Japanese Fruit: Aomikan Marmalade

Aomikan is a green tangerine that are available in Japan from around the end of August though September. There are simply tangerines that have been harvested a few weeks early. They are tart and tangy. I love peeling them, surprisingly the green peel gives way to juicy orange fruit. Aomikan are one of my two favorite citrus for eating and…
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Wagashi: ‘Kyobeni’ D.I.Y. Azuki and Monaka

“I want to be crisp.” Very ‘Kyoto’ and ‘un-Kyoto’; it’s ‘do it yourself’ anko paste in monaka cookies! Not only that, the monaka cookie is the shape and design of a maiko’s lipstick compact. This wagashi turned out to be a lot of fun and solves a vexing problem for monaka aficionados. ’Do It Yourself’ Azuki and Monaka 京べに Happy…
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Simmered Shishito Peppers and Jako Itameni

Miwa’s Kyoto Kitchen Recipe This simple side dish combines fresh summer shishito peppers with chirimen jako (dried sardine fry) and is simmered with sake and a lot of soy sauce. The textural juxtaposition of sauteed vegetable and crunchy little fish is delightful. It should be made with plenty of soy sauce as the saltiness perfectly compliments rice. Home Cooking: Shishito…
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Sweet Young Soybean Zunda Mochi

Itadakimono: Toru, one of my best friends is in Kyoto and as always he brings me some zunda mochi. He lives up north in the city of Sendai and Sendai is famous for zunda mochi. I still remember when I arrived in Japan, I went up to Sendai to see Toru and he took me to a famous ‘shinise’ zunda…
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