Tag - japanese-cuisine

 
 

JAPANESE CUISINE

'Dorayaki' (red bean paste-filled pancakes) are humble treats with delicate sweetness — and the two Tokyo shops who may have created the treat are similarly light-handed in the way they pursue their claims as the originator of the morsel.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 12, 2025
‘Dorayaki’ creators say flavors trump the dessert’s murky origins
More modern than you may think, filled ‘dorayaki’ pancakes have a past almost as sweet as the treat itself.
Pan-roasted baby beets, carrots, turnips and orange may be an otherwise American dish, but Sonoko Sakai's addition of lemon-miso yogurt turns it into a 'wafū' (Japanese style) marvel.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 12, 2025
The case for Japan-ifying everything you cook
“Wafu Cooking: Everyday Recipes with Japanese Style” coins the term “wafuing” — shorthand for bringing Japanese flavors into anything and everything.
At the new L'Abysse Osaka, Yannick Alleno both pays homage to and casts aside the tradition around Japan's national dish.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 5, 2025
Now in Osaka, Yannick Alleno wants ‘flavors people have never experienced’
Opened in late October, Sushi L'Abysse Osaka is the Michelin-starred chef’s first outpost in Asia.
Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 22, 2024
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year
In addition to wordplay, color and shape often determine the reason why certain foods are part of Japan’s New Year holiday menu.
Originally from Hiroshima, chef Kenichi Nishi moved to Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, to have better access to the top-flight seafood of Sasue Maeda.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Nov 17, 2024
Chisou Nishi Kenichi: Modern French with unrivaled Shizuoka seafood
When a chef relocates to be within walking distance of his favorite fishmonger, you know the fish must be truly special.
In Japan, these sweet morsels are a traditional New Year's treat, but they share a surprising overlap with American Thanksgiving flavors, too.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Nov 10, 2024
The winter sweet that matches perfectly with autumn
If I’m in America for Thanksgiving, I’ll serve "kuri kinton" (syrup-stewed chestnuts in sweet potato paste) as a festive accompaniment to the holiday turkey.
Yukio Hattori was an integral part of "Iron Chef" broadcasts, though his impact on food culture in Japan went far beyond the TV screen.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 27, 2024
Remembering Yukio Hattori, the voice of ‘Iron Chef’
Yukio Hattori was best known to international audiences as the expert commentator on the original Japanese version of the popular TV program “Iron Chef,”
Yoshinobu Kimura is not afraid to break the accepted norms when it comes to devising surprising new sips for Sushi M.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Oct 6, 2024
Sake, coffee and fish bones: Anything goes for Sushi M’s cocktails
Yoshinobu Kimura's experiments with coffee, cocktails and sushi are just one facet of his boundary-pushing philosophy.
A scene from "Whale Restaurant," a documentary film about whale food culture in Japan
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2024
Documentary on whale food culture in Japan showing in U.S.
Director Keiko Yagi said she found it difficult to find theaters that would agree to show the film.
Hokkaido's cuisine and the culture that underpins it get top billing in Tim Anderson's newest cookbook.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 15, 2024
‘MasterChef U.K.’ winner’s new cookbook puts Hokkaido cuisine on vivid display
Tim Anderson's cookbook covers a lot, but its strength is in presenting Japan’s largest prefecture as a detailed tapestry via straightforward recipes.
Aeon is selling an assortment of 'osechi' (traditional New Year's cuisine) curated with the support of artificial intelligence.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 13, 2024
AI fried chicken, retro chic collabs: Retailers rebrand Japan's New Year's cuisine
Major department stores and supermarkets are trying unorthodox methods to entice younger generations to buy traditional New Year's dishes in Japan.
Few in Japan may be more passionate about the 'onigiri' (rice ball) than Yumiko Ukon, owner of an onigiri specialty shop in Tokyo's Otsuka neighborhood.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 8, 2024
‘When I die, I would like to come back as a rice ball’
There’s no denying the cultural significance of the ‘onigiri’ (rice ball). But there comes a point where an onigiri is surely just an onigiri.
From mid-August through late September, eggplants reach their height of flavor in Japan.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Sep 1, 2024
Japan’s autumn eggplant: Too delicious for your daughter-in-law
In Japan, autumn eggplant has become a shorthand symbol for keeping the most pleasurable things in life to yourself.
Three Tokyo restaurants claim to be the inventor of Japan's 'katsu karē' (breaded and fried pork served with Japanese curry), but Ginza Swiss' take (pictured) may be the most unique.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 25, 2024
Japan’s dueling ‘katsu’ curry creators are just happy to see the dish thrive
1918? 1921? 1947? The dish’s origin is uncertain, but its popularity today both within and beyond Japan is unassailable.
Who can survive summer on chilled noodles and salads alone?
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 11, 2024
Fight fiery summer temps with this dry Japanese curry
This recipe is quick to prepare and can be made in advance, making it great for the hot summer months when you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen.
Chef Hironori Fujii moved his restaurant, Oryouri Fujii, to the Iwase district of Toyama City in 2019, finding the ideal setting in its historic surroundings.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Aug 4, 2024
Oryouri Fujii: High-end Japanese cuisine in a picture-perfect Toyama setting
Chef Hironori Fujii will serve according to the seasons: ‘ayu’ (sweetfish) and ‘nodoguro’ (blackthroat perch) in summer; snow crab and yellowtail in winter.
An event to promote wagyu beef is held in New York on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2024
Japan targets beef exports with wagyu promotional event in New York
Japan's beef exports to the U.S. rose 1.6% in 2023 from the previous year making it the country's second-largest beef export market after Taiwan.
Sardines may not be the traditional choice for Japan's special midsummer eel-eating day, but with a few special touches, the fish can be a satisfying and sustainable replacement.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 21, 2024
Going eel-less for Japan’s midsummer tradition
Japanese eel is endangered, but sardines are an ethical — and delicious — substitute for this year’s double Doyo no Ushi no Hi.
Essentially ramen broken down into a few constituent parts, 'tsukemen' was the creation of a Tokyo chef in 1961.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 7, 2024
How Tokyo’s ‘deconstructed ramen’ became a national favorite
Like other twists on quintessential Japanese dishes, ‘tsukemen’ has a decidedly more modern origin than you might think.
This is the dish that hooked me on the traditional Japanese ways of the "washoku" kitchen.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 26, 2024
Land and sea come together in traditional kitchen staple
For a dish of ingredients that display such culinary affinity, the Japanese have a go-to phrase: "aishō ga yoroshii" (good compatibility).

Longform

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