A new take on the classic brisket for the High Holidays: Fall-apart-tender brisket braised in tonkatsu, a mouthwatering Japanese barbecue sauce. Perfect for the modern Rosh Hashanah table!
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Last year, when my husband Bryan and I visited Israel for the first time, I was naturally very excited about the food. I had heard about how amazing the hummus is there (it is), but what I was really blown away by was the labneh- a tangy Middle Eastern strained yogurt that’s both impossibly smooth and luxuriously creamy. It’s like a way better version of cream cheese! While it’s usually served as a savory side dish, I thought it would make an excellent base for a light summer dessert.
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Butter mochi, a staple at Japanese-Hawaiian potlucks, is said to be a combination of Japanese mochi and Filipino bibingka, a sweet coconut rice flour cake. This butter mochi has another layer of complexity- the addition of tahini, one of my favorite Middle-Eastern ingredients.
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Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) is coming up, during which dairy is a symbolic ingredient. Japanese-style cheesecake, also known as baked cheesecake or cotton (for it's light and airy consistency) cheesecake can be incredibly labor-intensive and time-consuming to make. This recipe yields similar results, minus the many hours of prep!
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Looking 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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More than I'd like to admit, there is a head of lettuce/kale/spinach/other leafy green that sits in the fridge staring at me all week. You know, the greens you were going to make a salad with or pan fry to go with your dinner to make it extra healthy?
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One of the Ashkenazi Jewish foods I've always been curious about is gefilte fish. Mostly because so many of my Jewish friends vehemently dislike the canned or jarred version they grew up eating. It certainly didn't seem all that appetizing, especially for a young child!
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As a 21st century, modern, California born and raised, Japanese-American, Reform Jew, eating consciously is deeply rooted in my soul. There's a Japanese saying, "mottainai もったいない". It conveys a sense of regret over waste.
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I love this vibrant, Japanese take on a Middle-Eastern classic. While I'm not the first person to make edamame hummus, the addition of bright yuzu citrus and furikake (crunchy rice toppings), make this one unique.
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Every year, about a month before Purim, I make three to four batches of hamantaschen. Then, I post a pretty photo on Instagram of the last batch.
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This is one of my favorite Japanese comfort foods. It's called soboro gohan, and typically has three toppings: Ground meat, sake scrambled eggs and greens.
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In both of my cultures, when a friend or family member is having a challenging time, the most common way we support them is to provide a meal.
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