Before I start this week's post, let's congratulate Kayoko and the crew for revamping the Umamimart site to a whole new level. Orange is my favorite color, so this is cool, and soon enough, we will be FAMOUS bloggers!! Hooray. As you've seen from my past...
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...
The Japanese have many dishes that originated somewhere in the world, but recreated it in such a way that fits to their taste. Curry, from India, is a good example. Japanese curry isn't the same curry as the kind from India. It's a lot...
Ramen, as some of my fellow writers have observed, is totally taking over North America. People are obsessively eating, finding new shops, and eating more. New chains from Japan are opening like once a month here in New York City. Funny thing about ramen is...
PREFACE Battle ReCPY: NYC Umeboshi Project, Pt. 1 After a couple of weeks of pickling plum in salt, it extracts all the water out of the plums, which makes umezu (plum vinegar). Once the liquid rises above the plum, it's time to add...
When you are in Chicago, aside from going on the architecture boat tour, or spend unnecessary amounts of money on the Magnificent Mile, where I stayed (it was basically like 5th Avenue in Manhattan. By the way, sales tax in IL is whopping 9.75%!!), one...
I haven't hosted any house parties for a while, but on a recent weekend, I ended up hosting three parties in a row. Thursday night was a last-minute potluck baby shower, and of course I made a beautiful diaper cake for the mother-to-be. Friday night,...
Japanese snacks are wacky. From matcha-flavored Kit Kats, to dried squid covered in chocolate, to using beans for desserts, the country is filled with surprises in the sweet tooth department. I've seen a DIY sushi-making video, and it was very intriguing. I think the idea...
Corn season has arrived. Every Greenmarket vendor is selling them for 50 cents an ear. [Speaking of, why do we count corn in such a way? Don't you think it's a bit odd to think of ears growing on trees? Imagine that.] Anyhow, I like...
After seeing the Ume Project on the west coast, I was intrigued. I like umeboshi (pickled plums) and every time I go home to Japan, I bring back my mother's homemade ones. After all, I am from Wakayama, where Japan's best umeboshi is made....
On a hot day in summer, when you don't feel like cooking or baking, yet feel the need to create something yummy isn't an easy task. That's when I rely on agar agar to make cold dessert. I've made mizu yokan before...
Photos by Derek Dercep. I am currently writing this post from Lake Muskoka in Canada. My friend OWNS a freaking island here. Apparently, this lake is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for summer vacation destinations. Screw the Hamptons, this island is...
Can you believe it?!?!? Governor Cuomo and a bunch of super wealthy Republican bankers really said YES to gay marriage in the state of New York. When it was announced that, "Same sex marriage bill has passed", I was overcome with amazement, joy, "it's about...
Fishcakes, such as the Homo Sausage, chikuwa and kamaboko, are some of my favorite foods. It usually weirds people out in the States because of its "processed" figure; but I really enjoy its chewy, rubbery texture, and its flavor of the sea. I've always...
After seeing so many people starting a second career by opening gluten-free bakeries around the U.S., I thought, "Martha, you totally missed your chance to capitalize on my MO-dessert line!" Unfortunately, whenever I read recipes for gluten-free items online, it's always so complicated....
I am sure you have been wondering for a week what the hell I was going to do with Barbie doll. I must say, this journey was one of the most hilarious baking experiences I've ever gone through. I made a birthday cake for a...
As you know, I love to bake, and I am especially fond of cakes. I do it all--classic cakes, crazy cakes, Japanese cakes, chocolate cakes, wedding cakes (trauma). I love to come up with crazy combinations, that I try to...
I don't know what got into me this weekend. I am a proud carnivore. I cannot live without meat, and I don't even care if it's "organic" or not. Food Nation didn't scare me enough to eat only grass-fed beef or cage-free chicken. I will...
I went to Miami for my birthday this year. I didn't do much besides reading, lounging by the pool, drinking piña coladas, and eating. It was 90˚F every day, sunny, dry, and my allergies disappeared while I was there. For...
Dear Microsoft Office (and all you other people who can't differentiate between a macaron from a macaroon), Macaron is not a macaroon. Every time I write "macaron", you always highlight it, suggesting I misspelled the word and replace it with "macaroon" instead. How atrocious. I...
