By Azusa | Published:
September 30, 2009
Fall has been slow to arrive in Los Angeles, but that didn’t stop me from making this milky miso soup. The salty miso, sweet kabocha, and creamy broth were nothing but a recipe for comfort. I liked it so much I might switch to making milk misoshiru in the fall and winter months, and back to the traditional misoshiru for the spring and summer. Like most dishes of this nature, day 2 was even better.
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By Azusa | Published:
September 27, 2009
It so happens that a teeny tiny onigiri/omusubi shop In New York validated some of my long-held views.
Oms/B has a beautiful selection of omusubi. This isn’t your run-of-the mill umeboshi or okaka. The selection is vast and imaginative. Take a look at their menu—it’s not easy to settle on just three. For a quick, on-the-go lunch, Oms/B was quite good and the line was perpetually long. I was impressed.
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By Azusa | Published:
September 22, 2009
Tamagoyaki makes me nostalgic. For picnics, instead of potato salad and barbecue chicken, my mom would make musubi and pack tamagoyaki and takuan pickles, each in separate aluminum foil packages. We’d eat without utensils and lick the takuan juices before they dribbled down our hands. We’d nibble at the rice that would stick to our fingers.
Tamagoyaki (or tamago) is also my sushi finisher. My strategy for ordering sushi is similar to reading a good novel: I start with the foundation (like maguro) and work my way towards the climactic peak (ikura, my favorite). Then I always, always end with tamago (no rice, just the tamago). It’s sweet and cold, so in my mind it’s the sushi equivalent for dessert.
They say you can judge a good sushi restaurant by how good their tamago is. Why? Because tamago can be second tier to fish and easily overlooked. But if your chef makes it right, you can assess the level of attention that’s going into the rest of the food.
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By Azusa | Published:
August 27, 2009
If you’re watching your weight, don’t bother. Mimicking an alfredo sauce, the robust flavor in this recipe comes from bacon (Mmm, bacon…) and the richness of shiitake. There’s no butter or parmesan cheese, but I assure you the taste (or fat content) isn’t compromised. The concentrated flavor of dried shiitake holds up well with the bacon and, since I always have some in my pantry, it’s an easy go-to recipe.
The meal comes together super quick, so pair it with a simple salad and it’s perfect for a weeknight. I used linguine, but the original recipe calls for fettucine.
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By Azusa | Published:
August 13, 2009
The first words to come out of my mouth when I finished my meal at Soba-Ya was, “I want to come back here.”
On our trip to New York, we came armed with a 7-paged list of restaurant and things to do, mostly suggestions from friends and research we’d done ourselves. Soba-Ya wasn’t at the top of my list, but after a recommendation from John’s brother (and NY local) as a well-frequented restaurant, we decided to head there for dinner.
There’s something very basic about soba because there are really just two things that make the dish: the dashi and the noodles. Sure, you can have kitsune, tanuki, or tempura soba, but that stuff they pile on is just ornament. If the foundation isn’t good, then it’s not good soba, no matter how you try to disguise it.
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By Azusa | Published:
July 16, 2009
Obon in America is a curious thing. To me, they’re more like natsu matsuri—a summer festival—than a traditional obon. I wonder how obon in America evolved (and continues to evolve) over the years…
In Japan, obon is observed from July 13–15, a time when families come together and welcome home the spirits of their ancestors. I remember we would visit the family grave to wash and scrub our family headstone, light incense, place a bouquet of flowers, and say a prayer. We would then go home and light a small fire in front of the house, to guide the spirits home.
Our second obon of the year was at Nishi Hongwanji on First Street. I got 6 tomatoes for $1.00 at the farmer’s market booth (!) and we took advantage of the variety of food —chirashi zushi, charsiu bao, chili rice (with a hot dog), and a bag of Okinawa dango.
A word about this dango…
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By Azusa | Published:
July 15, 2009
Fellow eggplant lovers, hope you give this a try. This recipe is similar to an amazing miso eggplant dish my mom makes, but differs in many respects. Hers is boldly salty and sweet, rich, and hearty. This one is mild, delicate, and delicious. I used shiro miso (which is sweeter than red miso), so the saltiness was not at the fore. In fact, I thought it could’ve used more salt, but decided it was healthier to leave it alone. Sodium levels in miso vary, so taste and adjust accordingly.
I pulled this recipe from a Japanese cookbook by Kentarō, who I kind of see as a Japanese Jamie Oliver. He’s young, hip and uses contemporary ingredients and methods for his dishes. This particular book has a lot of Chinese, Korean, and Italian influence and is printed on nice uncoated stock. (The designer in me loves uncoated stock for luscious food photography. I know it shouldn’t matter, but one thing I detest in a cookbook are glossy pages. Eww!) Ahem… sorry. What I meant to say is happy cooking!
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By Azusa | Published:
July 7, 2009
If you’ve ever had matcha the traditional way, you’re familiar with its bitterness. Made by stirring vigorously with a bamboo whisk, the frothy drink compliments the sugary sweets usually served with it. The matcha latte we made over the weekend is a simple recipe from a book we bought a couple of years ago in Japan called New Tastes in Green Tea. It has information about tea varieties, how to prepare tea, and it serves as a basic guide.
The recipes in the book incorporate green tea in a variety of ways like in gnocchi, salad dressing, a seafood and mushroom gratin, scones, and more. Among them was this matcha latte recipe—a more mellow version than straight up matcha with a hint of sweetness from a spoonful of honey.
Matcha Latte
Makes 1 serving
Adapted from New Tastes in Green Tea
1 1/3 tsp. matcha
3 Tbsp. hot water
1 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp. honey
In a tea bowl or mug, mix the matcha and hot water until it becomes a smooth paste.
Warm the milk and honey over low heat, making sure the milk never reaches a boil. Once heated, pour into the tea bowl and stir until incorporated.
By Azusa | Published:
July 2, 2009
I’ve never cooked a cucumber before. Does it turn soggy? Does it turn soft? I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea, but the photo in the book was working hard to sell me on the idea. I love eggplant and all things spicy so decided it was a go.
My love for this recipe are the textures—soft, melty eggplant, chewy pork and… crunchy cucumber. Yes! Through the heat, the cucumber maintained it’s characteristic crunch. The flavors had just the right balance of salty and sweet with the nice aroma of sesame—a perfect companion to a rounded bowl of steamed rice.
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By Azusa | Published:
June 29, 2009
We kicked off this summer’s obon season at Senshin Buddhist Temple on Saturday. Everyone packed Senshin’s parking lot, moving in synchronized fashion as they danced bon odori. The people who live across the street from (in this South Central neighborhood) were in their front yard, curiously watching the festivities from a distance.
This was my first time going to Senshin’s obon. We heard a great performance by Andagi—an Okinawan shamisen group based out of Gardena—ate chili rice, shaved ice, and danced to the beat of the taiko drum.
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