Sesame-Cilantro sauce

A sauce or marinade or dressing? All of the above. And more. This sauce can be used for cold sesame noodles with a twist, for marinating any meat or fish, as a dip, or as a salad dressing. Cilantro, or coriander, or pakchee (パクチー）as it is called here in Japan and some Asian countries, adds […]

Summer ’21

And yet again, it’s been a while. It seems that every year, temperatures are considered “hotter than usual” and the summer of 2021 was no different. Handling the heat is becoming more difficult as the years go on (or, it’s more likely that I’m becoming less tolerant to it with age..) No matter where I […]

Season for Cold Noodles (updated)

Warmer weather calls for cold noodles! Here are some quick and easy cold noodle variations.

A Walk in the Park

Hey, it’s spring. After a lackluster, mild winter spring came early, too early for my taste. It’s also spring break right now, and while unable to travel abroad freely and safely, at least there are some spots nearby that are worth taking a lazy walk, enjoy some sunshine. Well, maybe not lazy, because it was […]

Chijimi: Savory Pancakes

Chijimi are savory Korean pancakes, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They can be filled with all kinds of vegetables, seafood or meat, providing endless variations. They are served with a soy-sauce and vinegar-based dipping sauce, which again can have many variations, according to taste. Here, I made Kimchi Chijimi by mixing […]

Konnyaku, or Konjac

Konnyaku, or konjac （蒟蒻、こんにゃく）chewy and wiggly, may look bizarre to some. However, it is a very versatile, healthy type of vegetarian food made from konjac yams. It can be processed into shirataki noodles, which can be cooked in different ways. Even the normal konnyaku “bar” can be prepared in so many ways, not to mention […]

Summer Smoothies for Breakfast

These days, it’s ridiculously hot. In fact, today has got to be some sort of record, what with 35 degrees Celsius already at 10am. We hit about 39C in the afternoon. So the heat wakes me up every morning, way too early for my taste. But I get up and proceed to make my morning […]

#wearadamnmask 2

Another few weeks have passed. COVID-19 is still going strong. Temperatures and humidity are going up, the rainy season here seems endless this year and wearing masks in this climate is not easy. But I do. Every time I go outside, even when it’s for a few minutes. I now have a drawer devoted to […]

#Wearadamnmask

Since the pandemic here started back in late January, masks have become a valuable commodity. Wearing a face mask in Japan is quite common, always has been. Not just during cold and flu seasons, but people use them year round for various reasons like allergies, dust, pollution, as well as to simply “hide” behind or […]

Snow in March？

Yesterday it was a balmy 25 degrees Celsius here. Today I wake up to rain that changed to wet snow and within a few hours it looked like this outside and the temperature was 1 (one!) degree Celsius. So I ventured outside and walked around the block. It’s really the first snowfall this season that […]