by Elizabeth Andoh | Jan 25, 2022 | Recipes, Winter
鰤しゃぶ鍋Buri Shabu Nabé BURI (yellowtail) is fabulous in the winter! If you can source top-quality tenderloins of fish, you could opt for luscious slices of sashimi. Though my favorite way to enjoy fresh buri is swished-through-bubbling-broth buri shabu nabé – barely...
by Elizabeth Andoh | Jan 6, 2022 | Recipes, Winter
あられ・霰・ARARÉCrisp-and-Crunchy Rice Snacks When listening to the weather report araré means “hailstones” but in the kitchen (or other culinary setting) it means “small cubes” or fine-diced omochi (sticky rice) that has been fried or baked. No doubt the origin of this...
by Elizabeth Andoh | Dec 29, 2021 | Recipes, Winter
お雑煮Ozōni “Honorable Miscellany Stew” Served for brunch on Gan Jitsu (New Year’s Day), and on many chilly winter mornings thereafter, ozōni is enjoyed throughout Japan. The name of the dish is rather straightforward and descriptive: the “o” is an honorific...
by Elizabeth Andoh | Dec 17, 2021 | Recipes, Winter
ゆず湯・Yuzu Yu Food customs in Japan often involve word-play. The winter solstice that occurs on or about December 22 is called tōji 『冬至』, literally “winter arrives.” But the word tōji can also be written as 『湯治』meaning “hot-spring cure” or...
by Elizabeth Andoh | Nov 19, 2021 | Autumn, Recipes
食用菊 Shokuyō Kiku Edible chrysanthemums are one Japan’s autumnal culinary delights. Commercially cultivated in various parts of Japan today (including Okinawa!) they were traditionally enjoyed in the Tohoku (Akita, Yamagata) and Hokuriku (Niigata) regions. Though...
by Elizabeth Andoh | Oct 19, 2021 | Autumn, Recipes
かぼちゃ・南瓜KABOCHA Written with calligraphy for “southern gourd,” but pronounced kabocha, the name tells the curious history of this gourd in Japan. Kabocha arrived in Oita (on the southern island of Kyushu) in 1541 on a Portuguese ship. The previous port of call along...
