Blog

The “rule of five”, satisfying all five tastes in a balanced meal, is at the heart of traditional Buddhist monk cuisine or shojin-ryori (精進料理).

Cold noodles are the perfect dish on a hot summer day. This recipe courtesy of Rachael Hutchings, www.lafujimama.com, combines the our Five Grain Beauty Udon with our Yuzu Miso to create a refreshing and delicious dish that is prefect for the summer!

Konnyaku is considered a superfood in Japan. It's very convenient to use and has essentially no calories while being rich in fiber, making it perfect for those who want to pay attention to their diet.

Due to the strong flavours in this hakusai salad Hiroko serves it on the side alongside other communal dishes, including rice, vegetables, fish or meat. The salad can be eaten warm or cold, but I prefer to eat it straight from the fridge or at room temperature.

Think you've tried wasabi? Think again! You may be surprised to know that what you've been eating is most likely mustard, horseradish and food colouring...

Koji is an ingredient used for fermented foods such as miso and Sake, made from grain such as rice, wheat, soybean, etc. The beneficial bacteria promote gut health and are also rich in enzymes that help to digest protein, carbs and fat while increasing the bioavailability of minerals. 

If you drink Amazake regularly (even every day) you will be able to keep your skin young and your body healthy thanks to its beneficial action in your intestinal flora.

Unlike the numerous words used to describe it, there are few foods more ubiquitously strange in the Japanese culinary canon than natto.

Have you ever felt like you were missing the words to describe a particular taste? It wasn’t sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Could it have been umami?

With the changing of seasons, there is also a change in one’s lifestyle. A common change in Japan is one’s diet. Since spring brings warmer weather, the food tends to be lighter. Beef and pork are a little dense, so fish and tofu become the popular protein of the season. Although fish might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there are different types to suit your taste or to slowly wean you into possibly liking it.