My sister came over the other day with part of an apple pie she had been talking about making for a while. The young, sour apples came from her garden and worked perfectly with the pie. The crust was very crispy on the ends – just the way I like it. She mentioned she always […]
Author Archives: Yoko Kumano
August 26, 2010
Japanify: Gyu No Tataki (Meat Watch Edition)
Lake Tahoe is a bit of a nightmare during the height of the summer. The lake is a dream but South Lake Tahoe is swarming with slot machine hungry tourists from both sides of the border (California and Nevada). We stayed at the Marriot and I had no complaints, especially because we stayed in a […]
August 19, 2010
Japanify Ingredients: Know Your Seaweed
The eskimos have many words for snow, just like the Japanese have many words for seaweed. For those of us on the other side of the pacific, the lack of words for seaweed is problematic. It is very confusing when reading the translated English ingredients for nori, iwanori, wakame and kombu since they all say […]
August 12, 2010
Japanify: Simmered Mackerel in Miso
For those who are curious to eat more responsibly in the seafood arena, mackerel is an ideal option. For the rest of us who don’t care about being responsible, mackerel is also an ideal option because of its salty-savoriness that’s addictive and a great complement to a glass of shochu. Succeeding last week’s Japanify for […]
August 10, 2010
Meat Watch: Wurstküche (LA)
“Yoko, they have rattlesnake and alligator sausages,” my friend told me of this place called Wurstküche in Downtown LA. For some reason I imagined Lisbeth Salander goth types sitting around a table eating rattlesnake sausages with forks and knives. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t at all interested in the rattlesnake or the alligator– […]
August 6, 2010
Packaging Whore: Lamill Coffee (LA)
Lamill Coffee in Silverlake, LA impressed me because it looked good. They package their coffee beans in tins (made in the USA) that are retro looking and all the staff wear matching t-shirts. Yes, call me superficial – but ever since leaving Tokyo, I have to admit I miss the art of presentation. The menu […]
August 5, 2010
Japanify: How to Clean a Sardine
I love sardines – canned or fresh. My addiction started as a child when my mother would serve sardines from a can with a dab of kewpie mayonnaise. Packed with protein and fun to eat, they are also better for big blue because they are low on the food chain. When you can get your […]
July 29, 2010
Japanify: Shrimp Avocado Salad with Kewpie-Wasabi Dressing (Octopus FAIL)
This was originally supposed to read “Octopus, Shrimp Avocado Salad with Kewpie-Wasabi Dressing,” but the octopus part did not happen. After reading a recent string of octopus posts on Umamimart including Tokyo JUNKtion: Corpse Candy, ¡Viva España!, Umamiventure #26: San Pedro Fish Market (LA), ReCPY: Best Octopus(sy) in NYC and Raw Octopus from Tsukiji Market […]
July 22, 2010
Japanify Ingredients: Tamari vs. Shoyu
I was always baffled by tamari. I had never used it until one of my friends and faithful readers of UM suggested that I should write about tamari vs. shoyu (soy sauce) on Japanify. So this week, I purchased San-J brand’s Tamari (I chose that brand because I happened to have San-J brand’s Organic Shoyu […]
July 15, 2010
Japanify: The Japanese Canned Fish-Off
When the heat rolls in, laziness comes in the form of “I don’t want to cook.” Maybe it’s also an instinctual thing where I am unconsciously preparing for a fire or earthquake which is more likely to happen in the hot summer months by hoarding a bunch of canned booty. Whatever the reason, I am […]