Cold Noodles Part One: SŌMEN

Cold Noodles Part One: SŌMEN

Survival strategy for hot, humid days: Chilled Sōmen Noodles-on-the-rocks! DOWNLOAD information on buying, storing and cooking sōmen  and serving the noodles. © Photo by Leigh Beisch Styling by Karen Shinto ネバネバそうめん Slithery Sōmen Noodles Mouth feel (the way a food...
Rainy Season Kitchen

Rainy Season Kitchen

RAINY SEASON KITCHEN TSUYU (梅雨 literally, “plum rain”) comes to the Japanese archipelago every year as spring turns to summer. The constant dampness of tsuyu encourages the growth of kabi (mildew, and molds) requiring a strategy (taisaku 対策) … and...
Roasted Eggplant

Roasted Eggplant

Roasted eggplant, peeled and drizzled with soy sauce, garnished with flakes of smoky katsuo-bushi and some minced scallions. Throughout the summer months in Japan, plump and dark, tender-skinned eggplants can be found in every market and grocery store. As fall...
Manganji Pepper

Manganji Pepper

Manganji tōgarashi Manganji Tōgarashi 万願寺唐辛子 Manganji tōgarashi are mild, tender capsicums with an earthy-rich aroma. They typically run about 100 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) compared to jalapeno that average 5000 SHU. Manganji are named after the area near Maizuru City...
Melon

Melon

Luscious, ripe melon bursting with delicious juice… Not wanting to waste a single drop, I scrape the seeds into a strainer set over a bowl to collect the juice… to make aspic. In Japan, fresh fruit is often a gift item, especially melons that can be...
Shiso Maki

Shiso Maki

Shiso maki rolls, skewered and seared. Japan’s Tohoku region is justly famous for its walnuts – large, meaty orbs that produce an incredibly rich, aromatic paste when roasted and crushed – and its miso – a full-bodied red (burnished brown, really) fermented soybean...