Every good cook has their secret resources. Mine is The Japanese Pantry, who source ingredients made by Japanese food artisan families who have been making these products for generations. I enjoyed coming up with two simple recipes using the Pure Rice Vinegar from Io Jozo, a 123-year-old vinegar company. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed developing (and eating) them!
Read MoreHigh quality Japanese food products that are not laden with chemicals and coloring are surprisingly hard to find here in the US. Recently, Marc Matsumoto from No Recipes (!) reached out and told me about Kokoro Care Packages. They offer monthly and seasonal care packages, filled with Japanese food products that are produced by small artisan producers all over Japan. So when they offered to send me a box to try, I was so excited!
Read MoreSpring is finally here! The weather is heating up in San Francisco after a particularly chilly winter, I couldn’t be happier. When I was growing up, warmer months meant chilled dishes like soba salad. Soba salad also makes an easy, make-ahead lunch! Here’s my California take on a classic soba salad.
Read MoreOne of the dishes that is a constant on my Japanese New Year table is ちらし鮨, chirashi sushi, or scattered sushi. This beautiful, colorful dish is made of sushi rice with celebratory toppings sprinkled on top. Not just for the New Year’s table, scattered sushi is served on happy, celebratory occasions. My Northern California version incorporates local dungeness crab, which is in season right now.
Read MoreLooking back on my childhood in Southern California, it seems like my family went to potlucks almost every weekend with our Japanese-American family and friends from Hawaii. As much as I loved seeing my aunties and uncles (some biological, most not), the little foodie in me loved the food most. And there was always ramen cabbage salad.
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