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Izumi Shoji Vegetable Cooking Studio (Tokyo, Japan)

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Tokyo vegan cooking classes icon
Izumi Shoji is a pioneer in vegan cooking in Japan, and has over 50 published cookbooks. She started her Izumi Shoji Vegetable Cooking Studio in Yoyogiuehara, Tokyo, three years ago, where she holds plant-based cooking classes a few days a week. She teaches several classes herself, as well as having guest chefs and instructors teach. The classes cover various vegan cooking classes, ranging from Japanese, Asian and western cuisine. I took two classes here, a vegan ramen class and on another day I took a vegan and gluten-free roll cake class taught by vegan chef, Nobuyuki Kimura.

Izumi Shoji Vegetable Cooking Studio Tokyo Japan
One of Izumi’s most popular classes is her vegan ramen class. She keeps this particular class to 8 people max because of how involved the recipe is, and because of this, it fills up fast. When I first saw it on her website, it was sold out so I had to sign up for the cancelation waiting list. Lucky for me, when I got on the list, someone had just canceled, so I was able to sign up! Perfect timing!

Her studio was easy to find, only 3 minute walk from Yoyogiuehara station, Odakyu line. Beautiful and a spacious kitchen space with plenty of natural light.

Tokyo vegan cooking classes icon
The space was already filled with great aroma from the “mise en place” they had prepared for the demo. I could hardly wait to make vegan ramen!

Tokyo vegan cooking classes icon
Izumi was super lovely and a wealth of knowledge. She started the class with a demo of the whole vegan ramen making process.

First rule of ramen making, you don’t talk about ramen making! Second rule of ramen making YOU DON’T.  .  .  I’m kidding.
The first rule is, you have to make a good dashi (stock). Dashi is essential in Japanese cooking, and you cannot make good ramen without making a good dashi first. This is what gives the ramen soup complexity and depth of flavor. You can’t just dilute soy sauce with water and make ramen soup, because that would just taste like.  .  .  well, watered-down soy sauce!

Izumi started by simmering dried kelp, dried shiitake, kiriboshi daikon (dried daikon), Japanese leaks, garlic, ginger, and onions in water to make the dashi. After simmering for about half an hour, she strains it with a chinois (sieve). Then grated garlic, toasted sesame oil, mirin, and soy sauce is added and re-heated to create the soy sauce based ramen soup.

Tokyo vegan cooking classes
While the dashi was simmering for 30 minutes, we made some condiment and toppings to go with the ramen.

Rayu, a spicy chili oil was made by frying Japanese leaks, garlic, and ginger in oil. This was transferred into a bowl and mixed with chili paste, soy sauce, mirin and crushed sesame seeds. Toasted sesame oil and one dried red chili was heated up over the stove until it released its fragrant aroma, then the chili mixture was added to it and cooled off.

Tokyo vegan cooking classes
Chashu, marinated and braised pork belly is a common topping for ramen. This was veganized by the use of soy meat. But here in Japan, it came in a dried form and had to be reconstituted in water overnight before use. The good thing about it was that it had no additives and the ingredients only listed “soy beans”.

To make vegan chashu, the soy meat was deep fried, then simmered with soy sauce, star anise, saki, and kelp dashi (water of dried kelp soaked overnight). To finish it off, it was pan seared to give it a nice and crispy surface.

Tokyo vegan cooking classes
She also made another common topping on ramen, menma. Menma is make by boiling bamboo shoots and cooking them in soy sauce, mirin, rayu (spicy chili oil), and saki.

She also made a simple salted Japanese leak salad as a side salad.

Izumi Shoji Vegetable Cooking Studio Tokyo Japan vegan ramen
After all of the components were demoed, it was time for us to make the toppings and cook the noodles ourselves. We didn’t make the ramen soup ourselves because that would have been more time consuming, and Izumi demoed and made enough for all of us.

This is student Kazz, pan searing the vegan chasu. He happened to be taking the class and is a Japanese vegan blogger, who writes about vegan eats all around Japan on his blog, Vegepples. He was the one who recommended I go to the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum to try out his pick of the #1 vegan ramen spot, Komurasaki. It was incredible, guys! You can read all about it here. 

Izumi Shoji Vegetable Cooking Studio Tokyo Japan vegan ramen
After all of the toppings were ready, all we had to do was cook the noodles! My classmates hard at work!

Tokyo vegan cooking classes
Tada! Vegan shoyu (soy sauced based) ramen, topped with bok choy, vegan chashu, menma, and sliced Japanese leeks, with a side of rayu. My goodness it was delicious! Great depth of flavor from the dashi we made. It tasted just like the good ol’ shoyu ramen I grew up with when I was a child. Brought back sweet memories! 

Tokyo vegan cooking classes
Izumi’s vegan ramen class was an absolute blast! I cannot wait to take more of her classes when I get back to Tokyo. 

Izumi Shoji Vegetable Cooking Class
45-4 Ooyamamachi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0065, Japan
Tel: 03-5738-8538
Website: http://shoji-izumi.tokyo/

 

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Mariko Sakata

Hi, I'm Mariko! I am a raw food chef, instructor, and a cookbook author. Plant-based cooking is my passion. My creations are plant-based, mostly raw, and gluten free.
Hope you enjoy my recipes! Check out my About page to find out more about me.

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marikosakata

Ying and Yang☯️ My utmost respect to Stacey A Ying and Yang☯️ 
My utmost respect to Stacey Abrams. The word “inspirational” does not quite cut it.
Testing a couple of vegan cheeses🌱🧀 We’ll Testing a couple of vegan cheeses🌱🧀 We’ll see how they turn out🧐
Hope everyone had a lovely holiday season😊

新しいヴィーガンチーズを研究中✨さて仕上がりはどうなるかな?

ヴィーガンチーズのオンラインオンデマンドクラスにご興味のある方はプロフィールのリンクからどうぞ🙇🏻‍♀️
Getting ready to cook some gluten free 100% buckwh Getting ready to cook some gluten free 100% buckwheat soba for New Year’s Eve🍜 It’s a Japanese tradition to eat soba on New Year’s Eve for good fortune and longevity for the coming new year. Probably one of my favorite traditions, because it gives me another excuse to eat noodles🍜💕 I’ll have my bowl of soba to wish everyone good fortune and longevity🙏🏼✨
Happy New Year’s Eve! 

アメリカはまだ大晦日なので、年越しこれから年越し蕎麦を🍜少し自宅から遠い日系マーケットに行く機会がコロナで今年激減したので、大事にとっておいた十割蕎麦を年越し蕎麦に✨

日本の皆様、明けましておめでとうございます🎍2020年はコロナで未曾有の一年で、日本にも一時帰国できませんでしたが、その分オンラインクラスやオンデマンドクラスを通して皆様にお会いでき、又お陰様で増版、台湾語と韓国語版も出版され、実りも大変多い一年でした。昨年は大変お世話になりました。本年も何卒宜しくお願い申し上げます🙇🏻‍♀️
Uplifting a gloomy Monday with this plate of raw v Uplifting a gloomy Monday with this plate of raw vegan cheddar cheese🌱🧀 Hope everyone in LA us staying dry🌧

ロサンゼルスには珍しく今日は一日中雨🌧熟成していた太陽のようなローフードヴィーガンチェダーチーズをおやつに気分転換🌱🧀
Enjoying some post Christmas treats and probably g Enjoying some post Christmas treats and probably going to pass out from sugar crash🎄😝

クリスマスツリーのライスクリスピートリーツ(スピルリナ入り)🎄来年は抹茶味で緑色にしたいけれど、夫が抹茶味あまり好きではないので、レシピ2倍でプレーンと両方作らないといけないかな?
Merry Christmas everyone💚 I made some minty ric Merry Christmas everyone💚 I made some minty rice crispy treats this year, and this may very well become one of our yearly tradition🎄Tastes like crunchy York peppermint patties💕 Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas✨

ミント味のライスクリスピートリーツ💚ライスクリスピートリーツは幼少の頃にニューヨークで出来立てを食べて以来大好きなお菓子ですが、高カロリーなので特別な日にしか作りません😅今年はミント味にアレンジしてみたら、これまた美味し過ぎて毎年恒例になりそうです✨
When we decorated our tree earlier this week, we w When we decorated our tree earlier this week, we were a bit short on ornaments, but we were able to get extras just in time🎄✨ Listening to Mariah, my QUEEN and tree trimming now❄️ Merry Christmas and happy holidays everone✨

クリスマスツリーの飾りが先日少し足りなかったので、オーダーした追加の飾りがギリギリイブの今日届きました❄️毎年恒例のマライヤ・キャリーやマイケル・ブーブレを聴きながらツリーの飾り付け🎄皆様素敵なクリスマスをお過ごしください✨
Testing out my Waring blender for vegan cheese mak Testing out my Waring blender for vegan cheese making😊 Not gonna lie, it’s no Vitamix, but it does a good job👍🏼

最近お気に入りの普通のミキサーで試しにヴィーガンチーズ作り🌱🧀勿論バイタミックスには負けますが、なかなかの出来👌🏼
The homemade ornaments we made yesterday worked ou The homemade ornaments we made yesterday worked out great on our newly delivered white Christmas tree🎄Orion’s ornament hanging above my husband’s favorite ornament from his childhood, a vintage snoopy ornament circa 1981. I love the look of this vintage Hallmark panorama ball ornament. I may need to add some more from eBay. Happy holidays everyone❄️

昨日作った手作りオーナメントを白いクリスマスツリーに飾り付け🎄夫の幼少の頃のお気に入りのスヌーピーオーナメントと一緒に❄️1981年の物でヴィンテージのホールマークのオーナメントなんですが、中がダイオラマになっていて、ストーリー性があって面白いんです✨これから毎年一つ、他のバージョンを足していこうと思います😊
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