Known in Japan as ajitsuke tamago – often abbreviated to ajitama – ramen eggs are an integral element of a good bowl of ramen and Pete and I adore them! Soft-boiled eggs are chilled (to stop them cooking further) before being marinated in a soy sauce, mirin and sake marinade until the egg whites take ... Read more »
As in the UK, it’s common in Japan to incorporate ideas and ingredients from around the world into your home cooking. Masahiro Kasahara has based this simple pasta dish on niratama, a classic stir-fry of garlic chives and softly scrambled eggs. The combination of bacon and garlic chives creates a quick, simple and tasty meal. ... Read more »
Tomatoes and mushrooms are naturally high in umami flavours, as is miso paste. The combination creates a deliciously savoury and simple pasta dish, perfect for quick meals. The recipe is from The Ultimate Japanese Noodles Cookbook by Masahiro Kasahara. You can switch the nameko mushrooms out for other varieties if you can’t find nameko. Tomatoes ... Read more »
It’s no secret that we love Japanese food, and own an ever-growing collection of Japanese cookbooks. The latest addition to our bookshelf is “The Ultimate Japanese Noodles Cookbook: Amazing Soba, Ramen, Udon, Hotpots and Japanese Pasta Recipes!” by Masahiro Kasahara, published in English by Tuttle. Masahiro Kasahara is the chef-owner of exclusive Tokyo restaurant Sanpi-Ryoron, ... Read more »
If you’re anything like me, Japanese cuisine is a huge part of the attraction of a trip to Japan. There are so many different foods to try, far more than the sushi, tempura, ramen and miso soup that are so well known outside of Japan. For several years, I’ve been creating a list of local ... Read more »
Over the last 10-15 years I’ve developed a real love for and interest in tea, especially Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese teas. Coinciding with my deep love of Japanese food and drink, I’ve researched and learned about the different types of Japanese tea (such as sencha, gyokuro, hojicha, genmaicha, matcha), about their growing and processing, their ... Read more »
We fell in love with yakiniku (also known in Japan as Korean barbeque) when visiting Japan, and have loved it ever since. This year, one of my Christmas gifts from Pete was a table-top Korean barbeque grill by Primst, and a big box of bamboo charcoal briquettes. We veered towards Japanese flavours for our first ... Read more »
Ramen, aaaah ramen! I bloody love ramen and, as a Londoner, was used to being able to get my fix quite easily, as ramen restaurants became more and more prevalent. But then, we moved to rural Wales and I discovered that ramen hadn’t gained a foothold here yet, let alone become a big trend. Luckily, ... Read more »
Cold tofu is the perfect base for this refreshing, light and full-flavour dish hailing originally from the capital city of Shaanxi Province in China. With no cooking necessary it’s very quick to assemble and, as they are long-life, you can keep the ingredients ready in your store cupboard. Serve for a light, summery lunch for ... Read more »
Agedashi Tofu is one of my favourite Japanese dishes – light and simple, with a wonderful combination of textures and tastes. I am literally unable to resist it when I see it on the menu, and it’s really easy to make at home. Cubes of tofu are dusted in starch flour, ‘lightly deep fried’ and ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]