Summer in Japan is a lush and verdant season that makes you feel like you’re living in an arboretum amidst a soundtrack of humming cicadas. It’s against this backdrop that one of Japan’s most delightful seasonal traditions developed: cold somen noodles. These whisper-thin strands of hand-pulled noodles have served as a welcome respite from the heat for centuries. So whether you enjoy scooping nagashi somen up from a bamboo flume of ice-cold spring water or you prefer a somen salad topped with a colorful explosion of summer produce, each mouthful is a testament to the fleeting beauty of summer in Japan....

Hailing from Isan in the northeast of Thailand, Suea Rong Hai (เสือร้องไห้) literally means “crying tiger.” The name is steeped in conflicting folklore, but what’s not in dispute is the addicting combination of succulent grilled beef with a spicy Thai BBQ sauce called Nam Jim Jaew. Traditionally made with brisket, the beef is infused with endless umami flavors thanks to the marinade’s magical combination of fish sauce and oyster sauce....

Tokachi Butadon (Japanese Pork Bowl) Created in the city of Obihiro, which is in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, Tokachi Butadon(十勝豚丼), is a hearty grilled pork bowl that was initially created as a satisfying meal for hungry farmers. Much like unagi, the pork for this Butadon is traditionally made by grilling and glazing thick slices of fatty pork with a sweet and savory sauce. For my version, I’ve adapted the recipe so that you can make this classic Japanese Pork Bowl without a grill while still getting the caramelized glaze and smoky char-grilled flavor....

Mapo Eggplant (麻婆茄子 - Mabo Nasu) Mapo Eggplant, which is known as Mabo Nasu (麻婆茄子 or マーボー茄子) here in Japan, is a popular Chinese-style dish that was created in the image of Mapo Tofu . The eggplant is flash-fried before being stir-fried and braised in a savory sauce made with dark miso, aromatics, and dashi stock, which infuses the eggplant with loads of flavor. The creamy eggplant takes the place of tofu, resulting in an umami-packed dish that goes great over a bowl of rice....

As a fan of savory breakfasts, I love egg dishes. Whether their poached , boiled , scrambled or sunny-side up , for me, eggs are the perfect way to get the day started. But as much as I love eggs, I’ve never really been able to get into frittatas. Sure, I make them on occasion(mostly upon request), but they always seemed to turn out a bit spongy, mushy and dry....

Stroganoff is one of those foods that have transcended geographic and culinary boundaries, like spaghetti with meat sauce or fish and chips , it’s become a dish that’s enjoyed around the world. Unsurprisingly this also means that there are dozens of local adaptations of the dish, with some versions including ingredients like shrimp and soy sauce! Even within Russia, where the dish is from, it’s come a long way from the original recipe found in the 1871 edition of A Gift to Young Housewives , which called for floured beef cubes sauteed and paired with a sauce made from mustard, bouillon and a bit of sour cream (without tomato, onions or mushroom)....

While it’s commonly believed that it gets it’s name because it contains 5 ingredients, the number in the name Chinese Five Spice Powder actually refers to the 5 elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. In traditional Chinese medicine, these elements manifest themselves in various parts of the human anatomy, and imbalances in these elements are said to be the cause of disease. Various herbs and spices have been used for thousands of years to restore balance to these elements, which is how Chinese five spice powder came into being, forming an iconic flavor profile of Chinese cuisine....

Perhaps its my Asian DNA, but I’ve always been more of a savory breakfast person than sweet. Whether it’s a bowl of Pho or an Eggs Benedict , I’ll almost always chose the savory path when dining out. The trouble is, savory breakfasts tend to take more time to make than a slice of toast or bowl of cereal. That’s why I often end up going sweet, or skipping breakfast when I’m in a rush to get out the door....

I love how almost every county in the world has their version of the pancake. France has crêpes , Mexico and Spain each have their own version of a tortilla, and Japan has its okonomiyaki . Korea’s pancake is the jeon (전). It can be made with meat, seafood, vegetables or mushrooms, and it’s held together with a thin batter. Kimchijeon (김치전) is one of my favorite variants. When prepared well, it’s made almost entirely of kimchi , with some onions for flavor and a small amount of flour and egg to hold it all together....

Orange Chicken is one of those Chinese-American classics I can never quite resist-equal parts guilty pleasure and nostalgic comfort food. My version takes the familiar flavors you might know from places like Panda Express or Costco and gives them a serious upgrade with a trio of orange: fresh juice for brightness, zest for aroma, and marmalade for that sticky, candy-like glaze. Each piece of chicken gets marinated, battered, and fried until it’s shatteringly crisp, then tossed in a tangy-sweet sauce that clings to every crevice....

As much as the British are maligned for their food, they make some of the best desserts. Amongst my favorites are the Summer Berry Pudding, the Eton Mess , and then of course there’s the Posset. If you’ve never heard of a Posset, don’t feel too bad, I managed to go almost 40 years without knowing about this divinely delicious dessert that could also qualify as one of the easiest desserts you can possibly make....

When I was a kid, summer vacation always started with an annual trip to McDonalds. The pilgrimage, which coincided with the last day of school, was something that I looked forward to for weeks, and I always got the same thing: a 6 pack of chicken nuggets with honey mustard sauce. It’s strange to look back now and think about how much I looked forward to the oddly uniform nuggets of spongy mystery meat, but in retrospect I think it may have been the sauce....

What is Miso Soup? Miso Soup or Misoshiru (味噌汁) is a traditional Japanese soup that can accompany a bowl of rice for any meal of the day; however, it’s a staple of Japanese breakfasts. It’s made with dashi stock, miso paste, and solid ingredients such as vegetables, tofu, and dried seaweed, and I’ve got three different miso soup recipes to show you using three types of miso. What is Miso Soup?...

Japanese garlic rice (ガーリックライス) is a type of garlic fried rice made famous by the teppanyaki style of cooking. These Japanese steak houses are known as hibachi restaurants in the US, which is why this dish is also known as hibachi rice. The high-temperature griddles used in these eateries create Maillard browning and caramelization around the rice, which gives it its toasty flavor. In this recipe, I want to show you how to recreate this flavor at home using a regular frying pan and stove....

I’ve never been a huge fan of muffins. Although they look a bit like unfrosted cupcakes, most muffins are a far cry from their distant sweet cousins. While cupcakes are sweet, moist, flavorful and fluffy, muffins are often tough, dry, and flavorless. They’re a bit like the American version of scones. But like scones, muffins can be absolutely delicious when properly made. A Worthy Muffin Not Too Sweet Properly Ripe Bananas More Banana Recipes 📖 Recipe Comments A Worthy Muffin These lemon banana muffins are ultra moist and buttery, with the perfect balance of fruity banana and zingy lemon zest....

Matcha (抹茶) might be best known in ice creams and lattes , but matcha brownies (or “greenies”) offer a delicious, fudgy twist on the classic chocolate treat. The secret to their vibrant green color lies in using white chocolate, which lets matcha’s bright hue shine through. Matcha powder brings a fresh, earthy flavor with just a hint of pleasant bitterness-similar to a high-quality cocoa powder. Each brownie packs roughly 30-70 milligrams of caffeine-more than you’d find in an 8-ounce cup of green tea-but thanks to a natural compound called L-theanine, you’ll enjoy calm, jitter-free energy....

With meetings in the city every day this week and a cold that doesn’t seem to get the clue, I haven’t exactly been looking forward to spending time in the kitchen. That’s why I have tried and true standbys like this Shōgayaki to get me through the week. Shōgayaki (生姜焼き), literally means “grilled with ginger” and is a super simple, fabulously flavorful way to prepare your favorite protein. In Japan, it’s usually made with thin pork chops (I’ve used both rib and shoulder chops), but this marinade will work equally well with lamb chops, chicken thighs or even tofu....

Making great chicken stock can be challenging. Boil it long enough to get lots of flavor in your stock and you end up with dry pasty chicken. Don’t cook it enough and you end up with a watery broth. It’s a trade-off that leads many to throw away the meat used to make the stock and then cook a separate batch of meat to serve with the soup separately....

Spaghetti Napolitan (スパゲッティナポリタン) If you’re Italian, you may want to avert your eyes because Spaghetti Napolitan isn’t Italian at all. Despite its name, this ketchup-based pasta is a Japanese invention that originated during the early days of yōshoku , when Western food was adapted to local tastes using readily available ingredients. Over the past 90 years, Napolitan has become such an integral part of Japanese food lore, it’s even been featured in episodes of Midnight Diner and Food Wars ....

Fishing aside, one of my favorite reasons for visiting Japan as a kid was to dig for clams at low tide. For a 6 year old, there are few things more exciting than sinking your hands into a cool slurry of sand and coming up with a handful of clams that would later make it into a bowl of miso soup for breakfast. Those clams are known as Asari in Japan, but thanks to the popularity of Japanese oysters, they were introduced to the West Coast of the US, and are commonly known as Manila clams in grocery stores....