March 19, 2015
Every time I go to Japan, I am exposed to new foods, new regions and new friends. Even though I lived there for five years and visit every year, there is still so much to discover. Sometimes I think about how I want to travel to other countries and discover new cultures and lands, but […]
June 4, 2013
As you’ve seen from my previous posts, my current apartment has a nice-sized balcony, which gets wonderful sunlight. I make the most out of this luxury by hosting barbeque dinners, and make my own dried mushrooms and umeboshi. When you have outdoor space, you gotta grow some vegetables, right? Here are my babies: I brought back shiso […]
October 2, 2012
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, […]
August 14, 2012
If you have been to Japan, you’ve been to MOS burger, the best burger chain. Apparently it is coming to the U.S., which will be great.  Their burgers — from the regular MOS burger with bolognese sauce, to tonkatsu burger with cabbage, to real-deal teriyaki chicken to rice burgers — are made to order, so they […]
April 12, 2012
My partner Washi recently got a job as a salaryman. This may not seem that odd until you consider the fact that he is living in Berkeley, California and to qualify as a salaryman, you are usually employed by a Japanese corporation. I will miss his face behind the bar at Ippuku. And I will […]
October 13, 2011
PREFACE The Ume Project: Foraging The Ume Project: Pickling for Umeboshi The Ume Project: Umeshu (Plum Liqueur) The Ume Project: The Aka-Shiso Edition Since July, Yoko and I have been working on umeboshi (pickled plums) with Sylvan of Peko Peko, a Japanese catering company based in Oakland. From picking our own ume from a backyard […]
September 16, 2011
This post is rather late, for which I apologize. Er, about a month late. SORRY! Where has all the time gone? How is it already mid-September? I look outside and the leaves are turning color. The light gives off a deeper glow. It is dark at 7:30pm. Sigh. San Francisco’s (non-existent) summer is officially over. […]
August 29, 2011
PREFACE Battle ReCPY: NYC Umeboshi Project, Pt. 1 After a couple of weeks of pickling plum in salt, it extracts all the water out of the plums, which makes umezu (plum vinegar). Once the liquid rises above the plum, it’s time to add red shiso (perilla). You can either do it or not do it […]
September 20, 2010
As I promised, this week I am sharing my chicken shiso coRn ball recipe this week. I’ve made chicken meatballs many times for parties. I usually use it as mini chicken sliders with a piece of shiso leaf, with a slice of cucumber. But I kicked this up a notch this time, and served it […]
August 11, 2010
I am not a gardener. I have no interest in physical labour, no patience for watching stuff grow and I’m always too busy for watering. But after spending one year looking at a pack of Japanese Shiso leaf seeds I got from Yoko (a pure shisoholic) I had to cave in and try it out […]