Japan is filled with weird desserts. A lot of influence comes from the west, but we somehow incorporate Japan-ness into western desserts. For example, castella came from Portugal and somehow the recipe changed a bit and one of the ingredients now is mirin (sweet sake)....
As we continue to celebrate the almighty noodle here, I give you one of my most delicious, yet absurdly lazyass recipes in my repertoire: curry udon. I love making Japanese-style curry in the winter, it is so soul-warming, with all the carrots, onions, meat and potatoes....
Congrats to UM for being around for five years! I still remember my first post on Peking duck back in 2007 (after constant harassment from Kayoko...
By Kenji Miura Shiokara is a fantastic savory condiment to your favorite glass of shochu. This particular shiokara is made with surume ika (Japanese Common Squid or Pacific Flying Squid). INGREDIENTS 5 fresh squid 2 tbsp salt METHOD 1. Clean the squid. (Here's how via
The other day at my local Asian market -- which is usually not very well equipped since importing food from Asia to an unsignificant little island kingdom like Denmark is incredibly pricey -- I found these bags of grains. And I remembered the many crazy versions...
I've been obsessed with making this dish for a few months now -- it is really satisfying when you are craving noodles, and so ridiculously easy to make. You can usually find nabeyaki udon on the menus at Japanese restaurants, for $12+. This is so easy to...
A step-by-step guide on how to make Japanese sake lees pickles, or kasuzuke.
To celebrate the new year, I hosted a last-minute dinner last night with a few close friends. What was on the menu? Okonomiyaki! It was a mellow evening of cocktails and sour beers to accompany the famous Japanese savory pancake. It was the first time...
As 2011 draws to a close, I am not thinking about the Mayans. Rather, I am trying to decide what I will be eating over the weekend. PRIORITIES, people! I'll be working on Saturday evening (apocalypse be damned!), but I'll have all the accouterments ready to ring...
Chestnuts signify the presence of winter in many cultures. Although I've never actually tried chestnuts roasted by an open fire, I have tried the Japanese version of chestnuts simmered in simple syrup, or kuri no kanroni. However, I had never taken the initiative to prepare a...
By Kenji Miura I celebrated Christmas in Japan by making wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets. Santa is shaped out of shiro-an (white bean paste). The holly is made out of ogura tsubu-an (red beans boiled with sugar, skin-on). The tree is comprised of shiro-an and...
I have missed writing this column, so I'm bringing it back! I can not pretend that I have abandoned my lazy ways, or that I've stopped cutting corners when cooking. My kitchen may be much bigger than what I had in Brooklyn, but this only means...
I usually make a vat of potato salad before I leave for a trip, leaving my husband poor and defenseless against the elements of bachelorhood. But this time I didn't have time before the trip and figured he'd be able to fend for himself......
Enjoying the early winter so far? I know I am. I'm a cave bear and enjoy spending the long Scandinavian winter evenings in my studio or couch, working, crafting or watching Daria. In fact, since it is so windy, wet and utterly, depressively dark, I feel...
I was in Miami for Thanksgiving, listening to salsa music while eating turkey, which was great. Last Thanksgiving, I had a steak in Fort Lauderdale, but this year we had a very traditional Thanksgiving meal, with nontraditional music accompaniment. Since Thanksgiving Day's meal looks the same no...
PREFACE The Ume Project: Foraging The Ume Project: Pickling for Umeboshi The Ume Project: Umeshu (Plum Liqueur) The Ume Project: The Aka-Shiso Edition Since July, Yoko and I have been working on umeboshi (pickled plums) with Sylvan of Peko Peko, a Japanese...
Whenever I take a test, I always make associations between certain things in my life so that I will memorize keywords. Sometimes the explanations get really long but sometimes they come to me very quickly and concisely. Sometimes associated words come to...
Yes, Japanese food in this country is still equated to sushi. Growing up, people would always ask me, "Do you eat sushi every day?" I guess that's mostly due to the fact that my father is a sushi chef, but even so, it always bewildered...
PREFACE Battle ReCPY: NYC Umeboshi Project, Pt. 1 Battle ReCPY: NYC Umeboshi Project, Pt. 2 Finally, I finished pickling my ume. All I had left to do was to dry them under sun for a day or two. Being in NYC, I don't...
On a particularly temperate Los Angeles evening, three Umamimart writers (one a founding member), and an Umamimart photographer, joined three Umamimart supporters and friends for a lovely dinner at Robata Jinya in West Hollywood, CA. Of the diners, two were strict vegetarians, one a...
