Japanify Ingredients


May 23, 2013

Japanify 2-in-1: Miso-Shio-Koji Marinated Duck + Duck Fat-Slathered Yaki Onigiri

by Yoko Kumano

Duck has always been a bird I’ve been meaning to explore. Its rich, luscious fat always makes me feel like I’m indulging in something reserved for a special occasion. I always dream about the duck fat potato chips that Hopscotch in Oakland fries up to perfection. Those definitely make me feel special, and happy to […]

April 30, 2013

Kuishinbo: Pixian Doubanjiang (Spicy Fava Bean Paste)

by Yuki HD

Doubanjiang has been called “the soul of Sichuan cooking.” A spicy bean paste most recognizable in Sichuan cuisine, doubanjiang is also a popular ingredient for Japanese home cooking, called tobanjan. I use doubanjiang quite often in my cooking for sauces, and I was curious as to how I might make a home-style version using only […]

February 21, 2013

Japanify: Garlicky Gomadare (Sesame Sauce)

by Yoko Kumano

Whenever I had shabu-shabu as a kid, there was NEVER ENOUGH gomadare (sesame sauce). It has all the elements that leave you wanting more: sweet, salty and savory. I was never a huge meat fan and I looked forward to dunking udon in my mom’s gomadare more than any other part of the shabu-shabu meal. […]

February 5, 2013

MOTOism: Homemade Ponzu

by Moto Yamamoto

When life gives you sour oranges, make ponzu sauce. Ponzu is such a versatile condiment and its acidity adds a lot more dimension than regular soy sauce. It’s also extremely easy to make your own ponzu at home. Especially when you find sour oranges (called dai-dai in Japan, and sometimes called “bitter orange” here in the […]

January 21, 2013

The Forest Feast: Chili Oil

by Erin Gleeson

For a year in college I studied art in Italy’s culinary capital, Bologna. I lived with four Italian girls who made endless variations of pasta and always had homemade chili oil on hand. It’s basically just olive oil and red pepper flakes — you can add whole dried peppers to the bottle if you have […]

December 18, 2012

MOTOism: Move Over Shio Koji, Here Comes Shio Yogurt

by Moto Yamamoto

Trends in Japan changes as often as Taylor Swift changes boyfriends. It’s like, wasn’t she dating the Kennedy kid and even bought a house across from his in order to be close to him? Next minute, she is shacking up with one of the bad boys from One Direction. And she publicly stated, “I don’t […]

October 2, 2012

MOTOism: Farewell to Summer: Shiso Beautiful

by Moto Yamamoto

This is my second write-up in a series about summer vegetables. Instead of enjoying them now, I am packing them for the upcoming seasons. I love shiso. You often find them sadly sitting underneath your sashimi at Japanese restaurants. These green herbs are similar to basil, but milder, and goes very well with fish, meat, […]

September 27, 2012

Japanify: Steak Sauce

by Yoko Kumano

Whenever I go see my 92 year-old grandma and have a conversation over tea, she drops all kinds of wisdom bombs on me. And she does it so casually, I never really notice the impact her words have on me until I am on the freeway, driving back to Berkeley. Last week, she said “I […]

September 13, 2012

Japanify: Hiyayakko with Myoga

by Yoko Kumano

My sister has a giant myoga plant that is thriving in a shady spot by her chicken coup coop. Powerful myoga buds started busting through the styrofoam container walls a few weeks ago. The plant was inherited from someone who could not contain their myoga and had to give away large patches to get their […]

July 31, 2012

MOTOism: Miracle Koji Marinades

by Moto Yamamoto

After I posted salt koji recipe a couple of weeks ago, I found out koji is literally a miracle condiments. This is the easiest thing to make, as long as you can find koji (usually at the Japanese grocery store), and the result is super-tacular. Marinate meat, even chicken breast, and it will never go dry. […]