Let’s face it, tofu can be bland, but also quite versatile in any number of Japanese dishes. That’s why I am always looking for innovative ways to make it more tasty and interesting. Used as a foundation for a recipe, it can take on very assertive flavors. Kaminari Dofu (aka Thunder Tofu) is no exception.Read On >
Uosuki: Fish Sukiyaki
Ask anyone about sukiyaki, and most will nod knowledgeably and say, “Ah, yes, a famous Japanese dish.” Mention Uosuki, though, and even most Japanese will react with a blank look. Uosuki is a form of fish sukiyaki, a famous regional dish from the Osaka area that originated on fishing boats in the Inland Sea. FreshRead On >
Kettl Tea of Brooklyn, New York
Readers are always sharing new “Japanese finds” with me either when I am traveling or at home in the Bay area. This blog post about Kettl Tea is as a result of my niece, Corina Seligman. (Have you read her guest post on sake btw?) She knows of my passionate love of all things MatchaRead On >
Falling for the Subtle Taste of Chestnut Rice (Kurigohan)
Making rice the proper way is an art in Japan, one that often takes many years to perfect. The importance of this is reflected by the overwhelming number of Japanese meals that end with a bowl of pearlescent, impeccably cooked short-grain white rice, pickles, and miso soup. Rice’s versatility doesn’t stop there, of course. OneRead On >
Japan: 25 Years Later
I recently returned to Japan for a long-planned for visit after a 25 year absence. Really?! It just never felt like it had been that long, probably because a part of my heart has always resided in Japan—ever since I first visited its shores when I was 15 years old. But this trip was aRead On >
Nanbanzuke: Marinated Fried Fish from Nagasaki
Portuguese and Spanish missionaries started trickling into Japan to spread the teachings of Christianity near the end of the Muromachi era (1392-1567), and their first foothold in Japan was Nagasaki. The Japanese took to referring to all Europeans as Nanbanjin or “Southern barbarians,” and gradually the term “nanban” came to mean anything related to EuropeanRead On >
Real Eel: An Electrifying Dish from Nagoya
Once tasted, the delicate flavor of eel (unagi), prepared according to the special ways of Japanese cuisine, will linger in your memory forever. Since the Edo period (1603-1867), eel has traditionally been eaten in the height of midsummer on the Day of the Ox (July 23); popular custom has it that anyone who eats eelRead On >
Miso: More than just a Seasoning
Miso (fermented soybean paste) is not only considered a condiment, spice, and seasoning in Japan but a way of life as well. I can think of no equivalent food in Western cuisine that has had such a powerful impact on culinary culture, not to mention societal relations. Miso is believed to have been created inRead On >
Yakitori: Skewered, Grilled, and Garnished (Part 2)
Walk out of almost any train station in Japan in the evening, look for a restaurant with an akachochin (red lantern) outside, and inside you’ll find groups of salaried workers talking, drinking, and consuming countless skewers of yakitori, this country’s version of shish kebab. There is something very seductive about the smell of meat grillingRead On >
Tofu: Skewered, Grilled, and Garnished (Part 1)
A move to Aichi Prefecture when I lived in Japan prompted a visit to Kikuso, one of the area’s most famous regional-food restaurants. Kikuso’s specialty is dengaku nameshi, a savory combination that has been served since the place opened sometime around 1820. Dengaku is a seductively simple, even primitive, dish, made of small squares ofRead On >