The matsutake mushroom season is winding down, although I am still finding some matsutakes foraged in Oregon at the local co-op. I'm pretty sure they won't be around anymore in the next two weeks. I...
Tobiko, or "poor man's caviar," is the roe of the flying fish. It is a popular sushi ingredient, usually served sprinkled on top of maki sushi rolls or on its own. The eggs are very small, smaller t...
Mitsuba is a type of Japanese parsley that is a key ingredient in the soup steamed in a teapot called dobin mushi. Light and refreshing, it has a clean, grassy taste....
Nabe (cooking pot) mono (things, stuff) is a popular Japanese hot pot dish commonly served in the cold winter months. It is cooked table side and served communally. One thing I like about nabemono (...
Thanks to the LA Times and this visual guide to making soba noodles, we know what we'll be doing this weekend! All we'll need is some buckwheat flour, water, a rolling pin, a plastic bag, and a chef's...
When I traveled in Japan last winter, one of my favorite dishes was matsutake dobin mushi. Matsutakes are wonderfully fragrant pine mushrooms, and dobin ("teapot") mushi ("steamed") is a soup steam...
One element of Japanese cuisine is that it celebrates the seasons. Japanese dishes feature what is fresh and seasonal, and are cooked in such a way that is appropriate for the seasonal weather. Dur...
Perhaps you've seen these trees with the beautiful fan-shaped leaves in your neighborhood or in a local park. The female members of these trees produce an edible nut; unfortunately, the fruit enclosi...
In Japan, there is a variety of plum called ume. It actually resembles an apricot more than a plum, but it's called a plum. It's very astringent and when eaten raw can give a person a stomach ache, ...
I've been writing a lot of posts lately on various sushi-related items, such as how to make temaki hand rolls and DIY spicy tuna. In this post I'll go over the essential sushi-making tools and ingr...
Yesterday I covered the different types of sushi, and one of these was the temaki, or hand roll. This cone-shaped wrap of seaweed sheet (nori) is filled with vinegared rice and various ingredients....
The word "sushi" is often ambiguous for non-native Japanese. We think of it as being interchangeable with raw fish. Sushi is vinegared rice topped with other ingredients. Sashimi, which is slices...
Since I am watching my finances these days like most people, I've been making a lot of food at home, including my own sushi. One of my favorites is spicy tuna, and with a little experimentation, I fi...
These mushrooms, whose name means "pine" (matsu) and "mushroom" (take) grow under pine trees in Japan, parts of China, and the North American West Coast. They're also found in parts of Northern Europ...
If you've ever visited an izakaya in Japan, chances are you've had this braised pork belly dish called buta no kakuni. Tender and fatty, the pork belly is simmered for a few hours in a broth of sake,...
Have you ever had umeshiso maki sushi? The next time you are in a sushi bar, ask the chef if they can make it for you. It's a simple maki roll with two fillings; umeboshi pickled plums and fresh s...
Recently, I came across a post on Kyoto Foodie (one of my new favorite food blogs!) about a seasonal dish called yakikuri gohan, or roasted chestnut rice. The ingredients were few and simple, and see...
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...
For such a small island nation, Japan has a surprisingly wide variety of citrus fruit. I saw some of them when I traveled in Japan last winter. Sadly, we don't get most of them here in the US, and...
Perhaps you've noticed these thin, brown slivers of crunchy, squeaky mushrooms in hot and sour soup or in stir-fries. Called wood ear mushrooms, they're more easily found in dried form, but fresh one...
According to the lunar calendar, the moon will shine brightest on October 3 this year. In countries from China to Vietnam, Korea, and Japan, people will gather with family and friends to enjoy the v...
If you like cooking Asian food at home, then you should have a bottle of ponzu in your cupboard. It is an essential condiment and marinade with a wonderful, zingy flavor that pairs well with vegetabl...
This month, we're talking about quick meals, and the time-consuming dumpling might not seem to fit the bill. But if you assemble dumplings on the weekend or a quiet evening, by the time that busy week...
When most of us think "lotus," we may think of the beautiful aquatic flower or the yoga position. But did you know that the rhizome of the lotus plant is edible? On the outside it looks like a long ...
Chirashi, also called chirashizushi (ちらし寿司) is one of my favorite Japanese meals. The word "chirashi" means "scattered," so this is basically a big bowl of rice mixed with fish, vegetables,...
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