たまご サンド! Egg Salad Sandwiches
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たまご サンド! Egg Salad Sandwiches

    Living in Japan is accompanied by many exciting adventures, including those of the culinary world. From conbini food to tabehoudai to fine dining, there’s a wealth of delectable delights just waiting to be explored, and trying to make the food you encounter is another adventure in itself.   Thus, I present to you…

Ume Juice
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Ume Juice

You’re probably familiar with the wonderful beverage that is umeshu, but have you heard of ume juice before? It’s basically a less sweet, non-alcoholic version of umeshu and makes for a super refreshing drink, especially in the sweltering summer heat. Like umeshu, it is very simple to make and the homemade version is a lot…

Broccoli with Japanese-style Peanut Dressing
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Broccoli with Japanese-style Peanut Dressing

 “ ~ae”(~ 和え)is a popular type of vegetable dish in Japan that consists of blanched vegetables with a slightly sweet and nutty savoury dressing. The most popular version of this dish is probably 白和え (shiroae) which is a tofu and sesame dressing, usually mixed with blanched spinach. Other common combinations include green beans with sesame, and…

New Onion and Spring Cabbage Salad
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New Onion and Spring Cabbage Salad

After a teasing taste of warmer weather in March, the seemingly never-ending winter is finally gone and spring is well and truly upon us. April means sakura season, and as the craze sweeps across the nation, it turns everything in its path pink and sakura flavoured or scented. Although welcomed with less fanfare, April also…

 3 Easy Ways With Shio-Koji
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3 Easy Ways With Shio-Koji

When you think of Japanese food, you’d be forgiven if “fermented foods” is not what comes to mind. However, staples in the Japanese kitchen such as soy sauce, miso, sake, mirin (sweet cooking wine) and rice vinegar are all fermented foods. This month I want to introduce you to a lesser known, traditional Japanese ingredient called shio-koji (塩麹). Shio-koji is a…