Hiroko Shimbo is a well-known authority on Japanese cuisine and a beloved cooking instructor based in New York City. And like many of us, she owes much of her culinary finesse to her mother. Hiroko has long been a proponent of cooking Japanese cuisine with a...
Okay, all you chili-, buffalo-wings- loving Super Bowl Sunday sports fans out there. I have a snack for you--edamame with chili salt. It's easy to make--barely 10 minutes! And you can mound your plate, chomp absentmindedly, and guzzle beer all while not taking your eyes off the TV....
It’s been sweltering here in the metro D.C. area. In fact, temps surged to 115 degrees F with the heat index several Mondays ago. It’s been so hot and muggy, all I want to do is hole myself up indoors and exert as little energy as...
If I were a much less patient person, I’d have unfriended Spring as if she were a FaceBook acquaintance gone rogue at the first sign of petulance. For the last few weeks, the days have snapped back and forth from cold to warm, and back to...
Although Lady Spring teased us with her glorious appearance this past weekend, the upcoming snow in the forecast reminds us that it's still winter. And there's nothing better than a steamy bowl of rice porridge when you're in need of something warm and comforting for both your soul...
I may only be slightly exaggerating when I say that instant noodles are synonymous with starving college students. I’m sure even you dear reader have recollections of huddling over steaming Styrofoam cups, shoveling curly noodles into mouths and slurping soup between cramming for midterms and/or a...
Many cultures around the world use spice blends and mixtures in their cooking. Some popular ones are French herbes de provence, Jamaican jerk spice and Mexican adobo. Asian cooking in particular relies heavily on spice mixtures. Can you imagine a world without Indian curry powder or Chinese...
I have vivid memories of the annual dragon boat festival, also called Duan Wu Jie (端午节) or Double Fifth Festival (because it occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional lunar calendar). Most of the time, we watched the dragon boat races (the...
Even though I come from good stock—my dad has the greenest of thumbs--I’m not much of a gardener myself. My attempts at growing tomatoes and mesclun last year were not well rewarded. I blame it on the intense sun beating down on our back patio practically...
After all the snow and freezing cold temps we’ve been having, I never thought I’d see the end of winter. But spring is finally here and the cherry blossoms blooming outside my window are proof of it! And that means it’s time for hanami. Hanami—or flower...
