Cuisine: Japanese

Spring Vegetables Steeped in Dashi (Ohitashi)

Ohitashi is a method of steeping vegetables in a delicate dashi, which infuses ingredients with umami and lovely flavor but retains the food's natural taste and sensibility. The trick is to first blanch and shock the vegetables (quickly boiling in water, "blanching," then halting the cooking by plunging in ice-water, a.k.a. "shocking"). By partially cooking this way, you transform ingredients from the raw state, but still retain their integrity, and allow them to absorb the dashi. Ohitashi is very versatile, and you can prepare it with green beans, spinach, shishito peppers, broccoli, snap peas, sugar peas, cherry tomatoes, and all kinds of mushrooms. I used asparagus, sugar snap peas, shiitake mushrooms and green onions.

By Leslie Blythe

Miso Glazed Salmon

Miso Glazed Salmon is delicious and very easy to make. The salmon in this dish can be substituted with sea bass or black cod as well.

By Leslie Blythe

Pork Tonkatsu

Pork Tonkatsu is a Japanese dish of deep fried pork cutlet, which typically placed on a bed of shredded cabbage. It is served with Tonkatsu sauce which a type of thick Japanese Worcestershire sauce that uses pureed fruit as a main ingredient.

By Leslie Blythe

Marinated Japanese Shiitake Mushrooms

These marinated Marinated Japanese Shiitake Mushrooms make a great appetizer or side and can be served on noodles, on top of pasta, or just by themselves. I used a mixture of shiitake and Brown Beech mushrooms.

By Leslie Blythe

Spicy Soba Noodles with Shiitakes & Cabbage

Try these Spicy Soba Noodles with Shiitakes & Cabbage with classic Asian flavors for a quick, easy and healthy meal.

By Leslie Blythe

Tuna & Avocado Donburi

Try this Japanese Tuna & Avocado Donburi dish. A Donburi or "don" is a Japanese "rice bowl dish". This one is a wonderful mixture of tuna and rich avocado from Harumi Kurihara Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking: Simple, Elegant Recipes for Contemporary Tastes. She has been called the Martha Stewart of Japan.

By Leslie Blythe

Zucchini Fried in Kewpie Mayonnaise

When I was in Japan, my friend Yoko told me about this recipe, which her mother used to make her. It sounded completely bizarre, but I had to try it! I'm glad I did. It creates a delicious crust and offers a rich, slightly sweet and tangy flavor.

Kewpie (Q.P.) is the most popular brand of Japanese mayonnaise, advertised with a Kewpie doll logo. It is made with egg yolks instead of whole eggs, and the vinegar is a blend of apple and malt vinegars.

By Leslie Blythe

Benihana’s Fried Rice

Here is a version of Benihana's Fried Rice.

By Leslie Blythe

Sautéed Fresh Chickpeas

Sautéed Fresh Chickpeas Fresh chickpeas are freshly picked green garbanzo beans. Fresh chickpeas are available only a few weeks a year in farmers and specialty markets. I happened to walk into a wonderful ethic market the other day and it's the first thing I spotted. I bought them without knowing what to do with them. They are freshly picked green garbanzo beans. This method sautés them in their shell and you eat them like edamame.

By Leslie Blythe

Spicy Garlic Edamame

This Spicy Garlic Edamame is has wonderful spicy flavor with the addition of Garlic Chili Sauce, Oyster Sauce and onions. They are a mess to eat, but worth it!

By Leslie Blythe