I am home in Berkeley after taking a week-long road trip through the American southwest with fellow Umamimart writer Anders, bookended by a five-day trip in NYC. I am so excited to be back in my own kitchen that I’ve stocked up on everything from soft shell crab to chicken thighs for curry. But those […]
Author Archives: Yoko Kumano
April 21, 2011
Japanify: Yoko’s Japanese Potato Salad*
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I don’t like eggs. But it’s not as debilitating as many people think. I can always get a waffle or bagel with a side for breakfast and choose to ask for no egg with my ramen. Luckily I am okay with foodstuffs with eggs as an […]
April 7, 2011
Japanify Ingredients: Komezu (Rice Vinegar)
I used to be amused by the number of Kewpie mayonnaise tubes my 85 year-old grandma had stashed in her packed fridge in Tokyo. I would visit her house every few months to clean out her fridge. She would forget that she already had certain condiments and kept buying them because they would get buried […]
March 31, 2011
Japanify Ingredients: Sendai Miso
Before the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Sendai was a city that made my favorite miso. One tablespoon of Sendai miso goes into my dashi every morning for a breakfast consisting of miso-shiru, rice and umeboshi. In recent weeks, Sendai has come to symbolize much more to me than just a great producer of miso, […]
March 24, 2011
Japanify: Mottainai Obake (“Don’t Waste” Ghosts)
For a few days after the quake hit in Sendai, public television networks in Japan refrained from running advertising due to the instability of the whole situation. I remember a similar commercial-less time period immediately after 9/11. To fill up time in between news reports, Japanese networks ran a series of public service announcements by […]
March 17, 2011
Tokyo JUNKtion: After the Quake (The Supermarket Edition)
These photos my friends in Tokyo sent me gave me a glimpse of what is going on there. The images have also reshaped my idea of what to include in my pathetic earthquake kit consisting of some nonperishable food and 4 gallons of water. (Note to self: buy sweet things and dried foods). Most of […]
March 10, 2011
Japanify: Oolong-Hai (Shochu Iced Tea)
One of my most vivid alcohol-related memories is going to Kyoto in the summer of 2003 and trying my first oolong-hai. My dad’s third wife turned me on to the oolong-hai the moment she casually ordered me a tall glass as we sat in an izakaya overlooking the Kamo river after a long day of […]
March 3, 2011
Japanify: Ikura Shoyu Zuke (Marinated Salmon Roe)
Go to any sushi restaurant in Japan and notice that “ikura” or salmon roe, is either written in katakana or hiragana. I was curious as to why it was often written in katakana–the alphabet designated to loanwords. I asked the master at Sushi Danran about this curiosity. He told me that “ikura” イクラ comes from […]
February 24, 2011
Japanify: Shira-ae (Sesame Tofu Dressing)
Kayoko let me borrow Japanese homecooking maven Elizabeth Andoh’s new book “Kansha: Celebrating Japanese Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions” and for that, I am brimming with kansha (thanks). I had always wanted to try my hand at making shira-ae (sesame tofu dressing) after playing the goma-ae (sesame dressing) card one too many times. So while I […]
February 17, 2011
Japanify: Tsukudani (Condiment Crack)
Mottainai is said in Japan when something perfectly usable is abandoned or sent to the trashcan. In the past ten years, Japan has seen a trend in awareness regarding waste and reusing whenever possible. It’s ironic that this has become a trend because the idea of reuse goes way back and is intrinsic to Japanese […]