By Azusa | Published:
November 17, 2011
I can’t say enough good things about this oshiruko. Oshiruko is a sweet porridge traditionally made with azuki beans and a few pieces of shiratama (dumplings made of shiratamako—glutinous rice flour). This recipe uses kabocha instead, blending it with creamy coconut milk and condensed milk to allow the natural, earthy sweetness of the kabocha to [...]
By Azusa | Published:
October 13, 2011
I had the most unexpected epiphany while eating the Arturo pizza at Folliero’s in Highland Park, CA. I love this pizza. It’s mozzarella, eggplant, and garlic—that’s it. No sauce. Imagine crunchy, chewy dough with ribbons of roasted sweet eggplant, salty melted mozzarella, and an occasional bite of garlic. I love it so much, it’s pretty [...]
Also posted in Contemporary Recipes | Tagged bake, dough, eggplant, italian, mozzarella, nasu, nori, pizza, ricotta, roast, seaweed |
By Azusa | Published:
September 21, 2011
We moved to a new house over the summer. My mom visited, carefully carrying 2 small green Japanese shiso plants with her on the plane. She planted them in our yard and they’ve thrived all summer, exploding with leaves—almost to the point where I can barely keep up. My mom suggested making preserved shiso or [...]
By Azusa | Published:
February 25, 2010
As a kid I called it “suki yucky” because I was tickled by the oxymoron (suki means like or love in Japanese). Sukiyaki was a treat growing up. My mom would plop the portable electric stove on the dining table and the meat, vegetables, and tofu would bubble as we filled our bowls, then dipped [...]
Also posted in Meat, Rice Dishes, Traditional Recipes | Tagged beef, donburi, enoki, konnyaku, leeks, napa cabbage, rice bowl, shungiku, tofu |
By Azusa | Published:
October 27, 2009
This is what they mean when they say umami.
I say this surprisingly because the recipe was relatively simple. Slices of pork loin (I used kurobuta from the Japanese market) goes in a quick 5 minute marinade, gets a coat of katakuriko (potato starch), then pan fried and cooked in a shoyu, mirin, and sugar. [...]
By Azusa | Published:
October 14, 2009
If you don’t have nimble fingers, no matter. This gyoza is simple to assemble—the most low-maintenance version I’ve seen. The gyoza skin is filled, folded in half, and the top section is pinched at one point. No laborious crimping, no fear of air pockets, no mending needed when the filling pokes out.
The filling is made [...]
By Azusa | Published:
June 23, 2009
I’ve never made an exceptional fried rice. Maybe my ratios are off. Maybe it always tastes better when someone else makes it. My dad once made fried rice with kabocha and it was delicious. When I tried making it, it was very mediocre.
But this recipe isn’t about kabocha, but about two of my favorite things: [...]
By Azusa | Published:
May 5, 2009
I made this by accident. For Sa’s lunch I packed musubi and had leftover tuna that was sautéed in shoyu, sake, and sugar. On the counter was a very ripe avocado and suddenly I had the fixings for what I now call tuna avocado donburi. If you’re having a hard time imagining what this tastes [...]
