PROJECT Fig

Sep 20, 2026 | Kitchen PROJECTS

PROJECT Figs

Figs can be enjoyed in many ways, savory and sweet. This project offers two recipes, each a classic approach to fruit in the Japanese kitchen:

  • Kanro Ni, poached in a sugar syrup
  • Shira Ae, napped with a creamy tofu sauce.

ICHIJIKU no SHIRA AE　無花果の白和え

Download a recipe for Figs in Creamy Tofu Sauce

ICHIJIKU no KANRO NI　無花果の甘露煮

Download a recipe for Figs Poached in Sugar Syrup

Find out about ICHIJIKU (figs) in the September 2026 newsletter.

More about ICHIJIKU (figs) in the  Kitchen Culture post.

Cutting Board

Cutting Board

Oct 20, 2026

The unassuming cutting board – a dedicated surface on which to slice and chop food – is an ancient tool. Natural materials such as stone and wood offered smooth, stable surfaces on which to prepare food. In the modern kitchen synthetic materials such as silicone and...

Figs

Figs

Sep 20, 2026

Figs are one of the world’s oldest cultivated fruits. Images of figs appear in ancient Egyptian murals and are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament and the Qur'an (or Koran, the central religious text of Islam). Figs were known to be an important source of daily...

PROJECT Kanten

PROJECT Kanten

Aug 23, 2026

This project is about cooking with KANTEN, a shelf-stable foodstuff with remarkable gelling properties. It is used to make a wide variety of sweet jellies and savory aspics. Kanten is sold as sticks (they look a  bit like brittle cellophane or styrofoam) and in...

Tengusa (Heavenly Grass)

Tengusa (Heavenly Grass)

Aug 23, 2026

Making sweet and savory jellies and aspics from the sea begins with harvesting tengusa (天草 literally “heavenly grass”), a group of red marine algae that grow in fairly shallow waters. The most common variety is makusa (Gelidium amansii); in Japan most of the...

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