There are dozens upon dozens of sushi restaurants in Toronto, so naturally people think Japanese food = sushi. Not so! That’s like saying American food = hot dogs, or German food = sausages. Yes, those cuisines include those foods, but they are just one type of dish. Likewise, sushi is only one type of dish. […]
food
Agedashi Tofu – Deep-Fried Tofu with Amber Sauce

Agedashi tofu is a deliciously light tofu dish where pieces of silken tofu are dredged in potato starch before being deep fried. When it is served with the amber sauce, the fried crust turns a bit gooey and chewy, but in an amazingly toothsome way. The slightly biting flavour of the daikon nicely complements the sweet […]
Kabocha no Nimono – Japanese Simmered Pumpkin

Homemade Japanese dishes are often variations on a few cooking styles – one of the simplest and tastiest is the simmered dish. Here, I made Japanese simmered pumpkin with dense, buttery kabocha squash, which is not only tasty, but the cooked peel is edible! You can use the basic broth to cook potato, sweet potato, daikon, […]
Gobo to Ninjin no Kimpira – Burdock and Carrot Kimpira

At this time of year in 2010, Tomiko and I flew to Tokyo and spent a month staying with our friend for hanami – cherry blossom viewing. Tomiko and I got gobo to ninjin no kimpira – burdock and carrot kimpira – from the supermarkets in Tokyo and ate it on fresh, white rice for breakfast […]
The Year in Books: April with Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson

Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson is a book about the history of cooking and cooking utensils, from roasting spits and fireplaces to mortars and pestles and chopsticks. It explores the way our kitchen tools influence what we eat, how we eat, and what we feel about what […]