Japanese Fruit Akebi as Sauteed Vegetable (Miso Itame)

September 25, 2009 1 Comment

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 number of ways that the…

Wagashi: ‘Kyobeni’ D.I.Y. Azuki and Monaka

September 24, 2009 4 Comments

“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…

Simmered Shishito Peppers and Jako Itameni

September 22, 2009 3 Comments

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…

Sweet Young Soybean Zunda Mochi

September 21, 2009 6 Comments

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…

Pungent and Smoky Grilled Japanese Eggplant ‘Yakinasu’

September 21, 2009 2 Comments

Home Cooking: Grilled and Chilled Eggplant ‘Yakinasu’

Miwa’s Kyoto Kitchen Recipe This recipe is a staple of late summer and early autumn home cooking in Japan. Eggplants are grilled under direct flame, peeled, chilled and served with bonito shavings, grated ginger and soy sauce. The taste is pungent and smoky. This dish is very quick and easy to make.…