March 11, 2013
This is a fun way to present roasted vegetables and it’s super easy! Just try to find eggplant, beets and onions that are approximately the same size around, so the circles match up when stacked. Use a generous amount of olive oil when roasting, plus salt and pepper to taste. You may need to take […]
March 5, 2013
Dried mushrooms are fashionable. They are packed with umami, and don’t contain any artificial crap. By drying them, mushrooms are concentrated with nutrients and all the good stuff. Mark Bittman wrote about the greatness of dried mushrooms. Pre-packed dried shiitake are found easily at Asian grocery stores, but majority of them are made in China. […]
February 28, 2013
Amazake literally translates to “sweet sake” which is deceiving considering it’s non-alcoholic. It’s sweet, milky and easy to digest, making it perfect for kids or adults with an upset stomach. Amazake is made by combining koji with cooked rice, which allows the rice to break down into simple sugars. This is the first step to […]
February 25, 2013
Jonathan’s brother and his wife Arielle came to visit last weekend from New York. The weather was gorgeous so we did a little late afternoon baking on the deck with a glass of wine! Arielle is a fabulous baker and this is her recipe for hamentashen. These cookies are traditionally made for Purim, a Jewish […]
February 21, 2013
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 20, 2013
GyÅ«-don w/ tokyo negi, chive points, tofu and shichimi RECIPE Serves 2 1/2 lb thinly sliced beef 1/2 block tofu (cut into 9 pieces) 1 stick of tokyo negi (you can use regular green onion or yellow onion) 3/4 cup of beef stock or dashi 2 tbl sake 2 tbl mirin sweet cooking sake 3 […]
February 19, 2013
Ramen culture has finally reached America. In New York, when it rains, it rains cats and dogs. There are so many new places opening up and I already lost count. Tonkotsu, shoyu, miso, there is so much variety. Plus, American-owned ramen places serve innovative dishes that are more like soupy pasta than ramen. Thanks to […]
February 18, 2013
I have been getting a lot of collard greens in my CSA lately. I love how easy they are to quickly chop and fry up with a bit of olive oil. But yesterday I fancied them up a little with capers, burrata and truffle salt (which I am obsessed with lately!). The greens get a […]
February 13, 2013
Awabi (abalone) is a luxurious clam. When it is eaten raw, it tastes faintly like the sea, but its crispy texture is what stands out the most. It is delicious, but almost impossible to find on sushi menus as they are so hard to obtain due to strict California laws. On the Northern California coast, […]
February 6, 2013
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Keisuke aka Kid Skwid, my beloved brother. He has recently been promoted to sous chef at the famed Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills. Congrats, K! And lucky for us, he will grace the pages of Umami Mart regularly, with simple yet fancypants recipes taken from his impressive home-cooked breakfasts on his Instagram feed (@kidskwid5). Make […]