Recipes & Articles

Just in time for grilling season, Tadashi and my newest cookbook is now available -- The Japanese Grill! Run, don't walk, to your local bookstore (brick or virtual) and pick up a copy; I guarantee you'll love it.

Kara-age is a technique for deep frying without a batter, to highlight the natural taste of an ingredient. Foods are simply dredged in flour or starch, to seal the surface, and plopped into a vat of bubbling oil (okay, not literally a vat -- a saucepan is fine!).

Located in Shitamachi, once the "town below" Edo Castle, where the craftsmen and fishermen lived, it's in my favorite part of Tokyo, one proud of its Edokko sensibility, and chock full of traditional shops and eateries. A hole-in-the-wall there I particularly loved was a tiny joint run by crusty husband and wife that specialized in just one thing -- tonkatsu, deep fried pork cutlet.

I was so pleased to read an article in the NY Times a couple of months ago about shaved steak, because thinly sliced beef (and pork) are mainstays in Japanese markets, for good reason...

Ah, gyoza. What can I say, I love gyoza. Whenever I'm in Japan, sniffing out gyoza shops is de regueur, and gyoza always arrives with my ramen (a frosty beer completes the hat-trick). These steamed-and-fried dumplings are easy to make at home, too, and I'm going to demonstrate how soon at my upcoming Japanese comfort food workshop at the Brooklyn Kitchen on the 19th. To get ready, I've been working on perfecting my technique.

Please join Chef Tadashi Ono and Sake Samurai Timothy Sullivan, with yours truly as moderator, for an important fundraiser for Japan earthquake/tsunami relief at Matsuri restaurant on Tuesday, April 12th at 7pm. The fundraiser will be very special workshop and tasting that goes behind the scenes at Japan's legendary Dassai sake brewery, where Timothy has just spent two months training.

I've been working to perfect making Japanese curry from scratch, as I'll soon be leading a workshop entitled "Comfort Food All-Stars: Curry, Tonkatsu, Gyoza" at the fantastic Brooklyn Kitchen. I love Japanese curry, but I don't love those ubiquitous packages of Japanese curry mixes, which are highly processed with junk ingredients...

Please join my friends Chef Hiroki Abe and owners Reika and Jesse Alexander of EN Japanese Brasserie for a big fundraiser for Japan earthquake and tsunami relief. It takes place this Wednesday, March 23rd at 6pm at their restaurant in downtown Manhattan.

I know we're all absolutely stunned by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. My heart goes out to the victims of this incomprehensible tragedy. Please help as much as you can. Send donations to:

Here are a series of videos from the hot pot master class Tadashi Ono and I led last month. I think you'll find them informative.

I've written about teriyaki before, the real teriyaki, that is -- the thin glaze brushed on while sautéing or grilling that instantly adds tremendous flavor and a beckoning sheen to foods. There are bunch of ways to prepare teriyaki; here's one I just tried that works amazingly well for fish, and is super easy:

Hey all, I want to share a recipe from Tadashi and my hot pot master class last week at Tadashi's restaurant Matsuri. We cooked three terrific hot pots, including this version of the classic chanko nabe -- sumo wrestler hot pot. Dee-licious.