Recipes & Articles

The Japanese way of expressing raw fish is, of course, unparalleled. But doing raw right -- that is, sushi and sashimi -- is a function of deft knife skills, which is a function of years of chef training. So what about the rest of us?

Last week, a couple of dozen curious food lovers joined me at the Saveur magazine test kitchen for a Japanese vegetarian cooking workshop with the amazing Chef Masato Nishihara of Kajitsu restaurant. What an incredible night.

Kobe beef. Wagyu. Washugyu. What's the difference?

Besides honing my technical skills working every week now with Chef Abe and his crew in the kitchen of En Japanese Brasserie, I've been learning a ton about contemporary Japanese cooking.

I've only recently discovered Soba Koh, a tiny spot in New York's East Village where you can watch Chef Hiromitsu Takahashi roll and cut soba by hand as you walk into the place. I don't know what took me so long.

Okay, I'm going to out myself here -- I'm totally "gyoza otaku," or obsessed with Japanese-style fried dumplings. I'm not alone. In Japan, gyoza is the classic companion to ramen (with a frosty mug of beer finishing the picture), with bespoke versions the subject of magazine articles and television shows and endless debate online.

Since I returned in June from three months of cooking in Japan, I've been itching to keep building my skills. Luckily, Abe-san, the chef of the fabulous En Japanese Brasserie in lower Manhattan, graciously invited me into his spacious open kitchen.

Ah, yes, a counter-eye view of a master at work! Visiting LA last week, I had the pleasure of dining at a real-deal yakitori joint called Yakitoriya. I knew I was in for a treat when the chef, Toshi-san, asked if it would be okay if he served his bird on the rare side.

For me, one of the great pleasures of studying Japanese cuisine has been perfecting my Japanese-style knife skills, techniques that open a range of cooking possibilities - and not just for pros.

Susan Hamaker, a Japanese Food Report reader and self-described "half-Okinawan Tar Heel living in New York" who writes the Shrinecastle blog, contributed this fabulous account of eating a Japanese baseball stadiums. Hot dogs and pretzels? Oh, so much more!

Japanese saran wrap. There are a million reasons to check out the incredible Tortoise General Store, online or in person in Venice, California, but no matter how much you fall in love with the breathtaking Onda pottery or equally breathtaking Sori Yanagi-designed cookware, don't forget the saran wrap.

Please join me as I moderate: "From Soba to Artichokes: Vegetarian Cooking, Japanese-style," featuring Chef Masato Nishihara of Kajitsu restaurant, at the Saveur test kitchen on Monday, October 26th from 7p to 9:30p, featuring a sake sampling from boutique importer Joto Sake.