November 6, 2007
The smells coming from the steaming pot of fresh vegetable and fish soup filled the air of the Bellemes’ living room, mingling with sounds of Japanese flute emanating from the stereo. Jan Belleme, 54, sitting at the traditional Japanese table, carefully ladled out portions of the broth into small, lacquer bowls while her husband, John Belleme, 64, poured glasses of hot sake and seasoned his lunch with bits of ginger and scallions. The scene didn’t just look and smell good — every item of food carefully arranged in the Japanese dishes had a purpose. The ginger and tamari helped with digestion, the white fish provided a lean source of protein, the kombu in the broth of the soup provided natural saltiness, and the tofu helped to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. “This type of dish also warms the body,” Jan Belleme said as she stirred the ceramic pot in the middle of the table. “You do this, and you chop a few things and you enjoy each other’s company.”
Writing a book
The traditional Japanese fish soup is one of more than 100 recipes included in the Bellemes’ new book, “Japanese Foods That Heal.”The book is a culmination of more than 20 years of studying, eating and making Japanese food. It details the health benefits of 18 different traditional Japanese ingredients from miso to mochi, along with their history, how they’re made, where to find them and how to cook with them. John Belleme said the idea is to help people use healthy Japanese foods in everyday cooking. “My thing is to convince a person that while they’re eating, they might as well get healthy,” he said.
Food journey
The couple’s journey into Japanese food began in 1979, when the newlyweds went to Japan to learn to make miso, a fermented soy paste.
Their chaperon dropped them at the home of the Onozakis, a miso-making family living in the mountains north of Tokyo, and left.
The couple sat around a table much like the one they have in their living room in Saluda and, with their limited Japanese, persuaded Takamichi Onozaki to take them on as apprentices. After Onozaki agreed, the Bellemes spent the next year learning the ancient art of making miso, while also experiencing Japanese life firsthand.
In the new book, the Bellemes describe meals around the table with the Onozakis as some of their warmest memories. In the village, they learned about the health benefits of the traditional Japanese diet and lifestyle.
“(Onozaki) taught us not only how to make miso but taught us a great deal about Japanese language, the history of Japan and the culture of Japan,” John Belleme said. “It was a mind-altering experience for me, and it changed the direction of my life.”
Bringing it to WNC
The Bellemes returned to the United States and opened American Miso Co. in Rutherfordton, which was chosen because of its ideal temperature for making miso. Although neither of the Bellemes is from Western North Carolina, the couple have lived in their home near downtown Saluda for more than two decades and raised two sons, who live in Asheville.
While they are no longer involved in the daily operations of the miso company, the Bellemes’ experience in Japan continues to have an influence on the way that they live and eat.
John Belleme has used his background as a research biologist in researching, writing and lecturing about food and health, and together the Bellemes have authored four other books on Japanese food and run a weeklong health cruise. John Belleme credits his Japanese-style diet to the reason why he has outlived his brother and father, who both died of heart attacks at a young age. “I think I’d have a lot more health issues if I didn’t eat this way,” he said. “I don’t think I’m going to die of a heart attack like the rest of my family.”
Recipe: Asian-style fish soup
6 cups kombu-shiitake or shiitake stock (see below)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
10 to 12 oz. fresh white fish fillet
2 cups sliced Chinese (napa) cabbage, with the leaves and stalks separated
2 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and drained
8 oz fresh tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (optional)
2 tablespoons shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice, or to taste (finely grate fresh ginger and squeeze to extract juice)
1 green onion (scallion), thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
Japanese seven-spice (shichimi togarashi) (optional)
1. In a soup pot bring the stock to a simmer. Add the salt and carrots and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Cut the fish into bite-size cubes and add to the soup along with the sliced Chinese cabbage stalks. Simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the sliced cabbage leaves and simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Add the spinach, tofu, if using, and shoyu. Simmer for 1 minute more.
5. Remove from the heat and add the ginger juice.
6. Serve hot, topped with a pinch of the slivered green onion. Set out the Japanese seven-spice on the table so people can sprinkle it on their soup if they like a little more pepper and heat.
Serves 4.
Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes.
Recipe: Kombu stock
One 6-inch piece dried kombu
6 cups water
1. Combine the kombu and water in a large saucepan and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Bring the stock just to a simmer over medium heat. Gently simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove kombu and reserve for another use.
3. If not using the stock immediately, store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.
Makes 6 cups.
Preparation time: 2 minutes.
Cooking time:
5 minutes, plus 15 to 20 minutes soaking time.
To prepare Kombu-shitake stock: Add 4 or 5 dried shiitake mushrooms along with the kombu in Step 1. In Step 2, after removing the kombu, simmer the stock and mushrooms over medium-low heat for about 15 more minutes. Remove the mushrooms and reserve for another use.
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