The Smell of Autumn, The Colour of Fall

Matsutake & Gingko Rice

  • Words & Photography / Jo

我蓋好陶鍋,扭下瓦斯開火。

陶鍋要慢慢加熱,火調較至比中火高一點就好,讓它慢慢把水燒沸。我轉身收拾身後的流理檯,碗盤放到鋅盆去,裝松茸的啡色小紙袋放到回收箱,刀子洗好,細細抹乾,放回刀架裡。

差不多吧。轉身看見白煙從蓋子的氣孔裊裊升起,聽到了「噗通噗通」,沸水、米粒與陶鍋交織的聲音。我扭了一下瓦斯,調至小火,很小很小,讓水留在剛好沸騰與沒沸騰之間。聽聽鍋裡,又靜下來了,米飯與材料慢慢地、溫柔地熟透。

我喜歡扭瓦斯掣時發出的「咔噠咔噠」聲,輕快而低沉,好像有位安靜沉穩的人為你掌爐,不慍不火,工夫卻利落。炊飯在陶鍋裡的沸騰聲音也很悦耳,簡單溫潤,叫人期待。你的聲音也很好聽,特別是喚着我名字的時候。

「在煮甚麼?」你從後抱着我。

「松茸炊飯。」

「好香。」

「還未煮好呢。」

「是你,很香。」

你把臉埋在我後頸,貪婪地聞着。

平常在沙發看電視時,我躺卧在你大腿上,你以手指作梳,一下一下的掃着我沒漂染的黑髮。我回頭看你,你笑我壓根兒是隻貓,撫摸得舒服時,便瞇起眼給你回一個眼神以作獎勵。然後你彎起身子,一頭埋在我的髮海裡,好像「吸貓」的呼吸着我的氣味。有時在街上,你裝作不經意的湊過來,被我發現了,便會像個小孩般撒賴,說「怎麼喇,呼吸不可以嗎?」後來你告訴我,聞着我時便感到很安心,心頓時安定下來。聽說人都是靠氣味去尋找失散的另一半,是嗎?

陶鍋裡面都靜下來了,透過隔熱布,放在鍋蓋上的手感受到裡面蒸氣翻騰,傳來微小柔和的震蕩。關火,鍋蓋不要打開,讓蒸氣和壓力留在鍋裡,等一會兒,飯才好吃。

十分鐘後,餐桌舖好了,陶鍋可以打開蓋了,我們把鼻子湊近。

「是秋天的氣息。」我倆同時嘆道。

松茸與米飯的香氣撲面而來,昆布與醬油調配的炊飯高湯給米飯添上大地氣息,配料日本銀杏是溫暖的金黃色,猶如日落時分在公園散落一地的銀杏葉。

合上眼,我們彷佛置身日本,在京都森林裡散步,銀杏樹下,抬頭漫天金黃。

我想把餐桌風景留在那秋天。

I put the lids on the donabe and turned on the gas.

Long and slow, the clay pot took longer time to heat up over gentle heat to bring water to boil – slightly above medium heat would be good. I turned around and cleaned up the countertop. The used bowls and plates into the sink, the small brown parchment paper bag that wrapped the matsutake into the recycle bin, knife washed and dry thoroughly before going into the knife rack.

Should be ready now. I turned around. Hearing the bubbling, a symphony of the water, rice grains with the clay pot, I saw the steam curling up in the air. I turned down the heat, minimal heat, leaving the dashi in a state between boiling and not boiling. Listen, it quieted down inside the pot. The rice and ingredients were being cooked slowly, gently.

I like how it sounded when turning on the gas – it’s light but deep, like a quiet and humble person looking after the stove for you, cooking comfortably with clean execution. The bubbling in donabe is a pleasure to listen too; it’s a note of softness. And your voice is music to my ears, especially when you are calling my name.

“What’s that?” You hugged me from behind.

“Matsutake rice.”

“Smells good.”

“It’s not ready yet, hun.”

“It’s you. Smell so good.”

You buried your face in the back of my neck, greedily sniffing.

When we watched TV on the sofa, I liked snuggling on your laps, and you would run your fingers through my black hair. I looked back at your face, and you, in a smile, said I’m like a kitty; when being petted comfortably, I would give you that oh-so-nice face as reward. Leaning forward, you then buried your face into my hair, inhaling deeply like sniffing a cat. Sometimes when we were out on the street, you would pretend unwitting and moved

closer. If I found out you sneaking, you denied like a kid and said “What now? Can’t I breathe?” Only you told me later on, that when you smell my scent you feel safe and it sets your mind at peace. It is said that people search for his or her other missing half by scent, isn’t it?

It all quieted down inside the pot. Having my hand rested on the donabe over a kitchen mitten, I felt the tender vibration from the steam inside. Off the heat, left the lids on, allowing the steam and pressure to stay in the pot. A little wait would make the rice taste better.

10 minutes later, the table was set, and it was time to unveil. We tried to stick our noses closer.

“It’s the smell of autumn.” We uttered at the same time.

The aroma of matsutake and rice brushed our face, and the broth made with kombu and soy sauce gave the rice an earthy note. Gingko, in warm golden colour, reminded us of the park pavement blanketed with yellow gingko leaves at a park amidst sunset beams.

Closing our eyes, it brought us to Japan – we were having a stroll in a forest in Kyoto, a forest full of gingko trees, and we looked up seeing a beautiful golden shade.

Let our table landscape stay in the golden autumn, so I wished.

松茸銀杏炊飯

材料:
水 5杯
白米 2杯
乾昆布 約手掌大小
新鮮松茸 2個
日本銀杏 20粒
醬油 1湯匙
清酒 1湯匙
味醂 1湯匙

做法:

  1. 昆布浸在清水裡3小時,撈起,昆布水備用。
  2. 醬油、清酒、味醂加入昆布水,加起來是兩杯份量的高湯,拌勻備用。
  3. 白米淘洗,瀝乾備用。
  4. 銀杏洗淨瀝乾,切半去芯,再切成四分一大小。
  5. 松茸要留至煮前才處理,否則香氣會揮發。用乾布仔細抹掉松茸上的泥土,再以濕布抹淨。注意菇朵下的皺摺會藏着泥土。
  6. 松茸根部的硬皮以刀輕輕削去,松茸切成厚片。
  7. 白米及高湯倒入陶鍋*,白米鋪平均後,鋪上銀杏及松茸。注意不要攪拌。
  8. 以中高火加熱,煮沸後以小火煮15分鐘後熄火。不要打開蓋,燜10分鐘後,拌勻即可。

*用電飯煲也可以,做法一樣。


Matsutake and Gingko Rice

Ingredients:
Water 5 cups
Rice 2 cups
Dried kombu Size of a palm
Fresh matsutake 2 pieces
Japanese gingko 20 pieces
Soy sauce 1 tablespoon
Sake 1 tablespoon
Mirin 1 tablespoon

Steps:

  1. Soak the kombu in water for 3 hours. Remove the kombu and keep the broth.
  2. Add the soy sauce, sake and mirin into a measuring cup, and add kombu broth till you get 2 cups of the broth. Mix well.
  3. Wash and strain the rice.
  4. Wash and dry the gingko. Cut it into half to remove the bitter stem, and then quarter it.
  5. Handle the matsutake just before you cook; it will lose it aroma if being cleaned and cut ahead. Use a dry cloth to clean the soil on the mushroom, and then a wet cloth. Note that there is soil hidden under the umbrella folds.
  6. Lightly peel the hard stem of the matsutake with a knife. Cut the mushroom into thick slices.
  7. Pour the rice and broth into a Japanese clay pot*, even out the rice. Lay the gingko and mushroom onto the rice. Do not stir the ingredients.
  8. Heat up over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes after it is brought to boil. Turn off the heat, leave the lids on for 10 minutes. Mix well and ready to serve.

*Can be replaced by a rice cooker. Ingredients and steps unchanged.


Jo Liu

It’s raining outside, crisp and bleak. Three chubby sparrows took shelter on my balcony and I gave them the baguette bits left on my breakfast plate but they flew away. I stayed in, played Damien Rice on vinyl and made apple crumble. Repeat.

Instagram: foodialoguehk

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