I am a huge fan of spice, and finding a dish that I can make that delivers the spice is always a welcome affair.

This renkon (lotus root) kinpira is a recipe I made out of an awesome book that Kayoko got me during her nine-hour layover in Japan. It was luck that I had a lotus root rolling around in my fridge as I explored the pages of the book.

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Sometimes the most humble ingredients can yield some seriously satisfying results. Some days I procrastinate until the last stop on my train to plan out what I’m going to make for dinner. I mentally piece together what I have in the fridge and try to make a meal out of it… kind of like how I mentally piece together my outfit for the day in the shower.

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I love canned fish. When I was little, I would eat canned sardines in miso sauce by the spoonful. Like ice cream! Haha. During my year living in Italy, I learned how to make this dish: pasta with canned tuna, onions and tomatos. So easy! In Italy I also discovered the increased quality and flavor of Mediterranean tuna, since it is prominently canned in olive oil.

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Even though it’s starting to become spring, it’s still cold in some parts!  We were recently in NYC and since Jonathan’s family has a house in Vermont, we took a group of friends there for the weekend. We cooked big meals together, played snow football and spent evenings by the fire. (It’s kind of like The Forest Feast in the snow!).

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Spring is here and my local market is starting show signs of different colors of the rainbow after a winter abundance of orange and brown fruits and vegetables. I’ve been most excited about the appearance of more greens — broccoli, asparagus, green onions, etc. The bulk greens sections has also been exploding and the appearance of fresh, healthy mizuna has prompted me to concoct a salad that takes advantage of its availability.

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Lightly sautéed green salad with upland cress, sweet english peas, pea tendrils, ginger, purple artichokes, green scallions, baby bell peppers, blood orange and artichoke chips. Perfect for spring!

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 

1 small bunch upland cress (watercress is a nice alternative)
10 pea tendrils (keep a few raw pea tendrils and raw upland cress for garnish)
1 cup shucked and blanched sweet english peas
8 artichoke hearts peeled and cleaned (cut 4 into quartered; and 4 sliced thin on a mandolin for chips)
1 coin ginger, julienned
1 blood orange segmented
2 green scallions sliced on a bias
2 baby bells peppers, quartered

DIRECTIONS
1.  

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Forgive me, I am going to cheat a little here… like that “100 Episodes of Seinfeld” episode. I think Umami Mart has been around long enough for something like that. So this is a re-post/interpretation of another post I wrote in Tokyo 4 years ago.

The other day I got a tray of mentaiko (spicy cod roe) from my mom and all week Washi and I were dreaming of making the mentaiko rice recipe.

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Happy Passover, everyone! Matzo Brei is a traditional Jewish dish that is made during Passover, which runs through next Tuesday, April 2nd. The recipe calls for eggs and matzo cracker. It’s often sweetened with cinnamon and sugar, but I made a savory version with scallions. I also added some green garlic that came in the CSA box this week, for an added kick.

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For those of you planning your menu for Passover, or for anyone looking for a quick appetizer idea, here’s a fun and colorful twist on haroset, a traditional Jewish dish. Haroset is usually a blend of fruit and nuts made during Passover (which starts a week from today). At times chunky, sometimes smooth, it’s often served on matzoh crackers. I replaced the usual apple with beets to rosy things up!

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In honor of Umami Mart’s sixth anniversary/ lease-signing and the Japan Week celebration in NYC, this month we spotlight the Japanese Cocktail for Happy Hour. We will review the cocktail’s origins, its ingredients, and offer an improved adaptation that pays homage to Japan.

Cocktail historian David Wondrich gives a through history of the libation in his book Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, A Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of he American Bar (2007).

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