A new habit, which is only a week old, was born out of my recent teaching experience. At breakfast I began spreading a thin layer of Mellow White miso over a generous spread of Isigny butter (sweet) from Normandy on my whole wheat brown toast. “What kind of flavor do you find in this miso?” I asked eleven students, who are attending my class in the kitchen at Boston University Food and Wine Fall Program. We were...
Read MoreYukari, Not Your Japanese Girl Friend
Yukari is a name of Japanese female . Another ‘yukari’ is a salty, sour and fragrant condiment made from purple shiso leaves. Shiso season, green or purple, is coming to end soon. Hope you made and enjoyed shiso juice (recipe is in the archive of this blog; August, 2013) to counter the heat of this hot summer. There is a reason to consume shiso during hot months. Shiso has antiseptic property; shiso alleviates pollen allergies; shiso strengthens our immune...
Read MoreWho Cares Bitter Gourd?
Bitter gourd, niga-uri, which appears at my neighborhood Japanese food store during summer in New York City,reminds me of my visit to Okinawa, a southernmost, small island of Japan, many years ago. There I was first introduced to niga-uri during the height of the summer. Niga-uri is a savory gourd, which is deep green in color and has unique bumpy skin. The locals call it goya and it is known for its pleasant bitter flavor....
Read MoreUmeboshi Pickles
We say in Japan “One umeboshi a day keep the doctor away.” Pickled plum, umeboshi, which is salty and extremely sour, has many health benefit. Umeboshi is an alkaline food and rich in citric acid. One umeboshi a day maintains our blood pH at neutral. Citric acid in umeboshi dissolves lactic acid and helps our body to regain energy. My sister, Yoko, is now enjoy making umeboshi, pickled plum in Tokyo. She began this annual ritual several years ago. Here in New...
Read MoreUnique History in This Lovely Summer Dish
Namban dish is a specific dish in which ingredients – seasonal small seafood to vegetables – are deep-fried and pickled in rice vinegar marinade, which is flavored with sugar and shoyu (Japanese soy sauce). In the olden days the method of this preparation was perfect to preserve the prepared food longer at the time when there was no refrigeration system. Namban preparation has survived into today’s kitchen and still entertain us with the height of the...
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