A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Tea by Per Oscar Brekell

A Beginners Guide to Japanese Tea - Cover

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 »

Table-Top Barbeque Japanese & Korean Style

Table-top BBQ

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 »

Fully Loaded Spicy Xi’an Cold Tofu

Fully loaded spicy Xi'an cold tofu

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 »

Cheese and Onion Gyoza

Cheese and Onion Gyoza

When Pete and I travelled to Japan, we were surprised to come across cheese-filled gyoza quite often, mostly in casual ramenya and izakaya. This recipe for cheese and onion gyoza is from Your Home Izakaya by Tim Anderson, and is a great example of Japan’s propensity to incorporate non-Japanese flavours into Japanese dishes. Read our ... Read more »

Baked Potatoes with Butter and Salmon Roe

Baked New Potatoes with Butter and Salmon Trout Roe

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best! That’s definitely the case for these baked potatoes with butter and salmon roe from Tim Anderson’s Your Home Izakaya cookbook. The butter is boosted with mirin and soy sauce, and the plump round salmon eggs are piled on top Going through an obsession with new potatoes at the time, ... Read more »

Your Home Izakaya: Fun and Simple Recipes Inspired by the Drinking-and-Dining Dens of Japan by Tim Anderson

Your Home Izakaya by Tim Anderson

Ever since I saw Your Home Izakaya: Fun and Simple Recipes Inspired by the Drinking-and-Dining Dens of Japan by Tim Anderson listed as an upcoming Japanese cookbook from one of my favourite publishers, I’ve been hyper-excited to get a copy. When it arrived in the post I immediately binge-read it cover to cover in rapt concentration and ... Read more »