The classic combination of rice and miso soup. If you’ve had a Japanese breakfast, you know there’s also a pickle or condiment: umeboshi, furikake, nukazuke, or the highly divisive natto. At my dad’s house in Tokyo, there’s usually a container of kimchee and nori no tsukudani. Nori no tsukudani is a paste you slather on […]
Rice, egg, shoyu: mix. That was my favorite breakfast growing up. Sometimes it was a raw egg, other times it was a hardboiled egg steeped in the juices of a sweet oden broth. These days my stepdaughter continues the tradition with her go-to afternoon snack: rice, scrambled egg, shoyu, and mirin. But I feel better […]
First, I want to say the 5-DAY BREAKFAST CHALLENGE is going down this week. Today’s recipe is: Shiitake and Shimeji Mushroom Okayu. Second, I want to quickly introduce you to Noelle and tell you about the challenge. Her blog, xobreakfast is crisp, funny, and packed with thoughtful, purposeful recipes. I see her every week because […]
For anyone who thinks rice is a little boring, I urge you to make this Mixed Rice with Pork and Bamboo Shoots. This maze gohan (mixed rice) is one of my favorites for its ease and short ingredient list. But more importantly it delivers in flavor. Today is the last day of my month-long challenge […]
When we have dinner guests, this Beer Beef Stew with Bacon and Shimeji is often on the menu. I didn’t think twice about including it in this month of recipes until my husband pointed out that he didn’t know it was Japanese. What makes a recipe Japanese? The source? The technique? The ingredients? The cook? […]
What’s great about this Kuwayaki Pork Donburi is how the sweet and sticky sauce clings to the pork and the way the shiso perfumes each bite. When I saw the recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, I was immediately drawn to the photo. It looked amazing. So, you can imagine I was even more […]
For today’s look back, I want to re/introduce you to Tuna + Avocado Donburi. This was one of those one-bowl meals that sprung out of necessity and surprised me when it turned out as good as it did. I love that the ingredients are few and the method is simple, and yet you get a […]
Chicken soboro is ground chicken cooked in shoyu, mirin, and sugar. It’s layered on top of rice and sprinkled with sake-cooked scrambled egg on top. It’s great for bentos and you could also use it as a filling for musubi without the egg. I made this the other day and my stepdaughter loved it, so […]
I’m reserving Fridays of this month to spotlight a recipe from the archives. These are recipes that made a strong impression on me and ones that I’d like to incorporate into my regular repertoire more often. This week I’m taking another look at Sukiyaki Donburi. Growing up, sukiyaki was a leisurely meal. We’d fill our […]
Do you love sushi? Is it becoming an expensive habit? Making sushi at home doesn’t have to require any rolling technique or special equipment. Temaki zushi (which translates to hand rolled sushi) is DIY—you prepare all the ingredients and everyone makes their own hand rolls. It feels communal and the best part is creating your […]
