Umami Mart

We often joke about the Asian Salad genre at Umami Mart HQ — Chinese Chicken Salad, Chopped Asian Salad, Oriental Salad, etc. It is so ridiculous and it boggles me that it’s still on menus around the country, and even, ehem, the Bay Area. What exactly makes a salad “Asian”? Is it the cilantro? The thin […]

There are ingredients that I always keep in stock in my kitchen; they are my daikoubutsu (favorite foods). Without them I feel like I have no fall-back option when sipping on sake or wine. Two of these ingredients are avocado and nuts. I regularly incorporate both into sauces, dips, and salads. They are really handy when […]

We are having a blast in Japan, gallivanting through Gifu, Kyoto and Osaka. This trip, we’re not even stopping off in Tokyo, so we can concentrate on all the riches of these western regions of Japan. Kyoto was hot and sticky, and we found cool reprieve at our friend Masayo’s restaurant, Kiln. It has been […]

Warning: DO eat this at home before taking it out into the world! Weigh the social risks! You may momentarily lose some friends while eating this salad because the smell will clear the room. Trust me, I’ve tried it. Daikon is affordable and cooling when fresh and raw. The satisfying crunch coupled with the spicy […]

I am incredibly lucky to be able to eat whatever I want when I want — I don’t have any known food allergies, I can find pretty much any ingredient within biking radius of my home and I live in the Bay Area, home to a wealth of stellar, international dining opportunities. However, sometimes my […]

My parents hosted a shinnenkai (New Year’s party) last night and it was a fantastic feast! As usual, Hideko and Kuni battled it out in the kitchen for cooking space, laughing and making fun of each other along the way. Who will make the best dish of the evening? This competitiveness has harshened lately, as Kuni has […]

By Haan Ridell Hi I’m Haan. I’m Swedish but live in Copenhagen, and I fly around the world for a living. Very lucky me, since I get to learn about new cultures — and what better way to learn, then to eat? I dash off to all the supermarkets, spice-markets, wine-markets and all the you-name-it […]

I have a confession to make: I am not a fan of potlucks. I’ve always found it to be a lot of pressure and kind of take them too seriously. But bringing a home-cooked dish to a party is not only financially practical for the party host and guests, but also supposed to be FUN, […]

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 […]

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 […]