Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Oct 19, 2019
Mustard-miso-stuffed lotus root: Crunchy, with a distinctive bite
by Makiko Itoh
Lotus root may be fairly bland on its own, but adding a mustard-miso filling gives it a pop of flavor — and maybe some additional health benefits, too.
Books / Reviews | RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN Aug 24, 2019
'Sushi Master': Nothing fishy about this masterful account
by J.J. O'Donoghue
Sushi master Nick Sakagami presents a beautifully photographed, levelheaded guide to sushi culture and cuisine. Recipes included.
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Aug 25, 2018
Hiyajiru: A soup to get over the last of the summer sweat
by Makiko Itoh
Learn how to make hiyajiru, a chilled miso and sesame soup, with this simple recipe.
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Jun 16, 2018
A recipe for the rainy season: Umeboshi-simmered pork
by Makiko Itoh
Beat the plum rains with ume nibuta, a versatile pork dish that will see you through June.
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Apr 14, 2018
Celebrating the spring with homemade Japanese sweets
by Makiko Itoh
Spring is a great time for fans of wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets. While many wagashi reflect the seasons all year long visually — especially the colorful, beautifully formed nerikiri created by skilled artisans — this is the time of year when you can taste, ...
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Mar 17, 2018
Cabbage: The brassica that found a new home in Japan
by Makiko Itoh
The humble cabbage is the third most consumed vegetable in Japan according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, following daikon radishes and onions. It's used in everything from stir-fries and gyōza dumplings to pickles and more and, despite the high prices for ...
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Feb 17, 2018
What makes a great chawanmushi? Using even better dashi
by Makiko Itoh
The clear, umami-packed stock called dashi is the foundation of washoku, traditional Japanese cuisine. Follow this recipe to find out how a good dashi makes a great chawanmushi.
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN May 15, 2015
Nanban dishes are fit for a barbarian
by Makiko Itoh
The first Europeans on Japanese soil were the Portuguese — a handful of passengers on a Chinese ship that got blown off course and washed ashore on Tanegashima, an island off the coast of current-day Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Kyushu, in 1543. For almost ...
Food & Drink | CULINARY TOOLBOX Oct 28, 2014
'Nukadoko': The kitchen helper with a mind of its own
by Melinda Joe
For years, I'd resisted the urge to start my own nuka-pickle pot. Although a great fan of nukazuke, those idiosyncratically earthy pickles fermented in rice-bran paste, I had concluded that the task of caring for the pickling medium was a responsibility best left to others. ...
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Oct 14, 2014
Japan's take on the humble burger
by Makiko Itoh
There are two dishes that can be translated as "hamburger" in Japan. One is the all-American favorite, a beef patty sandwiched in a bun, which in Japanese is called hanbāgā. The other kind is similar to a Hamburg steak or Salisbury steak, made with ...
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Aug 19, 2014
by Makiko Itoh
The fact that corn or maize has a Japanese name — tōmorokoshi — indicates that it entered the country centuries ago, before it was the norm to import the name of a food as-is and spell it out phonetically (as with tomatoes or asparagus, ...