I often tell people that I’ll become vegan on the day that there are equal or better tasting plant-based substitutes for all my favorite foods. With this mushroom pho, I can cross another one of those foods off my list. I’d be lying to you if I told you it tastes exactly the same as a bowl of beef pho, but it hits all the right notes, and it’s brimming with meaty umami you wouldn’t normally expect from a plant-based soup....

In Japan, few dishes evoke comforting nostalgia more than Yoshinoya’s Beef Bowl, a classic rice bowl that’s been delighting diners since the chain’s humble beginnings in 1899 at Tokyo’s Nihonbashi fish market. Yoshinoya’s founder, Eikichi Matsuda, aimed to create a hearty, affordable meal for busy workers, and the result was this iconic beef bowl with tender slices of marbled meat and onions simmered in a sweet-savory sauce, served over fluffy rice....

I know it’s not exactly holiday baking season yet, but I picked up a box of Ruth’s Toffee while I was in Colorado a few weeks ago and it was good… like hide-in-a-closet-and-eat-the-whole-box good. As with anything so tasty, it didn’t last long, so I’ve spent the week making mistakes and perfecting this almond toffee recipe so that it’s nearly impossible to mess up. Although it often goes by the name of “English Toffee” in the US, this is just one of the many styles of toffee in the UK, and it’s more commonly known as Buttercrunch over there....

As a kid, my mom always cooked dinner at home from scratch, she wasn’t a fan of all the artificial colors and and flavors in packaged foods, and as a curious kid, I always wondered how other families ate. I’d get little glimpses of what meals were like on the other side when I’d hang out at a friends house. Forbidden treats like Twinkies and Cheetoh’s would would come out, and the twelve year old version of me was always a bit envious....

It’s hard to believe it’s been two weeks since my last post. During that time, I took part in a weekend that included roasting a whole pig at a ranch in Sonoma were there was no cell reception or Internet access (gasp!). I cooked and photographed food for two cookbooks. And I’ve been floating between New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Despite a somewhat chaotic schedule, I managed to find some time to literally toss together this delicious karasumi pasta....

Tonjiru (豚汁) A traditional Japanese meal usually consists of a main dish, some side dishes, and a bowl of soup. This Japanese pork and vegetable soup lumps the main dish, soup, and sides together into a hearty stoup (stew+soup) that makes for a complete meal when paired with a bowl of rice. Easy to prepare, delicious and satisfying, Tonjiru is the ultimate winter comfort food. In fact, it’s so iconic that it’s featured in the opening credits of Midnight Diner, a show about a hole-in-wall diner in Tokyo that dishes out comfort food to its eclectic cast of patrons....

Shishito Peppers (獅子唐辛子) With loads of Vitamin C, blistered Shishito Peppers make a delicious appetizer or side dish that can easily be prepared on the stovetop in a matter of minutes. For the most part, these Japanese peppers are mild, with a floral fragrance, but there’s always one or two in a batch that packs in a surprising amount of heat. Why This Recipe Works Using a very hot cast iron or carbon steel pan mimics the intense direct heat of a charcoal grill, allowing you to “grill” the peppers on your stove....

Take your gyoza game to the next level with this trio of heavenly potsticker sauce recipes that bring your dumplings to life with a kaleidoscope of flavors. My traditional gyoza dipping sauce offers a timeless medley of tangy, savory, and spicy notes that enhance the flavors of your dumplings without overpowering them. Meanwhile, the Miso Gyoza Sauce recipe melds the nutty umami-laden depth of miso with the bright aroma of fresh ginger for something a little different....

Creamy Sesame Dressing (ごまドレッシング) Rich, tangy, and loaded with nutty sesame flavor, this Creamy Sesame Dressing Japanese restaurants often serve has become a modern classic worldwide. Here in Japan, sesame dressing is known as goma dressing (ごまドレッシング), and it’s the most popular type of salad dressing. My easy recipe comes together in minutes and will keep in the fridge for weeks, so I hope you’ll try this easy Japanese dressing the next time you crave a flavorful salad....

Usuyaki Tamago and Kinshi Tamago are variations of Japanese omelettes known as tamagoyaki. You can transform simple eggs into a beautiful wrapper or garnish often found in traditional Japanese cuisine with a few simple techniques. The process involves creating thin sheets of seasoned egg, known as Usuyaki Tamago, and then shredding them into fine, golden threads. This technique may sound intricate, but with a bit of patience and practice, you’ll find it surprisingly achievable....

Coleslaw: a Brief History Coleslaw is the English transliteration of the Dutch dish koolsla , which literally means “cabbage salad.” Its earliest recorded appearance on the American culinary scene was about 250 years ago in the cookbook The Sensible Cook: Dutch Foodways in the Old and New World , but there are similar salads made around the world. Coleslaw: a Brief History The Vegetables No Mayo Coleslaw Dressing Spices 📖 Recipe Comments The Vegetables In addition to the usual cabbage and carrots, I like adding a bit of kale to my coleslaw....

I’ve told you all before about my tonjiru (豚汁). With big chunks of pork belly and vegetables, it’s more like a hearty pork and miso stew than a soup. This time, I wanted to show you a tonjiru (sometimes called “butajiru”) using thinly sliced pork, which makes it come together faster. I’ve also used a regional variety of miso to give it a rich and pleasantly sweet taste. Saikyo Shiromiso (西京白味噌) is a specialty of Kyoto, and is what’s used to give Kyoto’s miso soup its unique flavor and texture....

What is Spaghetti Carbonara? Spaghetti alla Carbonara is a relatively modern Roman dish made by tossing hot pasta with Guanciale, and a mixture of eggs, cheese, and black pepper. Adding the hot pasta to the mixture melts the cheese and starts to set the egg, creating a thick creamy sauce that lacquers each strand of spaghetti. The fried guanciale batons add texture and an immense amount of flavor, making Spaghetti Carbonara a dish with an incredibly good effort to taste ratio....

I’ve always found it a little annoying that marketing cretins “geniuses” at baking mix companies have co-opted the term “pot pie” to use on their back-of-package recipes for making a biscuit topped chicken dish. These are the same folk that invent words like “lite”, as if removing some consonants from the word “light” makes their product contain less calories. All I have to say to these nincompoops is that if it doesn’t have a pie crust, it’s not a pie....

Chashu is a dish made of fattier cuts of pork that are braised over low heat for a very long time. The low, slow cooking, renders out the fat while turning the tough collagen in the meat into gelatin, which keeps the meat moist while making it meltingly tender. If you’re thinking the name sounds an awful lot like the Chinese barbecued pork dish Char Siu , you’d be right, because at some point in the past, they were one and the same....

Step into any Japanese konbini, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by shelves stacked high with meticulously crafted snacks and meals, each offering surprising quality and convenience. Among the kings of konbini food reigns the humble yet beloved tamago sando, Japan’s answer to the classic egg salad sandwich. Unlike Western egg sandwiches that tend to be chunky and heavy on the mayo, a Japanese konbini egg sandwich boasts an impossibly creamy, delicate filling nestled between slices of soft, pillowy milk bread....

Kung Pao Tofu Kung Pao Tofu is a delicious Chinese-American stir-fry that’s based on a classic Sichuan chicken dish called Gong Bao Ji Ding. For my Kung Pao Tofu, I’ve taken inspiration from both versions, marinating the tofu and giving it a nice brown crust before stir-frying it with crisp bell peppers and crunchy oil-roasted peanuts. For the sauce, I use a combination of dark soy sauce, Shaoxing, doubanjiang, and black vinegar to create a balance of savory, spicy, sweet, and sour tastes that glazes all the ingredients in a glorious mahogany hue....

One of the great things about Thai food are the rainbow of different curries, from yellow to red to green, each with their own unique flavors and character. But despite my love of Thai curries, my undisputed favorite is Massaman Beef Curry. Its use of ingredients not commonly found in Thai food such as potatoes, cardamom, cloves and allspice gives it a distinct flavor that’s truly addicting. Like most foods, Massaman beef curry has many creation myths about where, when, and by whom it was created....

At the heart of this classic sushi recipe is “oshinko” (お新香), the Japanese term for pickled vegetables, which bring a bright, tangy element to this hosomaki-style roll. The crisp pickles, tangy sweet taste of sushi rice, and briny nori come together in a delightful harmony that embodies the elegant simplicity of Japanese cuisine. Using various colored pickles allows you to create a beautiful plate of sushi, and because these rolls only include one filling, they’re perfect for diving into the art of making sushi at home....

Sukju Namul is a type of banchan , or side dish, and fits in the same category as dishes like kimchi and pajeon . Although there are many different styles of this popular bean sprout salad including ingredients like carrots and cucumber, I like to keep it simple. Like any simple dish though, the success of your Sukju Namul comes down to a few simple techniques. The most important thing is to squeeze out as much water from the bean sprouts as you can....