Ed: In Japan, miso factories are like microbreweries in America.

Travel with me, Ed Kenney; and chef Alan Wong as we search for the finest ingredients and dive deep into a bowl of his favorite childhood dish, miso soup.

There are so many reasons why I became a chef.

Every dish has a story.

Food brings people together and has the power to conjure up cherished memories.

I was born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands, one of the most diverse communities in the world.

In this show, we'’’ll meet a guest from Hawaii, learn about their favorite dish, trace it back to its origins, and have some fun along the way.

Announcer: Major funding for "Family Ingredients" was pr Ed: We look at Hawaii as we'’’re all connected, but really Hawaii is a collection of towns.

You know, you got Haleiwa town, Kaimuki town, Wahiawa town.

In each one of these towns, you'’’ve got a unique personality.

There'’’s huge personal pride.

Wahiawa is there primarily because of the plantation industry.

Royal Palm Drive is this big tree-lined boulevard.

The end of it is where the plantation manager lived.

The same time, because of Schofield, the military presence there, it'’’s incredibly diverse.

There was people from the mainland, there are people that have been there for generations.

Wahiawa is the stomping grounds of Alan Wong, who was born in Tokyo, Japan, where his Hawaiian-Chinese father married his Japanese mother.

They returned to Hawaii when Alan was just 5.

Passionate about the culinary arts, Alan was one of the founding members of Hawaii Regional Cuisine.

It'’’s a movement that blended ethnic flavors, local ingredients, and classic technique.

He soon became a highly respected chef, receiving numerous accolades, including the prestigious James Beard Award.

Throughout, his mom has been his inspiration.

Ed.

Chef.

"Family Ingredients" is about tracing our food memories.

I think 9 out 10 of people don'’’t realize that you were born in Japan.

I didn'’’t even know that.

What we like to do is have you think back to maybe one or two dishes that made an imprint on who you are.

You know, my mom'’’s a really good cook, and my mom'’’s from Japan, she cooks a lot of Japanese food still.

Uh, I could pick a lot of different kinds of dishes, but I think simply miso soup probably would be appropriate, because the ingredients, you'’’re talking about miso, tofu.

You know, these are the basic things.

That'’’s all we need, 5 or 6 ingredients.

We'’’re going to need 5 hours to tell this story.

Ha ha ha!

Ed, voice-over: Miso soup is a dish we'’’re all familiar with.

It'’’s a staple in Japanese cuisine, and each Japanese region has their own preference.

Miso soup is a rich dashi broth.

To that, they add a tablespoon or a big, heaping spoonful of miso paste.

In Japan, miso factories are like microbreweries in the United States.

I am looking forward to traveling to Japan and understanding why this simple dish is one of Alan'’’s favorite food memories.

You will always find tofu in my refrigerator at home, and I'’’m excited to be returning to Wahiawa to visit Honda Tofu.

Tofu is an integral ingredient in Alan'’’s mom'’’s miso soup.

Dennis and Dulcie Honda, they operate Honda Tofu.

Real small mom-and-pop operation.

The actual area where the tofu is manufactured or produced, it couldn'’’t be more than 700 square feet.

Dennis: This-- My little tofu shop here, uh, we started in 1917.

We are the oldest in production tofu company in the nation.

Instead of these compressors, we used to put bricks to press.

In fact, only recently we got rid of the bricks.

Ha ha!

Ed: So the texture is a result of how you mix it and the press?

Yeah.

Delicious.

Alan: Cannot beat fresh tofu, yeah?

Dennis, voice-over: So medium tofu, when my grandfather and my father started production of tofu.

It'’’s not a soft; it'’’s not a hard.

It'’’s just kind of in between.

Ed, voice-over: We had the opportunity to drink the soy milk that was coming right out of the machine that they in turn coagulate into tofu.

Awesome, huh?

Wow.

You'’’ll never buy the store stuff again.

This is--this is the real deal.

Ed, voice-over: And then the other side of the machine, a substance called okara comes out, and it'’’s just kind of like the soy pulp, and to me that seemed like an ingredient that we could use in the kitchens at our restaurant.

Japanese, what they do is they cut up vegetables and shrimp and kind of stir-fry it and use it as a condiment.

Right.

I'’’ve had it with asparagus sometimes and black goma.

It'’’s one of my favorite things my mom makes.

Alan: So your folks started in 1917?

Dennis: 1917.

And your grandfather was the one that used to sell tofu in the back of the-- Was it a truck?

In those days, they didn'’’t really have big markets, more like your milk was vending door to door, and he'’’d toot his horn, and people would come out to buy their tofu, or certain houses, they just had the little pot on the steps with the money inside, and he would just run up there, and I used to run out there, and get the pot and put the tofu in the pot, put it back on the step.

Today you get the ice cream man and the manapua man, so your--your dad was the tofu man.

Dulcie: He was the tofu man.

Actually, I-- I got involved because my father got into a car accident.

So I just came home to help, and, um, I don'’’t know what happened.

Ha ha ha!

Well, because-- We decided, "Oh, why don'’’t we give it a try?"

And here we are, 30 years later.

Ha ha ha!

Ed, voice-over: Alan'’’s mother did her best to give him and his sister a good life.

As a single parent, she was constantly working, but she would always have a pot of miso soup ready for her children.

She moved the family from Japan to Hawaii in hopes of giving them more opportunities.

Which one is you?

Wow.

Who'’’s everybody-- who'’’s everybody else?

Woman: That'’’s my family.

My father is a surgeon doctor.

And who'’’s that?

My oldest brother.

That looks like Junior.

Mmm.

Yeah, no.

Look at that.

Who'’’s that?

[Laughs] You!

You.

Really?

And my mother.

[Indistinct] Yeah [indistinct] That time, there was not too much doctors, so my father chose that.

Cute.

Who?

You.

Me?

Yeah.

What was that?

Cute.

Cute?

Yeah.

No.

[Grunts] [Indistinct] [Both laugh] Ed, voice-over: The journey continues as we follow Alan to his birthplace.

We jumped on a plane, and it took us around 8 1/2 hours to reach Haneda Airport.

We stayed in Shinjuku, which is a ward of Tokyo.

Shinjuku has small networks of alleyways filled with dozens of yummy eateries.

Shinjuku Station is one of the world'’’s busiest railway stations with tons of people converging on one place.

It is a place where centuries of tradition are fused with modern ideas.

An important ingredient in miso soup is negi, or green onion as we know it.

We traveled to Senju Negishige to learn more about negi from Ando-san, a wholesale distributor.

He and his son own two negi markets, one that sells green onion to food services and restaurants and this location that sells to grocery stores.

Our guide is cookbook author Nancy Hachisu, who is originally from America and has made her home in Japan.

[Speaking Japanese] Alan, voice-over: The skinnier ones, they go to the yakitori restaurants.

The thicker ones, they go to the restaurants that serve a nabe or a simmered dish.

You know, so by size, that'’’s what they use them for.

A certain size, they chop up really fine, and that'’’s what all the noodle guys or the ramen guys use as a topping to their--their dish.

Ed, voice-over: Ikuku-san, the matriarch of the family, actually busted out a little portable fryer and made us negi tempura, which was so sweet and succulent.

Mmm.

I think the base is a little sweeter.

There'’’s almost-- there'’’s, like, a collagen in it, yeah?

Ed, voice-over: They have a term called "neba neba," which is, uh, referring to that gooey texture that you find in the negi.

It'’’s also found in things like natto.

Another Japanese term that has been thrown around is "umami."

So umami and neba neba is--is combined into one.

You'’’ve got this neba neba oozy texture.

You'’’ve got the--the umami that comes from the negi and these little dried fish.

It was so satisfying.

Ha ha ha!

He wants to know if you want sake, too.

Sake, do you want some sake?

Ed, voice-over: And then, of course, we had to drink it with the traditional drink of sake.

Ed: Jeez Louise.

He has a very heavy hand.

[Indistinct] Oh, no!

What do I look like?

Nancy: You'’’re-- you'’’re tall so... Alan, voice-over: I mean, when you'’’re breaking bread and sharing sake at 9:00 in the morning, uh, we'’’re having fun.

Nancy: It goes well with the negi.

Alan: Now we got a new breakfast combination, sake and negi.

It'’’s past 12:00 noon in someplace in the world.

Ed, voice-over: We left Tokyo and traveled out to the countryside of Saitama to visit the home of our gracious hosts, Nancy and Tadaaki Hachisu.

It was beautiful to experience the two sides of Japan: the metropolis, and now the wide-open rural community.

Japanese cuisine is hyper-regional, and we'’’re really looking forward to learning more about how things are done here.

As much as we'’’re traveling and we'’’re eating and we'’’re meeting people, there'’’s still this thing every day.

We'’’re, like, looking at each other, "Come on, man, let us cook some food."

It was just great to be in the kitchen.

Saitama is actually, I think, at its closest point to the ocean about 1/2 hours away, so I didn'’’t expect the greatest fish selection, but we walked into this market, and there was fresh fish, live, fish that had come in in the morning.

We were fortunate enough the help and guidance of the fishmonger to try a sakura trout.

It looks like a small salmon.

It'’’s got orange flesh.

It only comes out this time of year.

Our hosts the Hachisus weren'’’t even really familiar with it, but it was highly recommended.

At Alan'’’s suggestion, fresh tako, and we did tako sashimi.

He gave me the job to clean that, rubbed it with coarse Hawaiian salt like we do, but then I had to peel it, and he owes me big time, because that took a long time, but it was some of the best sashimi I'’’ve ever had.

Dinner last night was really just about getting together, connecting, getting to know each other.

Nancy is just full of energy, ideas, always moving and grooving.

She'’’s got pots of pickles and fermented this and stuff, all sorts of projects going on.

In contrast, Tadaaki-san is one of those farmers that I'’’ve come to know and love.

Very controlled, focused, connected.

You need to fix your hair.

Ha ha ha!

Itadakimasu.

Itadakimasu.

Itadakimasu.

You got a nice lady on your arm.

That'’’s-- that'’’s my wife.

Oh, no!

[Laughter] My son says, "That is not mom."

It was 20 years ago.

[Laughter] Did you grow this rice?

Tadaaki: Yeah, I did.

You grow rice.

Did your-- your grandfather and your father grow rice, also?

Yeah, my father said, um, that we'’’re the farmers.

Growing rice is the-- the symbol of a farmer, and I cannot stop growing rice.

Alan, you were cooking in New York before, and then what brought you back to Hawaii?

Actually, my chef.

Uh-huh.

He--We had a conversation, and he asked me a question: where was my home going to be?

Mm-hmm.

And so I said Hawaii.

Never look back.

Never look back.

It'’’s the best thing I did.

Yeah.

Moving away from home... Mm-hmm.

Being on your own, being homesick.

Mm-hmm.

You know, missing your friends, your family, the food, the company.

Um, you know, you learn about yourself.

Absolutely, yeah.

And you learn how to overcome.

My mom was happy to have me come home.

She still today doesn'’’t believe that I'’’m still in this business, and still today I will always say she'’’s the better cook.

[Laughter] I want to become a farmer.

Tadaaki: You will be.

Someday.

You will be.

Someday.

What about the restaurant?

Well, that'’’s after.

Yeah?

Yeah.

My dream is to retire and--and farm-- farm an acre.

What about having a restaurant and a farm?

Well, I kind of do, but I'’’m not actually there farming.

You know, I work with everyone that'’’s farming, and I go out every week, but I want to get dirty.

That'’’s how a man is supposed to be.

Ed, voice-over: To entertain my dream of toiling the land, we were fortunate to visit two different farms in Saitama.

It'’’s important to know where our food comes from and to meet our farmers.

The first farmers we visited, the Suka family, are natural farmers.

No pesticides, no external inputs.

Alan, voice-over: The coolest thing about meeting Suka-san and his family was he was living proof that you are what you eat.

His complexion, his skin, was so nice.

Suka-san actually had-- What I--what I saw was a little sparkle in his eye.

I mean, it seemed like he was really enjoying life.

Ed, voice-over: I'’’ve heard of natural farming but had never really spoken with someone in depth about it.

It'’’s a science, but it'’’s a philosophy, and it'’’s almost a religion.

Alan, voice-over: Suka-san was told by his doctors that he wasn'’’t going to live long, and that'’’s when he turned to eating better food, organic product, and he went to farming.

[Man speaking Japanese] It starts with the soil.

They talk about the soil a lot.

You know, you take care of the soil, then the plants come, and so back at the farm at that level, happy farmers make happy food, we get it, and it all has an energy or a spirit.

Everything is living, including what you put into it.

When you look at them, you hope that when you reach that age, you'’’re going to look as good as that.

Ha ha ha!

Because we'’’re all going to get there.

Ed, voice-over: The second stop on our farm detour is the beautiful Frostpia.

Alan, voice-over: Talk about a--a self-sustaining farm.

Ed, voice-over: Kaneko-san and his wife weren'’’t able to have children, so they'’’ve opened up their home to interns that want to learn this style of organic farming, and they'’’ve had interns from 40 different nations across the globe.

[Speaks Japanese] [Speaks Japanese] Ed, voice-over: The method to me was much more familiar than the natural farming techniques that we had seen before.

There was livestock mixed in with vegetable and fruit farming.

The cattle, he would use these cows for weed control.

Nancy: She'’’s got a name.

Whoa.

I don'’’t like big animals.

Ha ha ha!

The ducks and the chicken manure were used as fertilizer for to grow the vegetables, as well as this kind of interesting setup he had that generated methane or propane gas that he would use to fire burners.

He also was really proud to show us his tractor that was run on biodiesel that he made on site out of old tempura cooking oil from restaurants that used his vegetables, so he really looked at this holistic, cyclical approach.

[Engine starts] Smells like food.

Ed, voice-over: Probably the most beautiful moment on the farm for me was when I asked about shiitake, because there was a drying shed that had shiitake out curing, and he goes, "Ah, come, come, come," and we went under this tree.

He had all these little stumps.

Wow!

Ed, voice-over: And they were all blooming with big, juicy, giant shiitake mushrooms.

Every mushroom farm I'’’ve ever seen has been in a warehouse in a sterile environment.

This is the way I feel shiitakes would grow in the wild.

I was really impressed with all the knowledge he had.

It'’’s another form of sustainability, doing something that can be repeated over and over and over again.

Obviously, he feels a responsibility for someone passing on what he has learned and gained and basically to leave this place a better place than when he first came into it.

You know, that'’’s our responsibility today.

Ed, voice-over: A simple bowl of miso soup around the Hachisu family table last night was one of the highlights of the trip so far.

Today we'’’re headed to Yamaki Jozo, the factory that produces premium organic shoyu, miso, and tofu.

The tofu factory, it'’’s 110 years old.

They were 80 kilometers away.

They moved to this site because the water was fresher.

It looks like a giant industrialized factory to me with photovoltaic cells on the roof and everything, but what I got from them is that they are a very regional specialized company.

Even when they'’’ve got this really high-tech, kind of new facade, they'’’re using these old 110-year-old shoyu tanks.

Where does the wheat come from?

We also use all domestic.

This is a very rare case.

Most of the producers use imported soybean and also wheat mainly from the United States.

We continue to use domestic.

Ed, voice-over: It'’’s really about serving their community, so in may ways, Honda and this factory are the same.

There'’’s a larger market for the people here, and they'’’re serving more people.

You know, soy sauce is not just soy sauce.

You know, you taste so many.

In each town, you'’’re going to have your own soy sauce, and tofu is not just tofu.

You got all kinds of textures, from silken to firm.

They all have their uses.

The texture, the flavor, it is intended for a certain dish.

Like the silken tofu, he said summertime, warm, just soy sauce, a little ginger, and he kept on saying it would be great with beer and sake.

You know, the more firm ones, they go into soup, or they go into shabu shabu or something like that.

There was a purpose in why they did certain things, and, of course, when you'’’re eating it every day, maybe, hey, you'’’re tired of this flavor, you make something else, you know?

You get creative.

And this is good for the young ladies.

[Laughter] I don'’’t want any.

You--you want it.

Ed, voice-over: On our final day in Saitama, we spent it with the Hachisus and their friends.

Tadaaki shared with us stories about his family and growing up in Japan.

This is an old album.

Alan: You know what'’’s funny?

My mom'’’s photo book looks exactly the same.

Tadaaki: Oh, really?

With all of these little things here, the same color.

Uh-huh.

Ha ha ha!

This girl looks like the girl yesterday in the farm.

Yeah.

Cute with the rosy cheeks.

My mom was raised in Nemuro, Hokkaido.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

And so she took us to this onsen.

This onsen was where her dad took her when she was a little girl, and so we also visited the grave--gravesite in a--in a very, very tiny fishing village.

How old is she?

My mom is 83 this year.

Alan, voice-over: It was a moment for me.

It was not only a flashback, but kind of emotional to think that, hey, I mean, here is where I was born.

I could still be here in Japan.

I could be a--a chicken farmer.

[Laughs] You know, more important, though, it made me reflect on my mom'’’s life.

You know, I only heard stories of how she was raised.

How many children get to really know their parents?

How many kids really get to know what their parents did as kids?

I say not many.

I love seeing the pictures of you with this house, because it'’’s-- the house is the same, but you have changed.

Ha ha ha!

Alan: This is right outside here.

Yeah, exactly.

Ed, voice-over: So this was our incredible adventure, tracing the origins of favorite family recipes, finding the ingredients that connect us to the old memories and new friends, and in the process, finding our way back home.

What started out as a quest to trace the origins of simple dishes that Alan'’’s mom made when he was a child has proven to be so much more.

From a bowl of noodles to Michelin-starred sushi to simple home-cooked meals, it'’’s not just about the food on the plate, but the connections to where the food comes from and to those we share it with.

I return home full.

[Speaks Japanese] I have a Japanese mama.

[Laughter] [Indistinct] best.

Oh, good.

I'’’m glad you enjoy it.

This one, too, good.