A blog about food, history, data visualization, and more
When you’re looking for something hearty and warming as days become shorter and colder, consider the Japanese dishes called nabemono. These “simmered dishes” are often cooked in one pot (called a “nabe”), sometimes in the middle of the dining table over a portable burner. In the West, the most famous nabemono is probably sukiyaki — beef and vegetables […]
As a follow-up to my piece on okara — which is a by-product of tofu — I’m happy to report that I have finally seen okara “in the wild” and gave it a try. When I visit San Diego for work, I often stay in the Kearny Mesa area near the intersection of CA-163 and […]
People often say that the San Francisco Bay Area doesn’t really have seasons. Weather-wise, they have a point – we have wet and dry, nothing nearly as dramatic as New England, for example. But for those who obsess about local food, there are scores of seasons, each one marking the appearance and disappearance of certain […]
One of my minor frustrations with Elizabeth Andoh’s “Kansha” (my review is here) is that quite a few recipes feature burdock (a.k.a. great burdock, gobo, Arctium lappa), but all of the supply in local markets seems to be grown in Taiwan, even in Berkeley Bowl and Tokyo Fish Market, two markets that have many types […]
Long-time readers of Mental Masala will know that I’m a big fan of Elizabeth Andoh’s Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen, with almost a dozen posts related to my Washoku cooking experiences. In October 2010, Ten Speed Press released another book by Andoh, Kansha: Celebrating Japan’s Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions. I got my copy […]
(Updated, 11/26/16: fixed broken links) During my last haircut, the conversation turned to chocolate (a regular topic), and so I told my sad story of scheduling stupidity, chocolate and soy. As part of their “Taste Project,” Recchuiti Confections’ collaborated with Hodo Soy Beanery to explore the pairing of chocolate with the many incarnations of the […]
When it comes to salads, I’m much more interested those made with vegetables, fruit, nuts and other ingredients than anything with lettuce or other leafy greens – creations like the Tosa sea salad in Washoku, Elizabeth Andoh’s splendid book about Japanese home cooking. It has three main ingredients – cucumber, wakame and radish sprouts – […]
Dinner at the Mount View Hotel in Japan was one of the few times I’ll need to use the panoramic feature on my camera to capture a meal (photo above). At this hotel, a fixed menu dinner and breakfast were included in our room price, with meals taken in shifts in a large dining room […]
Two of the highlights of the Hakone region of Japan — an area about 1 1/2 hours south of Tokyo by train with beautiful mountains, lakes, and all sorts of attractions — are black eggs and a wooden handicraft technique called Yosegi-zaiku. The black eggs of Owakudani are chicken eggs that have been hard-boiled in […]
Most Americans have one of two opinions about tofu: 1) it’s an abomination, 2) it’s a convenient source of protein for vegetarians but not much more. In Japan, however, tofu is appreciated as a special delicacy. Across the nation, you’ll find entire restaurants that are devoted to the many incarnations of bean curd and soy: […]