Nikkei in the city

Parihuela

Necessity is the mother of all inventions, and most of them are born in the kitchen. That's what Nikkei cuisine is about - an invention born out of the fusion of two cuisines by Japanese immigrants who came to the shores of Peru in the early 19th century. A jugaad of sorts, it happened right in the middle of trying to find their fortune with farmland and gold mines, as they desperately missed a taste of home. Interestingly, we will get to experience the best of Nikkei cuisine alongside eclectic cocktails at Dashanzi, as Chef Juan Carlos and Jakaria Yahya from Jakarta's highest rooftop lounge and bar, Henshin, take over the restaurant all through this week.

Over an email interview, Chef Carlos discusses Nikkei cuisine in a bit more detail. He says, "To this day, the most well-known Nikkei twist is integrated with Peruvian ingredients. Peru has the second-largest Japanese population in South America after Brazil, which continuously informs the history and evolution of Nikkei cuisine in the country. For instance, many years ago, Peruvians used to marinate the authentic ceviche for approximately two hours, until the Japanese introduced them to the two-minute marination method, preserving the fresh rawness. This is how we started with Nikkei cuisine - we started to learn and adapt to Japanese cooking techniques."

Sakuru Maru

At first, Carlos worked in the wok section for a Nikkei restaurant in Jakarta and loved it. This is where he learnt to mix and match Peruvian cuisine and Japanese products like miso, yuzu, or having a ceviche in a sushi roll, for instance. "For me, it was wow! Then, I had an important experience working in a traditional Japanese restaurant. This fostered my knowledge about the basics of authentic Japanese cuisine, before uncovering the combination of Nikkei. Eventually, I decided to make Nikkei my specialty," says Carlos.

The typical flavours of Nikkei cuisine are a complex combination of tiger's milk, acids, spices, and sweets. Speaking of the ingredients, Carlos tells us that fresh tuna, salmon, and whitefish are the essential ingredients. "The prominent technique that has always blown my mind, is preparing sushi nigiri. It may look simple and easy, but it can take years to learn to make a luscious nigiri," he adds.

Carlos's favourite dish is ceviche, the history of which portrays how it is not solely the authentic Peruvian cuisine, but is a Nikkei signature. Also, tiraditos, is prepared with the technique called usuzukuri - where fish is cut into very thin slices, followed by the addition of chilli and tiger's milk or ponzu for finishing. He is also fond of acevichado roll, a signature at every Nikkei restaurant. "Surely, all restaurants offer a different touch, and Henshin presents the crispy prawn, avocado, tuna, and acevichado sauce which is based on tiger's milk - one of our core essences in Nikkei cuisine."

Juan Carlos and Jakaria Yahya

In terms of Henshin Cocktails, Jakaria Yahya (Jaka)'s favourite is Nikkei sour. "Our signature cocktail is inspired by the iconic Peruvian origin cocktail named Pisco sour. By using local products from Indonesia, we call it SABA with a rich taste. If you are a Pisco sour lover, you will like Nikkei sour with a taste of local wisdom from Indonesia's archipelago which I belong to. Pisco and yuzu, the Japanese citrus, are both the ingredients we could not live without." At the popup, you can look forward to Sakura maru, a signature cocktail "named after the vessel that carried Japanese people from Yokohama to Peru to commence their new life back in the early 1900s; it is infused with Geisha blossom tea and London No.1 gin." In classic or international cocktails, Negroni is his favourite for its simplicity, rich flavour, and easy-to-drink experience.

What: Dashanzi X Henshin
At: JW Marriott, Juhu
Time: Till May 29, 7.30 pm to 1 am