The Japanese Food Report

Yukari Sakamoto's Tokyo Guide - And Her Summer Somen!

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:48:03 -0500

Chef, educator and food journalist Yukari Sakamoto has just published a new book: Food Sake Tokyo, a fabulous guide to the city's eats. Go Yukari!

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Original Teriyaki

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:05:56 -0500

Okay, time for teriyaki, but I mean the real thing, not the ho-hum dish we typically see here in America, the one with a gummy, starch-thickened sauce that drowns chicken or fish.

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Cooking at Hyotei: The Photos

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:04:21 -0500

An extraordinary invitation prompted my trip to Japan this past June: A chance to spend a month training in the kitchen of Hyotei, the hallowed 400-year-old ryotei in Kyoto. Hyotei is no ordinary restaurant.

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Fresh Edamame

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:25:22 -0500

If you haven't ever tried edamame picked fresh from the vine, please scour your local farmers market, just in case someone's selling them. I happened to drop by the Union Square market in NYC and came across a pile -- and grabbed 'em fast.

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Turnips (Lightly) Pickled Three Ways

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:45:28 -0500

Turnips, daikon, beets and radishes aren't only about the tasty bulbous root -- the leaves are just as important.

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Cold ramen noodles from "A Cook's Journey to Japan"

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:25:24 -0500

Paging through a review copy of A Cook's Journey to Japan, a charming cookbook filled with homestyle faves, I landed on the hiyashi chukka recipe, cold ramen noodles with sesame vinaigrette. Man, that looked good.

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Old-School Tokyo Shopping Street

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:26:53 -0500

The intense, caramel aroma of freshly roasted hojicha tea is what first stopped me in my tracks on Amazakeyokocho Street.

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Dining in Kyoto

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:39:39 -0500

I've been in Kyoto for almost a month now, and while most of my dining has been makani -- restaurant staff meals -- I've had a couple of chances to squeeze in some great dinners (details on my restaurant training soon).

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Kyoto Tempura Kaiseki

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:00:46 -0500

A few years ago I got a glimpse at the high art of tempura cooking while visiting Kyoto at an elegant restaurant called Tenyu, and I never forgot it.

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Osaka One-Bite Gyoza

Sat, 29 May 2010 18:49:23 -0500

My friends know about me and gyoza. I can't resist these fried-then-steamed dumplings stuffed with pork, napa cabbage and garlic chives, so when we rolled into Osaka, we headed directly to a half-century old joint called Tenpei Gyoza.

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Nagoya Cochin Chicken

Thu, 27 May 2010 21:44:42 -0500

Back in Japan now and just rolled into the lovely city of Nagoya. First order of business: Nagoya Cochin chicken.

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Video: The Japanese Approach to Fish

Thu, 13 May 2010 23:21:50 -0500

What makes the Japanese way of preparing fish so special?

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Konro Grilling

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:28:15 -0500

How bad did I want a Japanese konro grill? Let's just say I had a picture of one tacked up on the refrigerator of my Manhattan apartment for at least five years in the hope, the hope, that someday that I'd have a backyard or rooftop where to use it.

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All About Salmon

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:25:56 -0500

I was curious to see the reaction of fellow commuters as I stepped onto a Brooklyn-bound subway holding a clear plastic bag filled with 20 pounds of salmon parts.

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Oyakodon: Chicken and Eggs Over Rice

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:17:54 -0500

Here is Chef Isao Yamada's incredibly tasty version of a Japanese comfort food classic...

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