Mini Katsudon

Mini Katsudon

Mini katsudon is the epitome of a quick weeknight meal that will fool everyone into thinking you slaved over your stove for at least an hour or two. I like to let my family think I’ve slaved over a beautiful Japanese meal once in awhile, even though I really haven’t. But they’re starting to catch on. I guess you could say I’ve been having a hard time finding time to blog, writing for work, consulting for a new client, and...

Read More

Mame Gohan (Brown Rice with Green Peas)

Mame Gohan (Brown Rice with Green Peas)

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...

Read More

Ikura and Ebi Chirashi for Hinamatsuri (Cod Roe and Shrimp Scattered Sushi for Japanese Girls’ Day 2014)

Ikura and Ebi Chirashi for Hinamatsuri (Cod Roe and Shrimp Scattered Sushi for Japanese Girls’ Day 2014)

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...

Read More

Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball)

Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball)

Yaki onigiri is a grilled (yaki) riceball (onigiri) which is often a staple at Japanese izakaya (tapas-style) restaurants both here in Southern California and also in Japan. Warm rice is lightly seasoned with salt and then formed into a ball, or in my case, a triangular-ball. Then, it is grilled over an open flame (yes, like an American-style BBQ grill) or a Japanese-style charcoal pit, or broiler grill. The grill that I use at home is an...

Read More

Okaka (Dried Bonito Flakes with Soy Sauce)

Okaka (Dried Bonito Flakes with Soy Sauce)

Okaka, is a Japanese seasoning that is often associated with rice. It is a simple mixture of dried shaved bonito flakes gently tossed with soy sauce. The flavor can be as light or salty as you wish by simply adjusting the amount of soy sauce. The best thing about it: it takes less than two (2) minutes to make. Okaka can be used as a seasoning (or topping) for rice, or it can be used as a filling for onigiri (rice balls with salmon filling or...

Read More

Kimchi Fried Brown Rice

Kimchi Fried Brown Rice

  Usually, I’m quite the motivated cook in the kitchen. However, these days (ok it’s been more like a few months now), all I wish for is some type of cooking-kitchen-elf who will make dinner magically appear. Let’s also include lunch for that matter, since a few days out of the week I also need to feed Bebe lunch on days she’s not in school and the appearance of a cooking-kitchen-elf twice a day wouldn’t be so...

Read More

Thursdays Bebe Bento

Thursdays Bebe Bento

You can’t have a blog post without photos. But I finally realized this morning that I can continue to blog, despite the fact that my iPhoto application on my laptop has been completely out-of-commission for about a week now. I can’t upload any photos from my camera to my laptop, and I can’t access any photos that were previously uploaded prior to my tech-mess. Apparently, my iPhoto application is busy updating my library of...

Read More

2013 Japanese New Years Feast: Osechi Ryori & Favorite Dishes

2013 Japanese New Years Feast: Osechi Ryori & Favorite Dishes

Although almost two weeks have passed since we feasted on both traditional Japanese Osechi Ryori (New Year’s food) and non-traditional Japanese cuisine favorites, I’m still basking in the memories of delicious food and great times spent with family and great friends.  (Photo Credit: Hideki Ueha) My New Year’s posts are always a favorite of mine as I enjoy memorializing all the delicious food from our Oshogatsu (Japanese New...

Read More