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? […]
Ginger beef is good to have under your belt because it comes together super fast, it’s satisfying and delicious, and it only requires 4 ingredients. Pork is probably more commonly used in this dish, but I remember my mom making it with beef growing up. You could make a meal of it by pairing this […]
Hamburger steak is essentially Japanese meatloaf in patty form. Many of the ingredients are the same—softened onions, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, etc. The only difference is meatloaf takes an hour in the oven and this is cooked on a stovetop in minutes. I usually make a sauce that combines tonkatsu sauce, ketchup, and sake, but lately […]
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 […]
Have you ever had hayashi rice? It’s a beloved dish, right up there with omuraisu and curry rice, but doesn’t get as much attention here in the U.S. I ate it growing up, but it fell off my radar until our last trip to Japan. Quickly, it’s become one of our favorites so I knew […]
Curry udon has been the #1 request in my house. I came across several recipes, Keema Curry Udon with Burnt Tomato being one of them. While that recipe offset the robust curry with tangy tomatoes, this recipe mellows it out by using milk. The feathery maitake mushrooms and the thin-sliced beef add a great textural […]
Have you eaten a cooked radish? Lately, the recipes I’ve come across all seem to use them in raw form. I love the crunch of a raw radish in a salad or tea sandwich, but there’s something more exciting about a radish that’s been slow simmered. Cooking it brings out a mellow sweetness with a […]
As a kid I called it “suki yucky” because I was tickled by the oxymoron (suki means like or love in Japanese). Sukiyaki was a treat growing up. My mom would plop the portable electric stove on the dining table and the meat, vegetables, and tofu would bubble as we filled our bowls, then dipped […]
Fellow eggplant lovers, hope you give this a try. This recipe is similar to an amazing miso eggplant dish my mom makes, but differs in many respects. Hers is boldly salty and sweet, rich, and hearty. This one is mild, delicate, and delicious. I used shiro miso (which is sweeter than red miso), so the […]
