Pickled Plum Szechuan Style Nasu Dengaku (Japanese Eggplant) Savory, umami, nutty, and with just enough heat to warm the palate, my Szechuan style nasu dengaku is the perfect side dish to complement a traditional Japanese or Chinese meal, a vegetarian dinner, or to enjoy with a simple bowl of rice. It’s not only delicious but also beautiful to look at! If you like my traditional nasu dengaku or tofu dengaku recipe, wait until you try this one! I came up with this recipe after seeing all the different ways that broiled and roasted eggplants are served in Japan. I have been cooking with Japane ..read more

Pickled Plum Miso Soup with Tofu and Wakame (味噌汁) I have been in love with miso soup since I was a little kid. The nutty and delicate flavors of this traditional Japanese soup is something I like to serve as a side to other Japanese dishes, with a salad, or to enjoy as a late night snack. My miso soup with tofu and wakame recipe is very simple and yields flavors that are perfectly balanced. Not too bland or too salty, is the perfect comforting dish that’s also low in calories. I have had my fair share of good and bad miso soups and can say without a doubt that most of the time, what ruins mi ..read more

Pickled Plum Bukkake Udon (Chilled Udon Noodles With Broth) When summer heat and humidity sap my appetite (and my will to cook), I whip up this bukkake udon recipe. Springy cold udon noodles in a chilled broth – topped with katsuobushi and a perfectly poached egg – have a restorative effect on me. And it never takes me more than 20 minutes to make! When I visited my grandmother on our family summer trips to Japan, she lived right next door to a small udon-ya (udon shop). Unsurprisingly, she would tell my brother and me that the key to beating Japan’s summer heat and legendary humidity was by ..read more

Pickled Plum Mentsuyu I keep a jar of umami homemade mentsuyu in my refrigerator at all times. That’s because I never know when a soba or udon noodle craving will arise. Having this all purpose Japanese soup base on hand means I can be ready to slurp udon in the time it takes me to boil the noodles. 4 ingredients. Traditional Japanese flavor. I’ve been slurping cold udon since I was a kid, going to Japan for my summer holidays to visit my grandmother. But one thing I noticed early on – whether I was eating cold udon, zaru soba or icy somen noodles floating down a bamboo chute – was that the ..read more

Pickled Plum Quick Espresso Martini An espresso martini is a simple cocktail made of vodka, coffee liqueur, and espresso. It’s something I love having when I need a pick me up after a long work week because of the caffeine boost and sweet coffee taste. My recipe is easy and only takes 5 minutes to make. Martinis are one of those cocktails I absolutely love. I love the way they look and how simple the flavors are: a dirty martini tastes like green olives while a lemon drop martini tastes like lemon, a cosmopolitan like a cranberry cocktail, an appletini like a green apple, and a French martin ..read more

Pickled Plum Cinnamon Ginger Tea (Sujeonggwa) I make a big pitcher of Korean cinnamon ginger tea and keep it in the fridge as an all purpose elixir. It’s perfectly sweet with a subtle gingery burn. Hits the spot over ice on a summer day – or served piping hot after a big meal. Bonus: both ginger and cinnamon can help settle an upset tummy. So I keep plenty of this Korean punch on call. My mom is mildly addicted to streaming Korean dramas. Years ago, I was at her place for a visit and she asked me if I’d ever tried Sujeonggwa. The characters on one of her favorite shows were drinking a ginger ..read more

Pickled Plum Spicy Natto Bowl (Korean Style) A natto bowl dressed in a spicy Korean sauce made of fizzy kimchi, spicy gochujang, nutty sesame oil, and salty soy sauce, is my go-to work week meal when I am looking for something healthy and protein packed. My recipe is super simple and only takes 5 minutes to make. I have been a fan of natto ever since I had my first taste in Tokyo, back in 1995. The slimy texture and funky, earthy, and nutty taste, made me instantly fall in love with the dish. While natto is most commonly seasoned with a simple tare sauce and a squirt of yellow mustard (both ..read more

Pickled Plum Sweet Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs) Korean marinated eggs are sweet, savory, and slightly spicy. I like to serve them with spicy, salty, and pungent Korean dishes as they tone down the palate between bites and help reset my tastebuds. They are also delicious served with a bowl of rice and some kimchi for a simple dinner that’s packed with flavor! Marinated eggs are such a great invention! They are easy to make and pair well with so many dishes. I have been using ramen eggs (ajitsuke tamago) to top my bowl of ramen for as long as I can remember, and recently I have become a ..read more

Pickled Plum Curried King Oyster Mushrooms My recipe for king oyster mushrooms lets the natural earthy flavor of this fungi shine. The mushrooms are sauteed in a skillet until they are caramelized, and are lightly seasoned with a mix of curry powder, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil. It’s the perfect size to be enjoyed as a side dish or to be paired with a bowl of rice. Chunky oysters mushrooms make a great substitute to meat. I often serve them as a replacement to pork or beef because of their dense and chewy texture. They are easy to cook with and don’t need a lot of seasoning since they ..read more

Pickled Plum Vegan Gyudon My vegan gyudon recipe is a no compromise rendering of the iconic savory, sweet and umami Japanese beef bowl. Think you can tell the difference between this plant based version and the gyudon served as late-night comfort food across Japan? Get your knives out and try it! Just 35 minutes to make from start to finish. I used to stumble into Yoshinoya in Roppongi at 3am with friends just to get their legendary beef bowl. After a night out, there was usually a wordless agreement amongst us all that nothing could be better (in the world) than gyudon: thinly shaved beef a ..read more