ReCPY takes you through the Japan-inflected world of baking and cooking, with a distinct Yamahomo accent.
Yamahomo is based in NYC. He prefers to stay in the kitchen all weekend long rather than going outside.
ReCPY
June 26, 2012
MOTO Restaurant Review: Le Bernardin: Disagreeing with 4 Stars
I recently became a permanent resident of this country, and to celebrate my newly acquired freedom, we went to Le Bernardin. Though I know a lot about food, I haven’t been to many top-notch restaurants because I end up bitching about its flaws. If you are paying $250 a person for a dining experience, don’t […]
June 19, 2012
ReCPY: Shio Koji
Shio koji, or 塩麹 (salted koji) is a going through a major boom in Japan right now. What is it?  It is a mix of salt and koji mold. Wiki says, “Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) is a mold used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine to ferment soybeans. It is also used in the making of alcoholic beverages such as sake, and shochu.” Basically koji is used to make […]
June 4, 2012
ReCPY: New Home, New Kitchen
Sorry for my long absence. I’ve been quite busy, as we were preparing to move into a new apartment, so cooking time for me was pretty limited for a while. Now I am finally settled (well, after a day), and I am ready to start cooking. Our kitchen in Chelsea was nice, but it was […]
April 9, 2012
ReCPY: Lazyass Sakuramochi (And Failures from Cutting Corners)
In Japan, everything is made easy for busy housewives who have to raise kids, clean the house, yet also have to cook and make dessert. You throw things in a microwave and five minutes later, you can a serve main course to your hungry kids and demanding, asshole husbands. I was recently given a simple-to-make sakuramochi […]
March 19, 2012
ReCPY: Anko (Sweet Bean Paste) + Wagashi Event @ Japan Society (NYC)
My most recent obsession is making anko (sweet bean paste) from scratch. As I wrote in my strawberry daifuku post a couple of weeks ago, using bean paste as dessert doesn’t really exist in the west. But I am trying to find ways to mix this into my future baking. After all, it’s gluten-free, and […]
March 5, 2012
ReCPY: Macaron = DV (Domestic Violence)
Not that I’ve ever beaten anyone up, but I think macaron-making is somewhat similar to the mentality of a wifebeater’s wife. You get so fed up with the multiple failures, from all the physical and mental abuse, and you want to leave him, but when you are about to say goodbye for good, he becomes […]
February 27, 2012
ReCPY: Rolled Chicken Breast Stuffed with Sticky Rice
I’ve been reading on many Japanese blogs that people are stuffing sticky rice inside a whole chicken, which absorbs all the good stuff from the bird, and makes a very nice sticky rice accompanying a perfectly roasted bird. I was going to roast the whole bird, but realized I would be the only one who […]
February 14, 2012
ReCPY Valentine Special: イãƒã‚´å¤§ç¦ (Ichigo Daifuku): Strawberry + Anko-Stuffed Mochi
Japan is filled with weird desserts. A lot of influence comes from the west, but we somehow incorporate Japan-ness into western desserts. For example, castella came from Portugal and somehow the recipe changed a bit and one of the ingredients now is mirin (sweet sake). Or choux filled with red bean/whipped cream mix. Ichigo daifuku […]
February 6, 2012
ReCPY: MOTO Debut + Natto Nuts
Congrats to UM for being around for five years! I still remember my first post on Peking duck back in 2007 (after constant harassment from Kayoko to write for her), and over the past five years, I’ve written over 200 posts. When we started, it was a fun, jokey, let’s-talk-about-food-in-a-very-funny-way kind of activity. But 5 […]
January 30, 2012
ReCPY: Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
One of my favorite restaurants is Kajitsu, as I’ve written a couple of awesome reviews about the place. Chef Nishihara is simply a genius. His creativity and flavoring, using only vegetables (it’s a vegan/shojin restaurant), is just amazing. I saw an article in last week’s Times Magazine, where Mark Bittman cooked with Chef Nishihara. I […]