Author Archives: benjamin

Tsukemono – Quick Pickled Cucumbers

An easy recipe for refrigerator pickles. This recipe works best if you can find smaller cucumbers. These are the kind sold at farmers markets and grocery stores for making dill pickles. Ingredients cucumbers – smaller, young cucumbers are best salt … Continue reading

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Onigiri

If you have some leftover rice and are looking to make a quick snack, try making some onigiri.  It’s a very popular food in Japan that is found in almost every convenience store. It’s basically a ball of rice with … Continue reading

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A few Links

1. Not Everyone is Lovin Japan’s New McDonald’s Mascot | Time 2. Food Penetrates All Aspects of Life In Japan | The Japan Times 3. Ike-Jime 4 : How-To Pointers | Cooking Issues Blog Avoid this link if you’d rather … Continue reading

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Lemon Tart with Fresh Raspberries

Here’s a recipe for a lemon tart with fresh fruit. I usually garnish this with either blueberries, strawberries or raspberries. It all depends on whatever is in season or looks the best at the store. There are really two parts … Continue reading

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Burdock – Gobo

Burdock is a root vegetable that is easily  found in the wild  and is a cultivated vegetable in Japan.  Besides  its culinary uses, it is also used in traditional Chinese medicine, and it’s sticky seeds became  an inspiration for a … Continue reading

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Soy Marinated Spare Ribs

This recipe is an adaptation from the book,  Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook (amazon link). It is a good book.  It is organized around several Izakaya restaurants in Japan the author writes about and showcases a few of their recipes.  … Continue reading

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Warm Green Beans with Tomatoes & Ponzu

This dish really makes green beans shine.  So it’s best to seek out some really good green beans from your local farmers market. Look for green smaller green beans, in diameter and length, and with good color. When it comes … Continue reading

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A few Links

1. The Robots Are the Chefs in this Japanese Restaurant 2. Japanese Fish-Killing: Ike Jime Smackdown Part 1 .. from the awesome Cooking Issues Blog. Love the Sk0al project! 3. Japanese Fish-Killing: Ike Jime Smackdown Part 2 4. Sake Returns … Continue reading

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