Cooking in New Zealand

From September 26 to October 7 in 2023, I went to New Zealand to support the preparations for the opening presentation of Washo Cook’s New Zealand branch. The professionals in charge of the food served to guests at the event are Mari Fujii, who is famous for her vegetarian cuisine, and Noriko Tsujimoto, who is an active tofu chef. They are kind, fun, and powerful food activists.

(From left: Me, Noriko Tsujimoto, and Yuka Yamasaki from Washocook)

All I did was prepare the vegetables, such as shredding them, but I learned a lot. Anyway, thanks to the professional techniques of these two, many wonderful dishes were prepared in no time.

(Me, cutting carrots) 

All I did was prepare the vegetables, such as shredding them, but I learned a lot. Anyway, thanks to the professional techniques of these two, many wonderful dishes were prepared in no time.

Mari’s vegetarian cuisine is very popular. Among them, Shiraae was the most delicious Shiraae I have ever eaten. (Shiraae is vegetables mixed with a white paste made from ground sesame seeds, tofu, mirin, and miso.)

Noriko’s tofu decorated cake-style salad is made only with shredded vegetables and tofu paste. This salad is not only beautiful. The special sweet and sour mustard dressing gives it the perfect taste.

(Decorated cake-style salad with tofu and shredded vegetables, created by Noriko Tsujimoto. )

At the event, delicious food helped facilitate communication.

The power of cooking is amazing!

Scroll to Top