Mochi Tsuki

Mochi Tsuki

Pounding Rice Taffy 餅つき MOCHI TSUKI MOCHI TSUKI… steamed mochi-gomé rice is pounded into a sticky, taffy-like mass. As the year comes to a close and preparations to welcome the new year are underway, communities throughout Japan organize rice-pounding events...
Smashed Burdock

Smashed Burdock

Tataki Gobō叩き牛蒡 Smashed Burdock Root This dish takes its rather alarming name from the thwacking sound emitted when burdock root is tenderized with a blunt, heavy tool. In the traditional Japanese kitchen, this would have been a surikogi, the wooden pestle used in...
Sugar-Stewed Chestnuts

Sugar-Stewed Chestnuts

Sugar-Stewed Chestnuts栗の渋皮煮 Shibu Kawa Ni Shibu Kawa Ni is what the Japanese call sugar-stewed whole chestnuts that are only partially peeled – their slightly bitter, inner skin being kept intact. The resulting glossy brown globes are delightfully complex in flavor...
GOMA-DŌFU

GOMA-DŌFU

Buddhist Cookery & Sesame Pudding 精進料理 Shōjin Ryōri・胡麻豆腐  Goma-Dōfu Goma-dōfu, a creamy-smooth sesame pudding, is historically associated with fucha ryōri, a Chinese-style of Buddhist cookery that arrived in Japan with Zen Priest Ingen in 1654. The pudding is a...
Kinoko Gohan

Kinoko Gohan

Kinoko Gohan Rice with Mushrooms The Japanese call autumn’s many culinary pleasures Aki no Mikaku. Such pleasures include a glorious array of mushrooms. You, too, can celebrate the season at table by composing a menu that highlights this bounty. Kinoko Gohan Is an...