Japanese Meal
Japanese cuisine — notable for its simplicity of flavors — still does. “Our food is understated, simple. Our idea of sophisticated is beautiful-looking food with fresh, clean flavor,” And lots …
Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise
If you have never heard of Kewpie mayonnaise, it is the brand name for Japanese mayonnaise by Ajinomoto. As you might imagine, there is a cute drawing of a Kewpie …
Sweet Mochi Topping
Please watch the video for the instructions. Ingredients:Mochiko 1/2C (glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour)Sugar 1/4C sugarWater 1/3CCornstarch
Natto and How To Eat It
Natto is a fermented soybean, and it is traditional and staple of Japanese food. Compared to tempeh which is another fermented soybean originated in Indonesia, Natto is wet and slimy, …
Wagashi
Wagashi is a traditional Japanese confectionery typically made from seasonal plant ingredients such as azuki bean, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Since wagashi has strong tied with seasons, the menu changes …
Hippari Udon
Hippari Udon which means, pulled udon, is a regional specialty from Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku Japan. Nobody knows where the name actually came from, but some people think it came …
Tonkatsu sauce
Tonkatsu sauce is Japanese sauce that used for tonkatsu which is Japanese style fried breaded pork cutlets and for other fried foods mainly. The taste is somewhere between Worcestershire sauce …
Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu is a deep fried breaded pork, and is a Japanese invention obviously with strong influence of European cuisine. Now you are wondering what the different between tonkatsu and pork …
Daikon Takikomi Gohan
Takikomi gohan, or aji gohan as it is sometimes known, is seasoned steamed rice with a few other ingredients added for flavor. The added ingredients are typically various vegetables, but …
Fried Tuna with Sweet Soy Sauce
When I was in Japan this summer, I bought an “ekiben” for my 2 hours train trip. Ekiben is a shortened word for eki bento, which means train station (eki) …
Japanese Fried or Baked Chicken
Kara-age is a Japanese cooking method that is used typically for chicken or fish. The chicken or fish is marinated in a soy sauce based marinade with ginger and garlic, …
Japanese Potato Salad
There are so many varieties of potato salad in the world. Every country and often every home has its own unique recipe, and it’s all good. Japan is not …
Tamagoyaki
Tamagoyaki means grilled egg in translation, and is a type of Japanese omelette. There are different types of tamagoyaki depending on the additional ingredients for different purposes or occasions, and …
Japanese Candied Chestnuts
When chestnut season comes around Thanksgiving, I make my first kuri-no-shibukawani (candied chestnuts) for the season, and I make the second one for a traditional Japanese New Year’s day meal. …
Hijiki
Hijiki is a wild sea vegetable that is an important ingredient for Japanese cuisine. It is a good source of fiber, calcium, and iron. The main cultivation season is from …
Otoshi buta
Otoshi buta is a Japanese “drop lid” typically made from wood, although nowadays silicon, plastic, and other materials are also used. “Drop lid” means it is small enough so that …
Trader Joe’s Japanese fried Rice
Trader Joe’s sells Japanese Fried Rice in the frozen section. Normally I am a bit skeptical about any American-made Japanese products, but I was surprised by this one. Not just …
Roasted Soy Beans
Today is Setsubun (the literal meaning is seasonal division) which is the day before the beginning of Spring under the Japanese lunar calendar. It is the day to chase away …
Yaki Onigiri
Onigiri means rice ball, and yaki onigiri means grilled rice ball. All onigiri are very tasty and are considered a comfort food by most Japanese people. And, yaki onigiri are …
Soy Marinated Horseradish
The first time I ate fresh horseradish was in the spring of the year I started living in Hokkaido, northernmost prefecture because it only grows in cold climates. My cousin …
Doyo no Ushino Hi – Unagi Day –
Today is a Eel Day in Japan. It is the day you eat unagi to boost your endurance to get through a very hot summer since people believe unagi is a …
Zakkoku Mai 2
I have introduced zakkoku mai a while ago in this blog so please check the post if you don’t know what it is. Basically zakkoku means all the grain except …
Soy Marinated Egg Yolk
Here is a recipe for the simplest and the tastiest way of preparing egg yolks. Just put it in a small container, pour some soy sauce and let it marinate …
Zakkoku Mai
Zakkoku means whole grains, and mai means rice in Japanese. In Japan, people really love to eat white rice, and it is a very important part of our cuisine. But …