Tosa-Style Cucumbers

Bonito Soy Flavored CucumbersI made a nice welcome-home dinner because Mr. Tess is back for a couple of weeks. I had some pretty little cucumbers in the fridge, and while I love cucumbers with just a little salt, he’s not a big fan of them. To make them more special, I found a recipe called Tosa-Style Cucumbers. Without prompting, he told me the cucumbers were really delicious. I started wondering exactly what does “Tosa-style” mean?

Cooking Technique: Pickling (Tsukemono)

Pickling: Tsukemono Pickles are a vast domain in Japanese cuisine with an endless variety of delicate and strong pickled foods, preserved in many different ways. The pickles I’ve made are all quick and simple to make, so I’m missing most of that variety. From “Easy Japanese Pickling—in five minutes to one day” by Seiko Ogawa…

Cooking Technique: Deep Frying

Click on a thumbnail to open the recipe. Deep Frying: Agemono Deep-frying was introduced to Japan by the Chinese and Europeans and they have elevated the technique to an art. Foods for deep-frying should be as dry as possible to prevent spattering of the hot oil. Most foods are seasoned by salting or marinating before…

Cooking Technique: Gyoza

Click on a thumbnail to open the recipe. Noodles: Gyoza Gyoza, the dumplings made with folded circles of dough filled with ground meat and vegetables, came to Japan from China. They are nicknamed pot-stickers because in Japan, they are fried. The legend is that servants of a wealthy family had to eat cold leftover dumplings.…

Cooking Japanese in October

The meals in October were all delicious, but there were not so many Japanese dinners. Yom Kippur, though a day of fasting, called for some traditional foods. I took on some projects at work that preoccupied my energy, so we ate many “toss it toward the stove” dinners, and take-out ready to eat food. It…