June 24, 2009
My mama came home with this box of hot, just-made takoyaki (octopus balls) the other day. I guess they were having an “Osaka Fair” at our neighborhood Mitsuwa, where there was a booth from this famous takoyaki joint in Osaka called Kukuru. When I looked at the box closer, I recognized the picture of the […]
June 21, 2009
Kit Kats are wildly popular in Japan. Part of it has to do with the fact that when said in Japanese, Kit Kat sounds like “Kitto katsu,” which in Japanese means “You will (probably) win.” Therefore, it’s common practice for family and friends to buy their loved ones Kit Kats before a big game or […]
June 19, 2009
Cooking time: 5 minutes. The Japanese have perfected the art of lazy cooking. Instant ramen, instant white rice, instant consomme, instant miso soup complete with tofu and green onions. Where do you think I get it from? So the other day, I found some shrimp in the freezer and decided to pair it with chili […]
June 18, 2009
My mama bought this special gift box of dorayaki at Mitsuwa the other day. I guess they were on sale for half-off ($9 instead of $18- Japanese gourmet snacks tend to be pricey); she’s so friggin’ shrewd! Dorayaki is a Japanese dessert of azuki (sweet red beans) sandwiched between two little pancakes. This special brand […]
As I said goodbye to my drunk friend last Friday, he mentioned something about how good mozuku (Cladosiphon okamuranus – a type of edible seawead) and somen are together. The next morning, slightly hungover, “mozuku and somen” was still ringing in my ears. I did a google search for a recipe and went to the […]
June 9, 2009
You read it right – 88 cents (or yen). I have mastered the art of cheap bastardism, and come up with a meal that could be the favorite for both my taste buds and my wallet. In a city like Tokyo, where you expect to spend $30-40 for a dinner out with friends, here’s a […]
June 8, 2009
I don’t like cheese cake. Especially NY-style cheese cake, which is like eating cream cheese as is. You are done after one bite, it’s enough. In Japan, we have baked cheesecake, which is very light and fluffy. This week’s recipe is how to make ever-so light baked cheese cake. The art of Japanese cheese cake […]
June 3, 2009
My new thing is to mix two kinds of rice, hakumai (short-grain white rice) and genmai (brown rice). I used to alternate between brown and white depending on the day, but found brown rice alone to be too heavy sometimes. For example, eating a delicate condiment such as tai-chazuke (white fish condiment with tea poured […]
May 10, 2009
I am hopping on the plane to San Francisco from Tokyo in a few hours, so I won’t be able to see the results for the Umami vote live – but it looks like boobies will beat out all categories. In honor of boobies, I am posting this photo of Oppai (Boobie) Choco I took […]
March 16, 2009
Mentaiko and sesame oil are meant to be together forever. I realized this when I first tried Mentaiko Gohan (Rice) at one of the izakayas I frequent. Luckily, the ingredients were so simple that I could recreate the dish to a T at home. It has since become my ultimate comfort food. Ingredients: 1 generous […]