Ladies and gentlemen, meet Keisuke aka Kid Skwid, my beloved brother. He has recently been promoted to sous chef at the famed Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills. Congrats, K! And lucky for us, he will grace the pages of Umami Mart...
*Nahoko Morimoto is a Tokyo-based photographer. Her work has been featured in Brutus and Vogue Japan.
Last week, I shared a bowl of nishin soba with you, and I asked you to not to throw out the egg and sperm sacs. I have two recipes that will have you wondering why people would ever throw them...
There is something about Japanese confectionary and pâtisseries that pushes sweets to a level of sophistication I haven't found anywhere else. It's not the purely Japanese examples either. They excel in transforming desserts from all over the world into something less sweet, less heavy...
A gleaming school of herring greeted me upon my arrival on U.S. shores yesterday. After landing from Tokyo, my first errand after dropping off my bags at home was a visit to my local fish monger (Monterey Fish Market). Winter...
Back in December, on the eve of our 10-day break, I threw a fun okonomiyaki bounenkai at my place to celebrate the end of the year. Remember when I deemed 2012 as the Year of the Okonomiyaki? Well, it seemed only fitting to end it...
There is nothing like zosui (rice porridge) to soothe a year of overeating + drinking. Recipe here.
Sakura-ebi kakiage at Nunotsunesarashina in Tsukiji, my favorite soba spot when I lived in Tokyo.
Taking half an hour out of my schedule to slow down and warm up has been possible these past few weeks thanks to this simple soup. The arrival of matsutake mushrooms is here and I couldn't be more excited. This year...
Trends in Japan changes as often as Taylor Swift changes boyfriends. It's like, wasn't she dating the Kennedy kid and even bought a house across from his in order to be close to him? Next minute, she is shacking up with one of the bad...
For some, winter may mean honey-baked hams and Santa Claus. But at my house, it means nimono. Nimono simply means "simmered things" in Japanese. You can pretty much simmer anything, but the simmering liquid is usually a combination of dashi,...
Just a little over two months ago, my good friend in Tokyo sent me this short email: "Hey, I know Umami Mart isn't a music venue, but would you be interesting in hosting a show for a friend of mine?"...
Did you know that the U.S. lost all its chestnut trees back in early 1900s due to a disease brought over from China or Japan? Oops. Almost all of the chestnuts we have now come from Italy or China. But The American Chestnut Foundation...
Although I have embraced the fact that I have now crossed-over into 30-somethingdom, my diet has not caught up. With age, my body is clearly not as forgiving when I've had a few too many glasses of wine. The idea of...
I don't know about what's going on in your city, but these days, NYC is filled with macaron shops. Sure some tastes better than others, but if you throw a stone, and it will hit a macaron shop or two. For the amount of effort...
When the persimmons and matsutake start populating the markets in Japan, so do the sanma (Pacific Saury). They are so abundant, they are practically giving them out for free. For less than 100yen per fish, it's the most economical choice to...
I am posting a recipe for negitoro donburi for the pure fact that this is the most delicious thing to make in under 5 minutes if you have cooked rice on hand. If your fish monger sells toro pieces for...
The other day, Washi and I went to Uniqlo thinking we could just casually stroll in two days after its opening. First reality check: there was a line winding two blocks down the building. So we went to some other shops. Second...
Izakaya MOTO is an invite-only, very exclusive izakaya, located in the heart of Financial District in Manhattan (aka my apartment). I had my friends over one night, and decided to host an izakaya-style evening. I have a large counter in my kitchen where guests can...
This is my second write-up in a series about summer vegetables. Instead of enjoying them now, I am packing them for the upcoming seasons. I love shiso. You often find them sadly sitting underneath your sashimi at Japanese restaurants. These green herbs are similar to...
