Kabocha no Nimono – Japanese Simmered Pumpkin

Kabocha no Nimono - Japanese Simmered Pumpkin

Homemade Japanese dishes are often variations on a few cooking styles – one of the simplest and tastiest is the simmered dish. Here, I made Japanese simmered pumpkin with dense, buttery kabocha squash, which is not only tasty, but the cooked peel is edible! You can use the basic broth to cook potato, sweet potato, daikon, […]

Gobo to Ninjin no Kimpira – Burdock and Carrot Kimpira

Gobo to Ninjin no Kimpira - Burdock and Carrot Kimpira

At this time of year in 2010, Tomiko and I flew to Tokyo and spent a month staying with our friend for hanami – cherry blossom viewing. Tomiko and I got gobo to ninjin no kimpira – burdock and carrot kimpira – from the supermarkets in Tokyo and ate it on fresh, white rice for breakfast […]

DIY: Make Your Own Paper Book Cover

When you buy a book in Japan, the checkout person will ask you if you want your book covered. Normally they cover it with a kind of parchment printed with the bookshop’s name. This is done to protect the book (or perhaps hide what you’re reading from everyone on the subway). Here is how you […]

Matcha White Hot Chocolate

Matcha White Hot Chocolate, Kiku Corner

Ryan and I used to go to a crepe restaurant in Toronto called Chococrepe. Obviously they served crepes (both sweet and savoury, and all delicious), but they also served amazing hot chocolate. You could get either dark, milk, or white hot chocolate made with either cream or milk (or 50-50), and you could get it plain, […]