For the second Sunday of Advent, we created a dish that brings warmth, depth and a beautiful Japanese touch to the table: a Japanese-inspired onion soup built on Kombu-Dashi, served with Wakame–Comté crackers, aromatic Sansho pepper croutons, and a delicate Morning-Dawn reduction. It’s a dish that feels familiar — like a classic French onion soup — yet completely new in its elegance and flavor structure. And it pairs brilliantly with a truly unique sake: Kikusakari “Morgenrot / Sunrise” – Junmai Rosé.
The Sake: Kikusakari “Sunrise” – Junmai Rosé
This sake is crafted from three rice varieties: Asamurasaki (a rare red rice), Gohyakumangoku, and Miyama Nishiki. Asamurasaki is used unpolished, giving the sake: its natural rosé colour lively, bright acidity gentle astringency aromas of cranberry, red berries, cooked cherries and plum a depth of umami rarely seen in rosé-style sake It offers structure, freshness and a subtle red-fruit complexity — a perfect match for warm broths, slow-cooked onions and dishes with umami and acidity in balance.
Best served well-chilled.
THE RECIPE – Onion Soup
1. Kombu Dashi
Ingredients:
20–25 g kombu
1.5 L cold water
Optional: 2 fresh shiitake
Method: Soak kombu in cold water overnight. Slowly heat to 60–65°C and hold for 30 min. Remove kombu. Optional: steep shiitake for 10 min at 70°C. Strain and set aside.
2. Onion Soup
Ingredients:
1.2 kg yellow onions
2 fresh shiitake
40 g butter
1 tbsp neutral oil
120 ml sake
1.5 L kombu dashi
1 tsp white miso
Salt
Method: Slice the onions finely. Slowly caramelise in butter + oil for 30–40 minutes until golden. Add sliced shiitake and cook for 3–4 minutes. Deglaze with sake and reduce completely. Add dashi and simmer gently for 30 minutes (do not boil vigorously). Stir in miso. Season with salt.
3. "Sunrise" Reduction
Ingredients:
80 ml sake
20 ml mirin
20 ml rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 slice ginger
Tiny pinch of chilli
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Reduce to one third.
Keep warm.
4. Wakame–Comté Crackers
Ingredients:
80 g grated Comté
1 tsp dried wakame
Method:
Warm wakame in a dry pan for 20–30 seconds and grind finely.
Place small mounds of Comté (5–7 cm) on baking paper.
Bake at 180°C for 6–8 minutes until lightly golden.
Dust with wakame while warm.
Let cool.
5. Sansho Croutons
Ingredients:
2 brioche rolls or milk bread
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp neutral oil
1 pinch salt
1 tiny pinch sugar
1 pinch Sansho pepper
Method:
Cut brioche into 1–1.2 cm cubes.
Toast in butter and oil until golden.
Remove from heat and season with salt, sugar and Sansho pepper.
Drain on kitchen paper.
6. Plating
Place the onions in the centre of the bowl.
Add croutons on top.
Lay a Wakame–Comté cracker over the croutons.
Dot the Morning-Dawn reduction around the bowl.
Pour in the hot broth.
Finish with a few drops of sesame oil.
Add chives as a small “island”.
Food Pairing Notes from Sommeliére Agija Immenroth
The cheese cracker, together with the dashi, emphasizes the dryness of the sake even more. The warm soup releases an unexpected burst of fruit on the nose – hints of red berries and cranberry. The saltiness of the cracker adds a small kick and ties everything together. The onions, still with a slight bite, form a very harmonious balance with the sake; overall the pairing feels rounded, creamy, and soft.
With the soup, the sake shows a different side: a bit more angular and clearly defined. Its fruit becomes more pronounced – melon, pear, red apple. The soup buffers the sake’s natural sweetness, making it appear drier. The shiitake from the broth lift the fruity notes even further and extend the finish.
