Umami Mart

For a limited time, we’re offering our entire Otsuka Tableware line for 30% off. Made by the same Japanese glass company who makes our popular Short Mixing Glass, these simple and elegant glass dispensers showcase, store, and serve condiments in style. The Otsuka Tableware line includes: Glass Pepper Shaker: For ground pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, curry, sansho, or other finely ground […]

Mayonnaise in America = Hellman’s = Gross. This is what many people say or think, but mayo in Japan is very different. As many of you know, Kewpie mayo is the good stuff.  If you haven’t had them, go to Umami Mart in Oakland and buy one. Or you can make it yourself. A lot of […]

I’ve made many many things from scratch, from macarons and Worcestershire sauce to wedding cakes and plum liqueur. The long process is something I enjoy, and the end result is usually pretty good. However, in terms of cost performance, making things from scratch doesn’t save you much money. Like hand-knit scarves, it actually costs more […]

As you may know, we recently bought a country house in the deep woods of Connecticut. We now own 9 acres of land, and my imagination goes wild with what to do — from building a chicken coop to a greenhouse, to planting yuzu and plum trees — an all Japanese vegetable garden. Unfortunately these […]

I’m sure Umami Mart readers know about mirin and have used it in cooking, but may not be sure about what it is exactly. Culinary experts in the U.S. believe that mirin is a mix of sake and lots of sugar. Sadly, this is incorrect. Yes, it’s sweet, but not just syrupy sweet — mirin […]

All day to do as I pleased, all night to gorge on cheese: this was my MLK weekend mantra. It was the start of the Winter Fancy Food Show at the Moscone Center, so Chris was away meeting luminaries of the gourmet world while I puttered about at home, varying my errands with cooking projects […]

My parents hosted a shinnenkai (New Year’s party) last night and it was a fantastic feast! As usual, Hideko and Kuni battled it out in the kitchen for cooking space, laughing and making fun of each other along the way. Who will make the best dish of the evening? This competitiveness has harshened lately, as Kuni has […]

I met a wonderful couple on Instagram, who I visited on my last trip to Japan. When they cook, they always use local ingredients prepared with such care and style. I look forward to their dinner picture everyday and I often leave comments telling them how great their meals look. One day a couple of […]

Yuzu citrus is one of the most important ingredients in Japanese cooking. The juice of the yuzu is prized both for its citrusy flavor and elegant. The skin is often used as a garnish for chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) or osuimono (clear dashi soup). Lately, upscale restaurants in the States love to finish off their dishes […]

Last month, MOTO made a surprise appearance for our one-year anniversary party. With not one hair out of place, he casually sauntered into our shop and helped us dress into our summer kimnonos. On his last day in California, we had dinner at my house. While preparing for our temaki dinner, Moto showed me how […]