By Etienne van Rooyen Introduction: Hello everyone! Summer is here, and it is hot, hot, hot! Sadly, I will be finishing my time on JET after four years. Do not despair; below is one more tofu recipe translation to close out this series. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed translating, cooking, and learning what tofu is capable of … Continue reading
Translated by Etienne van Rooyen Introduction: Hello again, everyone! I hope everyone is embracing the warm weather that has (finally) reached our shores. My time will be wrapping up my time on JET next month, but fear not, I have translated this month’s recipe (and next month’s) for you to enjoy. So, please indulge in … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Introduction: Hello again, everyone! I hope you all had a great Golden Week holiday. Unfortunately, it’s back to the grind. Fear not! I’ve prepared for you a delicious tofu recipe translation to tide (and warm) you over as we move from spring to summer. Please indulge in a “Chilli Sauce Flavoured … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Introduction Hello everyone! Spring is in full force as winter ends, and the cherry blossoms bloom! In a change of pace, the translations below are desserts. You’re probably wondering: How can you use tofu as an ingredient for dessert? Or simply: tofu + dessert =?. I thought the same thing, too … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Introduction: It’s that time of year again as we wind down the school year. There are plenty of graduation ceremonies as many of us start to shake off the winter blues. Our prayers for warmer weather have been granted as well. It’ll be sad to see some of our best (or … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Introduction: Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday period. I know many travelled home, travelled Japan, or just chilled (literally) out under your kotatsu. I spent way too much time and money zipping around ski fields and ice rinks, but I had a fantastic winter vacation … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Introduction: Hello everyone! I am beyond excited to embrace my favourite season: winter! Winter means hiding under the kotatsu in cosy pyjamas while preparing hotpot. As well, I will never not be amazed by snow. Its pure, silent form falling freely onto layers of frigid frost foretells the holiday season. And … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Introduction: Hello again, everyone! Autumn has arrived, captivated many and is now forever captured on our Instagram feeds. As the daylight shrinks, the prelude to winter has come as longer and cooler nights grip Aōmori. So, to beat the winter blues, today’s recipe is a healthy mushroom and tofu soup! This … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Taste Tested by: Andy Huynh Introduction: Autumn is here as I embrace this season’s colours and flavours! Recently, I’ve been on a wonderful baking journey. I baked New York-style bagels (with everything bagel seasoning, naturally) and delicious cinnamon rolls that were a huge hit at this year’s fantastic cabin party. Therefore, … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Translation Reviewed and Taste Tested by Andy Huynh Introduction: Hello again, everyone! I hope everyone made the most of their summer vacation. Welcome back to my recipe translations. We’re going to kick things off with a delicious fried tofu pancake. This tofu dish is a great meal to share with friends … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen Hello again, everyone! Today’s recipe is a delicious and addictive tofu cutlet. Instead of the common tonkatsu (which uses pork), this recipe uses tofu instead. If you have made tonkatsu before, this recipe will instantly be familiar to you. Making cutlets is a Japanese food staple and a great recipe to … Continue reading
Hello again, everyone! Even though summer is (apparently) here, a cold snap from the rainy season has taken over the prefecture! As such, looking through Cookpad, I found a delicious and simple hotpot dish to translate and help me combat the cold. Please refer back to this recipe when it is actually winter. Try out … Continue reading
By Etienne van Rooyen I hope to breathe new life into the “Miso Hungry” column by writing translations of recipes I come across in my travels in Aomori or around Japan. Today’s translated recipe is a quick and easy mapo tofu from Cookpad, Japan’s largest recipe sharing service. Tofu is a cheap and fantastic source … Continue reading
By Genevieve Mollitor As the weather gets warmer, pollen fills the air, and cool-biz season begins, it’s time to get real about ice cream. Ice cream is something I feel insanely passionate about, to the extent that I can’t help but eat it even when I know lactose intolerance is gonna kick me in the … Continue reading
By Genevieve Mollitor As we’re in the middle of Hanami season up here in Aomori, I thought what better than a recipe for some easy, whip-up-at-home Sakura Mochi. For those of you who don’t know, Sakura Mochi is a pink-colored mochi filled with red bean paste and wrapped in a salted cherry blossom tree leaf. … Continue reading
by Genevieve Mollitor Ever wonder what the difference between konbu, wakame, and nori is? That and all the other sea-grasses in-between? Today I’d like to introduce you to the top most common uses of sea-grasses I’ve noticed in Japan… 1.昆布 Konbu – a broad term for a wide variety of edible sea kelp. You can find konbu in many forms … Continue reading
by Genevieve Mollitor How many apples does it take to keep you warm? I think the answer can be solved with some simple mathematics and a personal understanding of your own height, mental age, weight and temperature. [(height in cm + weight in kg) / (avg temp – mental age)] * (hello kitty + 5 … Continue reading
by Genevieve Mollitor Four score and a gazillion years ago, mayonnaise, the true king of condiments (fight me), was set upon your grocery store shelves. Such magnificence has no bounds: the far-reaching touch of the ever effervescent Mayo has traveled from the wispy whites of Hellmann’s hairs to the buttocks of cutie Kewpie, all the way … Continue reading
By Genevieve Mollitor Why, hello there folks. It’s that time of year again. Leaves are falling, temperatures are dropping, and some of the year’s most celebrated holidays are on their way. While the history of the holiday is a bit different than what Americans are taught in school, and modern nations’ relationships with their native … Continue reading
By Genevieve Mollitor Cooking can be fun and delicious, especially when you get that sense of accomplishment after you’ve whipped up some mouth-watering plate of tasty goodness and you know that it was your efforts that made that creation a success. Even if some random third-party still thinks the konbini egg sandwiches taste better than … Continue reading
Good Morning Aomori 