Kinpira gobo (金平牛蒡, literally “gold flat burdock”), is a popular side dish in Japan. It’s often used to fill one of the compartments in bento boxes, and is made with burdock, the taproot of a common plant found in many places around the world. Burdock is loaded with fiber, vitamin B-6, potassium and magnesium, and aside from being pretty good for you, it has a delightfully crunchy texture and earthy taste that’s truly addicting when turned into kinpira....
Kuromame (黒豆) New Year’s or Oshougatsu is a time for rest and reflection here in Japan, and it’s a time where families gather to visit shrines and feast on traditional dishes like this Kuromame. Kuromame literally translates to “black bean,” and it’s a staple of Osechi Ryōri (おせち料理), or the traditional New Year’s meal eaten on New Year’s Day. Although it’s a simple dish with just a few ingredients, it can be very challenging to get the beans to turn out with piano black skin that looks like they’re about to burst....
My mom’s lasagne and spaghetti aside, my first memories of “Italian” food were at the Depot restaurant in Napa. Opened in 1925 by Teresa Tamburelli, the Depot was a Napa Valley institution for generations until it closed in 2004. For me, the appeal was always more about the vintage atmosphere than for the food, but there was one exception: the Depot’s Malfatti in a rich veal sugo. On weekends and around the holidays, it wasn’t unusual to see Napans lined up outside the kitchen door with pots and pans from home to pick up an order of the classic to go....
Ramen Carbonara is a quick meal I’ve been making for myself since before ramen hacks were a thing. The idea is to use quick-cooking ramen and toss it together with a carbonara sauce made from egg yolks, cheese, and black pepper. Since I first posted about it, Ramen Carbonara seems to have taken on a life of its own, and I wanted to revisit the concept with a new recipe that’s even simpler....
Ratatouille is a bowl of summer’s bounty, elevated beyond the sum of its parts, through the magic of heat and time. Sadly, out of season ingredients, and bad preparations have left most people craving the Disney flick over the summer stew from Provence. If you’ve ever had a good ratatouille though, it’s a memory that’s hard to forget. Large chunks of tender vegetables, impregnated with the ripe flavors of the summer sun....
I was born in Nobeoka, a small coastal city nestled in Miyazaki Prefecture. It might not be famous for many things, but there’s one hidden gem worth mentioning: a cozy diner called Naochan, near Nobeoka Station, where my favorite version of Chicken Nanban originated. It’s based on a Portuguese dish that arrived in Japan centuries ago with Jesuit missionaries. In my version, juicy chicken thighs are wrapped in a crisp, golden crust and dipped into a vibrant, tangy-sweet nanban-zuke sauce....
I have an awesome Beef Rendang recipe I learned from a local. The balance and depth of flavors of rendang is really remarkable considering it doesn’t contain all that many ingredients, but it does have one major drawback: it literally takes hours to make. I wanted to see if I could make a rendang with as much flavor as the original, that comes together faster, and with fewer steps....
Just because we’re in the dog-days of summer doesn’t mean I stop craving sweets. It does however make me reluctant to do any serious baking that would contribute to the sweltering heat. These Coconut Cream bars come together in minutes and will sate your sweet-tooth and comfort your inner chocoholic all without using the oven (if you have roasted almonds on hand). The creamy, chewy bottom layer is made with shredded coconut and coconut cream....
Although it is considered western-style food (洋食 - yōshoku ) in Japan, Cream Stew(クリームシチュー), or White Stew, is a Japanese invention that was likely inspired by a few dishes from the West, including Irish Potato Soup, Banquette de Veau, and Poulet à la Normande. The first printed reference to a stew made with milk appears in a 1924 book by Kaneko Tezuka, and after WWII, a stew made with milk powder was introduced into school lunches to combat malnutrition....
A little over a month ago during an intense moment of food geekery, I decided to make my own choucroute (sauerkraut) and saucisse (sausage) from scratch. The next day I went out and bought a large head of cabbage and got started on my epic sauerkraut fermentation experiment. The following is a chronicle of the high and low points of the past 34 days. Day 3: I walked into the bedroom last night and thought to myself “what died in here”....
What the heck is a Katsu Sandwich? Unless you’ve been hiding inside an Instant Pot for the past year, you’ve probably heard of these ridiculous $100-$200 sandwiches sweeping the World. So what the heck is Katsu anyway? Well, Katsu sandwiches are originally from Japan, where “cutlet” is transliterated to katsuretsu (カツレツ) and then abbreviated to katsu (カツ) . You might also hear of these referred to as Katsu Sando because the word for sandwich is sandoichi (サンドイッチ) in Japanese, which is usually shortened to sando (サンド)....
If you’ve ever taken a bite of a Japanese dish and marvelled at its rich smoky umami, chances are you were tasting katsuobushi (鰹節). These wispy flakes of dried, smoked, and fermented skipjack tuna are almost weightless, but they pack a serious amount of flavor. Broth made with katsuobushi is what makes miso soup taste like more than just salty broth, it’s what infuses a slow-cooked nimono with flavor, and what lends a simple bowl of udon noodles its smile-inducing complexity....
As someone who can’t put down a stack of pancakes without some ham, bacon or sausage to disrupt the sweet monotony, I love contrasts in food. While a delicious aroma or stunning presentation may entice you to take the first bite of something, it’s the contrasts that keep you going back for a second and third bite. That’s why the Monte Cristo is one of my favorite sandwiches. With ham, turkey and Emmentaler(swiss) sandwiched between two slabs of french toast dusted with powdered sugar, the sandwich is then slathered with strawberry jam before getting stuffed into your mouth....
I’ve written about Japanese New Year’s traditions and I’ve even posted some typical Japanese New Year’s dishes . But this year I decided to go whole hog and make an Osechi Jubako from scratch. You’d think after my recent ramen post (which was nearly a decade in the making), I’d be done with insanely time consuming Japanese food for a while, but I couldn’t resist the urge to share with you the New Year’s food of my people (that, and this project started off as a misguided effort to save some money....
<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://norecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/singapore-noodles-013-1200x1799.jpg" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“It may not be from Singapore, but this “Singapore” Noodles recipe makes a delicious stir-fry that’s loaded with savory shrimp and crisp veggies. - 1”> Singapore Noodles Like many items on a Chinese-American menu, Singapore Noodles aren’t actually of the provenance that its name implies. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a dish called “Singapore Noodles” on a menu in most of Asia, much less in Singapore itself....
Spicy Salmon Sushi Hand Roll (スパイシーサーモン手巻き寿司) I’m not usually a big fan of salmon for sushi because of its strong taste but paired with some sweet minced onions and spicy yuzu kosho; it makes for a delicious mix that’s perfect for sushi. To make it easy to roll, I’ve turned this into a style of sushi called Temaki Sushi, which literally means “hand-rolled.” It’s made without the use of a bamboo mat, and they’re made by rolling a thin layer of rice with lots of filling into a cone shape....
Donburi (丼) is the Japanese word for a large wood or ceramic bowl that’s used for serving rice or noodle dishes. It’s also the name of a class of dishes involving something savory served over rice, and it’s often shortened to just “don” for short. For example, Tanin Donburi becomes Tanindon, and Gyu Donburi becomes Gyudon. Tanin (他人) literally means unrelated, or outsider, and it’s a tongue in cheek reference to the classic Oyakodon, which means “Parent-child bowl....
Authentic Teriyaki Salmon Teriyaki Salmon (照り焼きサーモン) is one of those Japanese dishes that’s more popular in the U.S. than it is in Japan. While we do make teriyaki-style fish here, it’s typically done with buri (mature yellowtail), not salmon. That said, teriyaki is a versatile cooking method that works beautifully with many proteins. I want to show you an authentic approach that’s much simpler than most recipes I’ve seen. I’ve also got a trick that ensures your salmon turns out perfectly cooked and tender, all while being coated in a glossy, flavorful Japanese teriyaki glaze ....
Best Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Teriyaki (照り焼き) is a Japanese culinary technique that involves cooking a protein and then glazing it in a sweet and savory sauce. Teri (照り) means shiny or glossy in Japanese, and yaki (焼き) refers to any high-temperature cooking method such as grilling, roasting, or pan-frying. The key to making an authentic Teriyaki Sauce from scratch is to balance sweet, savory, and umami tastes while ensuring the sauce stays clear and glossy....
What makes this the Best Brownie Recipe? I’ve been working on this brownie recipe for the better part of my adult life. That makes this recipe twenty-some years in the making, over which time, I’ve made hundreds of batches of brownies. I know the word “best” is pretty subjective, so let me start by explaining my perfect brownie. I’ve come close with these Chocolate Cherry Brownies. Texture For me, the perfect brownie has a paper thin crispy shell on top, with a gradual transition from cakey to fudgy towards the bottom....
