Yawata maki uses either unagi (eel) or beef to wrap gobo and other vegetables in a little roll. Gobo is a root vegetable, which is a metaphor for a healthy and stable life. Yield: 2 people Time: 20 minutes Ingredients 1/3 lb sliced beef 1/3 gobo (4″ thin…
By Azusa | Published: September 16, 2015 Rice, egg, shoyu: mix. That was my favorite breakfast growing up. Sometimes it was a raw egg, other times it was a hardboiled egg steeped in the juices of a sweet oden broth. These days my stepdaughter continues the tradition with her go-to…
“Nanban-zuke”(nanbanzuke) is a type of marinated dish.It is made by marinating deep-fried fish ( or meat ) into vinegared sauce. “Aji” means Japanese horse mackerel.It is rich in DHA and EPA, it is a healthy food. Cut filleted aji into around two bite size.Coat them with wheat flour slightly, and…
Konbumaki is rolled seaweed. “Konbu” is a play on words with “yorokobu,” which means “to be happy,” so we eat a konbumaki over New Year’s for good luck. Yield: 2 people Time: 30 minutes Ingredients 5 seaweed rolls (dried kelp and konpyou rolled and packaged) 3 shiitake…
I had never really tried Balinese cuisine before I went to Bli Made. If this is what it is, I like it! This is a small, casual restaurant in Jingumae that is great value for money. One of my local favourites. There’s no website. It’s not that kind of place.…
I was watching a video on “shows that should never have been made” and one of the abominations that was featured was a show that I had the faintest recollection of from my youth. That show was “Pink Lady (and Jeff)” and I personally never watched it, but saw it…
This is a very simple Japanese style omelette recipe, though difficult to master. It is a common item for bento boxes, and people love it. There are many kinds of Japanese omelette and this particular one features seafood broth (but it’s also good without). If you prefer a sweeter taste,…
Kamasu barracudaKamasu and sanma are two fish in season now that we love to simply season with salt and grill.Katsuo sashimiKatsuo we love as sashimi, or if we find it in the market seared on the outside (tataki) we’ll cut it into thick slices and garnish with garlic and ginger and serve with the sweet kanrō soy sauce…
I have seen a variation of these egg rolls in various bento pictures in the last month. I thought I’d give it a try. Most of the pictures look like they add the same seasonings as in tamagoyaki but my son doesn’t like that so I just did it with…
The classic combination of rice and miso soup. If you’ve had a Japanese breakfast, you know there’s also a pickle or condiment: umeboshi, furikake, nukazuke, or the highly divisive natto. At my dad’s house in Tokyo, there’s usually a container of kimchee and nori no tsukudani. Nori no tsukudani is…
Okara is a left after making soy milk.But it is a nutritious food.Okara is also known as excellent diet food.Because it is low in fat and rich in fiber. We usually stir-fry okara in a pan without oil, and take out okara from the pan.Heat a little of salada oil…
Chikuzenni is usually cooked at home in Japan. It features chicken and a variety of vegetables, including, carrots, renkon (lotus root), and konnyaku. “Chikuzen” used to be the name of what is now modern-day Fukuoka, and was the most popular cuisine from that city. The holes in the lotus root…
The name Hanafubuki is quite a mouthful, but hey why not? There’s a lot contained in this beautiful ryokan in Izukogen. One of the best features, apart from the food, which is superb, is that there are a range of different baths and they’re all private. When I went my…
One of the big differences between my blogging in Japan about Japanese food as compared to doing so in the U.S. is that it costs me at least 50% more. This sucks, but, as someone accustomed to paying at least 50% more for imported food when I lived in Japan,…
It is the start of the new school year here in Japan and that means bento lunches. I quite like making homemade lunches as most store lunches are lacking in vegetables. Here are two lunches from this and last week. Soramame gohan – boiled fava beans (soramame 空豆) mixed with…
Moroheiya is a leafy green that becomes very slippery when it is cooked. We have it growing fresh on the rooftop garden and use it often for soup. In the version above the soup is poured over boiled gyōza.To make the soup pull off the leaves and rinse in water.…
Kamaboko is a Japanese fish cake (kouhaku means red and white, and these two colors are typically associated with congratulatory sentiments). I used only red kamaboko this year but it would be prettier if I had white as well. Yield: 2 people Time: 15 minutes Ingredients 1 kamaboko Preparation Remove…
5 days, 5 new breakfasts. I think we should celebrate with cake. And this cake—from the archives of my breakfast partner-in-crime—is the way I want to end the week. The sight of this dramatic black loaf may be unappetizing to some but I’m a sucker for black sesame. Besides, I…
