NYUMEN

NYUMEN

煮麺 ・NyūmenSōmen Noodles Served in Piping Hot Broth Sōmen is usually served chilled, often on chunks of ice. Dipped into a deeply flavored sauce to which condiments have been added, it becomes a survival strategy for hot, humid days. But in Kagawa Prefecture (Shikoku),...
A Tribute to Kazunari YANAGIHARA

A Tribute to Kazunari YANAGIHARA

柳原 一成 (追悼) A Tribute to Kazunari YANAGIHARA (1942-2022) Shortly after arriving in Japan, I became intrigued with its food and culture. My first forays into the Japanese kitchen were guided by my husband’s family, and by Tokyo neighbors and local shopkeepers. The more...
Buri Shabu Nabé

Buri Shabu Nabé

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...
ARARÉ Rice Snacks

ARARÉ Rice Snacks

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...
OZONI Honorable Miscellany Stew

OZONI Honorable Miscellany Stew

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...
Yuzu Yu

Yuzu Yu

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...
Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums

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...
Kabocha

Kabocha

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...
Kenchin-Jiru Chunky Chowder

Kenchin-Jiru Chunky Chowder

けんちん汁KENCHIN-JIRU Chunky Vegetable & Tōfu Chowder When autumn evenings turn chilly, its time for a hearty, nourishing chowder. The inspiration for this one, kenchin-jiru, is thought to be resourceful monks at Kenchō-ji Temple (建長寺) in Kamakura. Utilizing vegetable...
Sudachi & Kabosu

Sudachi & Kabosu

SUDACHI (left) & KABOSU (right) The Japanese have consumed a variety of citrus for millennia, enjoying both the juice and peels of the fruit. Many who reside outside Japan have become familiar with yuzu, a member of the Rutaceae (citrus) family primarily prized for...
Watermelon

Watermelon

Watermelon Rind TSUKÉMONO Making use of every edible part of a food — here the rind as well as the juicy flesh of watermelon — is part of the Japanese notion of kansha (appreciation). More than just a frugal approach to limiting food waste, kansha is a...
Bounty of the Seas

Bounty of the Seas

Celebrating the Bounty of the Seas The inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been consuming sea vegetables –KAISŌ 海藻 — for millennia. Early evidence of consumption of aramé, wakamé, and hijiki has been found in burial mounds dating back to the Jomon...
Frozen Ices

Frozen Ices

Frozen Ices made with AMA-ZAKÉ Ama-zaké has been part of the Japanese pantry for thousands of years. During the Muromachi period (1392-1573) ama-zaké consumption took on a regional identity: In and around Kyoto, it was sipped in the summertime as a stamina drink to...
Cold Noodles Part Three: Hiyashi Chuka

Cold Noodles Part Three: Hiyashi Chuka

冷やし中華・Hiyashi Chūka For centuries, the Japanese have adapted and adopted foods and food ways from many culinary traditions. Asia in general, and China in particular, has probably been the greatest source of “inspiration” over the years. In fact the highly popular...
UMÉSHU Plum Wine

UMÉSHU Plum Wine

梅酒づくり Uméshu-Zukuri In Japan, early June is the time for UMÉ SHIGOTO (plum work), transforming the harvest of not-yet-fully-ripe fruit into a sweet liqueur (uméshu)  and/or sour, lip-puckering salt-cured uméboshi. If you are able to source green, not-fully-ripe...
Ocha-Zuké

Ocha-Zuké

Ocha-Zuké お茶漬け Ocha-zuké, rice moistened with green tea broth, is Japanese comfort food at its most basic – a reliable stand-by that can be quickly assembled as hunger, or the mood, dictates. A delicious way to enjoy leftover rice, ocha-zuké is a favorite, late night...
Colorful CARROTS

Colorful CARROTS

Beautiful & Nutritious The pigments that make these carrots so beautiful are also the key to their nutritional power. Orange carrots are especially rich in beta-carotene and vitamin A, both of which help to fight inflammation. Red carrots, like red tomatoes, are...
Komatsuna

Komatsuna

KOMATSUNA, a member of the brassica family of leafy greens, has been cultivated in Japan since the Edo period (1603-1868). The naming of the vegetable is attributed to the 8th shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune. It seems that during a visiting to a shrine near the Komatsu...
EDIBLE SAKURA Blossoms & Leaves

EDIBLE SAKURA Blossoms & Leaves

Salt-Cured Cherry Blossoms & Leaves The blossoms and leaves of certain varieties of sakura are made edible by preserving them in salt, in a process known as shio-zuké. Deeply colored yaezakura blossoms are especially prized. When it comes to salt-curing leaves,...
Pom Pom Sushi

Pom Pom Sushi

Pom Pom Sushi Temari-Zushi 手まり寿司 Like many frugal Japanese women who managed households in the early and mid 20th century, my mother-in-law, Kiyoko Andoh, practiced thrift in and out of the kitchen. She saved bits and pieces of cloth, turning them into quilted...