Just Hungry

This month’s Japanese Kitchen column in the Japan Times is about a quintessential early spring vegetable called nanohana. There’s even a very well known children’s song about it. continue reading...

Back to basics. continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article is about umeboshi, the sour-salty pickled fruit (usually called a pickled plum, though it’s actually more related to an apricot) that’s practically a national symbol.

I’ve written quite a lot about umeboshi on these pages before of course, including how to make your own if you can get a hold of the fresh ume fruit, following my mother’s instructions. continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article is about all the raw-protein foods that are eaten in Japan, and consuming them safely, plus how to make a great plate of sashimi. More on both topics below. continue reading...

My latest article in The Japan Times is about edible cherry blossoms and leaves. continue reading...

It may look just like rice porridge, but this flavor packed, allergen-free flavoring ingredient is much more than that. I think it deserves a worldwide audience. continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article is about the traditions and superstitions surrounding Setsubun, which is coming up on February 3rd. continue reading...

All about mochi and New Year’s in the Japan Times, plus a ruinous-to-your-waistline buttery mochi recipe. continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article is about sweet potatoes*, which are called satsumaimo in Japanese. continue reading...

A recipe for katsudon (a fried pork cutlet on rice topped with scrambled egg), and the history of pork in Japan. continue reading...

How ancient Japanese people in the north foraged for mushrooms, plus a super-simple mushroom recipe. continue reading...

How a Japanese curry mix got to be named after a New England state not exactly known for curry. continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article is about Kyoto sweets. continue reading...

This month in the Japan Times, I talk about setsuden (cutting down on electricity consumption) and suzumi (keeping cool). continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article by me is about organic and natural farmers and retailers in the Kanto region of Japan (that’s the area that includes Tokyo), including the thorny subject of how they are dealing with radioactive substance contamination on their crops. Because of space constraints I had to leave a lot out of course (that’s the nature of newspaper articles) so here are some supplemental things. continue reading...

A new article in the Japan Times about spring mountain vegetables, plus a bit more about vegetables. continue reading...

My latest Japan Times article and recipe are about sakekasu, the lees left over after sake is pressed. Plus: a bonus recipe for amazake, aka “Japanese eggnog”. continue reading...

A new article in The Japan Times about toshikoshi soba. Plus, a little about my favorite food-eating model, Lena-chan, and her brother Lyoh. continue reading...

A new article in The Japan Times about winter fish, and how fish fits into a typical Japanese meal. continue reading...

I have a new article in today’s edition of The Japan Times, available online here, or in the print edition. continue reading...

A new article and recipe by yours truly is now available on The Japan Times web site, as well as in its print edition if you’re in Japan. The subject this time is eggplants (aubergines). It also includes a recipe of course! The recipe combines delicious fall eggplants with a miso-meat sauce or sorts.

Incidentally, although the original recipe calls for thinly sliced beef, it works well with ground beef too. This is a shot of a version I made using ground beef.

This dish is great hot or cold, so make some for dinner and save a little for your bento the next day. Really yum!

There’s a new recipe from me, on another site - take a look! And a bit about the, uh, photo shoot… continue reading...