Say hello to my favorite tofu brand: Otokomae Tofu. Otokomae Tofu is a Kyoto company, new and successful, but not an old and established shinise. It is now a well-known brand throughout the country even with some distribution abroad, but it is a very un-Kyoto company. While Otokomae Tofu may be un-Kyoto, I think that…
Archive for the ‘Vegetable’ Category
Kyoto Honda Miso Ichiwan ‘Instant’ Miso Soup
Kyoto Quality Instant Miso Soup: Honda Miso Honten is a shinise miso producer and dealer that has been in business in Kyoto for about 170 years. Honda Miso is located just west side of the Kyoto Gosho Imperial Palace. The Honda Miso retail store occupies a very beautiful old Kyoto machiya townhouse with a full selection of their long loved…
Tsukemono: Kiku Kabura (Chrysanthemum Turnip)
Autumn is chrysanthemum season in Japan and the flower which has literally countless form, shape and color variations makes numerous appearances in Japanese cuisine, both as decoration and as symbol.
This meibutsu tsukmono is from Kamekura a shinise in Kameoka, a small and quaint town west of Kyoto. Kamekura is perhaps best known for its senmaizuke, a Kyoto winter favorite…
Japanese Fruit Akebi as Sauteed Vegetable (Miso Itame)
After enjoying akebi as a fruit, I couldn’t wait to try it as a vegetable. Again, if you missed this article, the inner flesh of the akebi is eaten as fruit and the outer pod is prepared and eaten like a vegetable, mostly in the Tohoku (North Honshu) region of Japan.
There are a…
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…





