This is the continuation of my attempt to video blog, or vlogging! In my previous life, or should I say my life before kids, I did a lot of T.V. and video work. So, I’m trying to dig up those skills and the hope is to share a little bit of Asian culture. not only to the …
The classic Japanese rice ball, onigiri, is now a favorite amongst many people worldwide. It’s simple, convenient, tasty, and easy to eat. It’s the Asian version of the sandwich. This is my second video in a series of four on rice. You can watch the first video: How to Cook Japanese Rice in a Frying …
Recently, I’ve had many requests on cooking Japanese home-style food. There are a lot of good cookbooks and recipes available, however, when living outside of Japan, it’s often difficult to find and get all the unique Japanese produce and ingredients. So, I decided to put together simple recipes with ingredients that are readily available in the …
Our family loves the spicy and rich flavors of Korean food. When the kids come home during their school break, their restaurant of choice is the local Korean BBQ. Apparently, in their neighborhoods, there are plenty of Japanese and Chinese eateries but not many Korean. So, off we go and they consume an embarrassing amount of …
Feeling a bit tired or need a protein boost? These little chocolate protein bites uses tofu as the vegetable protein. If you eat protein bars, you will have a good idea what this will taste like. It has that soy flavor, that is commonly used in those energy bars. Now, if you don’t like tofu, …
I love anything sesame, from the sesame seeds with peanuts sweets, sesame dressing, sesame oil, the Chinese sesame balls with bean paste, and tahini, the Middle Eastern ingredient. If it has sesame in it, I’m bound to love it. In Japanese sesame is goma and it is heavily used in many dishes. Apparently Japan is …
Mizuna is a Japanese green leafy vegetable that has spikey leaves and to me, tastes like a sharp watercress. Something with a bit of bite. According to Johnny Seeds, where my husband orders his seeds, it’s official name is brassica rapa (Japonica group). The mizuna in the photo above is from our home garden! It’s …
During the hot and humid summer months in Japan, a popular desert is coffee jelly, or coffee jello or coffee gelatin, or which ever way you wish to call it. The Japanese pronounce this as co hee zelly. I always wondered why they said zelly. There is a “j” in their alphabet, so it’s not …
Ovens in Asia are not as common as they are in the West. This is because homes in the East are generally much smaller and their kitchens are compact. Unlike the large ovens that we have in the United States, the most common oven is the toaster oven. This is due to the fact that it …
In the U.S., nowadays you can find a fast food teriyaki chicken stand in most towns. Teriyaki has become so common that they even sell the sauce at Costco. On the supermarket shelves, there are a variety of teriyaki sauces that make our lives easier for their convenience and good taste. But, because I …
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe: Only Four Ingredients Read More »
To maintain our health , it’s important for all of us to consume lots of liquids when the weather heats up. Yes, summer time means lots of ice cold drinks. I’m not much of a fan of soda pop. I prefer iced black tea, iced green tea and iced coffee. But here in the states, many …
Doesn’t this look most appetizing? Fresh juicy grapefruit is thirst quenching and most refreshing, making it a wonderful dessert to a fish or seafood meal. This could also be used as a palette cleanser between courses and just a healthy snack too! This grapefruit jelly, taught to me by my girlfriend Fumiko, uses fresh grapefruit as …
The sun has finally made an appearance in Seattle! Seems like we are always the last one to get sun – it’s a welcome change from all the rain! When the weather changes, I find my appetite also changes and I crave simpler foods, including more fruit and salads. Many years ago, while working in …
Deep fried wonton in our house is a family favorite. The crunchy exterior combined with the savory filling makes this a satisfying appetizer. Just dip in your favorite sauce or even enjoy them plain! Ours is just a simple blend of soy sauce and mustard. This recipe has only a few ingredients which makes it …
photo by: Joi This is known as giant butterbur or what the Japanese call fuki 菜蕗. According to Dave’s Garden, an informational garden website, this is a perenial that requires moist soil, that’s why it grows so well here in the Pacific Northwest. Apparently, it’s fairly easy to grow so many of the local Japanese have this in …
Image by: Haragayato Bamboo shoots or takenoko (竹の子 or 筍) in Japanese, are the edible part of the bamboo. Although, I eat bamboo shoots on a regular basis, I have never cooked one from the root before. This opportunity arose on Saturday when Mrs. Mihara generously shared the bamboo shoots and fuki from her garden! …
