Musings on Madrid

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I’d been to Madrid fleetingly in the past, but never really got to experience what the city had to offer. It was therefore, with great excitement, that my husband and I decided to spend a long weekend, catching up with good friends, enjoying the local food scene, whilst admiring the incredible art scene that the city has to offer. Unbeknown to me, it also has the most stunning 125-hectare park in its centre called ‘El Retiro’, which is a UNESCO World Heritage. It is beautifully laid out with a boating lake, glass-encased ‘Palacio de Cristal’ and the Prado museum and botanical garden near by. It’s great for walking, cycling, jogging around and I imagine on a balmy summers evening is perfect for a picnic under one of the trees. I loved the calm serenity of the place and the fact that its design had clearly been well thought out. It even felt safe walking through it after nightfall (see photo below). I think it is so important to have beautiful green spaces in cities for locals and tourists to fully enjoy.

I thought it would be helpful to outline a few of my recommendations, which may be of help to you if you decide to embark on a similar trip.

Let’s start with food (obviously!)

La Castela is an excellent restaurant, located on the eastern side of El Retiro park. At the front is the standing-tapas-bar, which was packed and buzzing and the restaurant is at the back (you need to book the restaurant) with elegant madrileños seated at tables with starched white cotton tablecloths. There was a definite friendly vibe and the food offering was delicious. Our Spanish friends booked this for us all as our welcome to Madrid supper and it definitely hit the mark in spades. Apparently Michelle Obama bought her daughters here when she was visiting Madrid!

One of our Spanish friends happens to be half Mexican, so gave us one of his favourite tacos recommendations for lunch one day. It is called Takos Al Pastor and provided us with some tasty tacos, which hit the spot. We would have liked some more hot sauces on the tables but that aside we enjoyed this place for a quick bite. Don’t be put off by the queue. It moves quickly and you’ll be seated in about 15 minutes.

Taberna La Dolores is a vibrant tapas bar nestled in the heart of Madrid at Pl. de Jesús, 4. It was the perfect pitstop after the Thyssen (my favourite art gallery in Madrid). It served some delicious pintxos and tapas, and the place was full of old Madrid charm.

Taberna De La Señá Daniela (I did a reel about this place on my instagram so do check it out for more idea of the ambiance of the place)

Our plan was to sit in the restaurant part of this establishment, for a more leisure lunch, but alas we were only given the option of tapas at the bar as we arrived quite late for lunch. So we perched on high stools and chose some tasty eats to give us a send off before we headed off the airport. There was a distinct absence of green vegetables, however we did order some tasty broad beans, bubbling in olive oil with jamon; most things tended to come with some pork product too. The croquetas de jamon were huge, piping hot and delicious.

One day we went for lunch with our friends at their country club outside Madrid. The views of the Sierra de Guadarrama in the distance were spectacular, with snow still clinging to its peaks.

For lunch I was intrigued by one dish our friend chose to eat, which apparently is Spain’s answer to comfort food. It’s called ‘Arroz a la Cuban’ aka Cuban rice and  consists of white rice, fried eggs, tomato sauce, and fried bananas (or plantains). It’s savory-and-sweet combination is popular with all ages – both father and 9yr old son ate the same dish. I’m so intrigued that I plan to make it soon. What are your thoughts on this?

Galleries

We visited 4 galleries/museums over the long weekend. My favourite was the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection was founded in the late 1920s by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza to represent key developments in Western art from the 13th to early 19th centuries.

His son, Hans Heinrich, later expanded it to include modern works up to the 1980s. Originally housed in Switzerland, the collection was moved to Madrid, where the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum opened in 1992. Soon after, the Spanish government acquired it. Today, the collection includes around 700 works spanning seven centuries of Western art.

It is useful to note that the permanent collection is free to visit on Mondays between noon and 4pm and temporary exhibitions are free on saturdays between 9-11pm.

The Prado Museum is considered the Grand-Daddy, or perhaps Dame, of art galleries, not just in Madrid, but in the world. You would need at least a week to look at everything – the place is huge, with over 8000 paintings, 3000 engravings and 2800 decorative art pieces and more than 6500 drawings. The surface of the museum occupies 42.000 m2 so make sure you have comfortable trainers to get your steps in. So as not to have art overload I would suggest coming a couple of times and having a plan of what you would like to see.

The museum’s name comes from the Spanish word “Prado,” meaning “lawn,” referring to the area where it was built, once known as the Jerónimos’ lawn. Originally called the Royal Museum, it wasn’t until around 1920 that people began referring to it as the Prado, the name it is known by today.

Interestingly you aren’t allowed to take any photos in the Prado, which I think is a shame. Apparently it is for crowd control around certain paintings, but as far as I could see certain paintings still had crowds despite everyone keeping their iPhone cameras away.

It is free to visit Monday to Saturday 6-8pm and on Sundays and public holidays 5-7pm. Queues are long so be prepared to wait and by the time you get in you only may have an hour – so is it worth it? Possibly if you intend to go in the Prado a few times.

Reina Sofia Museum is the third in the ‘Golden Triangle’.  It is housed in the former General Hospital of Madrid, an 18th-century neoclassical building. With over 200,000 pieces of art only 5% is on display. What is on display is pretty impressive. Picasso’s Guernica (see above) lots of other works by Dalí, Miró, Maruja Mallo, Luis Buñuel, and Yves Klein, represent different artistic movements such as surrealism, cubism, and expressionism.

It is free to enter Monday-Saturday 7-9pm and on Sundays from 12.30-2.30pm

Whilst at the museum I met a charming American lady who was waxing lyrical about the Museum of Romanticism, so we decided to check it out and were so glad that we did. It is situated in a neo-classical palace once owned by the Marquis of Matallana, the museum reflects the city life of the gentry of Madrid during the Romantic period. It reminded me of a smaller version of the Wallace Collection in London – a time-capsule house museum showcasing 19th-century bourgeois life during Spain’s Romantic era. It displays art and daily objects that showcase the era’s passionate, aesthetic, and daily life.

It is free all day Sunday and after 2pm on Saturdays. It has a little cafe and courtyard garden (see above) to relax and muse over what you have seen.

Flea Market

If you love a flea market and a vintage find then head to El Rastro operating from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the La Latina neighbourhood, specifically around Calle Ribera de Curtidores. Established in 1740 it has been thriving ever since. It offers thousands of stalls selling antiques, clothing, vintage items, and, souvenirs. My husband’s idea of a nightmare, we wandered around for maybe 30 minutes, however, with I could happily spend a few hours nosing around looking at all the antiques. There is a lot of tat, obviously, but some finds are definitely to be had as well if you have a good search.

A few other tips

  1. At the airport we bought a 4 day travel card, which hindsight was not needed as we only went on the subway/tube/underground 3 times in total. The rest of the time we walked around.
  2. We stayed in an Airbnb 200m from the Reina Sofia Museum so a perfect location for us.
  3. To take advantage of the free entry to the museums really work out your timings of visits to capitalise on this.
  4. We loved the little baked cheesecake shop called Luna & Wanda – having lots of flavoured cheesecakes such as tiramisu and biscoff- although we opted for the original which was absolutely delicious with some tea back at our apartment. There are a few outlets so worth checking out.
  5. A fantastic deli worth visiting is Petramora in the neighborhood of Las Salesas, at 40 Barquillo Street. It champions small and medium producers of quality food in Spain. It started out as an online gourmet store, but now has a physical store. They had such an amazing array of produce – meats, cheeses, tinned anchovies, olive oil and so much more. Perfect if you have an apartment during your stay to pick up a few snacks and breakfast offerings.

We feel we really only scratched the surface of Madrid and would definitely go back to explore further. Would you add anything to my list – be it food, art galleries or other museums? Leave a comment below so others can see and add to their lists.

Happy Easter

Torie

Interesting ingredients, Indian Cooking and Art Collaboration and the tastiest Chocolate Guinness Cake recipe

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Interesting Ingredients

I hope you have all been having a good week since I last checked in here? I have been busy running my Indian cooking classes (that include a little spice tour first – to set the scene). I love seeing all the different fruits and vegetables that are available. My clients and I sampled fresh yellow dates from Egypt, known as ‘barhi’. They are fresh, crunchy and crisp – much like an apple, and have a slight chalkiness about them but with a delicately pleasing sweetness. I also couldn’t resist a photo of the alluringly beautiful ruby red, shiny, sweet and hot habanero chillies. I like to use these from time to time, just don’t touch your eyes after handling them.

The bitter melon (photo below) always intrigues clients. Also known as ‘karela’, it is one of the ‘healthiest vegetables in the world’, according to ‘Dan Buettner’ of Blue Zones fame. For those who have not come across the ‘blue zones’, it is a term coined by Dan to describe five places in the world which has the highest concentration of centenarians – places such as Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya Peninsular, Costa Rica; Icarian, Greece, Loma Linda California. There is fascinating documentary on Netflix about the Blue Zones for those who are keen to know more. Worth a watch.

Anyway back to bitter melon. It is nutrient dense, packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, A and E, iron, potassium and great for blood sugar management with compounds such as ‘charantin’ that are believed to act similarly to insulin. It is a key ingredient in the Okinawa diet (one of the key blue zones as described above), often eaten with tofu. I am convinced Roald Dahl must have got the idea for his ‘snozkumber’ in the BFG from the vegetable ‘bitter melon’ – what do you think? Can you see the resemblance? They range in size. The ones I took photos of are small but they can reach to half the length of my arm. I really like the taste – but they are a little surprising when you first taste them due to the bitter afternoons. I like to thinly spice them and then shallow fry until bronzed. Then a pinch of salt and then they are perfect. Once you have acquired a taste there are lots of recipes that stuff them and chop them into large chunks. I’ve avoided putting them in both my cookbooks as I feel that if that was the first recipe you chose from my book, then the likelihood is that you may not try any other recipes ;o).

Indian Cooking and Art Collaboration (few spots left)

In a couple of weeks – Friday 27th March I am doing a fun collaboration with artist Emma Thistleton. We are both keen swimmers, so hatched this plan last year at the Lido to arrange a fun day together. There are still a few places left if those who are keen to join.

Let me explain the order of the day. Arriving at Emma’s house (near to Wandsworth Common) at 11am you will be greeted by some warming chai and some homemade dhokla – a Gujarati steamed savoury sponge cake, which you can find in my first cookbook ‘Chilli & Mint’. Then Emma will begin with some relaxed and fun drawing exercises to get the creative juices flowing. Absolutely no experience is required, we promise. Then I will take over and we are going to cook some delicious Indian food for lunch together. This will include:

  • Sri Lankan Dal
  • Amma’s Mango Chutney
  • Bengali Egg Curry
  • Chaat Salad
  • Spiced okra munchies

We will then sit down to a leisure lunch together. After our feast Emma will demonstrate block printing – pomegranates, limes, leaves and some wonderful boarders and then will guide you through designing and making your very own tote, tea towel and napkins, which you will take home.

Everyone will also go home with a signed copy of Chilli & Mint: Indian Home Cooking from a British Kitchen (OR Seven Kitchens if you already have Chilli & Mint).

The cost of the day in total is £160 per person and is limited to 8 people. There are a few places left.

IF you are keen please email me directly chilliandmint@gmail.com The event will take place at Emma’s house near Wandsworth Common.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Have you ever tried a chocolate Guinness cake before? It’s rich and delicious and a great go-to celebration cake. My husband had a big birthday earlier this week and I asked him what cake he would like. Pondering for a moment he toyed with an espresso coffee cake and a chocolate Guinness cake. The Guinness cake won out and is an absolute keeper. You may be wondering what Guinness brings to the party. Let me tell you. By adding Guinness it really enhances the chocolatey flavour and gives the cake a dense and yet moist texture. Do try and let me know how you get on.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

225g unsalted butter

225ml Guinness 0.0 (non alcohol)

250g caster sugar

100g cocoa powder

2 large eggs

150ml soured cream

1 tsp vanilla paste

275g self raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Topping

250g full fat soft cream cheese

100g icing sugar

1 tsp cornflour

150ml double cream

dark chocolate with sea salt (or whichever you fancy!)

  1. Begin by preheating your oven to 180 degrees fan.
  2. Line the bottom of your cake tin. Now don’t get too focused on the size. I used a large loose bottom cake tin which is 26cm (10 inches) in diameter, but you can use a lot smaller. It will be a lot thicker cake OR you can use two smaller cake tins and then have a more traditional cake with a cream cheese filling in the middle and on top. It is totally up to you. You don’t need to rush out and get a larger tin! Grease your cake tin too.
  3. In a large pan, on a medium to low heat, add the block of butter. You don’t need to cut it down – it will melt easily. Add the alcohol free Guinness – you can use regular Guinness if you prefer. Once the butter has melted, take off the heat.
  4. Add the cocoa powder and caster sugar and mix in well.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the soured cream and vanilla paste and then add to the pan. Stir well.
  6. Sift in the self raising flour and bicarbonate of soda. Stir well and then pour into your cake tin.
  7. Bake in your preheated oven for 50 minutes. Use a skewer to check that it is cooked inside. If it comes out clean it is done. If it comes out gooey, leave the cake in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

To make the Topping

  1. Either by hand or use the whisk handle on your Kitchen Aid (or equivalent), whisk the cream cheese for 30 seconds and then add the icing sugar gradually and the cornflour.
  2. Again either by hand or using your mixer, whisk the double cream until soft peaks form. Then gradually add top the cream cheese/icing mixture.

Only add the topping once the cake has cooled completely. Finally grate some dark chocolate on top.

Enjoy. I am off to Norfolk next week to talk about my new book ‘Seven Kitchens: A Journey Through India’s Culinary Heritage’ and demo some recipes at the glorious Old School Books in Burnham Market. I will be there first ever event – no pressure there ;o). The event has sold out so I am super excited about it.

A Mini Break in Budapest

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Over half term, my husband, youngest teen daughter and myself headed off to explore Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, a city that none of us had visited before. I do love exploring new places – typically heading off on foot to explore the streets so as get a real sense of the place. The city was officially formed in 1873 by merging three distinct settlements – hilly Budda and Obuda on the west bank of the Danube River and flat Pest on the east bank, forming what we know today as ‘Budapest’. The Danube acts as a central artery connecting the historic, quiet, and residential Buda with the vibrant, commercial, and bustling Pest.

We opted to stay in Pest in a beautiful property called Boho Hotel, which is part of the ‘Small Luxury Hotels‘. It was elegantly designed – more minimalist chic than Boho, but the staff and ambience of the hotel were warm and friendly. The bedrooms were good sized – with the most comfortable mattresses and pillows ever. The pillows were incredible long and narrow, I had never seen anything like it before.

The bathrooms had a large bath and then a separate rain shower and toilet room. I was intrigued to see British toiletries brand Penhaligon installed in the bathrooms. As the winter Olympics were on we were pleased that the hotel rooms had huge TV’s so we could catch up on the events at the end of the day touring the city.

The hotel also offered a large sauna in the basement with a hot tub and lounging area, which was the perfect way to relax after a day of touring. You could also book a massage too should you wish to. In another basement at the other end of the hotel was a pool table and sofas to relax and read. Breakfast was included in the price and offered a wide range of sweet and savoury options.

I thought it would be helpful to list a few things to pop on your to-do/see list when you visit the city. I feel we only scratched the surface so I hope a few of the ideas below might intrigue you to seek out.

1.Visit a thermal bath – Budapest is known for its spas and thermal baths since Roman times, so it is a must to seek one out and bath in its medicinal waters. The three most famous are:

Széchenyi Thermal Bath, which is the largest, featuring 18 pools and is an eye catching yellow with Neo-Baroque architecture.

Gellért Thermal Bath, which is both inside and outside with an art nouveau vibe but is closed for renovations until 2028.

Rudas Thermal Bath, which was founded at the time of the Ottoman rule so has a distinctive hammer vibe about it with an Ottoman dome and an octagonal rooftop pool.

They all have their own rules regarding compulsory bathing hats or not, male or female only times and so forth. After a lot of research we opted for more of a local bath which was nearer to our hotel – described as ‘a bit off the beaten track and therefore quite authentic’ called Dardár Baths.

It had a Finnish sauna, a couple of inside pools at 35 and 38 degrees centigrade and a cold plunge. Outside were a further couple of hot pools which we enjoyed the most – being in nature is really calming and relaxing. We found it clean and user-friendly. We didn’t need to wear swim hats and could all go in together. You need to obviously remember a swim suit, flip flops and towels. I believe you can borrow the latter if required. They have large lockers that you can leave all your belongings. There is also the option of massages as well. For £9 you can wallow and hang out there all day so it was quite busy with local mature residents of Budapest catching up with friends and bathing.

2. Visit Central Market, also known as Great Market Hall

Restored in the 1990s the Neo-Gothic building was pretty spectacular. It has two storeys filled with Hungarian foods – a lot of salami – and crafts including a lot of Christmas decorations. I made a beeline for the hot and sweet smoked paprika in the pretty blue and white tins. The upper level has lots of eating options, where you can stand and watch the throngs below or sit down in a canteen style eatery. We devoured a few large Hungarian sausages known as kolbász, that are seasoned with a distinctive blend of spices, most notably paprika, served alongside some fries, pickles, and mustard. Delicious and £27 for the huge plate below.

3. Explore Old Buda, visit the Hungarian National Gallery and stroll around Fisherman’s Bastion

Heading over one of the bridges, walk to old Buda with its impressive view across to the parliament building and Pest. Housed in several wings of Buda Castle is the Hungarian National Gallery which has some spectacular art work. You could literally spend hours here and if the day is overcast, wet or snowy it is a good place to keep warm and enjoy the art. Below are few that caught my eye.

Over on the old Buda side there are some wonderful streets to wander down and churches to admire. You’ll also see Fisherman’s Bastion a Neo-Romanesque and Neo Gothic panoramic terrace built between 1895 and 1902 to celebrate the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian state. It looks like a medieval fortress with a sprinkling of ‘Disney magic’ and has seven, white-stone towers, arches, and courtyards connected by stairways and is located just behind Matthias Church. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and a popular must see when visiting Budapest.

4. Ride on Budapest’s iconic yellow trams, known as villamos. You need to purchase a ticket before getting on and then activate them in the machine once you board the tram. The tube/underground/metro works really well too. Make sure you go on the M1 (yellow line) which is the oldest and features historic tram like carriages built in 1896 and runs below Andrássy Avenue.

5. Walk along the Danube and then board a river cruise

Stroll along the Danube and you will find many companies offering river cruise. We found one that was about to leave so secured some tickets and headed down the river to watch the sunset. We sat above deck initially all wrapped up warm and then when the weather dipped dramatically we headed downstairs to the warmth to watch the world go by. The cruise offered glasses of bubbly and orange juice and lasted around 45 minutes.

I noticed a rather charming wooden boat known as the ‘Kisfaludy Paddle Steamer’ as we cruised by, which apparently is a 2014-2015 replica of the first 19th century steamboat on Lake Balaton. You can book a trip on it here.

6. Art lovers will adore The Museum of Fine Art

We initially had plans to visit ‘The House of Terror Museum’ to learn more about the history of the region. It was raining and the queue was long and apparently not going anywhere. After talking to some fellow Brits at the front of the queue we learned they had not moved in 45 minutes and were letting people out but not in. I can’t stand queueing at the best of times so we all agreed we would give it a miss and head on to The Museum of Fine Art.

Housed in one of the most spectacular buildings the museum is as much an architectural masterpiece as it is an art gallery. The permanent collection houses Egyptian antiquities, European art and sculpture across the ages, classical antiquity. You could spend days in here without even seeing the exhibitions which are on for a few months – The Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties is on at the moment.

7. Enjoy the local cuisine, as well as the international food on offer.

We couldn’t go to Budapest and not have some goulash so we headed to Mama Goulash. They don’t take reservations so there is always a long queue. Not to be discouraged we were given an option to eat outside under a warming lamp so agreed to skip the queue and eat our goulash and schnitzel – thin breaded fried meat cutlet. It was tasty and well priced. We didn’t linger as it was February and just a little chilly.

Another couple of restaurants that were on my radar but sadly didn’t visit were:

Hungarikum Bisztro

Rosenstein

Kádár Etkezde

Café Kör

We did however eat a tremendous ramen virtually next door to our hotel at Ramen Nikko. My love for Japanese food runs deep so I’m afraid it won out over local Hungarian food – please don’t hate me ;o).It doesn’t actually have a website and is very much a place you turn up. It’s on Krúdy utca 6, 1088 – literally next door to Boho Hotel. It’s on instagram as @ramennikko and run by friendly Japanese folk.

Another night we visited a family run Vietnamese called ‘Ciao Siagon‘ – again walking distance from our hotel and really delicious. Again it has no website and we simply turned up. It is located Vas u. 2, Budapest. On instagram it is @ciaosiagonbudapest my pho and Banh Cuon – steamed rice rolled filled with mince pork, shrimp and wood ear mushrooms, topped with crispy shallots and served with Vietnamese ham and fresh herbs were superb.

One coffee shop worth a mention was Salt Bakery which is just along from St Stephen’s Basilica. Lovely ambiance and great coffee.

8. Explore the Jewish neighbourhood

Not far from where we were staying was the Jewish neighboured. We wandered the streets, checked out the vintage shops and visited Karavan – where a number of street food trucks enticed passers by. We tried the local Lángos, which consists of a fried dough base with sour cream and cheese. You can have additional toppings but we opted for the traditional variety. It comes from the Hungarian word for ‘flame’. Originally they were made in a brick oven – similar to a tandoor and the dough would be slapped against the ovens hot walls until crisp. It was hearty and I guess comforting in cold weather. I am glad I tried them but probably won’t rush back to get another.

9. Visit Memento Park

We missed this one but if you are visiting in the spring or summer I think it would be great to go and visit. The park includes 42 Soviet-era statues, including Lenin, Marx, and Engels. If you are interested in Cold War history, communist-era propaganda, art, or photography friends have said it is worth a visit although does require a tube and bus ride and walk to reach it, so only for the truly committed.

10. St Stephen’s Basilica

A short walk from our hotel was St Stephen’s Basilica, which is really impressive. It is the largest church in Budapest and the third largest in the whole of Hungary.

The basilica features a mix of neoclassical and neo-Renaissance styles with a Greek cross floor plan. Its 96-meter dome offers spectacular views of Budapest for those who want to go to the top. It’s interior has marble columns, gold leaf decorations, and mosaics of St. Stephen’s life and Hungarian religious history. There is even a mummified hand of Saint Stephen – a sacred relic of Hungary’s first king. It is displayed in a glass cabinet for those are curious to see. Apparently it was found preserved when his tomb was opened in 1083. Each August 20th it is paraded around the basilica.

Have you visited before? Do add any recommendations in the comments below so others can take notes.

Chinese Steamed Eggs – A tasty ‘mouthfeel’ dish

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How are you all surviving with the deluge of rain that we are having in the UK? It’s relentless isn’t it. It’s no wonder that us Brits are renown for talking about the weather non-stop, as it is so pertinent to our very existence. At least I have opted for a relaxation/pastime that does not depend on the weather – swimming outside – rain or shine you are always going to get wet. Followed by a sauna, and you can guarantee that your day will always seem brighter.

In a bid to be more consistent on here I wanted to kick off the weekend by sharing a super quick and tasty breakfast or lunch recipe for Chinese steamed eggs, which has a wonderful ‘mouthfeel’ to it. Fuchsia Dunlop talks about ‘mouthfeel’ in her excellent book ‘Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet -Sour Memoir of Eating in China‘ – I highly recommend this book if you have not read it. In Chinese cuisine they have a specific word for mouthfeel – ‘kougan’ and this is often considered equal or as important to flavour. The mouthfeel for this dish comes in the form of a smooth and silky sensation – a term known as ‘hua’. The other sensations in the Chinese vocabulary are ‘cui’ – for anything that is crunchy or crispy, ‘Q’ for anything that is chewy, bouncy or rubbery in texture – noodles being a great example and ‘nuo’ for soft and gelatinous dishes – particularly braised dishes.

It takes around 15 minutes to make (including preparation) but there are a few important steps to remember.

1. After whisking the eggs it is important to strain them – this makes sure that the steamed eggs will be completely smooth.

2. The water that you add to the strain eggs need to be the same amount in weight to the eggs. It needs to be warm so I suggest half the amount is boiling water and the other half is cold. I like to add 1/4 cube of chicken or vegetable stock to the water. Give a good stir to allow the stock cube to dissolve, then strain into the whisked eggs.

3. Cover the bowl with the egg mixture with some clingfilm with a few little holes in top – this is to prevent in water from the steam dripping into the bowl. (See the photo below which shows the bowl with steamed eggs that had clingfilm in the front of the photo and one without in the back. Without will make the eggs uneven on the surface.

4. Use a sharp knife to make incisions evenly across the top of the steamed eggs, then turn the bowl and make more incisions so that you have a lattice effect.

So below is the recipe in detail.

Chinese Steamed Eggs

Serves 1

2 eggs, whisked

warm water (weight of the eggs + half again 1:1.5 ratio)to get the right temp water mix half boiled water/cold water

1/4 cube of chicken or vegetable stock

1 small spring onion, green part only, finely sliced OR 1-2 chives, finely sliced

1 tsp light or dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

small pinch of white pepper, optional

  1. Place a bowl on a weighing scales and weight the eggs. Make a note of the weight.
  2. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and leave to one side.
  3. Using a separate bowl or measuring jug add the half boiling/half cold so that it is warm and add 1/4 chicken/vegetable stock cube (you don’t want it to be too salty). You are looking for a ratio of 1.5x the weight of the eggs (example: 100ml eggs add 150ml of warm water). Stir well and then add to the bowl with the whisked eggs.
  4. Sieve the eggs and stock and place into your serving bowl. Remove any bubbles that have come to the surface.
  5. Add boiling water to the bottom of your steamer. If you don’t have one simply use a pan that is wider than your bowl. Place a cookie cutter or trivet on the bottom of the pan and cover with boiling water so that the water is up to the cutter/trivet. Bring to a rolling boil.
  6. Cover the serving bowl with cling film and prick it a couple of times with a sharp knife. Gently place in the pan and cover with a lid with a small hole in the top to allow the steam to escape.
  7. Turn the heat down to medium/low and allow to steam the eggs for 9 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to sit for a further 3 minutes.
  8. You will be able to see that the eggs are nicely steamed and will jiggle a little if you give the pan a little tap. (see the jiggle below)
  9. Be careful removing from the steamer. Remove the clingfilm and then use a sharp knife to make a series of straight incisions along the top and then turn by 90 degrees and make more incisions so that you have a diamond lattice effect.
  10. Spoon the soy sauce and sesame oil on top, followed by a pinch of white pepper and spring onions or chives and dive in and enjoy the ‘kougan’ and comforting taste. I love it and hope you will too.

Please note:I don’t add any salt to the eggs to begin with as I find the chicken/veg stock and soy sauce adds enough salt to the dish.

Have a great weekend everyone. Wrap up warm and stay dry.

Torie

My Go-To Breakfast Choice…..at the moment

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I definitely gravitate towards a savoury breakfast pre or post my cold water swim and sauna. As a side note, I am so pleased that the sauna revolution is growing from strength to strength the length and breadth of the UK. It is so good for you and with a cold water plunge or swim is a mood uplifter. Even in the dreary rainy days it is transformational. Trust me – give it go.

Anyway back to savoury breakfasts…..It was only during my first pregnancy that I gave pain au chocolate a look in and really craved them most days. Typically though give me masala dosa, dim appam/egg hopper with chutneys or perhaps idli and sambar, Vietnamese pho or eggs in any form with some miso sesame toast (yes that is a thing from the wonderful August Bakery) with marmite on the side.

At the moment, however I am gravitating towards an oat congee type affair. Congee, for the uninitiated, is a popular Asian rice porridge which is broken down to become a smooth-ish, thick-ish, comforting soup. Typically the rice is cooked slowly over an hour or two (1:8 or 1:10 rice/water ratio) when the grains break down and burst and the dish becomes creamy and soft. You can make it with white or brown rice, the latter naturally offering a fibre packed meal. It has all manner of toppings – sometimes chicken, pork or fish is added. In Japan it is known as ‘kayu’, in Korea as ‘jus’, in Myanmar ‘hsan pyoke’, in Indonesia ‘bubur’, Thailand ‘jok’ and in the Philippines it is known as ‘lugaw’.

With the dark winter days, coupled with rains and general gloom we are having in the UK, my version of congee will definitely lift the spirits and put a spring in your step. It uses porridge oats instead of rice and uses no oil or butter and literally takes 7-8 minutes to make – the time it takes to boil an egg.

My favourite sprinkle condiment at the moment is known as ‘Kyoto Kyo-Ra-Yu Furikake’ and I love to sprinkle this over the finished dish. I first had it in Japan when I visited in 2023 and 2024 and I am completely hooked, regularly asking friends to bring it back with them when they visit Japan. I have found it online here in the UK – not cheap, but use it sparingly and you won’t be disappointed. It is crunchy with sesame seeds, chilli, garlic and fried Kujo leeks.

So to the recipe itself. I would love to hear what breakfasts/brunches are getting you through these winter months. Comment below and let me know.

Oat Congee with Fresh Turmeric, Black Pepper, Ginger and Garlic

a couple of handfuls of porridge oats (as much as you want to eat)

1/2 tsp fresh or ground turmeric, skin removed

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp heaped fresh ginger, finely grated

1 tsp garlic, finely grated

1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1 tbsp soy sauce, dark or light

water to cover

3 spring onions, cut in half and sliced lengthways

1 egg

1 tbsp fresh coriander, leaves and stalks, finely chopped

a sprinkling of Kyoto Kyo-Ra-Yu Furikake or chilli oil or seasoning of your choice

 

  1. Bring water to the boil in a small saucepan and then gently lower your egg into the water. If you want it soft boiled aim for 6-7 minutes.
  2. In a medium sized pan add the oats – I have purposely not given a precise amount – just use as much as you would use to make porridge. A couple of handfuls should be sufficient.
  3. Finely grate the fresh turmeric (ground turmeric is fine too), ginger and garlic and add these to the oats along with the freshly ground black pepper and salt.
  4. Cover with boiling water so that it is just above the oats and stir well. Add a little soy sauce to taste. Add a little more water to loosen as required. It should only take a few minutes. Turn off the heat when it has softened.
  5. Meanwhile heat a small frying pan and add the spring onions and allow to wilt and lightly char then remove from the heat and keep to one side.
  6. After 7 minutes drain the egg and rinse under cold water. Gently use a teaspoon to break the shell from the egg and remove.
  7. Now to plate up. In a bowl add the porridge/congee and then add the charred and wilted spring onions, freshly chopped coriander (leaves and stalks), gently cut the egg lengthways and lay on top of the porridge/congee. Add a splash more soy sauce if required. Finally sprinkle some Kyoto Kyo-Ra-Yu Furikake or your favourite condiment on top.
  8. Devour and enjoy.

Additions: Instead of spring onions you could add tender stem broccoli, sugar snaps, green beans, mange tout – simply add them in the boiling water with the egg for a minute then slice lengthways (for the tender stem). Sometimes I like to add wilted spinach which I place in a small pan with a splash (literally) of water to help wilt.

PS: It is important to add black pepper with the turmeric, as the piperine compound in the black pepper helps with the absorption of curcumin in the turmeric by 2000%, which boosts its anti-inflammatory effects.

Let me know how you get on. I hope you will love it as much as I do.

Best

Torie

Exciting News: my NEW Cookbook has launched

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I know some of you only follow me on here and not on my other social media, so I wanted to let you know the very exciting news that my new cookbook ‘Seven Kitchens: A Journey Through India’s Culinary Heritage’ has just launched. It has been 2 years in the making and hours of writing, recipe testing and researching. I am really pleased with how it has turned out.

Let me tell you what it is about. The ‘Seven Kitchens’ refers to seven different groups of people who came and settled in India for a variety of reasons, which I explain in the book, and it looks at how these groups of people style of cooking, techniques, ingredients and influences merged with what was there to create ‘fusion’ cooking and what we now know as Indian cuisine. Did you know that before the Portuguese arrived in Goa tomatoes, chilli and potatoes were not used in Indian cooking? They were discovered in South America and with the trade routes the Portuguese were able to bring them to India.

The Seven Kitchens are:

Goan Portuguese

Indo Chinese

Anglo Indian

Parsi

Syrian Christian

Tibetan Nepalese

Mughal

There are 101 recipes (56 are vegetarian) and they all have photographs that were styled by me and my photographer Tim Green. We also did all the prop styling too which I really enjoy.

Let me show you a peek inside the book.

 

Colourful, eye-catching and importantly inviting – I hope – to inspire you to actually try making the recipes. I think you are going to love them.

It will make THE perfect gift (birthday/Christmas/any occasion) for yourself or friends.

Here are some of many options of where you can order it from (just click on the name of the shop). They are also available at ALL independent bookshops. IF they don’t have a copy in they can order it within 48 hours – so do support them if you can.

My publisher Meze Publishing

Hatchards

Waterstones

Bookshop.org

Amazon

Disclaimer: Please note I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase on Bookshop.org. You are also helping independent bookshops if you order through them.
Please leave a review (on Amazon – you don’t have to have bought from Amazon to leave a review – as it really helps  others find out about the book).

I’m off on the road again this week touring with my book so maybe I will see some of you at the various events that I will be at. Take care and thank you for all your support.

 

 

 

Visiting a Wasabi Farm in Hampshire

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It’s not often you get the chance to visit a Wasabi Farm, especially in the UK, so when a call went out to members of the Guild of Food Writers to sign up, I was first in line.

Based in Hampshire, outside the village of Micheldever, the Wasabi Company’s farm, is located near bubbling brooks, on repurposed watercress beds. They still grow watercress too, but they have diversified to also include wasabi. The leaves are grown under protective black netting that keeps them shaded from the sun’s rays. Traditionally in Japan it grows alongside shady riverbanks high in the mountains. It is notoriously difficult, and indeed slow, to grow taking around 18-24 months until the rhizome is ready to harvest. There are two big planting periods from October/November then spring time when it is all hands on deck to make the planting run smoothly.

John Old, the farm’s affable owner, kicked off the proceedings with some background into the history of wasabi. It is native to Japan and archaeological remains have dated the first signs of consumption as far back as 14,000BC, most probably for medicinal purposes, instead of food. The word ‘wasabi’ however dates from the seventh century in Nara Prefecture. In the middle ages, recipes in Japan show Buddhist temples adding wasabi to cold soup and it is also mentioned in Japan’s oldest book of law stating that wasabi could be used to pay taxes.

We set off to see the plants close up starting with the young plants, which were on raised, well-drained gravel beds with fresh water gullies running in between their neat rows, similar to the traditional methods of natural mountain streams.

We then went on to the more mature plants who were almost ready to be harvested. We learnt that the whole plant can be used – not just the rhizome (which grows above the ground not as a root) but also the leaf stems and leaves, which we were all encouraged to try. Little delicate white flowers can be seen around March and April and these too can be added as garnishes or eaten raw or fried in tempura batter. The leaves and stems were delicately peppery with less of a pungent kick than the rhizome itself – which we enjoyed later with our lunch.

One of the highlights of our day, was being able to harvest a plant ourselves. Chaperoned by Josh and Leigh, we had to delicately ‘tug’ at the lower part of the leaf stems, near, but not on, the rhizome, gently manoeuvring it from its soil cocoon. There were squeals of delight all round, admiring the sizes of our rhizomes.

We learnt how to clean up the rhizome before we were able to try some with our amazing lunch spread that they had very kindly laid on for us all.

I was fascinated to read the chemistry behind wasabi and how the flavour peaks after 3-5 minutes after grating or chewing.

Whilst lunch was being prepared we also got to taste a wide range of products that the company offers – many of which have great taste award stars (all stars are given through rigorous blind tasting) and it is a huge accolade to receive 1,2 or 3 stars. You can see the full breadth of their  products here. 
A highlight for me was: ‘Sanbaizu – pure rice vinegar with delicate flavours of bonito and kombu.
For lunch we were treated to the most delicious cured trout, which was placed on top of some sushi rice. Wasabi leaves were in the middle and rice again underneath – it looked like a savoury Japanese birthday cake and tasted exceptional. We ate this alongside some freshly made chicken yakitori (more of this on my instagram) and some fresh watercress with a wide range of dressings and dipping sauces to choose from.
….and to finish off this fantastic experience we got to sample some beautiful chocolates made by Chris, founder of Teabites that were flavoured with wasabi, chilli, ponzu, and other wonderful sounding ingredients. They were almost too beautiful to eat ;o)
We were given such generous goodie bags filled with yuzu mustard, yuzu pepper and a delicious Sudachi-citrus and kombucha seaweed ponzu (all these you can find on their website here )as well as a fresh wasabi plant, a purple shiso plant, and off course, the one we pulled out earlier that day.
What a truly memorable experience. Thank you John, Lee, Josh and team.

 

NEWS ALERT: Indian Supperclub at Barnsgrove – Friday 8th November

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photo credit: Robyn Liebenberg

Come join me at the stunning new Barnsgrove in Hampshire on Friday 8th November where I will be hosting a very exciting supper club, showcasing some recipes from my first book ‘Chilli & Mint: Indian Home Cooking from a British Kitchen.

We will kick the evening off with some ‘pani puri’ (also known as ‘gol gappa’), a delicious Indian street food snack that awakens the taste buds with a zingy, sweet and sour explosion in the mouth.

Next up is a range of chutneys to eat along side some crispy onion pakora, then onto some soothing Sri Lankan coconut dal, some smokey aubergine known as ‘baingan bharta’, a vegetable thoran from South India, a Chettinad pepper chicken and some cumin rice. Then for dessert you will be have some cinnamon, chilli and chocolate fondants with cardamom chantilly cream.

I would love to see you there. If you live in Hampshire or in the neighbouring counties please spread the word and bring your friends. Tickets are limited. To book sign up here.

Photo credit: 1st and 3rd photograph: Robyn Liebenberg. 2nd photograph of me: Kristin Perers

Another year on….and a second trip to Japan.

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Hello everyone. How are you all? It’s been a while. My blog has taken a bit of a backseat since my cookbook was launched back in 2021 as all my attention has been focused on PR related to that and book tours across the UK. An invite to the Sharjah Book Fair last November for 5 days was a highlight as I was able to demo my recipes each day to a Middle East audience, as well as do some live radio and TV related slots.

Getting ready to go LIVE with 95 Pulse (96.1fm) in Sharjah in the Middle East

An incredible opportunity that I am forever grateful for and some lasting friendships with other book authors from around the world who were also invited.

With the fantastic team which made my demonstrations possible

Sales have been going well so a BIG THANK YOU to those kind folks who have been buying it, gifting it to friends, reviewing it and of course cooking from it. It gives me the greatest joy to hear you are loving the recipes and that they are easy to follow. After the first year the first print run sold out so it is already on its second. It is available at all good bookshops – if you local bookshop does not have a copy stocked, they can order it in from the wholesaler within a couple of days. It continues to be in Waterstones, Hatchards,  Foyles, Harrods, Selfridges in the UK as well as many place across Europe, US, Australia and online in New Zealand. You can also order direct from me here too if you want it signed to a particular person.

With my lovely translator Hend Saeed

Since July, I have been taking time off from my Indian cooking classes and spice tours – they resume in September – and then it is full steam ahead with some exciting collaborations and events in the run up to Christmas. I’m also researching book 2, which I am excited about. It will continue to be on Indian food – but from a totally different perspective from book 1. I am excited to share more about this with you next year.

Morning prayers in Koyasan

As daughter number 2 and I adored Japan so much last summer we decided to return with the rest of the family this summer. So for much  of July I was in Japan. We returned to Tokyo, Kyoto, Koyasan (the temple mountain which I loved so much  last year) and Osaka for a night. In addition, we also visited Kanazawa, Takayama and Shirakawa-go in the Japanese Alps, which were really interesting and less crowded (other than Shirakawa-go  which has a lot of day trippers – we stayed overnight and it was deserted) than well known cities such as Kyoto, which is overrun with  tourists – maybe to its detriment.

The beautiful village of Shirakawago in the Japanese Alps

I thought it might be helpful to outline 14 observations from my two trips to Japan.

  1. Eating out in Japan is reasonable and totally affordable. I know crazy right!!! I was always led to believe the opposite. For example: a ‘kitsune udon’ – a Japanese noodle soup in a umami-rich dashi broth topped with seasoned fried tofu in Koyasan came to £3.50.

A bowl of udon kitsune for £3.50 in Koyasan

Typically though you don’t need to spend more than £10 per person max on a meal – unless of course you want to eat fine dining, which is obviously completely different. One of the most flavoursome bowls of ramen I have ever eaten was Kanazawa and was a mere 980 yen, which is just over £5.

BEST RAMEN EVER at Menya Taiga in Kanazawa. The fresh ginger and lemon rind lifted it to new heights of deliciousness

2. Getting around Japan is SO DARN EASY. The train and bus system both within the cities and across the country is amazing. The subway is also relatively easy to navigate too, with the help of ‘google maps’. It literally feels they are a few decades ahead of us. We crossed the width of the country on the Shinkansen aka the bullet train in around 3 hours.

The famous bullet train (Shinkansen)

3. The bento boxes at the train stations are incredible. Normally no more than £10 a box they include a substantial meal that it really fresh and tasty. They offer everything from hot and cold food, salads, dumplings and sushi – deciding which to opt for takes time, so get to the station early to browse the possibilities.

4. The large train stations have a myriad of restaurant opportunities that the locals eat in and the quality of the food is really good.  Under cities like Osaka and Tokyo there are are huge walkways to keep cool from the humidity above ground and along these passages are numerous eateries, cafes and shops.

5. We found the Japanese so helpful and friendly.

The oldest sushi chef in Ishikawa Prefecture. Restaurant is called Sushi Tora and the experience is definitely memorable

Whilst perhaps a little guarded initially, when I asked locals if I was going the right way to X they invariable opened up, smiled and communicated with sign language or google translate. Speaking English is not a given.

I was overcome by how friendly and kind they were when I sat next to a lovely Japanese lady on the subway in Tokyo. She did speak a little English and told me she lived in Singapore with her family so was visiting. We chatted for a few minutes and I gave her a rough itinerary about our trip. Our next destination was Kanazawa, which was coincidentally her home town and where she was heading. I mentioned the little inn we were heading to in passing. We said our goodbyes after a couple of minutes and that was that. Fast forward a few days we arrive in Kanazawa in the evening at the Inn and the receptionist mentioned that I had a message from a friend. When she gave me the person’s name I remembered it must have been the lady from the train in Tokyo. Next thing I know this lovely lady is coming over to see me at the hotel (in the pouring rain) – I was wondering where this was going but was intrigued. Anyway she turns up and presents me with this beautiful box of cakes that she has had specially made for me from a patisserie in Kanazawa.

They take a while to make so she had put in the order the day before. I was so taken back by her kindness and sweet gesture. After chatting with her we exchanged numbers and she wished our family a happy stay in her hometown. The kindness of strangers. I don’t think I could ever imagine anything like this happening in the UK, after having spoken to someone for simply a few minutes. I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life.

6. I booked all our accomodation either through Airbnb or Bookings.com – both were excellent and very straightforward.

I opted for old inns and traditional houses and then we stayed in temple accomodation in Koyasan – a different temple this time – Sojiin – which was equally wonderful, but different, to last year’s temple.

7. Getting to Japan is costly and long. We travelled on BA direct. The flight back took around 14 hours as they can no longer fly over Russia, so instead go over Greenland and the Arctic.

8. To really appreciate Japan I would not travel with children under teenage years. July was a good month in that it is less busy than August but it is incredibly hot and humid. We walked around 20k steps per day and must have sweated a huge amount. Take an umbrella to shade yourself from the sun. Everyone carries one at all times – rain or shine.

9. Japan is really trying to encourage tourists to visit less well known places and I really think this is the way to go due to the deluge of tourists in some places really putting a strain on the local community and spirit. Kanazawa for example is only visited by 2% or all tourists and because of this it was really lovely to wander around and visit the temples and the geisha districts. I would have liked to have stayed for another day or so – we stayed 2 nights – 3 would have been perfect.

Kanazawa Castle Park

10. Don’t bother with a JR rail pass. The first time we got one of these for the period we were travelling around. This time we didn’t as they have gone up in price so exponentially it doesn’t make sense. Also some of the trains you will want to go on are not covered by JR Rail. It is easy to purchase whilst you go. When you are arrive in Tokyo buy a SUICA and PASMO  card. They are prepaid IC (stored-value) cards. They can be used for travel on JR, subways, buses and private railways in Tokyo as well as neighbouring areas. SUICA is issued by JR East and PASMO by private transport companies however they can be used interchangeably. They are available on Apple Wallet on your iPhone or Apple Watch so that may even be the easiest.

Mount Fuji as we whizz past on the bullet train

11. If you travel in the summer months, I would recommend only taking hand-luggage. We all carried one carry-on each for the trip. Most places we stayed had washing machines and tumble dryers, so we washed our clothes as we went along. Also when you stay at inns they give you yukatas and pyjamas to wear.

You can easily pick up another suitcase if you end up buying gifts along the way. Equally there is a ‘luggage forwarding’ option in Japan that is  highly convenient, reliable, secure, and very economical. Companies that offer the service, including Kuroneko Yamato, but normally your hotel or inn can sort this out for you.

a relatively short queue by Japanese standards

12. Invariably when you go to a restaurant there is a queue. This is totally normally so don’t be put off as they do go down pretty fast. People don’t loiter at restaurants – they eat their meal and leave. Obviously there are ones that you can go slower but a lot of the ramen joints operate in this way.

Watermelon cubes and pyramids

13. Fruit is expensive. As they rarely import it is down to what they are able to grow. Individual fruit  are wrapped with care and prices for fruit that is reasonable in the UK is relatively expensive in Japan. One of the most interesting observations were the watermelon cubes and pyramids. They are more for decorative purposes than to eat  I hear – costing around £100+. The regular round watermelons that we are all familiar with are expensive to what we have in the UK.

14. I adored all the food we ate in Japan but for me the vegan food given at the temples in Koyasan is standout. The flavours, textures and appearance are exceptional and it was a joy to have half board for the 2 nights when we were there.

Have you been to Japan or plan to go? What observations would you add?

Comments below please for all subscribers and readers to see.

I’ll be back soon with a recipe.

 

Staying in a temple in Koyasan – Japan

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If, and when, you visit Japan may I strongly urge you to leave the bright lights of the cities for a few days and head into the countryside.  Make your way to the peaceful and sacred mountain temple complex, nestled on top of Mount Koya, known as ‘Koyasan’. Here the air is cooler and the smell of fresh pine lingers softly on the breeze.  It is considered the birth place of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. In 816, after years of study in Japan, the non-conformist priest Kobo Daishi was given special permission from the Emperor Saga to establish an isolated retreat. You will also find Japan’s largest cemetery. It is believed that Kobo Daishi never died, but instead is in eternal meditation  – you can visit his mausoleum, known as Okunoin (奥の院)  deep in the forest. It is one of the most sacred places in Japan and a popular pilgrimage site.

Getting there we took the train, cable car and bus, but it was so worth all the changes. You need to take the Nankai train heading to Koyasan, the final stop is Gokurakubashi Station. There you will need to transfer to the cable car – actually a funicular more than your typical cable car, which will then take you to Koyasan station. You then board the Nankai Rinkan Bus Line which takes around 10-15 minutes to get to Koyasan itself, stopping off at all the temple lodgings.

Deciding which temple to stay in was hard as there are so many to choose from (around 52) and to be honest they all looked really good.  Some however, only cater to Japanese pilgrims to so you do need to do a little homework first. We opted for Koyasan Shukubo Daimyououin as it was near to the entrance to the cemetery and I had pre-booked months before a night tour of the cemetery with one of the monks. I also loved the fact that it had an inner courtyard overlooking a koi carp pond with beautiful trees.  At all the lodging temples you are given an elaborate vegan breakfast and dinner, which looked almost too beautiful to eat. It tasted delicious and was surprisingly filling.

 

We slept on comfortable futons on tatami floors and each afternoon when we came back from our touring of the temples, one of the friendly monks would come and bring us some chilled green tea in our room to sip.

The walls are thin – as they are paper sliding doors – and on the first night it was a little frustrating that the family in the next door room had the TV on, which kind of spoilt the whole zen of the place. Thankfully the they left the following day and peace resumed. To be honest they really don’t even need to have TV’s at the temple. It is relaxing just to soak it all in, read a book and take a long hot bath (communal – women only/men only).

The temple operates to a schedule when it comes to morning prayer and eating. You can choose to join the morning prayers in the temple at 7am for 30 minutes. Breakfast is then at 8am and dinner is at 6pm. Our temple was small and intimate with perhaps no more than 15 or so guests. I only saw 3 monks living in the temple over the duration of our two nights stay. They were friendly and polite and kept themselves to themselves. Each guest is given a yakata robe to wear around the temple and little slippers. The yakata is a cotton summer kimono, typically worn in casual settings and to nearby bathhouses. They are very comfortable and cooling in the summer heat. I even bought a few home as gifts .

(one of my daughters – takes in her zen surroundings)

I also spent a little time at the temple next door, which was a lot bigger, with many more guests and monks who spoke really good English. That temple was called Eko-in and it offered meditation, free to guests, and a small amount to those staying in other temples. It was also from this temple that we started our night tour of the graveyard. You MUST  book months in advance as they are popular. There were a few people who turned up hoping to tag along and they were turned away as they like to keep the group to no more than perhaps 15-20 people, which is more than enough. The cemetery is surprisingly not at all spooky. Ancient trees line stone paths that weave through the forest. More than 10,000 lanterns are kept eternally lit to shine a light to those who enter the forest. After the tour we walked back alone with our new Belgian friends to the temples at the other end of the forest. You are welcome to catch the bus, but we felt it was more atmospheric to return on foot.

Eko-in also performs the  ‘fire ceremony’ (goma-taki, Shingon Buddhism’s fire ritual) every morning in a little shrine at the entrance to the temple. It was absolutely mesmerising and you feel very immersed in the ceremony as the beating of the drum increases in intensity as the fire climbs higher and higher. This all takes place after the first morning prayers  at 7.30am when you are still in a heady slumber from sleep. It is definitely otherworldly and something worth witnessing no matter where you sit on the religious spectrum.

During the day there are so many temples to visit around Koyasan that you can do them all on foot or jump on and off the bus that snakes its way through the town.

We enjoyed visiting the Kongobujo Temple, which is the headquarters of Koyasan Shingon-shu Buddhism. Within it you will find the largest rock garden in Japan – 2349 square metres. The design is of a pair of dragons emerging from a sea of clouds to protect the Okuden. The dragons are made of 140 pieces of granite brought from Shikoku and the white sand is from Kyoto.

It is also worth visiting the cemetery in the day time and exploring yourself. It is free to wander around, although to enter the temples there is a small fee. There are places to eat if you are feeling peckish, but to be honest after our breakfast and walking around in the heat, albeit less humid than back in the cities, we just fancied something cooling – think ice cream and a chilled drink.

If you have time on your hands, I think it would be great to explore the ancient hiking trails, known as the Kumano Kodo Hiking Trails that have been used as pilgrimage trails for over 1000 years and are now designated UNESCO World Heritage. They are mean’t to be challenging, but a great way to see the country. You need to book inns to stay in advance.  When I return to Japan I will definitely spend some days hiking. Read more about the hiking trails here.

Does Koyasan sound like a place YOU might like to visit on your trip to Japan?