japanese

I should have done this a long time ago, but hey, better late than ever. I'm going to try to assemble a list of Japanese grocery stores worldwide, that people can refer to. Obviously I cannot do this without your help! I can list info for places I've lived, and there have been some great comment posts in the past here that have included such info, but I'll try to put it all in one place.

So, please head on over to to this constantly updated page and add any information you have about in the comments!

I've added the categories Food related shopping places you shouldn't miss in Japan and Places that ship Japanese food-related things worldwide.

[Update:] Of course this turned out to be a way bigger job than I thought :) But I'll try to add as much as possible over the weekend. I've found that there are quite a lot of Japanese pages that list stores and so on, for expats obviously. I'm collecting those and adding them, together with your suggestions in the comments.

• Japanese grocery store list top page

Bacon. Tofu. Two proteins on the opposite ends of the food social scale. One is revered, serenaded, hailed as the food of the Gods. The other is reviled, sneered at, as being bland, boring, even disgusting.

When I saw this conflict depicted as bendable figurines (via Serious Eats) I had to do something to end this conflict.

The only reason why tofu is put down is because of its mishandling by well meaning but unskilled cooks who focused only on its healthy benefits. There are plenty of Westerners who hate tofu, but you'd be hard put to find many Asians who do. That is becase in eastern Asian cuisines, tofu is infused with other flavors, as it should be.

So, back to the bacon and tofu. This is actually not an uncommon dish in Japanese households. It's called either just bacon tofu (or tofu bacon) or even bacon tofu steak. The salty bacon-ness of the bacon infuses the bland tofu, and the two marry together to become a tasty morsel that's good hot or cold. It's salty-crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. (Yes, it's good for bento, and it will feature in one shortly.)

I know that a lot more people read Just Hungry than read Just Bento (and I know a lot read both - thank you!) Most recipes are posted here, but when there is a recipe that works especially well in a bento lunch, I post it on the bento site.

These miso-tahini-walnut topped baked carrots are great for bento, but are really even nicer warm out of the oven. And I think the world needs more tasty vegan protein recipes. So in case you don't read Just Bento, but you are vegetarian/vegan (and this is dairy free and all that, could be made gluten-free quite easily by choosing the right miso...only nut allergy people wouldn't benefit) head on over to Just Bento and check it out. Another one that is very bento-suitable that you might like is _shio kombu_ or kombu no tsukudani, kombu seaweed cooked in soy sauce...I know several people have asked me for a recipe...well, there it is, right there!

A traditional custom in Japan is to eat nanakusa gayu, or seven greens rice porridge, after the New Year's feasting period, to rest the stomach and bring the body back into balance. At any time of the year, kayu or okayu are eaten when the body is weakened by sickness, fatigue or overeating.

Chagayu or tea rice porridge is a speciality of the ancient city of Nara and the surrounding area. (Nara was briefly the capital of Japan in the 7th century, and is one of the most historical cities in the country). Chagayu is usually made with white rice, but I used brown rice (genmai) instead, plus a small amount of firm green puy lentils from France. The lentils are not traditional, but I like the contrasting texture.

This has been my breakfast for about a week now. It's not in the same category as eggs and bacon or a stack of pancakes, but I find my body needs something like this sometimes to bring it back into balance. It's filling and warming, yet feels very cleansing to the body. A cup of this has less than 100 calories, and is high in fiber.

I had to make this beautifully easy duck breast dish three times over within a span of two weeks. The first two attempts disppeared before I could take a photo.

Happy New Year! If you live in Japan, you are probably still in holiday mode. Elsewhere though, chances are you're back to your normal routine. That's where I am now - back to work!

I often get requests for various popular Japanese recipes. I keep on thinking I've written up so many of them already, until someone asks for one and I think "why didn't I put that up already?". One such recipe is for oden, a very popular Japanese stew dish that is especially suited to winter. Traditionaly it's made in a donabe or pottery pot, but it's not a requirement to use one. It's simmered slowly, so is perfect for a crockpot or my favorite for stewing anything, a Le Creuset-type of cast iron enamelled pot.

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A look at preorder New Year's feasts in Japan.

A few readers have emailed me recently about rice cookers by coincidence. So I thought I would put my answers here for everyone's benefit.