By Azusa | Published:
June 2, 2011
This is a classic Japanese recipe. It’s one of those sides you see tucked into a corner of a bento. Easily overlooked, but one of my favorites. You could also use black sesame, which also is delicious and looks more dramatic. I used a Japanese mortar and pestle to grind the sesame, but I’ve seen [...]
By Azusa | Published:
May 27, 2011
Have you eaten a cooked radish? Lately, the recipes I’ve come across all seem to use them in raw form. I love the crunch of a raw radish in a salad or tea sandwich, but there’s something more exciting about a radish that’s been slow simmered. Cooking it brings out a mellow sweetness with a [...]
By Azusa | Published:
February 13, 2011
The texture of gobo (burdock root) is like no other because of its fibrousness. When stir fried, it has an interesting crunch and when simmering in a stew, it becomes soft, but always retains its unique woodsiness. Deep frying it, however, is another matter. The edges of the fritter become light and crisp while the [...]
By Azusa | Published:
January 13, 2011
I’ve decided to be a pescatarian for a month, just to see if it will make me feel any different. I’m not a huge meat eater, but I consume it out of habit, without thinking. This month, I want to be deliberate about what I put into my body and part of this is making [...]
Also posted in Recipes, Vegetables | Tagged aburaage, carrots, chikuwa, dashi, green beans, hijiki, japanese, lotus root, shiitake, stew |
By Azusa | Published:
January 5, 2011
Savory rice with mushrooms and just a hint of ginger. My mom made this when we visited over the holidays and it reminded me how much I love this dish. There are 3 types of mushrooms used here: shimeji, shiitake, and eringi. First, the mushrooms are cooked in dashi and strained. Then, you take this [...]
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 Favorites, Meat, Rice Dishes | Tagged beef, donburi, enoki, konnyaku, leeks, napa cabbage, rice bowl, shungiku, tofu |
By Azusa | Published:
January 20, 2010
This curry stands out for its variety of textures and flavors: the firm and sweet kabocha, the tangy and squishy tomatoes, the velvety eggplant, the amazingly crunchy renkon… every bite, coated in a robust curry, is different and interesting.
But before I get into that, I have to mention I’ve fallen into a slump. I was [...]
By Azusa | Published:
November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving! I never had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner growing up, so I can’t offer a tried-and-true turkey or stuffing recipe. The closest thing I have to offer is a classic Japanese pumpkin dish.
My grandmother is big on kabocha, saying it prevents cancer. She’s from Hiroshima, which means she calls kabocha “nankin” and says [...]
By Azusa | Published:
November 11, 2009
We sunk our teeth into a juicy piece of stewed daikon and savored the sweetness of the slow-cooked daikon, the rich saltiness of the miso, and the zesty citrus.
The preparation is a little obsessive, but I guess you learn to expect that with Japanese cooking. After peeling the skin of the daikon and cutting it [...]
Also posted in Vegetables | Tagged daikon, miso, radish, stew, yuzu |
