Recipe: Apple compote with red wine and vanilla ice cream
How bout them apples? Most people are familiar with the pear compote. A simple dish consisting of pears slow cooked in sugar, water, wine and spices, it's a dessert which never goes out of date. What people may not know, however, is that apples work just as well as pears. Here, we'll be preparing a version which makes use of Japanese apples. These come in many varieties: Fuji, Kogyoku, Tsugaru and Jona gold. For the purposes of this dish, use a Fuji apple. Its sour flavor will better compliment the sweetness of the syrup and whatever creamy goodness you serve alongside it. [caption id="attachment_2138" ...
Recipe: Piman no jakoitame (stir-fried peppers with crispy young anchovies)
Vibrant color, crispy texture. In many ways, this pepper and anchovy dish is the perfect otsumami (tapas-style dish). For starters there's its vivid color - bold red, yellow and green. Then there's the texture - the slightly crispy anchovies balancing the sauteed peppers. Finally, there's the flavor of the mentsuyu (a dashi-based sauce usually used for soba and udon noodles). [caption id="attachment_2146" align="alignright" width="220" caption="Stir-fried peppers with crispy young anchovies"][/caption] Ingredients (serves 2 people) 200g green pepper (4-5 green peppers) 50g red pepper (1/2 a red pepper) 50g yellow pepper (1/2 a yellow pepper) 20g dried young anchovies 2 tablespoons of sesame oil 2 tablespoons of mentsuyu Method Pour 2 tablespoons ...
Recipe: Aona no norimaki (boiled greens wrapped in seaweed)
Norimaki needn't always come as sushi. So you're looking for that perfect appetizer - something that looks great, is dead simple to make, and can be enjoyed by omnivores and vegetarians alike. Well look no further. This recipe for aona no norimaki (boiled greens wrapped in seaweed) is all of the above. Not only that, but its about as healthy an appetizer as you can get. Aona is the Japanese word for green leaf vegetables, which includes such things as spinach, komatsuna and canola blossoms. Spinach and komatsuna were once winter vegetables, but are now available in Japan all year round. Canola ...
Japan Booze Blind: Baird Summer Beers
Host Christopher Pellegrini discusses summer beers with the Baird Nakameguro Taproom's Marco McFarren. Baird Beer's Nakameguro Taproom is a shining beacon for beer-o-philes around Tokyo and is doing its best to broaden that group, not only through events such as tastings and seminars, but through serving some of the best beer in the country. There are currently 28 beers on tap, all but a few Baird's own. The few guest beers are also high-quality microbrews. Most beers are 900 yen a pint, with some at 1000 yen and some in slightly differently-sized glasses (depending on type). Smaller sizes and tasters are available.
Recipe: Hiyashi soumen
With the arrival of summer, Japanese are increasingly looking towards light meals at lunchtime. A bowl of soumen (cold noodles) is one of the most popular ways to relieve the summer heat. Soumen is traditionally served with a large variety of yakumi, or condiments. While it may be tempting to cut back on the number of different garnishes, it's worth trying all of the yakumi listed below at least once so that you can better judge which you prefer. Serve the noodles on ice in a wooden bowl. Pour a little soup into each guest's bowl and allow them to choose their ...
Recipe: Apple compote with red wine and vanilla ice cream
How bout them apples? Most people are familiar with the pear compote. A simple dish consisting of pears slow cooked in...
What We’re Drinking: Daimaou Imo (sweet potato) Shochu
This was another bottle that I received in the mail. It’s one that I’ve been meaning to pick up for a while as...
Recipe: Piman no jakoitame (stir-fried peppers with crispy young anchovies)
Vibrant color, crispy texture. In many ways, this pepper and anchovy dish is the perfect otsumami (tapas-style dish). For...
Recipe: Aona no norimaki (boiled greens wrapped in seaweed)
Norimaki needn’t always come as sushi. So you’re looking for that perfect appetizer – something that looks...
What We’re Drinking: Waseda Beer
Waseda, the lauded private university in downtown Tokyo that fields roughly 130,000 applications for admission each year,...
Japan Booze Blind: Baird Summer Beers
Host Christopher Pellegrini discusses summer beers with the Baird Nakameguro Taproom’s Marco McFarren. Baird Beer’s...
Recipe: Shiso juice
The perfect way to beat the summer heat Tokyo is enjoying (some would say enduring) one of the hottest starts to summer in...
Featured Videos
Japan Booze Blind: Baird Summer Beers
Host Christopher Pellegrini discusses summer beers with the Baird Nakameguro Taproom’s Marco McFarren.
Baird Beer’s Nakameguro Taproom is a shining beacon for beer-o-philes around Tokyo and is doing its best to broaden that group, not only through events such as tastings and seminars, but through serving some of the best beer in the country.
There are currently 28 beers on tap, all but a few Baird’s own. The few guest beers are also high-quality microbrews. Most beers are 900 yen a pint, with some at 1000 yen and some in slightly differently-sized glasses (depending on type). Smaller sizes and tasters are available. Read more
