Kinpira gobo is a traditional Japanese side dish made of gobo (burdock root) and carrots. It’s both savory and sweet and sometimes has a hint of red chili spice, depending on the cook. While gobo is considered a mainstream vegetable as far as Japanese and other Asian cuisines are concerned, it is less common in Western cuisine, although in recent years it has gained more visibility. Growing up in a traditional Japanese home (albeit in Los...

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...

  Su shoyuzuke Japanese style tsukemono, or pickles, marinated in a vinegar (su) and soy sauce (shoyuzuke) mixture is one of Bebe’s favorites. She wouldn’t complain if all she found on our dinner table were a huge bowl of these pickled cucumbers for a one-dish (unbalanced) meal. Whenever we visit my parents, my Mom is certain to make a batch of these delicious kyuri (cucumber) tsukemono a day ahead of our arrival, or on the morning...

  Every culture has it’s own version of a meat-and-potatoes meal, and the Japanese are no different. (Photo credit: Hideki Ueha) In Japanese cuisine, a meat-and-potatoes meal just might present itself in the form of a beautiful round croquette filled with a mixture of mashed potatoes, ground beef, and onions. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the most basic of Japanese-style croquette that you will find in most Japanese homes, and ours...

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...

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...

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...

It’s been one of those (two and a half) weeks for us at home. Two weeks ago Bebe was ill with bronchitis and last week, yours truly caught the dreaded illness from Bebe. It’s probably not the kind of blog post you want to continue to read when the opener includes “bronchitis”, but that’s just how real life is sometimes. I’m finally functional and regaining my energy but Bebe and I are both still coughing. Not...