Edamame gohan (brown rice with soybeans) is a simple mixed rice dish of edamame, nametake (Japanese mushrooms) and seaweed. This combination of ingredients really brings plain ol’ rice to life. It’s the perfect alternative for folks such as myself who don’t really like rice. (Photo Credit: Hideki Ueha) As a child, my parents made me sit at the dinner table until I finished my rice, but I was a stubborn child. I would just...

Mame gohan, or Japanese rice with green peas, is a very simple dish that requires few ingredients and it’s often served during the springtime. This dish made a frequent appearance during my childhood because it is one of my Dad’s favorite rice dishes. Not surprisingly, mame gohan is a dish that his mom, or my obaachan (grandma, pronounced “oh-bah-ah-chan”), used to make for him and their family. This dish brings back...

  Happy Japanese Girls’ Day! Today, March 3rd, is Hinamatsuri, also known as Girls’ Day or Doll Festival. Since Bebe was born, this Japanese holiday is one that we celebrate annually in my family, and is something my daughter looks forward to each year. Many years in my childhood, my Mom would host Hinamatsuri parties for me and a handful of my friends, and now I in turn have the pleasure of doing the same for my...

Happy Girls’ Day! Today, March 3rd is Hinamatsuri, or Japanese Girls’ Day, and is also known as Girls’ Doll Festival. Dolls are displayed in the family’s home to wish for happiness and good fortune for all the girls in the family. This year, we managed to display our Hinamatsuri Dolls for longer than a few days as we remembered to set them out earlier in February. In years past, we hastily displayed our dolls just a few...

The week leading up to March 3rd, or Hinamatsuri (Japanese Girl’s Day), I was busy running errands to different Asian supermarkets. Bebe E was excited about her Hinamatsuri party and when I mentioned that I needed to cook or that I needed to run an errand, she started asking, “for my hina-ma-sri party?” :) Photo Credit: Hideki Ueha Many thanks to my bro-in-law for taking some amazing photos at our Hinamatsuri party! He has...

Appetizers Agedashi Tofu (Deep Fried Tofu with Dashi Sauce) Avocado Wontons with Apricot Soy Dipping Sauce Baked Brie with Honey Bruschetta with Tomatoes, Basil, and Garlic Chawan Mushi (Japanese Savory Egg Custard) Cheesy Garlic Bread Chicken Karaage, Unfried Chyuka Kyuri Tsukemono | Chinese Style Pickled Cucumbers Daikon & Ninjin Sunomono Salad (Japanese Radish and Carrot Salad) Daikon (Pickled with Salt and Chili Pepper) Deviled...

  I originally planned to post this on Friday, March 11th, but it turned out to be the morning after the 9.0 earthquake that hit Sendai, Japan on March 10, 2011. It seemed inappropriate to immediately post a celebratory chirashi sushi dish that I made for a festive Japanese holiday, Girl’s Day. Featured Above: Photo Credit Hideki Ueha (chirashi that I made in 2012). Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with all of those who...

Ageh – Deep fried tofu Aisukurimu – Ice cream Ajinori – Seasoned dried seaweed Aka miso – Red miso; dark reddish brown in color and bold and salty in flavor. Contains more protein than shiro (white) miso. Fermented with lower ratio of rice or barley koji (fermenting enzyme) to soybeans and takes longer to ferment (a few months) than shiro (white) miso. Akemashita Omedetou Gozaimasu – A customary Japanese saying,...