Karashi Mentaiko is one of those foods that I refused to eat as a child.  Why?  You guessed it – It’s because of the way it looks.  It’s not pretty. It wasn’t until some time post-college when my Auntie Tree Village (our closest family friends) went back to her hometown in Kyushu, Japan and brought back fresh frozen mentaiko for our family. After some encouragement from my mom, I tried a bite, and it was so...

  Last night was one of those night’s where Bebe E and I were home alone for dinner.  It was quiet and lonely…   :( For the past several years bebe dada’s been involved in a fundraising committee for a large charity in our county, and last night was the kick-off planning meeting for their annual winter gala. I slightly dread these evenings when he’ll be home late (or if he’s traveling) because it means the...

Wakame and Katsuo-bushi are the basic ingredients for homemade katsuo dashi. I’m so lucky my BFF lives practically across the street from us.  As little girls, we often said how wonderful it would be if our houses were right next door to one another when we grew up.  Well, across the street is pretty excellent in my book.  :) Since I started my blog, I’ve called on BFF to take extra food off my hands, such as sakura mochi....

Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki One of my favorite Japanese foods is okonomiyaki.  “Okonomi” means, “what you prefer or like”, and okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake made with only those ingredients that you like. Both my parents have roots in Hiroshima, Japan so it’s no wonder I grew up eating Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.  This is where all of the ingredients are cooked in layers. Okonomiyaki differs based...

My mom’s chawan mushi is absolutely my favorite Japanese dish.  While I was pregnant last year, every time I visited my parents my Mom would ask me if I wanted her to make something to eat, and I would say, “CHAWAN MUSHI!” Towards the end of my pregnancy my Dad refused to eat chawan mushi even though my Mom served it for dinner, and even Bebe Dada declined when I would bring home leftovers (I always asked my mom to make me...

Although I’m not a fan of plain ol’ white rice, I love my mom’s takikomi gohan or seasoned mixed rice. The primary ingredients my mom uses for her takikomi gohan are chicken, carrots,  konnyaku, gobo, and shiitake mushrooms.  In Japanese, this type of mixed rice using 5 ingredients is called gomoku gohan. If she has renkon she will add this too, or sometimes use this in place of gobo.  There are also times when she...

  Niku Jyaga is a regular dish that my mom made for us and it was definitely a family favorite when I was growing up.  It’s the Japanese equivalent of America’s meat and potatoes. I’m not sure what it is about men and their meat and potatoes but my dad LOVES this dish, and so does bebe dada. It’s light enough however, that it will even suit the palate of young kids and possibly even women who don’t care for meat...

  Asari miso shiru is so good it could be a meal on its own. The last time I made this soup was when we hadtemaki sushi (hand-roll sushi). It definitely goes best with sushi but it’s also great with leftovers. My mom and I had the soup with leftover baked sea bass on Friday for lunch and it turned out to be a good meal. We found fresh katsu asari (manila clams) at Marukai – – they were on sale – – yay! These are...