I’m wondering how everyone enjoyed Cindo de Mayo… margaritas and good mexican food with friends and family? Some of you may have read that Bebe E and I spent May the 5th at bachan and jichan’s house (grandma and grandpa) to celebrate Japanese Children’s Day, but I didn’t forget about Cinco de Mayo! :) However, before we get to May the 5th, I’m wondering how everyone enjoyed “Star Wars...
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Oyakodon is a common donburi dish often found at Japanese restaurants or the deli section of Japanese supermarkets. It’s chicken, delicately cooked egg, and thin slices of onion all resting over a bed of rice, and covered with a delicate sweet and savory sauce. Long ago, my Mom taught me why oyakodon is called “oyakodon” and tanindon (beef and egg donburi) is called “tanindon”. Oyako in Japanese means...
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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...
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I love Costco rotisserie chicken – – – it’s the best thing ever. I use this for so many of our family’s fave dishes. Using pre-cooked chicken cuts out a big step in many of my recipes. Last month I made Chicken Mac Soup using leftover Costco rotisserie chicken that I FoodSaved and was hiding in the back of our freezer. A few days ago we had rotisserie chicken for dinner so I made Chinese chicken salads for...
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As a kid, my favorite dish was my mom’s spaghetti with meat sauce. It was, as the kids say today, “the bomb!” The funny thing was that, being Japanese, my mom would always ask us if we would like rice too. My dad, brother and I would always say, “no”. Yet, she always cooked a fresh batch of rice for dinner every time she made spaghetti, just in case one of us said, “yes.” The spaghetti I make...
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Chicken karaage is the Japanese version of American fried chicken. The chicken is marinated and then coated in starch and then fried. Sometimes this dish is also called tatsutaage, which refers to a Japanese style of fried food that is similarly seasoned, coated and fried. You’ll often find chicken karaage on the menu at Japanese izakaya (tapas), Japanese restaurants, ramen restaurants and even in the deli or pre-made foods area of popular...
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When I was little my dad used to make SPAM and eggs for lunch on the weekend. I didn’t know what SPAM was. I just remember seeing a rectangular piece of meat on my plate. It was salty, kinda rubbery and for awhile I just ate it because it was on my plate. Then I found my voice one day and I told my dad that SPAM was weird (since he wouldn’t tell me what kind of meat it was) and that I didn’t want to eat it anymore. He...
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For the longest time I avoided kalua pork because it didn’t look appetizing. Never ‘judge a book by it’s cover!’ With some encouragement, I finally took my first bite of kalua pork while on a trip to Hawaii at a luau. I was hooked! After that, I only ate kalua pork when I was in Hawaii. Then I discovered that it wasn’t half bad, in fact pretty darned good at The Loft and King’s Hawaiian Bakery...
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