EATING & DRINKING

No6 [Eating] Dorayaki: Japanese Pancake Journey!!!

Dorayaki: Japanese Pancake Journey!!! Dorayaki is a Japanese pancake which traditionally contains a red bean paste filling (Anko/Azuki beans). The traditional “Azuki Dorayaki” has a subtle yet sweet flavour; and although the beans have been crushed, there are still whole beans left which[...]

No6 [Cooking] Prawns in Chilli Sauce

Prawns in Chilli Sauce This month’s recipe is a Japanese re-interpretation of the Classic Szechuan dish; prawns in chilli sauce. The original Chinese regional dish is very hot and spicy but this version has been made more suited to wider Japanese tasted by adding in ketchup and other ingredien[...]

No5 [Restaurant] Singing the praises of Suki-yaki

Singing the praises of Suki-yaki One of the most satisfying things about eating out in Japan is the number of dishes cooked right in front of you. There’s something communal and incredibly appetizing about gathering round a hot plate or pot, feel its heat, hear the sizzle of frying fat, the bubble[...]

No5 [Drinking] The drink that’s pretty in pink

The drink that’s pretty in pink Drinking alcohol is not normally associated with improving your looks, but more likely the pale, blotchy skin of the morning after. Two new products from Japanese brewing giant Gekkeikan attempt to change this image however. Kirei ume-shu (plum wine) and Kirei momo-[...]

No5 [Cooking] Tori Kara-age

Tori Kara-age The popular dish “Tori Kara-age” (Fried Chicken) has been eaten in Japan or over 90 years and is a versatile staple of Japanese dinner tables, izakaya style drinking establishments and in packed lunches. It is made by first seasoning the meat with ingredients such as soy sa[...]

No4 [Cooking] Mabo Tofu

Mabo Tofu The cuisine of many nations can be found on Japan’s dining tables but perhaps the one most commonly made at home is Chinese food and the most popular Chinese recipe is undoubtedly the tofu dish known as mabo tofu. Mabo tofu comes from the local cuisine of the Szechuan region, famous [...]

No4 [Restaurant] In the market for chirashizushi

In the market for chirashizushi Chirashizushi, or ‘scattered sushi’ sounds like what might happen if you ask a particularly temperamental sushi chef for some ketchup on your marbled tuna. It’s actually the name of a version of sushi popular for being fast, filling and good value, but just as a[...]

No4 [Eating] Curry OK!

Curry OK! Curry took a roundabout route into Japan. Arriving via the British navy at the end of the 19th century, when India was still part of the empire, it was seen as a Western dish. Served with steamed rice, and a pickled daikon garnish, the classic Japanese curry is made with beef, onion, carr[...]

No3 [Drinking] Raise your glass to Japan’s brewers

Raise your glass to Japan’s brewers Choosing a bottle of sake can be quite a daunting prospect. Bottles come in all shapes and sizes, each decorated with graceful but indecipherable kanji. A good place to start though is to focus on quality. Gekkeikan Hourin Junmai Daiginjyo, for example, has won [...]

No3 [Restaurant] Oodles of noodles at Ittenbari

Oodles of noodles at Ittenbari There is a scene in the quirky 80s film comedy ‘Tampopo’, where an old ramen master teaches his young pupil the correct way to eat noodle soup. “First you must observe it in its entirety,” explains the aged teacher, “and then caress the noodles with your chop[...]

No3 [Cooking] Zaru soba

Zaru soba Soba noodles are very traditional form of Japanese cuisine. These noodles are made using buckwheat flour (the buckwheat plant is also calles “soba” in Japanese) as well as wheat flour, eggs, Japanese yams and water. They are low in calories compared to other carbohydrates, whic[...]

No2 [Restaurant] Celebrate the finest steak in the world at Matsuri

Celebrate the finest steak in the world at Matsuri Wagyu – The Holy Grail for any lover of red meat seeking the ultimate steak. Prized as possibly the most tender, succulent beef available on the planet, Wagyu is produced from four main breeds of cattle, developed in Imperial Japan to yield me[...]

No2 [Eating] How to make perfect nigiri

How to make perfect nigiri Creating rice balls for nigiri-zushi and onigiri, can be a bit of a bore. And unless you’re a trained sushi chef it often ends with a plate of misshapen sticky lumps unlikely to appear on the conveyor belt of any half-decent kaiten-zushi. But you can make things eas[...]

No2 [Cooking] Inari Zushi

Inari zushi Inari zushi are made from fried tofu that is boiled to be sweet or bittersweet and stuffed with boiled rice. When the rice inside is infused with vinegar it is classified as a kind of sushi and the name of the dish is said to come from an old folk tale where fried tofu was the favourite[...]

No1 [Restaurant] A taste of Kyûshû, in Marylebone

A taste of Kyûshû, in Marylebone Japanese food for many people means one thing – sushi. Tempura, tonkatsu curry and bento boxes may also figure, but it’s sushi that dominates. It may be the national dish, but spend a short time in Japan and you’ll discover a country obsessed by food. Dishes [...]

No1 [Eating] Harumi, the Housewife’s Heroine

Harumi, the Housewife’s Heroine Despite her status as domestic superstar (over 22 million books sold in japan, a chain of shops, her own homeware range) Kurihara Harumi still retains the image of ordinary housewife, or shufu. The celebrity writer likes to recall how her mother would rise at five e[...]

No1 [Cooking] Tofu “Hamburgers”

Tofu “Hamburgers” Make healthy Tofu “Hamburgers” by simply mixing with tofu and frying! Enjoy the silky smooth texture of tofu together with the crunchiness of vegetables with these Japanese style hamburgers that use no meat at all. Tofu is a processed food product made from [...]