How to Make Hoshigaki (Japanese Dried Persimmons)

Persimmons are delicious, but dried persimmons are divine. Totally divine!! Let me qualify that though. There are small, hard, dried out dried persimmons (in Japan they are ‘Made in China’) and then there are big, plump, soft, wet, sticky, gooey dried persimmons — sounds decidedly sexy and they are! These high-quality dried persimmons are very caramelly in taste that brings…
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How to Season a Japanese Donabe Earthenware Pot

Here at the KyotoFoodie House (also known as Beagle House) I have really been getting into gohan nabe. That is a donabe, earthenware pot, for cooking rice. Gohan is the word for rice in Japanese. Gohan Nabe: Earthenware Pot for Cooking Rice
Rice cooked in a gohan nabe is noticeably tastier than in an electric rice cooker. Of course electric…
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How to Cook Fresh Bamboo Shoots (Takenoko Akunuki)

In addition to sakura, springtime is the season for fresh bamboo shoots, or takenoko, in Kyoto. Asahori, or ‘dug up early this morning’ is common to see on signs and labels in the stores. Even though takenoko is very fresh, it still must be precooked to remove the harsh astringency from the young and tender shoot. How…
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