Blog/Stewed Mist] Awamori Old Sake and Goat Stew at "Sakae" in Okinawa!

Goat Cuisine Sakae

Just after entering Ryugu Street from Kokusai Street in the heart of Naha, you'll find two long-established restaurants, "Kozakura" and "Sakae," both with a strong aura, standing side by side, silently watching over the tourist-filled "Yataimura" (food stall village) opposite. The presence of these big names is irresistible.

Okinawan goat dishes

Goat dishes are one of Okinawa's unique food cultures and have been loved by locals for a long time. They are served at celebrations and events praying for health and longevity, and are said to be good for medicinal purposes and for strengthening the body. Sakae is the head chef of this goat dish.

menu

Once you open the back door, which is difficult to open unless you know the place, you'll find the counter seats for solo drinkers and the tatami seating for groups nicely filled up, creating a lively atmosphere. The menu is primarily goat dishes, with some dishes available depending on the goat that day.

Famous proprietress

The second-generation proprietress is incredibly funny. When I said, "Mom, can I have some goat sashimi please?" she replied, "I'm not your mother. I don't remember giving birth to you."
So if I call her "big sister" I wonder if she'll reply "I don't have a younger brother" or something like that...
"Yes, goat sashimi." He readily accepted.

Goat sashimi

"We caught some nice goats today."
Placed on the counter was a huge pile of goat meat that was about to be cut!

The beautiful chunks of red meat were cut into individual portions. It was delicious and had no strong flavor. The garlic added as a condiment helped to fill my mouth in no time.

Awamori "Yamahara Kuina"

I'll drink Yanbarukuna Awamori diluted with water.

goat soup

And the one I was most interested in was the goat soup (commonly known as Hiija soup). It contained goat meat on the bone, along with an all-star lineup of offal, including stomach, intestines, liver, and heart. The soup was light and bold, and the liver gave off a strong aroma that made its presence known, but the rest of the ingredients were thoroughly simmered for hours, making them soft and with little odor.

Aged sake

Enjoy Zuisen's aged sake in a traditional Okinawan sake cup called "Karakara." The smooth aged sake is sipped on the rocks, carefully savoring the taste.

[Awamori] Zuisen Aged Awamori, 43% ABV, 1.8L Bottle, 1800ml, Zuisen Shuzo Price: 2,900 yen (tax included, shipping not included) (As of February 9, 2024)

Goat stew

Finally, the hostess served us a plate of the goat soup stewed in salt and soy sauce. This was the perfect hospitality for a stewed mist!

souvenir

At the very end of the meal, the hostess fried a mountain of her special sata andagi for the counter customers as a dessert. After carefully considering how well it would go with the aged sake, I decided to take some home for breakfast the next day.

That was a delicious meal (said after meals)

I was also interested in the "Goat Soki" and "Goat Tamachan," but I'll save those for another time. The hostess had a punch and the goat dishes were punchy. I was pleasantly knocked out by the combination punch. Thank you for the meal!

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"Goat Cuisine Sakae" Information

Business hours: 17:00-23:00
Closed: Sunday
Address: 3-12-20 Makishi, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, 900-0013