I’ve been in the US for 14 years, and I have pretty much tried all of what this great country has to offer for the kitchen. As you remember, from Smart Lidz to vegetable-life-prolonging bags to cheap mandolins, I’ve experimented with many gadgets, and found them all very useless (and almost lost my thumb). But I […]
Author Archives: Moto Yamamoto
July 5, 2010
ReCPY: Cool Mizu-Yokan
In Japan, people give gifts to each other on many occasions. Don’t you have one or two Japanese friends, who give you gifts whenever they return from Japan despite the fact that you’ve never given them anything? You thought, “This is awkward, do you like me or something?!” right? I have no idea where this […]
June 21, 2010
ReCPY: Honey Ginger Pickled Ramps (A Belated Post)
Sorry about this unseasonable post, I totally forgot about it. I always wondered what the big deal was about ramps. Most high-end restaurants boast ramps on their menus during the spring season, but I was never interested in it for some reason. We have a very convenient Greenmarket on Wednesdays outside of my work, so […]
June 14, 2010
ReCPY: Tahini Pudding
When you think of tahini, it’s all about middle eastern cuisine, right? For sauces, hummus, and even cookies, it gives everything a nice sesame flavor. Although it has an exotic name (sounds like a beach in tropical island, doesn’t it?), it’s basically just sesame paste. You can buy sesame paste at the Japanese grocery stores […]
June 7, 2010
ReCPY: A New Gadget Acquisition (Pasta Porn Special)
I try not to buy many kitchen gadgets, especially since the mandolin was such a big mistake. Not only did I almost lose my finger, but there’s not much use for it. I have a stand mixer that I use all the time, and the meat grinder attachment is awesome, especially in the summertime for […]
June 2, 2010
PSA: Scrumptious Summer Seminar for Tri-State Teens (NYC)
© Kenji Takigami Know any aspiring teenage chefs? Although I’m slightly above the 12th grade cut off myself, I encourage all UmamimarTEENS in the greater New York area to take a look at Japan Society’s 11-day summer workshop Japanese Cuisine 101: Washoku in August, which focuses on health and wellness through Japanese food. During the […]
May 31, 2010
ReCPY: Best Octopus(sy) in NYC
Since Japan is surrounded by ocean, it’s very easy to get very fresh seafood in any part of the country. We Japanese love squid, octopus, and any kind of chewy seafood. Italy’s geography is similar, and they also love squid and octopi. Fried calamari, Italian restaurant’s signature appetizer is basically the same thing as squid […]
May 24, 2010
ReCPY: Sweet Cream Natto Sandwich (The EXTREME Edition)
There are quite a few breakfast sandwich recipes in Japan that uses natto. The natto & cheese on toast sounded pretty good. Put natto and cheese on bread or an English muffin and toast it, I guess. But it is too straightforward and not my style. I wanted to push natto’s culinary limit. When I […]
May 18, 2010
How to Clean Squid (The Office Kitchen + Rolex Edition)
Last week, my colleague had told me that he was going fishing on Saturday night. Come Monday morning, he gave me a cooler full of five squid. He kept them on ice, and they were so fresh! They didn’t smell fishy, which is a good sign for “fresh” seafood. I wanted to bring them home […]
May 12, 2010
EVENT PSA: Japan Society’s Annual Sake Tasting (NYC)
One of the most highly anticipated events at Japan Society is happening next Wednesday. This year’s Japan Society Sake Tasting features 12 brewers from Japan and 34 different types of sake. Think about it, for a mere $35, you can drink 17 ounces of sake (34 x 0.5oz.), which is just about a bottle of […]