Meat Wrapped Onigiri (肉巻きおにぎり) Nikumaki Onigiri (肉巻きおにぎり) means “meat wrapped onigiri” and is said to have started as a staff meal at an izakaya in Miyazaki in the 1990s. Onigiri is usually a bento side , but wrapping sesame‑scented rice in thin beef and finishing it with a glossy teriyaki glaze turns it into a portable main that eats like steak and rice in every bite. Meat Wrapped Onigiri (肉巻きおにぎり) Why My Recipe Works Ingredients for Meat Wrapped Onigiri Substitutions & Variations How to Make Meat Wrapped Onigiri Make‑Ahead, Storage & Reheating Serve this With 📖 Recipe FAQ Comments Why My Recipe Works Paper thin meat - Using thinly sliced meat to wrap the rice ensures it cooks through all the way while ensuring the exterior doesn’t get chewy or tough....

If Pasta Primavera had a sibling for the three other seasons of the year, then this Pasta Estate (pronounced es-TAH-teh), would quite literally be summer ( Estate means summer in Italian). As far as I’m aware there isn’t actually a dish called Pasta Estate in Italy, but if a French chef in New York is allowed to name a pasta after spring, why can’t summer have a pasta too?...

Soy sauce and butter rice may sound like something a starving college student would whip up, but in Japan, butter rice is a deliciously addictive comfort food beloved by people of all ages. Known locally as butter shoyu gohan (バター醤油ご飯), this dish effortlessly turns a humble bowl of white rice into a luxuriously flavorful meal. Making it is as simple as nestling a generous pat of butter into hot fluffy rice and allowing it to soften before drizzling on umami-packed soy sauce....

Vegan Matcha Furikake Furikake (ふりかけ) is a class of savory condiment that’s typically sprinkled over rice to season it. Because it was developed initially as a calcium-rich nutritional supplement, it usually includes whole ground fish, but I’ve created a vegan and vegetarian friendly version that captures the crispy texture and umami-rich taste using plant-based ingredients. Vegan Matcha Furikake Why My Recipe Works Ingredients for Vegan Furikake How to Make Vegan Furikake Other Vegan Japanese Recipes 📖 Recipe FAQ Comments Why My Recipe Works By using a base of ground oats and whole sesame seeds, this Furikake has a splendidly crisp texture....

I once thought watermelon belonged only in sweet treats, but it’s in the same family as cucumbers, and it makes for a crisp, refreshing contrast to a savory summer salad. This tomato and watermelon salad recipe plays on contrasts: sweet meets tangy, creamy meets crisp, and fruity meets herbaceous. An easy lime and olive oil dressing brightens the flavors, coaxing out the highlights of each ingredient to make a simple yet sophisticated summer salad....

Asazuke (浅漬け) literally means “lightly pickled, and it’s my go-to when I’m craving something crisp and refreshing to go with a Japanese meal. Although it is a type of tsukemono (漬物), this quick Japanese pickled cabbage isn’t lacto-fermented like kimchi or nukazuke . It’s more like a salad, having been lightly salted and pressed just long enough to coax out moisture and infuse flavor. In just a few hours, you get an irresistibly crunchy batch of napa cabbage, sweet carrots, and spicy ginger, endowed with the ample umami of kombu....

Whether you’re dipping chilled summer somen noodles, zaru soba, or slurping a bowl of steaming hot udon soup, mentsuyu (麺汁) is at the heart of most Japanese noodles. To simplify things, I like to make a concentrated Japanese soup base that stays fresh for months, ready to quickly season everything from dipping sauces and soups to hearty donburi (rice bowls). While I live in Tokyo, my culinary sensibilities are rooted in the Kansai region (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe), where lighter broths highlight the subtle depth and umami of dashi rather than soy sauce....

Popularized by Nobu Matsuhisa in his eponymous restaurant, Black Cod with Miso has become an instant classic associated with Japanese food. The irony is that black cod (or more accurately Sablefish), is not native to the waters around Japan and is imported from the US and Canada. Contrary to popular belief, Sablefish is actually not a type of cod at all, yet its similar appearance has gotten it nicknamed black cod, silver cod, blue cod, and coal cod depending on where you live....

My love affair with Pho (pronounced “fuh” not “foh”) all started in the waning years of college, where cheap, fast, and satisfying meals were what my stomach (and wallet) craved. At first I thought it may just be a fleeting infatuation, but after college, as I moved my way down the East Bay with various tech jobs, I found myself turning to the comforting noodle soup, not just as a stop-gap meal, but as a soul soothing salve that never failed to put a smile on my face....

It was February and I was only in Prague for a few days, so I’d spent the day freezing my butt off wandering around the old city taking in the sights. My ears ached with cold, my legs were wobbly with exhaustion and in a rare moment for me, fatigue reigned over hunger and I decided to head back to my hotel room. Getting off at my metro stop near the end of the line, everything was shuttered for the evening and I was all but resigned to falling asleep with an empty stomach that night....

In Japan, the savory aroma of Oden(御田) wafting through the cool air is like the smell of roasting chestnuts on the streets of New York (or their modern candied nut equivalent). It’s a the quintessential winter comfort food and can even be found in convenience stores and yatai (street stalls) around Japan during the cooler months of the year. Oden was originally a dish made by spreading sweet miso on top of konnyaku(a firm jelly made from yam starch) and grilling it....

Cornbread is a minefield of differing opinions on what should and shouldn’t be added. Some of the most hotly contested issues include lard vs. butter, yellow vs. white cornmeal, and the amount of sugar to add. Which side of the debate you fall on depends largely on where you’re from. Folks living in southern states pejoratively refer to the bread from the north as “Yankee Cornbread”, likening it to sweet yellow cake....

What is Basque Burnt Cheesecake (Tarta de Queso)? A burnt cheesecake recipe might sound more like a mistake than a crave-worthy treat, but names can be deceiving, and this crustless cake is an effortless dessert that yields an improbably delicious cake. With a gorgeously bronzed surface on top and a rich custardy center, this cheesecake from the Basque region of Spain has become a favorite in our household and around the world....

We’re finally starting to see summer’s bounty around these parts and amongst my finds this week was a bag of vibrant purple eggplants, sun-ripened tomatoes, and knobby green peppers. I passed an Indian restaurant on the way home from the market, and the savory aromas wafting through the air had me craving a spicy eggplant curry. Here’s what I came up with: The Eggplant The Aromatics and Other Veggies The Spices How to Make Eggplant Curry 📖 Recipe Comments The Eggplant For eggplant curry, I like using small seedless eggplants for this, such as Japanese eggplants, because the seeds are almost non-existent....

Japanese Burdock & Carrot Stir-fry (きんぴらごぼう - Kinpira Gobo) Kinpira Gobo is a classic Japanese side dish often found packed in bento boxes or served as kobachi alongside other dishes in a traditional Japanese meal. It’s most commonly made with gobo, a long root vegetable frequently used in Japanese cuisine, but it can also be made with other veggies such as carrots, celery, or lotus root. For my version, I like to use a combination of carrots and gobo root, which gives it a nice color and a great spread of vitamins and minerals....

Few dishes encapsulate the soul of Italian cooking quite like Spaghetti with Pomodoro sauce. Simple yet incredibly flavorful, you’d never guess how delicious a sauce made from just five ingredients can be. The keys, of course, are good ingredients combined with solid techniques, and in this week’s post, I’m going to show you everything you need to know to make this delightful Pasta Pomodoro recipe in the height of summer....

With summer finally drawing to a close and the first day of fall only days away, the sun is migrating south in the sky and taking its sweltering heat with it. As the warmth wanes, the crisp autumn breeze sets trees ablaze in shades of yellow and vermillion in an ironic farewell to the warmer months of the year. I love this time of year, not just for the respite from the oppressive heat of summer, but because it signals the return of my desire to cook....

Poke (pronounced Poké as in Pokémon) is a classic Hawaiian dish made by marinating raw fish and mixing it with a variety of textural and aromatic components. Like the Hawaiian Islands themselves, Poke is a seamless melding of foods from around the world, inspired by dishes such as Japanese zuké-maguro, Korean hoe-deopbap, and French tartare. While I’ve done a traditional Ahi Poke in the past (which is pretty amazing by the way), the best part about Poke is that it’s an open platform that can be made in about as many ways as there are people who make it....

Contrary to popular belief, Japanese people don’t make sushi much at home. While that’s never stopped me before , it does take a bit of motivation to prep everything and then make enough sushi rolls and nigiri for everyone to enjoy. This is where Temaki Sushi steps in: all you need to do for hand rolls is make the sushi rice and slice up the fillings. The final assembly is left up to each person and their particular tastes, which is why it makes a popular option for casual get-togethers....

While chicken is the most common protein to cook using the Teriyaki method , it works great for other meats and even seafood. As the name suggests, Steak Teriyaki (照り焼きステーキ) uses beef steak in place of the chicken, which makes for a hearty entrée that’s delicious on a bed of hot rice. Making beef teriyaki involves a slightly different process than chicken though, so here are all of my tips and tricks to ensure you end up with a juicy, flavorful Teriyaki Steak....