Jiro Dreams of Nikiri

“If sushi was a religious cult (which it should be if you ask me), the way in which people use soy sauce would be considered blasphemy of the highest order and condemnable by eternal damnation.“ Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a movie that we at Your Sushi School have been eagerly awaiting for quite some time now, has finally come to the big screens of UK cinemas. Cue frantic fist pumps to the air! Naturally the cinematic experience is not a disappointment in the least, combining beautiful images of Jiro’s masterful craftsmanship with a touching and insightful documentary about the 85 year old chef’s life to date in his continuous pursuit …

Continue reading

Japan Day 6: One fish, no fish, raw fish, goatfish

On the morning of our sixth day in Japan, we planned to go to Tsukiji fish market with Rachael. Key word: “planned”. We dragged ourselves out of bed around 3am. Neither Son nor I are morning people (we’re more likely to be going to bed around 3am), so there was definite dragging involved, however before long we were up and ready to go see some fish! And then we got stuck in our hotel. Seriously. As I’ve mentioned before, one of the lower levels of our hotel connects to a train station, so that’s how we would usually get across to…

Continue reading

Hiyashi-chuuka

This is hiyashi-chuuka(冷やし中華), another popular food to eat for lunch in summer. It’s a chinese noodle dipped in a cold vinegared soy sauce or sesame sauce, topped with egg strips, imitated crab meat, sliced cucumber, ham etc. Colorful and tastes light! If you’ve already had enough of cold udon or soba noodles this summer, try this one! Hiyashi-chuuka package is easily found at a grocery stores and it comes with a sauce! Just be careful to look on the package for the taste you want, 醤油だれ(shouyu-dare) stands for vinegared soy sauce and 胡麻だれ(goma-dare) stands for sesame sauce.Cooking time: 10minsServings: 1Ingredients:1 package chinese noodlea slice of ham, cut into strips1/2 …

Continue reading

Japan Day 9: Goodbye Tokyo, Hello Kyoto!

Our ninth day in Japan was our last day in Tokyo. We started the morning by finishing up packing (and ate a couple of onigiri), before checking out and leaving our baggage with the front desk so we could do a couple more things in Tokyo before heading to Kyoto. We met Rachael and her girls at their hotel, and headed to Kappabashi – the “cooking street”. Kappabashi is a street in Tokyo where many restaurants buy their supplies – cookware, dishes, signs, even the insanely realistic fake food that is often displayed in front of restaurants. We bought a few things there – a plate, a set of coasters, a silicone doughnut mold, a…

Continue reading

Chocolate Infused Sake from Sushi Secrets

I live in what I like to call “drinkable sake” diaspora. Attending the California Sushi Academy spoiled me. The CEO, Toshi Sugiura, was a Certified Sake Masters Emeritus. You can bet that he introduced us to the delicacies and nuances of fine sake. Unfortunately, many of those fine varieties are well out of reach in my part of the South. Here, we have an abundance of low end boxed stuff that most sushi restaurants offer only hot. And those delicate sake varieties I dream of? Those I enjoy in abundance when travelling. Don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy sake regularly. I make cocktails …

Continue reading

YOSHIHIRO- Shiroko-Kasumi Yanagi Sashimi Knife Shitan Handle 10.5″ (270mm)- Made in Japan

Kasumi means mist in Japanese. The border of the blade on a Kasumi has beautiful waves that look like a mist. It is made of two materials; blue or white steel and soft iron. The waves are the border of hard steel and soft iron. When hard steel is covered…

Continue reading

Japan Day 8: Bowls the size of your head!

On the eigth day of our Japan trip, my true love gave to me… cookbooks, udon, and sushiiii!!! (Sorry, now that Thanksgiving is past, I’m in a bit of a Christmas-y mood!) So. Day 8. This was a hot, hot day! Our eighth day in Japan started out like this. If, like us, your legs get attacked by crazy biting bugs when you’re out late at a park, then you’ll want to acquire some of this apparently fairly popular cream at a pharmacy. Luckily for us, Rachael knew just what we needed. We had decided on sushi for lunch that day, since it was eight days into our trip and …

Continue reading

Kakigoori

I just can’t keep up with this hot and humid weather in Tokyo. Better than cold but it’s too hot. For those who are like me, here is something to cool you!!This is kakigoori(かき氷), shaved ice, a popular sweet in summer. Flavored with matcha(抹茶), sweetened azuki beans(あずき) and condensed milk, sweetness and bitterness are mixed together perfectly as you pop into your mouth. It’s really really yummy!Other common flavors are strawberry, lemon, melon, and blue hawaii. But matcha is the best!

Continue reading