Since Thomas Jefferson first brought it to the United States, Macaroni and Cheese has grown to become one of America’s national dishes. When Kraft Foods introduced their boxed mac and cheese in the 1930’s it was an instant hit as it was cheap, filling, and quick to make. But if you’ve ever tried to make macaroni and cheese from scratch you know it’s anything but quick. The process usually involves making a roux, which then goes into making a sauce, which is then mixed with the macaroni before it’s baked in the oven....

UPDATE: I’m leaving this post up for the curry sauce, but please see this updated Fish and Chips post for making fish and chips. Before you start thinking that this blog has turned into a golden arches franchise I should explain the recent streak of deep fried food. I hardly ever deep fry food, so when I do, I like to get the most out of the oil. Since I’d used half a bottle of oil for the chicken cracklins, I started running through the long list of deep fried goodies I’ve drooled over in the past months....

Japanese Curry Powder (カレー粉) If you’ve been following my the blog for very long, you may know that perfecting a Japanese Chicken Curry from Scratch that rivals the instant curry roux blocks sold in Japan has been a personal obsession for a good part of my life. I think I got there with version 4 of my Japanese Curry Recipe, but there was still something missing: the recipe wasn’t totally from scratch because I didn’t make my own curry powder....

What is Doria? Although it sounds Western, Doria (ドリア) is a uniquely Japanese dish that was created by a Swiss chef in Japan in the 1930’s. Traditionally it was made by layering rice with seafood and then covering it with a blanket of creamy béchamel sauce. This was then topped with a layer of cheese that was melted and browned in a hot oven. It’s cheap, comforting, and satisfying, which has made it a staple of home cooking....

What is Niratama? Niratama (ニラ玉) literally means “garlic chive eggs” in Japanese and is a dish of Chinese origin that’s been adapted using Japanese ingredients. Flavorful and nutritionally dense, it has become a staple of home cooking in Japan, and it’s eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although there are many variations of Niratama, the most common method of making this dish is to sauté the chives and then scramble in some eggs....

We’ve all heard of the miraculous feats that Aloe Vera performs on injured or sunburned skin, but did you know that Aloe is also edible? While you only really see it being sold as a juice in health food stores here, in Japan, it’s quite common to see it added to beverages and yogurt. It’s one of my favorite things with yogurt (up there with passionfruit), and I love the slightly green taste and the quivery cubes of aloe that have the texture of resilient grapes....

Tofu sadly has the reputation of being bland, but one bite of this blazing hot stir-fry and you’ll thank your lucky stars for the rich, creamy cubes of tender tofu that soothe your scorched tongue. But Mapo Tofu isn’t just about causing an oral 5-alarm fire; it features a broad palette of flavorful aromatics like scallions, ginger, and garlic, as well as a wallop of earthy umami thanks to the pork, doubanjiang (broad-bean chili paste) and douchi (豆豉 - fermented black beans)....

A traditional Hawaiian Poke is made using Ahi Tuna, sweet onions, and limu (seaweed). It’s seasoned with a condiment called Inamona, which is made by roasting chopped candlenuts (Kukui) with salt. For this vegan poke bowl, as well as my tuna version , I like to add sesame seeds to the Inamona, as well as toasted sesame oil to the “tuna” to add richness and depth of flavor. I’ve seen a lot of attempts at making plant-based ahi poke bowls using everything from beets to tofu to watermelon....

In many parts of Asia, dessert isn’t a guaranteed end to a meal like in the West. Instead, sweet treats often show up as midday snacks, something to enjoy with tea, or even as a light bite in place of lunch. One common feature of Asian desserts is that they tend to be less sweet than their Western counterparts. You’ll also find some unexpected ingredients woven into sweets, like herbaceous matcha (green tea) and subtly sweet azuki beans....

Atsuage (Thick Fried Tofu) Atsuage is a versatile preparation of tofu that’s both a dish and an ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Deep frying the whole block of tofu develops a meaty golden brown skin on the outside while the inside remains tender and creamy. When eaten fresh from the fryer, the golden brown crust is crispy and quickly absorbs any seasoning you pour over it. This makes it a delicious alternative to hiyayakko (chilled tofu) and yudoufu (boiled tofu)....

Beef Negimaki is an izakaya staple, but it’s also a popular home-cooked dish. Their easy preparation makes them come together in minutes, making them the perfect weeknight meal or a flavorful addition to a bento box lunch. With fresh scallions rolled into thin slices of steak, these succulent meat rolls make for a mouthwatering appetizer along with an ice-cold beer or an easy one-pan meal served over a bowl of steamed rice....

If you’ve ever had a steaming bowl of gyudon at a Japanese fast-food chain like Yoshinoya, Matsuya, or Sukiya, you’ll know why this iconic beef rice bowl is a workday staple in Japan. I’ve posted my copycat Yoshinoya beef bowl recipe in the past, but this time, I wanted to see if I could take this humble comfort food to new heights by using premium A5 Wagyu and applying some easy chef’s tricks to make a rich gyudon sauce that clings to each slice of the melt-in-your-mouth tender wagyu....

Unlike many Chinese-American favorites, which were invented by resourceful Chinese immigrants, Kung Pao Chicken (宫保雞丁) is a Sichuan classic that can be enjoyed to this day in China. If you’re expecting the mild vegetable and chicken stir-fry suspended in a sweet gravy that you’d get in the US, you may be in for a surprise when a plate with equal parts chili peppers and chicken shows up. The dish may be pronounced more like gōng bǎo in China, but it certainly packs more pow than the Chinese-American Kung Pao thanks to the copious addition of chili peppers....

You know it’s fall when Matsutake mushrooms hit the market in Japan. Their earthy, woodsy aroma is so unique it feels like walking through a pine forest after the rain. One of my favorite matsutake recipes is this Japanese risotto that swaps sake for white wine and dashi for vegetable stock. Autumn is rice harvest season in Japan, and it’s tradition to cook freshly harvested rice with seasonal ingredients. Matsutake rice is a classic, but this modern take pairs the sweet, nutty flavor of new rice with the deep, foresty aroma of the mushrooms, bringing out the best in both....

In the spirit of No Recipes, I am sharing a basic Javanese noodle stir-fry recipe that is the essence of most fried noodle recipes, like Yakisoba and Singapore Noodles . It can be tweaked as you wish and is very easy to make. Famously known as Mie Goreng Java, this noodle dish is versatile and can be served with many condiments such as sunny-side-up egg, chicken satay, fried chicken, freshly cut cucumber slices and tomatoes....

What is Sata Andagi? Sata Andagi is a delicious Okinawan Donut made by frying balls of dough sweetened with brown sugar until crispy outside and pillowy soft in the center. It’s a sweet homemade treat that was featured in the anime series Azumanga Daioh before becoming a social media meme, but they’re easy to make and delicious enough that you’ll wanna repeat the name over and over. Saataa Andagii…...

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich (照焼チキンサンド) Chicken Teriyaki is one of those rare Japanese dishes that’s as popular in Japan as it is in the West. Although the traditional way of having it is to serve it with rice, juicy slabs of Teriyaki Chicken is also enjoyed in more modern ways, such as on pizza or in sandwiches. Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich (照焼チキンサンド - Teriyaki Chicken Sando ) has become such a popular variation on the classic that it’s sold in almost every convenience store, as well as many bakeries around Japan....

Kabocha No Nimono (かぼちゃの煮物) literally means “simmered kabocha” in Japanese, and it’s one of the most popular ways of enjoying this sweet and starchy winter squash in Japan. This kabocha squash recipe is good hot or cold, which makes it a tasty and colorful side dish to add to your autumn table or a bento box lunch. Mix it up with other ingredients like carrots, daikon, shiitake mushrooms, or bamboo shoots....

What is Lomo Saltado? The US has Chinese-American cuisine, India has Indo-Chinese, and an influx of Chinese immigrants into Peru during the late 19th century created Chifa cuisine. Chifa is a unique subset of Peruvian cuisine which borrows Chinese techniques and ingredients like stir-frying and soy sauce, and applies them to locally available ingredients, creating a magical mashup that brings two worlds together. Lomo Saltado, a beef stir-fry, is perhaps the most famous Peruvian dish representing the genre and the name literally translates to “jumped loin....

These Matcha Pancakes are not only a festive shade of green, they’re loaded with green tea flavor, thanks to the addition of some matcha powder. The recipe is based on my fluffy Blueberry Yogurt Pancakes , but the simple addition of a tablespoon of matcha powder turns them into something entirely different, perfect for a holiday brunch! While they go great with maple syrup, I decided to up the ante a bit and make a kuromitsu syrup to drizzle on top....