Sumibi-Baisen Coffee

Posted on May 4, 2022 in Hiroko's Blog

I love cooking meat and fish over a Japanese bincho-tan charcoal fire.  I know what this particular charcoal fire does in cooking.  For example, when I cook pork chop over exposed bincho-tan charcoal fire, infrared ray, which is emitted from the bincho-tan charcoal fire, permeates into the center of pork chop, thus cooked meat has even texture, and is juicy and moist.   A Japanese tea expert and a good friend of mine, Kei Nishida, sent me three sample bags of bincho-tan...

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“Rock with Cognac” : Cognac and Sushi Pairing

Posted on Feb 12, 2021 in Hiroko's Blog

Last week I Co-hosted with Ezra Star, a Cognac Expert, “Roll with Cognac”, educational webinar, for journalists.  Pairing Cognac and Sushi – how fun and cool it was! Both Cognac and Sushi are examples of highly refined culinary arts.  Cognac and Sushi shares similar history and characteristics in many ways.  Both are adopted from foreign culinary culture.  Cognac’s origin lies in the 16th century with the arrival of Dutch in France.  Preliminary forms of sushi arrived in...

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My Mother 2: My Mother and Beer

Posted on Oct 2, 2020 in Hiroko's Blog

My mother finally departed on September 29, 2020.  She was a dedicated, joyful, open, hard-working and loving person.  She enjoyed a full life in her 93 years on earth.  Here is my mother’s story No. 2. My Mom one day as she sat in his lap, watched her father gulping down a small glass of beer.  She was 5 years old.  Her father’s contented, big smile with some white beer foam attached around his moustache were so impressive that my Mom couldn’t stop watching him.  Feeling...

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My Mother’s Story

Posted on Sep 24, 2020 in Hiroko's Blog

The world has been dramatically changing under the Covid-19 pandemic.  Once upon a time life was slower, more mellow, and gentler for me.   I was a boomer.  I begin to feel that I am a dinosaur. And my mother turned to 93 this year.  She had health issues but was happy and in good spirits and had a healthy appetite until 6 weeks ago.  She led her life even at her late age in the same way she has been doing for the adult part of her 93 years.  This means that she did her...

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SUPER-QUICK SHIO-KOJI and EAT LOCAL AND SEASONAL VEGETABLES

Posted on Dec 7, 2018 in Hiroko's Blog

      You may have tried shio-koji recipe which I have posted on June 12, 2012. I have been making it in this way until one day I found the fantastic short-cut way of making of this version from a Japanese cookbook written by Takako Nakamura. She has developed a super quick shio-koji recipe, which I call it Super-quick Shio-koji. Super-quick Shio-koji takes only 1 hour to make; the old technique takes, as you have done it, for 10 days during winter time. It...

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