Blog » MOTOism

A step-by-step recipe to make Matcha Sesame Tofu, which can be eaten as a sweet dessert or savory side dish, when topped with shoyu and wasabi.

A step-by-step recipe for making Karashi mentaiko at home.

(Disclaimer: I did NOT see any of the shadows when I was taking these photos. Sorry about this. My pics are usually bad, but these are extra bad...) I love coming up with weird fusions. You will be surprised at how cultural...

I've made quite a few dishes using natto (fermented soy beans) in the past years -- from Natto Moffin to sweet Natto Sandwich. If you like natto, it's good with everything (almost), but if you hate natto, you...

A recipe for a light, refreshing ice cream using Sakekasu (sake lees). Since the alcohol evaporates in the cooking process, kids can eat it too.

A step-by-step recipe for a super moist sake-flavored pound cake, and a thorough explanation about cooking and baking with sake.

Homemade mustard is the best, both for cost and taste. Plus, it is almost impossible to fail. Try this step-by-step customizable recipe for making mustard.

Making miso is actually very easy. All you need are soybeans, salt, and koji. Here is a step-by-step guide to making miso at home.

Apologies for my long absence, my life has been a bit chaotic. As you know, I teach cooking classes to Japanese ladies (some gents), and temaki sushi-making class for Americans. The sushi class is pretty consistent since I follow the same routine for each session,...

Last month, MOTO made a surprise appearance for our one-year anniversary party. With not one hair out of place, he casually sauntered into our shop and helped us dress into our summer kimnonos. On his last day in California, we had dinner at...

When it comes to waiting for food, New York is turning into Japan. The Cronut for example, a pastry mashup of croissant + donut created at the Dominique Ansel Bakery, is apparently so good that people line up at 6am to score the precious...

Just about a year ago, I left my day job to become an entrepreneur. Similar story to the Umami Mart ladies. Well, I haven't been featured in any major newspapers, nor do I get interviewed left and right, but it's just a matter of time...

I went to France for the first time. As I packed for the trip, all I could think about was the scene from The Devil Wears Prada where Anne throws her cellphone into a fountain. Everyone looks so stylish in that scene, or in...

As you've seen from my previous posts, my current apartment has a nice-sized balcony, which gets wonderful sunlight. I make the most out of this luxury by hosting barbeque dinners, and make my own dried mushrooms and umeboshi. When you have...

The craze for sweets in Japan is so peculiar. There's always, "This Year's #1 Dessert!" which will inevitably be forgotten about next year. Sweets like macarons and other delicate pastries are kicked up a notch or two once they enter Japan land. Its level...

You know what's inside your Brita filter, right? Charcoal. You know the best way to keep the fridge from smelling bad? Put a piece of charcoal in it. Due to its purifying effects, people in Japan take powdered charcoal as a daily supplement, and some...

Dried mushrooms are fashionable. They are packed with umami, and don't contain any artificial crap. By drying them, mushrooms are concentrated with nutrients and all the good stuff. Mark Bittman wrote about the greatness of dried mushrooms. Pre-packed dried shiitake are found easily...

Ramen culture has finally reached America. In New York, when it rains, it rains cats and dogs. There are so many new places opening up and I already lost count. Tonkotsu, shoyu, miso, there is so much variety. Plus, American-owned ramen places serve innovative dishes...

When life gives you sour oranges, make ponzu sauce. Ponzu is such a versatile condiment and its acidity adds a lot more dimension than regular soy sauce. It's also extremely easy to make your own ponzu at home. Especially when you find sour oranges (called dai-dai...

Oops, I did it again. Some of you may remember my report from last year on my first class flight on American Airlines, and the experience was surely memorable and comfortable. First class has bigger and longer seat, and you can stretch out like...