is placed outside the door of the tea room, and the water is filled with a long-handled water scoop, and the hands are washed first, and then the water is slowly sent into the mouth to rinse the mouth, with the purpose of washing away the mortal dust inside and outside the body.

Put a clean handkerchief, put it in the front of the chest, take a small folding fan, insert it into the belt behind you, close your eyes and calm your mind before entering the tea room.

The area is not large, almost four and a half tatami mats, small and elegant, compact structure, divided into bed rooms, guests, point front, stove and other special areas.

It is decorated with alcoves, hearths and various wooden windows, and a water hut on the right side for boiling water, tea making, tea tasting utensils and cleaning utensils.

There is an ancient painting hanging in the center, and there is a Longquan celadon vase below, which is inserted with a plum blossom, which is elegant and pure.

The tea ceremony master kneels at the movable lattice door to greet the guests, and Johnson, as the main guest, must sit on the left side and the others sit down in turn.

The tea master stood up, went to the water house to fetch utensils such as the wind stove, tea kettle, water infusion, white charcoal, etc., knelt on the tatami mat to make a fire to boil water, and took out a little incense from the incense box and lit it.

Stretching out his slender hand, he began to prepare the tea ceremony. Clean the tea bowl and tea whisk with warm water and place them in the corresponding position.

Pouring extremely fine matcha into a white cup and gently stirring it with a whisk to fuse the matcha with water, it is called a balm.

Continue to add water, order the tea soup, and hold the tea bowl with both hands until the tea foams, and drink or serve the matcha to the guests.

SC Johnson looks at the complex process, whether it is tea ceremony or incense ceremony, it is necessary to pursue a sense of ceremony, as if only rigorous and rigid can highlight the noble atmosphere.

It was once thought that matcha was a general green tea powder, or a tea leaf crush. Today, I found out that it is actually an ultrafine powder made of delicate raw materials for tea, which is made by steaming, cooling, dehydration, compound drying, combined crushing and other processes.

Although the tea ceremony originated in China, it has formed national characteristics in the long history of evolution. Matcha has high requirements for the quality of raw materials, using tea leaves with high content of amino acids, proteins and chlorophyll, and at the same time requiring a low content of caffeine in raw materials.

Before picking, there are standards for the picking time and leaf size of fresh tea leaves. The production time is short, only about 50 days, and the quality of matcha produced is the best with high-quality fresh tea produced in four or five months.

The attention to matcha can even be seen in the tea set, which includes a clay bowl, a whisk, a ladle, and even a small cloth called an ocha towel.

The quality of the whisk will affect the degree of foaming of the matcha, and the higher the quantity, the better the effect, and the higher the price of the whisk with more than 75 branches.

Laying boards, furnaces, wind stoves, kettles, covers, water fingers, handles, water times, building water, dates, tea in, Shi Fu, tea ladles, tea whisks, tea bowls, tea towels, silk yarn, refreshments, confectionery chopsticks, sheds, ladles, decorated fire chopsticks, kettles, cut weeds, felt, standing tables, standing umbrellas.

There are dozens of tools in front of the tea master, and a large table is full of dazzling, no wonder it takes several years of professional learning, and it is not easy to recognize the tools!