Japanese

How To Make Dashi (Basic Japanese Sea Stock)–No instant dashi granules included.

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Ichiban Dashi (First Sea Stock) Makes 4 cups 4 cups water 16 — 20 square inches of kombu* 1/2 cup loosely packed katsuobushi 1. Place the water and the kombu in a pot and let the kombu soak for about 15 minutes.  Place the pot over medium heat.  Right before the water starts to boil […]

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Zakkoku Mai Onigiri—Japanese Mixed Grain Rice Balls

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Inevitably when I make a pot of rice to go along with dinner we don’t eat it all.  More often than not, the rice that is left over isn’t enough to accompany another meal.  So what to do with that little bit of leftover rice?  This conundrum presented itself the other day after we had […]

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Zakkoku Mai—Japanese Rice With Mixed Grains

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A favorite discovery of mine while living in Japan was zakkoku mai—Japanese rice mixed with seeds and grains. Zakkoku mai is a great addition to a meal in place of regular rice. Not only is it nutritious, adding nutrients and fiber to the rice, but it’s delicious. It has a wonderful subtle nutty flavor and […]

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Shoyu Tamago–Japanese Soy Sauce Eggs

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Today you get double the love from me!  Head on over to Rasa Malaysia to read my guest post about one of Squirrel’s favorite foods—shoyu tamago (Japanese soy sauce eggs).

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Kurigohan–Japanese Chestnut Rice

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Update 12/8/09: I'm excited to be a featured blogger on Oprah.com for Oprah.com's Holiday 2009 blow-out ~ come see our favorite holiday recipes! Japanese home cooking is all about cooking with what's in season.  Chestnuts are widely used in Japan when in season in a variety of ways.  They even show up in a Japanese […]

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Chef Hiro Sone’s Niku-Jaga

Memory is a powerful tool, especially when it comes to food.  I recently got a cookbook called Cooking from the Heart, a book put together by the organization Share Our Strength.  The book features recipes from one hundred of the country's well-known chefs.  The book is wonderful. Usually I love cookbooks with lots of pictures–I […]

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SUPER TOP SECRET GYOZA RECIPE

Today I’m over on Steamy Kitchen sharing my SUPER TOP SECRET recipe for gyoza. Click on over to get my recipe!

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Quick and Easy One Hour Tofu

Quick and Easy One Hour Tofu -4 cups soy milk -Coagulant–choose one of the following: 1) 1 tsp. liquid nigari or 2) 1 1/4 tsp. granular or powdered nigari or 3) 1 tsp. Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) or 4) 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (freshly squeezed) or 5) 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 1. Measure coagulant […]

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How to make tofu—no fancy equipment required.

In the U.S., tofu tends to be viewed as a health food. Living in Japan really changed my views on tofu, as it is a staple food item there. When you go into a supermarket in Japan, there’s an entire tofu section (like the cheese section in our American supermarkets), filled with different varieties and […]

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Julia Child Goes to Japan: Tomates à la Japonaise

Tomates à la Japonaise (Tomatoes Stuffed with Panko, Herbs, and Garlic) Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child 6 servings 6 firm, ripe, red medium tomatoes Salt and Pepper 3 cloves minced garlic 3 Tbsp. minced green onions 1 Tbsp. minced fresh shiso leaf (or you can use all basil instead) […]

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