The 3 amigas have been at it again! My friend and assistant, Chie Ehara, invited me and Elsa Tian over to her home in Arlington, Massachusetts to pick cherry blossoms from the huge tree in her yard. The plan was to preserve them in salt to use throughout the year in tea, mochi (sweet rice cakes) and to …
Read moreMy favorite winter citrus in Japan is yuzu. The deep yellowy-orange sour fruit almost defies description. Shaped like a mandarin orange, it has the piquancy of a lemon and a staggering number of pits. There were over 20 pits in each of my 8 yuzu, each larger than any of 8 pits in the lemon …
Read moreHappy Year of the Horse from Tokyo, Japan. My husband, Dick and I are on our annual (well almost, we skipped last year) January visit this time only for less than 2 weeks instead of our usual 1 month stay making it is really difficult to see all of our friends this time. January is usually …
Read moreCOOKBOOK REVIEW By Debra Samuels GLOBE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 31, 2013 Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat take on home cooking in “Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura, and More From the Streets and Kitchens of Tokyo and Beyond” Ten Speed Press Number of pages:256 pp. Book price:$27.50 Harris Salat, owner of Ganso, a Japanese comfort food …
Read moreWe have lived here for a total of 11 years and this month, I wrote about all my culinary experiences in “My Japanese Table,’’ beginning with a breakfast of grilled fish, rice, pickles, and miso soup from our very first home stay in a rural area on the southern island, Kyushu.
Read moreTOKYO – Many foods brought to America by new immigrants evolve into dishes that combine ingredients from both cultures. California rolls are a good example.
Read moreTOKYO – Peanuts! Popcorn! Squid jerky, anyone? The Boston Red Sox play their season opener nine days from now at the Tokyo Dome, once home field to their relief pitcher Hideki Okajima, a former member of the Yomiuri Giants. And instead of those sausage and onion subs on Yawkey Way, fans will be munching dried …
Read moreTOKYO — Spa LaQua is a contemporary take on one of Japan’s national treasures: the “onsen,” natural hot springs that bubble up from deep inside the earth. Such resorts are a popular destination for Japanese and are found from north to south on the archipelago. Spa LaQua’s saltwater springs come from about 5,500 feet below …
Read moreTOKYO — Pass the neighborhood shrine, pass the smell of charcoal-roasted fish, pass the sushi shop, pass a noodle spot. Then comes a surprise: The unmistakable aroma of grilled burgers and fries from a restaurant a few doors down. In Tokyo, anything culinary is a possibility. Yes, there is American fast food here — McDonald’s …
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