After reading Moto’s post about making anko (sweet bean paste), I began to reminisce about my visit to a wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionary) shop in Koishikawa, Tokyo called Ikko-an. All of the wagashi are made by hand by the owner Chikara Mizukami, while his wife works in the storefront. He has made it a point […]
Author Archives: Yoko Kumano
March 22, 2012
Japanify: Tofu To-Go
Protein is a great thing to carry around. It stays together and packs an energy-filled punch, in comparison to a salad or veggie stir-fry –which can either take up lots of space or taste very bad because of a temperature change. Hunks of hamburg or chicken tenders, on the other hand, can be easily saran […]
March 8, 2012
Japanify: Ikuradon (Ode to Hokkaido)
There was an egg festival in my bowl of rice the other day. I placed a raw egg yolk on a mound of ikura (salmon roe) on top of my steaming hot bowl of rice. The orange hues are sexy and appetizing, glimmering in my bowl. No matter how many times I have ikuradon (ikura […]
March 1, 2012
Japanify: Nagaimo
On paper, nagaimo sounds like a miracle food. Nagaimo is a type of yam with hardly any calories, while simultaneously lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. It’s also full of potassium and fiber and ideal for the diet of a diabetic. And that list doesn’t even include its most popular benefit. It’s been said that during the […]
February 23, 2012
Great UM Noodletown: Karasumi Pasta
Karasumi (or bottarga) is salted and dried mullet roe. It comes in two sacks and are hard, like a candy bar. Its deep, oceany, salty flavor is reminiscent of caviar. But the texture is not like caviar, because it’s a dense mass of eggs dried in the sun, it is chewy and sticks to the molars […]
February 16, 2012
Great UM Noodletown: Moroheiya
Feeling out of the loop can make you feel old. I was feeling that way on Sunday night when I didn’t recognize a third of the bands and artists that took the Grammy’s stage. I didn’t know when Maroon 5 ended and Foster the People began… it was all just so confusing. By 10 o’clock, […]
February 9, 2012
Homemade Pedialyte
My latest hangout spot is in the infants aisle of Target but I have no babies with me. Stocking up on Pedialyte, bananas and apple sauce have been a full-time job since getting the worst incident of food poisoning of my life in Mexico last week. It was a life changing trip inside (literally) and […]
January 5, 2012
Japanify: Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Pickles)
If you can get your hands on sake kasu (sake lees, a yeast by-product of sake making) a subculture of cooking opens up to you. Most commonly used for marinating fish and pickling, sake kasu looks like pizza dough with the consistency of wet clay and aroma of nama (unpasteurized) sake. It’s usually available for […]
December 29, 2011
Japanify: Kuri no Kanroni (Chestnuts Simmered in Syrup)
Chestnuts signify the presence of winter in many cultures. Although I’ve never actually tried chestnuts roasted by an open fire, I have tried the Japanese version of chestnuts simmered in simple syrup, or kuri no kanroni. However, I had never taken the initiative to prepare a chestnut dish because the task of peeling always seemed […]