airKitchen is offering the fantastic experience of cooking classes in local family homes all over Japan! [Sapporo - Tokyo - Osaka - Yokohama - Kyoto - Fukuoka and many more]
We then started on the pork - mixing in some green onions, salt and pepper for flavor.
The pork was used to make some stuffed mushrooms,
and then also some pork meatballs which are boiled initially. We had some trouble using the spoons to make the meatballs and they all came out to be different sizes and shapes! Fumiko told us that we could also use our hands to shape them if we wanted, but we were determined to prepare them like she did.
We then focused on the rest of the kushiyaki which included chicken, sukiyaki-style sliced pork and other vegetables, all already prepped for us on trays.
Fumiko demonstrated with one set/tray and we each tried on our own tray. First was pork and shiso wrapped mushrooms.
Then we moved onto chicken and chicken with green onion as well as pork wrapped cherry tomatoes.
Our two trays all prepared!
We use rolling pins to roll out the dough nice and flat. I found this really difficult so my husband to had to help me a little at the end. It is then folded into thirds and cut into strips (width depending on how thick you like your noodles to be). Shake them all out to be individual noodles, and they are ready to cook in boiling water for about 11-13 minutes.
While the noodles were cooking, a teriyaki sauce of equal parts shoyu, sake and sugar was put on the stove. The yakitori and meatballs were put on a grill attached to the stove (!! we don't have something like this in HI as far as I know and I found it really cool. Fumiko mentioned that a toaster could also work) and then the other veggies were put in a pan.
Finishing touches included slicing the pork & shiso wrapped mushrooms to put them on a stick and then adding the teriyaki sauce to some of the kushiyaki.
Once the noodles were cooked to our preferred firmness, they were given an ice bath and then rinsed and placed on a plate.
All done! Fumiko gave us some advice about where we could purchase dashi for the udon from the store and she also provided a bit of chopped green onions. We each had a complete set of udon and kushiyaki that we had prepared ourselves! Itadakimasu ♡
This was really a lot of food and such a great value. It was way more than I could eat. Be sure to attend your cooking class on an empty stomach! We spent almost exactly 2 hours from starting cooking to finishing eating - exactly as Fumiko had promised.
You can search by geographic area and then narrow down which type of food you are interested in learning to cook. They have all kinds of categories - from sushi to sweets to vegetarian and vegan dishes and many, many more. Even a picky eater like me didn't have any issues finding tons of different opinions. You may also search by the map if you don't want to travel too far from your accommodations!
We were recommended Fumiko's "Handmade Udon Kushiyaki ( Assorted Yakitori and Vegitables )" by the airKitchen staff. I have recently come to love eating udon and was really excited to try making it from scratch! Not to mention, the variety of kushiyaki seemed interesting as well.
I made the reservation through the airKitchen webpage and then was able to set up a chat with my host, Fumiko! From there, we discussed exactly where and when we would meet. Many listings mention that the host may even pick you up from the nearest station, so it is not difficult to navigate.
Fumiko was right on time to meet us just down the stairs from her apartment. It is truly hosted in her home which was so welcoming and lovely with a great kitchen and cooking space. Many of the ingredients were already prepped, and we were provided aprons right away and got started after washing our hands.
Udon noodles first! Under Fumiko's instruction, we mixed, mixed, mixed warm salt water with flour first with chopsticks and then with our hands until we were able to knead and create a dough. This is put into a plastic bag while the next steps are completed.
We then started on the pork - mixing in some green onions, salt and pepper for flavor.
The pork was used to make some stuffed mushrooms,
and then also some pork meatballs which are boiled initially. We had some trouble using the spoons to make the meatballs and they all came out to be different sizes and shapes! Fumiko told us that we could also use our hands to shape them if we wanted, but we were determined to prepare them like she did.
We then focused on the rest of the kushiyaki which included chicken, sukiyaki-style sliced pork and other vegetables, all already prepped for us on trays.
Fumiko demonstrated with one set/tray and we each tried on our own tray. First was pork and shiso wrapped mushrooms.
Then we moved onto chicken and chicken with green onion as well as pork wrapped cherry tomatoes.
Now back to the noodles! The dough is much softer now and is placed in a larger bag, so that we can use our heels to knead and press it more. This is repeated about 5 or six times and the dough is folded in on itself between each time.
We use rolling pins to roll out the dough nice and flat. I found this really difficult so my husband to had to help me a little at the end. It is then folded into thirds and cut into strips (width depending on how thick you like your noodles to be). Shake them all out to be individual noodles, and they are ready to cook in boiling water for about 11-13 minutes.
While the noodles were cooking, a teriyaki sauce of equal parts shoyu, sake and sugar was put on the stove. The yakitori and meatballs were put on a grill attached to the stove (!! we don't have something like this in HI as far as I know and I found it really cool. Fumiko mentioned that a toaster could also work) and then the other veggies were put in a pan.
Finishing touches included slicing the pork & shiso wrapped mushrooms to put them on a stick and then adding the teriyaki sauce to some of the kushiyaki.
Once the noodles were cooked to our preferred firmness, they were given an ice bath and then rinsed and placed on a plate.
All done! Fumiko gave us some advice about where we could purchase dashi for the udon from the store and she also provided a bit of chopped green onions. We each had a complete set of udon and kushiyaki that we had prepared ourselves! Itadakimasu ♡
It was really interesting to see someone moving around in their own home kitchen and prepping a whole meal from start to finish. To me, this feels much different than a chef in a restaurant or professional kitchen and somehow makes everything seem much more attainable and doable! I really like airKitchen's concept of making home cooked meals in regular homes. Fumiko's instructions were really easy to follow along with, and she had lots of advice and provided some information sheets at the end as well. I am a pretty picky eater, and that's why I'm always excited to learn how to cook more dishes so I can make adjustments to my own taste. This was really perfect for me.
If you would like to try out airKitchen in Japan on your next trip, please use my affiliate link (or any of the links in this post)! I'd love to provide any recommendations or answer any questions to the best of my ability if you'd like, too :)
