The first Sunday of Advent is often the moment December truly begins. A time to pause, cook together, and enjoy something warm and comforting. We prepared a dish that is simple, elegant and deeply satisfying – and pairs beautifully with one of the most iconic Junmai Ginjo from northern Japan: Urakasumi Zen.
1. The Sake: Urakasumi Zen – Junmai Ginjo
Alcohol: 15%
Rice: Toyo Nishiki / Yamada Nishiki, 50% polishing
Style: gentle, fruity, soft
Prefecture: Miyagi
Serving: chilled (10–15°C)
Introduced in 1973, Urakasumi Zen was one of the very first Junmai Ginjo ever released in Japan. It embodies the northern style: delicate, smooth, balanced, with notes of yellow fruits, herbs and soft umami. A timeless Sake that works beautifully with poultry.
2. The traditional seasoning ingredients
Mikawa Mirin – aged for 2 years Made only from sweet rice, koji and rice distillate. Naturally sweet, deep, elegant. A rare example of truly traditional mirin production.
Yuasa Tamari Soy Sauce – unchanged since 1841
Fermented for one year in century-old cedar barrels.
Reduced slowly over open pine-wood fire.
Brewed according to a 150-year-old recipe.
The result is dense, complex tamari with caramel and vanilla notes and deep umami intensity.
3. Full Recipe
Celery–Miso Velouté
Ingredients
350–400 g celery root
1 onion
1 tbsp butter
150 ml white wine
350 ml stock
150–200 ml cream
1 tbsp white miso
Steps
1. Melt butter in a pot - Base flavor.
2. Cook onions until soft and translucent - Not brown!
3. Add celery and sauté briefly
Adds depth of flavor.
4. Deglaze with wine (or sake/stock)
Releases caramelized flavor from the bottom.
5. Reduce almost completely
Alcohol evaporates → pure flavor remains.
6. Add stock and cook 20–25 minutes Until celery is soft.
7. Add cream and blend until smooth Should be silky.
8. Stir in miso at the end Do not boil → miso loses aroma.
9. Adjust texture
Thinner → add stock
Thicker → reduce longer
Carrot–Mango Salad
Ingredients
2–3 carrots
1 mango
1–2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 tsp ginger
Salt
Black sesame
Steps
1. Peel carrots into thin ribbons - Better texture & absorbs dressing well.
2. Do the same with the mango - Even texture.
3. Mix dressing (lime, oils, ginger, salt) - Even distribution.
4. Toss carrots and mango together - Coat evenly.
5. Let marinate for 5 minutes Flavors blend.
6. Add sesame before serving
Aromatics + contrast.
Glaze
Ingredients
40 ml Yuasa tamari
20 ml Mikawa Mirin
10 ml rice vinegar
100 ml chicken stock
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 small clove grated garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
Step-by-step
1. Add all ingredients to a small pot
Mixing starts cold → prevents burning.
2. Stir well and combine all flavors.
3. Heat on medium and reduce until syrupy
Takes 6–10 minutes.
4. Keep warm
So it stays smooth for brushing.
Corn-fed chicken
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts with skin and Salt
Step-by-step instructions
1. Dry the skin thoroughly
Reason: Only dry skin becomes truly crispy. Use: Kitchen paper.
2. Season with salt
Salt adds flavor and draws moisture out of the skin → more crispiness.
3. Place the chicken SKIN-SIDE DOWN in a COLD pan
Pro trick: Cold start = the fat under the skin melts slowly → extremely crispy skin.
4. Slowly increase heat to medium
Slow heat preserves juiciness.
5. Fry 6–7 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp
Don’t rush it.
6. Flip and cook the meat side for 2 minutes
Just to seal it.
7. Brush the skin lightly with the glaze
The glaze caramelizes and adds shine + flavor.
8. Finish in the oven at 130°C for 5 minutes
Gentle final cooking → juicy meat.
9. Let rest for 2 minutes
So the juices settle inside.
Plating
1. Spoon velouté into the center of the plate
Smooth base.
2. Slice the chicken and place it on top
Soaks a little of the velouté.
3. Drizzle with warm glaze + add grated lime zest on top
Shiny and flavorful.
4. Place the carrot–mango salad on the side
Color + freshness.
Complete pairing explanation from Sommeliére Agija Immenroth
The Sake and the roasted aromas of the dish work seamlessly. The crispy chicken skin enhances the umami and creates a round, harmonious base. The sweet–salty glaze adds freshness and that characteristic mouth-washing feeling that prepares the palate for the next bite.
The fruity carrot–mango salad highlights the Sake’s acidity – elegant, fine and well-balanced. The earthy celery velouté initially brings out the Sake’s natural sweetness before the dry finish becomes clearly defined.
Everything comes together as a harmonious sequence of umami, sweetness, freshness, acidity and dryness – like a small journey through different flavor dimensions.
Each element of the dish highlights a different dimension of the Sake:
Skin → umami & depth
Glaze → freshness & balance
Velouté → sweetness & structure
Salad → fruitiness & acidity
The flavors shift naturally from umami → sweetness → freshness → acidity → dry finish.
A complete, harmonious sensory arc.
