Amazake (甘酒) comes in two types: one made from sake lees, as the name sake implies, and the other made from rice malt. The amazake introduced here is the latter type, based on rice malt. This type of amazake also has a medicinal role and is recommended when you feel tired or want to prevent colds. Amazake also contains dietary fiber and oligosaccharides, which help regulate the intestinal environment.
This is the time of year when plums are available in large quantities, so why not prepare plum syrup for the coming summer heat?
The general practice is to take the heck out of each plum that is still green, but if you want to take it a little easier and quicker, we recommend making it from frozen yellowed plums. The finished ume syrup can be mixed with water or soda water to make ume juice, with soy milk or black tea, or with honey or vinegar to make ume dressing.
Hiyayakko (冷奴) is chilled tofu topped with seasonings and condiments. Depending on the toppings, you can enjoy various flavors of chilled tofu. In this episode, I put Japanese basil, cherry tomato and white sesame seeds. Then, pour the ponzu sauce.
Speaking of markets in Tokyo, the Tsukiji and Tsukiji Outside Markets, which have been relocated to Toyosu, are famous for the fresh fish you can buy and the Shokudo (cafeterias) where you can enjoy a breakfast or lunch. On par with the Tsukiji Market is the lesser-known Adachi Market, the Tokyo Metropolitan Wholesale Market, located in Senjuhashido-cho, Adachi-ku, Tokyo. Supplying mainly fresh marine products, it is the kitchen of Tokyo.
Adachi Market is small for a central wholesale market, with approximately 42,000 m2 of land, which is the only market in Tokyo specializing in marine products, and offers a wide range of products such as fresh and delicious fish as well as vegetables and Japanese omelettes (Tamagoyaki). In addition, just like Tsukiji, several cafeterias offer delicious gourmet food for breakfast and lunch. It is not well known, so it is a good place to visit without worrying about crowds.
Ohitashi (Blanched vegetables with Dashi) is a really delicate side dish made by draining the water from boiled vegetables and seasoning them with dashi broth, soy sauce, and mirin. It can also be a vegan side dish if you use a vegan dashi broth. The trick to this dish is to quickly blanch the vegetables to preserve their fresh texture. This dish can be served at room temperature or cold.
Tamagoyaki is the iconic egg recipe in Japan. We use dashi soup stock as the base and roll the egg mixture with using special pan. However, you can make Tamagoyaki without using it. In this recipe video, I introduce how to make Tamagoyaki in 2 ways; using special omelette pan and round shape frying pan.
The name of this dish “Kinpira” came from the Japan’s old story. The main character Kinpira was strong and courageous man, so Kinpira represents strong and courageous in Japan. “Gobo” is a root vegetable called burdock in English and has lots of fiber. For cooking, “Kinpira” dishes are stir-fried veggies seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. For Kinpira Gobo, carrot are quite often added. This is also a Plant-based, Vegan & Gluten-free Japanese recipe.
Are you ready to make vegan gyoza? This time, I chose soybean meat, an alternative meat that is becoming popular in Japan, and Chinese cabbage and chives, which are often used as accents in dumplings. Please enjoy this dish on days when you are in the mood for a vegetarian or vegan meal!
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The great thing about making dumplings is that you can create your own original flavors by combining your favorite ingredients. This time, I decided to make dumplings without using meat. In Japan, shiitake mushrooms are commonly used as a meat substitute. So, this time, I made vegan dumplings using shiitake mushrooms, fried tofu, and Chinese cabbage to enhance the texture. They have a light texture, so you can easily eat as many as you want!
Pork is often used for dumplings, but let’s get creative with chicken for these dumplings! This recipe calls for gluten-free dumpling skins, but of course you can use regular dumpling skins as well. These dumplings with chicken and cheese make them easy for children to eat.
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