Cooking classes have been taking off recently as a must-do while traveling.  It makes sense.  You go to a foreign country, love the food, and want to take it home with you.  However, let’s be honest. Our foreign food back home is completely adopted by our pallets! What better way to get the real deal than to learn it in-country and recreate it yourself!? BentoYa Cooking took it one step farther with their Japanese cooking class in Tokyo on vegan sweets made with Mikawa mirin (三河みりん).  It included a special presentation that taught the specifics behind a very unique ingredient!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission from you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Sumiya Bunjiro Brewery Presentation

The future owner of the Sumiya Bunjiro Brewery Co., Ltd. was present to give us the history and process of making their Sanshu Mikawa Mirin (三州三河みりん).  She also gave us background on the many various uses.

While the company was started in 1910, according to ancient Japanese text, mirin has been around for five hundred years. During the Edo period (same time as all of the castles), it was an expensive beverage.

What is Mirin?

Mirin, a sweet rice wine, is a versatile seasoning that can add sweetness and texture to Japanese dishes. Similar to sake but with slightly lower alcohol content and higher sweetness. That sweet flavor comes from how it’s made, not because there is sugar added to it.

Though originally it was used as a beverage, eventually it began being used as a seasoning in Japanese cooking. It can be cooked down to make a lovely sweetener (think honey but not as thick).  We sampled two types of mirin that the company produces and I must say, I’d drink them!

The real deal: Mikawa Mirin (三河みりん)

Mikawa is located in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture. It has suitable conditions for brewing Mirin and has the largest number of brewers in Japan. Mikawa Mirin (三河みりん) is made from glutinous rice, rice malt, shochu and goes through a single distillation process. The Sumiya Bunjiro Brewery Co., Ltd. makes it with the traditional manufacturing method. This takes nearly two years to complete for the high-quality glutinous rice to be brewed and matured.

Sanshu Mikawa Mirin (三州三河みりん) has about 14% alcohol and is a deep amber color. The generic name for this “top-level” product is Hon-Mirin (本みりん). Hon means “true” or “origin”.

The impostors: Mirin and Mirin-like seasonings

The main difference between hon-mirin (which is what we used for this Japanese cooking class with the Sanshu Mikawa Mirin 三州三河みりん) and mirin, is that straight mirin uses sake instead of shochu in their ingredients. Because of this and other process differences (only a few months of processing), they tend to have a lighter coloring.

There are industrially made mirin on the market that has more additives and is not as “pure” as traditional methods. Industrial made is not as painstakingly made and is quickly brewed in a few months’ time. They still have similar alcohol levels but aren’t as high quality.

To make it even more complicated, during and after the war, liquor laws made it difficult for grocery stores to sell true mirin. Additionally, due to the high cost since rice was scarce. As such, “煮切り” (nikiri) came into existence, which is boiled down to reduce the alcohol content. There is also “塩みりん” or “salt mirin” that adds salt to bring down the alcohol content. These are referred to as “mirin like” products or みりん風調味料 (mirin fuchoumiryou) and are highly chemical seasonings with little (1%) or no alcohol.

If you are in the market for mirin, watch out to get the real deal! Check your ingredients -if there is added sugar, it’s not real mirin. If there isn’t alcohol, it isn’t real mirin.

How to use Mirin

There are many uses for mirin and it is a great condiment to have in any kitchen. Especially if you like to make japanese food.

1. Gives a gloss and luster to coatings better than that of sugar — think teriyaki sauces!
2. Draws out flavors of a dish
3. Can be used to tenderize meats (again, with your teriyaki)
4. Eliminates odors on smeller food items
5. Adds a mild sweetness
6. Is another way to add umami (miso can be used as a “secret” ingredient for that too.)

The company has a few different authentic mirin and the class used Sanshu Mikawa Mirin (三河みりん) as the sweetener in a few dessert items.

In dishes that call for honey, you can use mirin as sweetener instead, the class suggested.

BentoYa Online Japanese Cooking Classes

Since attending this Japanese cooking class, a lot has happened in the world. Including the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, like many others, BentoYa had to reevaluate its business model. Which included moving to online courses. And while it’s more fun to have the hands-on experience, now more people (i.e. those of you not in Tokyo!) can enjoy these vegan sweets (and their other vegan recipes) from the comfort of your home.

Their Japanese cooking class cost about 3300 yen. If you are looking for some quick and simple recipes, they also have a YouTube channel to check out.

BentoYa Japanese Cooking Class in Tokyo: Vegan Sweets made with Mirin

One nice thing about this Japanese cooking class in Tokyo? No prep work! I really love how there are community kitchens to use.  There are three cooking stations in this room similar to this one as well as the front display where the instructor normally is.

Making Mirin Pudding

This is a vegan class so we didn’t use any animal products.  It was interesting to learn about the different things you can use instead.  And the end product is so tasty.  This style of pudding is quite common as a dessert in Japan.  Simple and not too sweet.

Kanten (寒天) is a natural gelatinous product that comes from algae.  It is a great substitute for gelatin in the pudding.

Kudzuko (葛粉, sometimes Kuzu in English) starch comes from a root plant called Kuzu.  It’s an exceptional thickener.  I was surprised how fast it could take effect!  Sometimes brewed as a tea as it is actually very good for upset stomachs!

The sweetness comes from boiling down the Mirin.  You cook for a few minutes to evaporate the alcohol and turn it into more of a syrup consistency.  We also add it to the top to give it that sheen.  Presentation taught so much!

You cook the ingredients all together for a few minutes to thicken it up and you’re done! Chill it for a bit in the freezer if you want it right away, else in the fridge works too.

Don’t forget to add the bit of sweetness on top!

A quick and easy Japanese lunch

As every class with Bentoya Cooking ends with trying out your creations, we also made some onigiri with soy meat.  Can’t just eat sweets for lunch! Well, you could, but your waistline might not like it.  However, cooking with mirin, there is no added sugar for all the sweetness so it’s actually healthier!

This soy product starts out dried, you cook it in water to reconstitute it and then ring out the excess water before cooking up and adding flavoring.

Hint for making onigiri.  Use saran wrap. Keeps your hands less sticky with the rice.  I’m starting to get better at them if I do say so myself! Another pro tip: don’t put too much filling or rice, a smaller portion is much easier to deal with!

I love how easy a good miso soup is.  Some homemade dashi made with seaweed for umami instead of fish flakes, add some leak and onion to it, drop in some miso and you are good to go!

The finished product! いただきます! Itadakimasu!  Thank you for the food, let’s eat!

Looking for another Japanese cooking class in Tokyo?  Check out my other experience with BentoYa Cooking.

Like this post? Share it on social media for later!

Do you know Japanese Bento ( 弁当) ? In Japan, the word has been around since the 13th century.  There’s however not a really good way to translate those kanji directly into English. It’s just, bento. It’s always been a way to carry your food to work and evolved over the years to expand to train meals and quick bites at a theater even.  BentoYa Cooking invited me to try one of their classes and I think this was the most appropriate class.  Bento is in their name after all!  Bentoya Cooking Vegan Bento Class taught me a lot and was so delicious!

BentoYa Cooking Beginnings

Rina Ikeda and Akiko Sugawara founded BentoYa Cooking in May of this year so the company is new.  As someone that is always looking for yummy vegetable based meals, learning how to cook Japanese style AND vegan was something that intrigued me.  Their passion is to help educate people on vegetarian focused Japanese food to contribute to the well being of the people, the society, and the environment.

The best part? They teach cooking classes in Tokyo and Yokohama, in English!

Location

As Yokohama is much closer for me than Tokyo, I went to the Kamiooka location.  It was an easy 15-20 min walk from the Keikyu Kamiooka station (上大岡駅) or there was a bus option.  Which as the bus came up right as I was walking out, I went with that on the way back.

Akiko normally does classes in her kitchen at home but was scoping out locations for larger groups so we had class at the community center down the street.  This is something I’ve found very interesting in Japan.  Community centers house all sorts of things, table tennis, libraries, classrooms, and apparently, big kitchen class rooms with ovens and burners!

Bentoya Cooking Vegan Bento Class

Akiko taught the class I went to and was setting up the class room when I arrived promptly for our 1830 class.  We were in the community center and remember, if you see shoe boxes, take yours off and trade them for the slippers provided!  Don’t worry, you’ll be provided with an apron.

At the beginning of class we went over the products we’d be using and were given a recipe card with all the information as well as where to buy things which is super useful.

Dashi

Dashi is used in many Japanese bases. Made out of kelp and shitake mushrooms we learned that the white you may see on the kelp actually contributes to the umami of the broth so don’t wash them before cooking!  This was already cooking on the stove when I arrived and I was surprised how many things that we used it in.  It’s truly an everyday item.  Akiko told the class that as it normally takes several hours to make, most Japanese cheat and use a powder, similar to bouillon cubes!

Vegan karaage

First things first, start with protein! Karaage is typically a chicken dish and we used soy protein instead for this class. Apparently some versions will require you to boil the soy but this one you just had to have in hot water for about 10-15 min. Since this took time, we got this going first.  After it’s done soaking, make sure to squeeze the extra moisture out but don’t squeeze so hard you lose the shape!

Use potato or corn starch to help make it extra crispy for frying. And I learned the exact ingredients to make a teriyaki sauce. To. Die. For.  I’m not going to give away all the secrets here!  Go take the class :D.

Glazed carrots にんじんぐらっせ

Glazed carrots were cooked to make a quick garnish that are super tasty. Japanese cooking often utilizes mirin, which is a sweet sake. Think cheap wine in other cultures cooking. Also soy and some sugar. Bentos are famous for being cute so we used cookie cutters for the carrot to make flowers and then some quick knife work to give them some depth. My first one was atroscious! But you get better with practice.

Green Been Gomaae (ごまあえ)

ごまあえ is a dish that is found very often in Japanese cuisine. Spinach or Green beans are dressed with a sweet and savory sesame sauce (literally, crush some sesame and add soy and sugar to taste). Blanch the green beans or spinach and add the paste.  I honestly didn’t realize how simple this one was.  I’ve had it in many restaurants and always am looking for it!

Grinding up the sesame in a pestle.

Cute Garnish

Even if you aren’t going for over the top kawaii bento (cute bento), there are still easy garnishes to add some color and vitamins!  We used straws to cut holes in the cucumber and spiraled them together. Japanese cucumbers can be bitter on the ends so cut that part off if you find the taste off putting.

Onigiri

And, of course, what’s Japanese lunch without rice balls or onigiri? Use plastic wrap as the rice will be super sticky and put your favorite ingredient in the middle. It can be anything!  Making it from scratch was so much better than convenience store onigiri! It was super simple, the most time consuming was the rice making (which Akiko already had going before class).

The plastic wrap made it so much easier to make!! The rice is definitely sticky rice.

My first ever onigiri!!

Vegan Power Bento

Finally, assembling the bento. Go largest to smallest and keep it nutrionally portional with rice, protein and veggies. Bright color and foods packed tight.  The best part about bento I think is you can be careful with your portion sizes. Most bento boxes are quite small and though to the American eye they don’t look like much food, I was more than full from this!

Miso

Don’t forget the soup!  As there was leftover dashi, we added some miso paste, some onion and voila! You have miso soup.

The final product

All in all the cooking side of class took about 1.5 hours.  And yes, Japanese Mom’s and Dad’s all over the country are making these every morning.  Granted, I’m sure you get more proficient over time.  Akiko gave us so many tidbits into the different ingredients and tricks on how to do certain things.  The class was super educational and a lot of fun.  Plus, the food was amazing.  Because once you’re done cooking?  You eat! 頂きます (itadakimasu)!

Other Class Offerings

They offer all sorts of classes, including ramen and gyoza! Soon the goal is to start sweets too.  The best way to sign up for a course is to message them on Facebook or head over to their website. Some classes are posted but if you are looking for something specific, just let them know.  Both Akiko and Rina are super sweet and very helpful.  They are teaching classes about 2-3 times a week so there’s options available.

I’ll definitely go back and if you are looking to learn Japanese cooking, whether here for a short trip or the long haul, I highly recommend BentoYa Cooking for a class!

Have you taken a cooking class before?