Recipes by Type

Hiyashi Somen (Japanese Chilled Somen Noodles) for Tanabata

Hiyashi somen—thin, delicate wheat noodles served chilled with tsuyu, a dipping sauce—is one of the most popular meals during the hot and humid summers in Japan. It’s also one of the foods enjoyed on Tanabata, one of my favorite Japanese holidays.

Avocado honey ice cream makes a perfect summer treat, especially because it doesn’t require turning on the oven or using the stove, and only takes a few minutes to whip together.

Buckwheat crêpes filled with aged cheddar cheese and creamy slices of ripe avocado make for easy comfort food that can be enjoyed any time of day. I’ve got a weakness for crêpes.

Creamy sweet cold avocado pops make a fantastic treat on days when temperatures have you wishing for an ice bath to cool you off. You only need 4 ingredients and less than 5 minutes to them whip up before they go into the freezer to set. Easy, right?

A few days ago I made some strawberry shortcake with mascarpone cream to celebrate National Strawberry Shortcake Day. National Strawberry Shortcake Day is actually today (June 14th), but we just arrived in Japan yesterday, and so I thought we’d do our celebrating early while I still had access to my kitchen!

With the warmer months upon us, and the kids out of school for the summer, we’ve been craving meals cooked on the grill. I love evenings when Mr. Fuji cooks up a feast on our grill, while the girls play happily in the backyard. Grilled vegetables, in a rainbow of colors, with juicy grilled chicken […]

Yakisoba, pan-fried noodles tossed with vegetables, thinly sliced pork, and a sweet and savory sauce, is one of my favorite things to buy from the food vendors at a Japanese matsuri (festival).

Confetti cake baked doughnuts topped with a light vanilla glaze are a fun twist on confetti cake—the fluffy white or yellow cake studded with flecks of color that is a popular choice for a child’s birthday cake.

Ginger honey okayu (okay = Japanese rice porridge) is another one of my favorite home remedies when I’m feeling under the weather, in addition to another one of my favorite ways to pair up ginger and honey (remember my Honey Ginger Lemon Tea from last week?)! Okayu (or kayu) is a simple Japanese porridge made […]

Honey ginger lemon tea is one of my favorite home remedies when I’m starting to feel under the weather, or one my kids starts to sound a bit sniffly. It tastes delicious and does wonders for body and soul. The honey and ginger help soothe a scratchy throat, and the ginger and lemon help clear […]

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