Recipes & Cooking : Mirin

Asian-Brined Pork Chops

Asian-Brined Pork Chops

Once in a while, I have a sudden craving for pork chops (check out my Peking pork chop recipe) and I would always ask Mr. Rasa Malaysia to buy the Taiwanese fried pork chops back home for me. There is this restaurant nearby his office that I love: battered and deep-fried glorious pork chop, specked with black pepper. However, in recent…

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Tebasaki (Nagoya Fried Chicken Wings)

Tebasaki (Nagoya Fried Chicken Wings)

As a Japanese food lover, I am very lucky that I live in southern California. Many famed Japanese restaurants and chains hailed from Japan can be found in the Greater Los Angeles area. One of my favorite Japanese restaurants is Furaibo (風来坊), which is originated from the city of Nagoya in Japan. Furaibo is famous for its delicious and utterly addictive Nagoya-style tebasaki,…

Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐)

Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐)

Recently, I received a new Japanese cookbook from my publisher Tuttle/Periplus—”A Cook’s Journey to Japan” by Sarah Marx Feldner. After reading through the beautiful cookbook, I had a sudden urge of making agedashi tofu or fried tofu in sweet fish stock, one my of favorite Japanese dishes that I always order at izakaya or Japanese restaurants. And the timing just…

Chawanmushi Recipe (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard/茶碗蒸し)

Chawanmushi Recipe (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard/茶碗蒸し)

This is a special post to my readers who have requested for a chawanmushi recipe. Chawanmushi or steamed egg custard (茶碗蒸し) is a popular Japanese dish, one that is mostly ordered as an appetizer at Japanese restaurants. From the name of this dish in Kanji 茶碗蒸, I believe chawanmushi is originally a Chinese dish, but has since been perfected by…

Steamed Asari (Manila) Clam Recipe

Steamed Asari (Manila) Clam Recipe

A few nights ago, I met up with my friends at Izakaya by Katsu-Ya in LA. We ordered many delicious Japanese dishes, two servings of chilled sake and chatted our night away. We had such a wonderful time! One of the dishes we ordered was a Japanese izakaya classic—steamed asari (manila) clams with sake or asari no sakamushi, a personal…

Nobu Black Cod with Miso Recipe

Nobu Black Cod with Miso Recipe

I love Japanese food, but not every kind of Japanese food. For most people in the United States, Japanese food means sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, and tempura. While I enjoy teriyaki and tempura quite a bit, I don’t like sushi and sashimi…