No Recipes – Techniques, inspiration and cooking tips from my Japanese kitchen

Pineapple rhubarb flambé

As I polished off some leftovers from last night’s Tacos Al Pastor (which I added ramps to tonight), I was hit with a wicked craving for dessert. Doing a survey of the fruit bowl and fridge, all I could find was a quarter of a pineapple and some rhubarb. Clafoutis?…. nah, too pedestrian… I need [...]

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Tacos al pastor

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I think the 3 things I miss most about California are owning a car, having a grill, and the Mexican food. The later two are especially salient around Cinqo De Mayo which for me used to signal the start of the grilling season. Like the Mexican food in NYC, Cinco De Mayo is a bit [...]

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Strawberry rhubarb crostata with lavender crust

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While strawberries and rhubarb haven’t started showing up at the green market yet, they were being prominently displayed at Wholefoods today so I went ahead and bought some. To my surprise, the strawberries where incredibly sweet and flavorful and I had to stop myself from eating all of them so I could make this crostata. [...]

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Hamachi wrapped in ramp kimchi

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I know what you all must be thinking “enough with the ramp recipes”. I promise I’m starting to reach the bottom of the bag from my most recent foraging trip, so you shouldn’t see many more:-) In case you’re still looking for a place to buy ramps, there are a few sellers on ebay you [...]

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Cured Tai (Japanese snapper)

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This past weekend I made my monthly run across the Hudson to Mitsuwa for Japanese groceries. Their selection is quite impressive and I’m always finding new stuff to buy. Going on an empty stomach would be a mistake for the wallet, but thankfully they have a decent food court which happens to have one of [...]

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Ramp kimchi & Ramp confit

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So this weekend we made another trip north to pick ramps. This time we brought home a grocery bag brimming with these delightful members of the onion family (they’re sweet and have a flavor somewhere between leeks and garlic). The reason for this large harvest is that L had the brilliant idea of making ramp [...]

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Ohmi Wagyu beef (a.k.a. crack)

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Wagyu beef has become synonymous with beer fed, massaged beef that no-one can afford. Just one look at the menu’s of many New York steakhouses and you’ll see that Wagyu from Japan lists at around $30 per OUNCE! Now I’m definitely one to pay the extra buck for quality food, but 30 bucks a bite [...]

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Tuna Poke (pronounced poke-ay)

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Here’s a recipe that draws its heritage from the the tropical islands of Hawaii. It’s been decades since my last visit and I wasn’t even introduced to Hawaiian cuisine till I lived in San Jose, but I’ve become quite a fan of the regional food that quite possibly started the “asian fusion” movement. For those [...]

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