Ingredients
Aloe Vera
In the West its best known as a coolant in aftersun products and in Japan you will see it in every convenience store as a somewhat sweet yogurt product which works really well other than the sweet part so if you get fresh aloe, skin it and boil it quickly for about 20 seconds(depending […]
Continue Reading
Ishikawa Kawase
These little yams are delicious roasted, steamed or grated fresh. They can be peeled or just steam them and the skins come off real easy afterwards.
Continue Reading
5 day Koji-aged striploin steak
I have come to love and respect Koji for its many applications resulting in the most delicious of viands and this is yet another domain where it shines. Dry aged meats are hard to beat and I’m not saying Koji rubbed meat is better but it’s different and extremely tasty. The difference comes with aroma, […]
Continue Reading
Kita Akari potatoes
I had the pleasure of digging for these delicious beauties at my local JA farm. At the end of June they are supposedly just a little shy of their peak which is in Autumn although they are grown year round. The babies plucked straight from the ground were tasty but needed a little more development […]
Continue Reading
Mountain yam (yamaimo)
Translated as mountain (yama) potato (imo) these beauties have a long history in China, Korea and at least from the Stone Age in Japan. They are fantastic as tempura and I love them raw as above with perhaps some soy sauce, ponzu or katsuobushi for a kick. The Japanese enjoy slimy texture and so the […]
Continue Reading
What’s in season…?
Seasonality is embraced wholeheartedly in Japan and vegetable lockers are a great place to get your healthy, delicious fix whilst supporting your local farmer. The unmanned open shelves are the best as you get to inspect up close before choosing and it’s also nice to be reminded that you are living in a fairly honest society […]
Continue Reading
Buying flour (ko mugi ko) in Japan
You can see clearly in the photo above that this is indeed bread flour but at the supermarket you won’t always have nice easy pictures to know the difference between bread and all purpose flours but the Katakana in large white letters should keep you right Hopefully you aren’t faced with […]
Continue ReadingSardines (iwashi)
At this time of year during the wet transition from spring into summer, you will have sardines available from your supplier or supermarket. They are even called Tsuyu(rain season)Iwashi as they are extremely tasty at this time of year and also through the end of summer. As one of the most exploited fish in the […]
Continue ReadingSenbei (rice crackers)
Let’s be honest people, unless you are a health guru, chips or crisps are a rite of culinary passage for westerners. Japan has a very civilized version from the Edo period in the form of baked crackers traditionally cooked over charcoal and brushed with soy sauce but now flavored with wasabi, curry, mentaiko, sesame, nori, […]
Continue ReadingTomiz
Tomizawa shouten is a mostly dry foods store that stocks essentials for your pantry and some hard to find items that will leave you giddy with joy! With a solid selection of miso, flours, vinegars, soy sauce, oils, dried seaweed, and on and on all meticulously organised to make the shopping experience expeditious and exciting, […]
Continue Reading