Wine Dinner: Lotus Root Chips w/Furikake & Hou Hou Shu Sparkling Sake

I find it funny how my life has panned out over the past few years. Not really ‘funny-haha’, more like ‘funny…huh?’

Case in point: my life the past 9 years…

2001 Graduated from Mahtomedi high school and began attending Luther College in Decorah, IA. Worked at restaurants (Ursula’s Wine Bar & Cafe included) and Kowalski’s Market in White Bear Lake, MN.

2005 Graduated from Luther with a major in communication and a minor in music.

2006 Started working 70 hours a week for a massive retail company that will remain nameless.

2007 Married my adorable husband. Left said retail conglomerate and began working as a teacher’s assistant in the Special Education department at an Elementary School in Roseville, MN.

2008 Moved to Tokyo, Japan with adorable husband to work at an International School as a substitute teacher while he taught 2nd grade. Began a master’s program in elementary education.

2009 Began Tokyo Terrace, a food blog chronicling my experiences in Tokyo and in my kitchen.

2010 Completed master’s program for elementary education. Hosted a wine dinner for 40 guests alongside Kurt & Theresa Hegland of Ursula’s Wine Bar & Cafe in White Bear Lake, MN.

Back up even more to when I was an 8th grader auditioning for a church musical. That’s when I met Kurt Hegland, owner of Ursula’s and great friend. Somehow, throughout my music-retail-food-educator life, I managed make it to June 2010, when Kurt and wife Theresa asked if I was interested in hosting a wine dinner at their restaurant. I could create the Japanese fusion menu and Kurt would work on the wine pairings for each course. We set the date, finalized the menu, and on August 4th I experienced  one of the most exciting events that I’ve been a part of in a very long time. And I have to say that if someone had told me in 8th grade that a few years down the road, after moving to Tokyo, I would be cooking 6 courses for 40 people based on my food blog, I would have laughed really hard. Through my braces.

Yes, it’s been a wild ride and a winding road to get to this stage. And I am excited to share the recipes from the wine dinner with all of you. So, without further ado, here is the first post of this series:

The evening began at 6:30 with the Meet & Greet. This is the time when guests can chat with one another while nibbling on small bites and sipping an aperitif. Dried, shredded squid, edamame, and lotus root chips with furikake were the food stars.

A beautifully refreshing and festive sparkling sake, Hou Hou Shu, took the place of the typical champagne or prosecco. I fell head-over-heels in love with the sake, which was slightly unfiltered, giving it more body and a gentle flavor. The bubbles danced around on my tongue and just begged for a big celebration. The pairing was fabulous.

Of course, while everyone was enjoying their chips, edamame, squid and bubbly, I was in the kitchen just getting started on an entire night of being a chef. For the first time ever. And I almost died with happiness. More on that later…

If you’re wondering about furikake, here’s a little information for you: Furikake is a common seasoning for rice in Japan (which is one of my favorite things ever!). It is made up of sesame seeds, dried fish flakes, nori, and other dried seasonings such as wasabi. Furikake is often seasoned with salmon, shiso, vegetables, and chicken as well. In this case, the furikake has to be sprinkled on the chips immediately after frying to ensure it sticks to each chip. You don’t need a lot because the flavor pops with just a gentle sprinkle, so don’t fret if a scant amount remains attached to the chips. It’ll be just fine that way.

If you’d like to give these a try, click here for the recipe. If you can’t get your paws on lotus root (check at any Asian Market) you can use russet or sweet potatoes instead. The Furikake is such a natural way to flavor chips like these. It would be a great topping for popcorn, too!