By Steven Sharafian I spend a fair amount of time making tsukemono (pickles). I focus mostly on quick-pickles that only take a couple of minutes to prep and have a short curing period. This seemed to flow into the idea of pairing carrots with...
Zac was born at the end of last year, so for the last eight months CH and I have been super busy being (can I say awesome?) parents. We do our best and as a result he seems to really like us, the rest of...
Don't we all have that certain staple food, drink or condiment in our lives that is devastating when it cannot be found in the kitchen? For some, it is Sriracha, or cream for their morning coffee. Or a cold can of beer. For...
Welcome to a special edition of Kayo's Kitchen: Live from Hopkins Buffet! For those who follow our Instagram, you may have asked yourselves, "Where is the Hopkins Buffet?" Well, it's Yoko's house of course! God forbid she should name her place...
I have memories of gyoza from when I was in kindergarten. My grandma would invite my mom and aunts to her house -- and they would wrap dumplings all day. My cousins and I would run around, play in the pool and take Oreo and...
As you've seen from my previous posts, my current apartment has a nice-sized balcony, which gets wonderful sunlight. I make the most out of this luxury by hosting barbeque dinners, and make my own dried mushrooms and umeboshi. When you have...
Once upon a time in the Crescent City, there was a culinary institution and hotel named the La Louisiane Hotel and Restaurant down Iberville Street in the French Quarter. La Louisiane, as it was know to the locals, was opened in 1881...
By Haan Ridell Hi I'm Haan. I'm Swedish but live in Copenhagen, and I fly around the world for a living. Very lucky me, since I get to learn about new cultures -- and what better way to learn, then to eat? I dash off...
Duck has always been a bird I've been meaning to explore. Its rich, luscious fat always makes me feel like I'm indulging in something reserved for a special occasion. I always dream about the duck fat potato chips that Hopscotch in Oakland fries up...
Greetings! My name is furochan, and I'm super stoked to be writing for Umami Mart. Welcome to my larder! For the last eight months or so, my home has been a dormitory located in an improbably posh part of Tokyo. Rent...
Mame gohan (beans and rice) with English sweet peas, organic radish, negi (green onions) and katsuo bushi (bonito flakes). INGREDIENTS Serves 2 1 cup short grain rice (washed) 1 1/8 cup dashi or water 1 cup shucked and blanched English sweet peas 1/2 cup cut...
I have a confession to make: I am not a fan of potlucks. I've always found it to be a lot of pressure and kind of take them too seriously. But bringing a home-cooked dish to a party is not only financially practical for the...
Ebi Chili is the best example of a dish that has been Japanified. It was originally created in the 1950s by a Chinese immigrant in Japan, taking cues from Sichuan-style cooking. It's a shrimp dish that has a little spice and a little sweetness, perfect...
The craze for sweets in Japan is so peculiar. There's always, "This Year's #1 Dessert!" which will inevitably be forgotten about next year. Sweets like macarons and other delicate pastries are kicked up a notch or two once they enter Japan land. Its level...
I am a huge fan of spice, and finding a dish that I can make that delivers the spice is always a welcome affair. This renkon (lotus root) kinpira is a recipe I made out of an awesome book that Kayoko got...
Sometimes the most humble ingredients can yield some seriously satisfying results. Some days I procrastinate until the last stop on my train to plan out what I'm going to make for dinner. I mentally piece together what I have in the fridge and try to...
I love canned fish. When I was little, I would eat canned sardines in miso sauce by the spoonful. Like ice cream! Haha. During my year living in Italy, I learned how to make this dish: pasta with canned tuna, onions...
Even though it's starting to become spring, it's still cold in some parts! We were recently in NYC and since Jonathan's family has a house in Vermont, we took a group of friends there for the weekend. We cooked big meals together, played snow football...
Spring is here and my local market is starting show signs of different colors of the rainbow after a winter abundance of orange and brown fruits and vegetables. I've been most excited about the appearance of more greens -- broccoli, asparagus, green onions, etc....
Lightly sautéed green salad with upland cress, sweet english peas, pea tendrils, ginger, purple artichokes, green scallions, baby bell peppers, blood orange and artichoke chips. Perfect for spring! INGREDIENTS Serves 2 1 small bunch upland cress (watercress is a nice alternative) 10 pea...
