A little unknown fact about me is that I love sumo! It is one of the few sports I’ll watch. When I lived in Japan, you couldn’t tear me away from the television whenever sumo was on. I even went to a live Sumo tournament in Tokyo with my then father-in-law and it was sublime!Read On >
All Recipes
Trefoil and Shimeji Mushroom Pasta
We are having another heat wave in the Bay area, so spending as little time as possible in the kitchen is my modus operandi at the moment. I have been hankering for mushrooms a lot these past few weeks. This is a yummy and quick pasta dish that incorporates East-West elements. Although I use shimejiRead On >
The Art of Ramen: Basic Chicken Stock For Ramen
This is a simple yet delicious stock base to make for any of your Ramen recipes. If you want to try other bases for the stock you can use cracked pork bones (for a richer stock) and even shelled short-necked clams. You can also quickly sauté the clams in sesame oil for a lighter stockRead On >
The Art of Ramen: Salt Flavoring for Ramen Soup
This recipe uses another traditional ramen ingredient, namely menma (Manchurian wild rice stems), which I love. Along with fishcake (naruto), spinach, lard, and green onion or Japanese leek, the garnishes add a nice touch to the salt flavoring. This is part of the “Art of Ramen” series. The basic chicken stock for ramen that’s usedRead On >
The Art of Ramen: Soy Sauce Flavoring for Ramen Soup
This is a traditional, yummy and simple Soy Sauce flavoring for Ramen noodles. Directions: Mash the garlic, ginger and leek together. Mix together the mirin, soy sauce and sake. Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan and let cook slowly, over low heat, for five minutes. Combine the soy sauce flavoring with hot stock. Place garnishes on top of the cooked noodles in the soy sauce flavored soup.
The Art of Ramen: Sapporo-Style Spicy Miso Flavoring for Ramen Soup
Directions: Mash the onion and garlic together. Melt the lard in a frying pan and add the raiyu. Put in the onion/garlic mixture and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the misos, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add to the frying pan and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Set aside to cool. If refrigerated, it will keep for a few days.
The Art of Ramen: Barbecued Pork (Chashu) For Ramen
Barbecued Pork (Chashu) is just one of the many traditional garnishes used for Ramen. It is surprisingly easy to make and has a very seductive taste and smells divine! When I make this, there are never any left-overs! Chashu’s origins come from the Chinese Cantonese barbecue pork dish called Char siu. This is part ofRead On >
The Art of Ramen: “Tampopo,” Ramen history and more
In Juzo Itami’s definitive movie on ramen, “Tampopo,” a woman fights for her economic survival by learning the art of ramen (Chinese noodles in soup) making. Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture, the local economy survives due to the largest concentration of ramen shops in Japan. Why? Ramen is a successful Chinese import, made from wheat flour, eggs,Read On >
Duck Delight
THIS DISH IS SIMPLE, elegant, and absolutely delicious. In my house, whenever I’m in doubt as to what to serve guests, I make this. The Eastern ingredients are of course, the ever-versatile soy sauce, which can be used to highlight many different types of sauces. I also use perilla leaves (shiso) as a refreshing garnish.Read On >
Sukiyaki: Beefing Up the Veggies
NOBODY REALLY SEEMS TO KNOW the origins of sukiyaki. One theory is that in the old days farmers slipped a little flesh into the vegetarian diet imposed by Buddhist strictures by grilling (yaki) meat on a plowshare (suki). In 1873, Emperor Meiji declared that beef was acceptable for consumption, and from that time on itRead On >