Umami Mart Gift Guide
Japanify

Japanify: Mentaiko Rice Redux

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...

Casa de Kei

Casa de Kei: Uni + Tobiko Pasta

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...

Japanify

Japanify: Matsutake Soup

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...

MOTOism

MOTOism: Bara-Chirashi Extreme

Last week, Sakura wrote about chirashi sushi in London, a dish you can find at many Japanese restaurants throughout the world. I grew up in Kansai so when I was young, our chirashi (called bara-chirashi or gomoku chirashi) consisted of cooked root vegetables like...

Japanify

Japanify: Negitoro Don

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...

MOTOism

MOTOism: Let's Fillet a Fluke

Fish is still something a lot of people are scared of in the States. Heads, guts, scales, filleting -- there are a lot of processes involved before you can eat a piece of fish. It is the same process for meat or poultry, and I am...

Japanify

Japanify: Steak Sauce

Whenever I go see my 92 year-old grandma and have a conversation over tea, she drops all kinds of wisdom bombs on me. And she does it so casually, I never really notice the impact her words have on me until I...

Japanify

Japanify: Pork + Myoga Madness

Myoga madness continues as I experiment with the harvest from my sister's myoga plant. Last week, I topped raw myoga on tofu. This week, I make a stir fry with myoga and slices of pork shoulder. I am very inexperienced with...

MOTOism

MOTOism: MOTOburger (Rice Buns)

If you have been to Japan, you've been to MOS burger, the best burger chain. Apparently it is coming to the U.S., which will be great.  Their burgers -- from the regular MOS burger with bolognese sauce, to tonkatsu burger with cabbage, to real-deal teriyaki...

Japanify

Japanify: Maguro Zukedon

My partner Washi recently got a job as a salaryman. This may not seem that odd until you consider the fact that he is living in Berkeley, California and to qualify as a salaryman, you are usually employed by a Japanese corporation....