For us, wasabi powder is one of those ingredients we bought for a specific recipe and then thought, "Huh. Ok, now what?" It's a pretty product to have on the shelf, with its pale, lemony-lime green color, but we rarely use it. That's a shame, really, because it adds a sharp heat that is great in a lot of dishes. More

Looking for a speedy snack or lunch? Here are six ideas inspired by the cuisines and flavors of Asia. Some of these can be made fairly quickly on the spot, while others might be prepared ahead of time to enable easy snacking later. And all of them are vegetarian, vegan, or veg-friendly. More

If you've ever visited an Asian grocery store, chances are you've found yourself in the produce section wondering what all those green leafy vegetables are, and how to cook them. Each vegetable has its own taste and texture; from the crunchy gai lan to the spicy, mustard-y gai choy. As with most greens, these can be steamed, stir-fried, stewed, braised, chopped and cooked in dumplings, and cooked in soups. In this post, I'll demystify some of them for you. More

A New Year’s tradition in Japan is eating warm, freshly pounded mochi under a thick dusting of a toasted soybean flour called kinako. Pounding mochi probably deserves to be a once-a-year task, but eating kinako shouldn’t be. Toasty and nutritious, it is as good baked into quick breads as it is sprinkled on toast, with a comforting flavor reminiscent of peanut butter. More

This snack has everything going for it: easy to make, good for you, addictively crunchy, and totally crave-inducing. Need we say more? More

I love making my own sushi, and through my posts here at The Kitchn, I hope I've encouraged you to try it out. I hope the following guide will help you sort through the various types of sushi and try out one or a few! From maki rolls to chirashizushi bowls, I've tried to cover it all. More

These potatoes sent us on a bit of a ride. You see, they were labeled as yams at the farmers' market and a fellow shopper told us they were ube, as purple yams are known in the Philippines. So we bought them with the intention of making halayang ube, a Filipino jam. But after a bit of research, we discovered they are actually Japanese, or Okinawan, sweet potatoes. (Even more confusingly, these potatoes aren't really native to Japan but rather the Americas!) Now ... what should we do with them? More

I've talked about Japanese cooking quite often here on The Kitchn. It is one of my favorite cuisines, and although I do enjoy eating out in restaurants now and then, I can't afford to do it every night. I started teaching myself Japanese cooking for several reasons. One, to know how to do it myself and save money on eating out. Two, to help me understand both the cuisine and the culture - I strongly believe one of the best ways to learn about a culture is through its food. Here is a roundup of the Japanese dishes I've posted about here on The Kitchn. More

One of my favorite cooking shows is on YouTube — Cooking With Dog. It's hosted by a Japanese woman whose gray poodle sits on the counter and barks appreciatively while she cooks. Each episode provides a how-to demonstration, with recipes, for a singular basic Japanese dish. Best of all, they all have English subtitles, which is a necessity since I do not speak Japanese, and I am deaf. More

I love eating rice bowls. Not only are they easy to make and require minimal cooking, but they're also so nutritious and delicious. I confess I haven't been cooking a lot this summer; my appetite has been a bit down and I've been too busy to deal with food prep, dishes and clean-up. Spicy tuna bowls have been my go-to meal option lately. More