Tokyo Cooking: Make Tempura & Enjoy Nagashi Somen Noodles

From its humble street food origins to achieving high-class status in luxury restaurants, tempura has become an essential dish in Japanese cuisine. Its crispy fried batter adds the perfect crunch to any ingredient, especially vegetables and mushrooms, and complements many noodle dishes. While some chefs train for years to achieve the perfect techniques, you'll learn how to whip up tempura in just a few hours with your lovely host, Sakura. Patient and professional, Sakura has shared her deep knowledge and appreciation of wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) and Japanese cuisine with hundreds of students from across the world. After an overview of the recipes, you'll get started cooking. Tempura frying may seem easy, but it requires attention to detail and the right techniques to achieve a perfect batter that's neither too oily nor too soft. Once you've made your tempura, you'll experience a homestyle nagashi somen meal. Nagashi somen, or "flowing noodles" is a cold noodle dish that is popular to cool off with during the warm summer months, and is fun to enjoy all year long. The white wheat noodles are dipped in tsuyu sauce and usually topped with cucumber and mushrooms for an invigorating, refreshing meal. While it's traditional to let the noodles flow down long bamboo slides for diners to deftly pick up with chopsticks, you'll experience a more compact version at your instructor's home. Once your food is ready, take photos and dig in! Experience flow: - Arrive at the venue and greet your instructor, Sakura - Recipe introduction - Make tempura - Prepare nagashi somen - Take lots of photos and dig into your delicious food