Our reporter Seiji Nakazawa almost never watches TV except when he’s in a sauna room. The other day, when he was relaxing there while absentmindedly watching the screen, a cooking segment managed to capture his full attention. The variety show "Ariyoshi Seminar" was covering Tokyo’s Kokonoe sumo stable, which is said to cook up some of the best gourmet food of any sumo training hall, including, of course, chankonabe hot pot, the traditional staple of the sumo wrestler diet.
What really piqued Seiji’s interest, though, was an inside glimpse at another dish that Kokonoe prepares for its sumo wrestlers, which is also one that a lot of ordinary people also cook for themselves at home in Japan: cream stew. ▼ Japanese-style cream stew served with rice Now, almost everyone Seiji knows has a preference for eating cream stew alongside either Japanese-style white rice or bread. Seiji thought rice must be more becoming of a sumo stable, but he could also understand why some may think that a dish of Western origin made using large amounts of milk and cream might not pair the best with rice.
However, according to the head cook at Kokonoe Sumo Stable, they’ve developed a special version of cream stew with a special ingredient that pairs very well with rice. After learning about this easy addition on TV, Seiji decided to try out the cooking tip for himself at home. Before long, a pot of cream stew with chicken and vegetables was simmering on his stove.
Now, let’s get on to the b.
