Recipes

RECIPE: Rafute (Okinawan Braised Pork Belly)

Pork is a common source of protein in Okinawa and this rafute, a traditional Okinawan braised pork belly dish, showcases local island flavors. Pork is slow-cooked in awamori (local Okinawan distilled liquor) and kokuto (island black sugar) until the meat is tender, juicy and flavorful.

RECIPE: Simple Pork Ramen

There’s nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of ramen. This easy to make recipe uses the power of soda bushi dashi to create a rich, umami-filled soup.

RECIPE: Chicken and Cucumbers with Nametake

This light and refreshing dish can be served as a side dish or salad and has a unique combination of flavors from the mentaiko nametake, nutty sesame oil, minty shiso and ginger.

RECIPE: Shio Koji (Salted Rice Malt) Tomato Pasta

If you have never cooked with shio koji before, this simple pasta recipe is a tasty way to get acquainted with using this unique ingredient!

Shio is the Japanese word for “salt”, while koji is a specific strain of mold that is used to ferment cooked rice. While it might sound odd to purposely cook with mold, koji has been a staple in Japanese cuisine for centuries. In fact, it is the foundation of several popular condiments including miso, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sake. Rich in protease and enzymes, koji breaks down ingredients to highlight their natural flavors.

Shio koji is extremely versatile and can be used as a salt substitute, pickling agent, base for dressings/sauces, and marinade for meat and fish. In this recipe, shio koji is used in place of salt to enhance the sweetness of the tomatoes.

We make a basic red sauce by cooking down minced garlic and chopped tomatoes, which is then flavored with shio koji and mirin (rice wine). Shio koji adds saltiness and umami, while mirin adds sweetness. Taste as you cook and add more or less of both condiments according to preference! If your tomatoes are not as ripe, try adding more mirin to sweeten the sauce.

This recipe is extremely versatile and serves as a good base for additional ingredients. We recommend chicken, broccoli, and asparagus, but feel free to choose any proteins or vegetables that you like! Garnish with cheese, basil, and black pepper and serve piping hot.

RECIPE: SWEET UME GINGER PORK TOAST

Sweet and savory, this open-faced sandwich is a satisfying snack or light meal that’s full of floral flavor and ginger spice.

RECIPE: Traditional Oden

Oden, the ultimate Japanese winter comfort food, is a classic nabemono (one-pot dish) with a variety of Japanese ingredients simmered in a light soy sauce based dashi (broth). You can try our traditional version if you have access to these Japanese ingredients or our western version with more commonly found ingredients. You can also get creative and use any local, seasonal ingredients you have available!

RECIPE: Western-style Oden

RECIPE: CHANPON NOODLES

There’s nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of noodles. A specialty dish from Nagasaki, different regions in Japan also have their own local variations of chanpon noodles, which consists of a hot, fragrant broth served with unique noodles, a variety of meat/seafood and vegetables. In Japan, slurping loudly while enjoying noodles, a sound known as “zuru zuru”, is encouraged to enhance the aroma and flavor of the dish while paying compliments to the chef!

RECIPE: Japanese-Style Pasta with Soy Sauce and Scallops

Not only is Japan famous for its traditional cuisine, it’s also known for transforming Western dishes using local ingredients. Soy sauce adds the perfect touch of umami to the butter and garlic sauce in this Japanese-style pasta.

RECIPE: Ochazuke (Tea with Rice)

Ochazuke is a Japanese dish made by pouring tea over a bowl of steamed rice with savory toppings. It’s the ultimate comfort food on a cold winter day!

RECIPE: Pickled Plum's Easy Vegetable Curry

“The flavors of this curry roux are so perfectly balanced that it’s hard to find anything wrong with it! I’ve kept this recipe super simple to highlight the sweetness of the Aomori apples and the smoky, tangy curry sauce. It’s absolutely delicious!”- Pickled Plum

RECIPE: Pickled Plum's Smoked Takuan, Cheese and Cucumber Sandwich

“While most takuan is usually yellow in color and has a chemically sweet taste (that I still love!), this one is unique in that it’s been flavored with savory and smoky elements. The thin slices are very crunchy and pair nicely with other umami and savory ingredients such as cheese and soy sauce based dishes. It can also be used as pickles for sandwiches and burgers.”- Pickled Plum

RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto’s Sushi Rice

Good sushi starts with good sushi rice, so whether you're making rolls, gunkan, temaki, or sushi bowls, perfecting your sushi rice game is key. Good sushi rice should be sticky but not mushy, and each grain should be clearly defined with a glossy sheen that will make a shampoo model jealous.

RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto’s Spicy Salmon Temaki Sushi

I'm not usually a big fan of salmon in sushi due to its strong taste, but paired with sweet minced onions and spicy yuzu gosho, it’s perfect for sushi. Temaki, or "hand rolls," require no sushi mat, and are made by rolling a thin layer of rice with lots of filling into a cone, which makes them easy to eat with your hands.

This recipe makes enough rice and salmon for about 12 hand rolls, but for variety, I recommend making 5 hand rolls with the nori sheets included in this package and turning the remaining ingredients into sushi bowls. Just split the rice between two bowls and then top it with the yuzu salmon and kaiware sprouts. This is also delicious served with some sliced avocado.

RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto's Garlic Shichimi Pasta

The trick to a good aglio e olio is to finish cooking the pasta like risotto, adding pasta water a ladleful at a time, stirring until the liquid starts forming a thick starchy emulsion which makes for a marvelously creamy sauce for the pasta. Using the same technique here and substituting fragrant shichimi togarashi in place of pepperoncini, this pasta is delightfully simple yet flavorful.

RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto's Oyakodon

Oyakodon is a classic donburi or rice bowl, and it's one of my favorite quick lunches. With big chunks of juicy chicken enveloped in a blanket of creamy egg and scallions, the flavorful broth percolates down into the rice, seasoning it to the last bite.

RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto’s Dashi Chazuke

Chazuke or Ochazuke literally means "tea rice," as it's most commonly made by pouring hot tea over rice that's been topped with various condiments. It's a great way to use up leftover rice as the liquid helps soften rice that may have become dry and crumbly in the fridge. When made with tea, it's usually topped with flavorful ingredients like salted salmon, mentaiko, or umeboshi. By making it with dashi, the liquid itself is loaded with flavor, allowing you to get a little more creative with the toppings. With loads of umami and a fresh citrusy zing, this dashi chazuke makes for a delicious hot breakfast or late-night snack.

RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto’s Nikujaga

Nikujaga literally means "meat & potatoes" in Japanese, and it's a classic stew that's a pillar of home cooking in Japan. By using thinly sliced meat, the dish comes together in under thirty minutes. The type of meat can vary by region, with some areas preferring a fatty cut of pork over beef, and some modern cooks using chicken. Regardless of what type of meat you use, I recommend using a cut that has a good amount of fat on it, as this will help keep it moist while imparting flavor into the vegetables.

RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto’s Wafu Soy Sauce Butter Pasta

This easy pasta comes together in the time it takes to boil a pot of spaghetti, and yet it's rich, nutty, and loaded with umami. Although this is vegetarian, you can add protein by sauteing some bacon, shrimp, or chicken before the mushrooms and transferring them into a bowl while you brown the mushrooms. For some variations, try mixing a little yuzu gosho into the sauce or sprinkling the finished pasta with some thin strips of nori.

RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto’s Yuzu Tuna Penne

A quick weeknight pasta can be a lifesaver when things happen and you're left scrambling to put dinner together. Yuzu gosho and shio konbu are truly heroic because they can transform a basic pantry pasta into something extraordinarily delicious. This sauce is just a simple emulsion of garlicky olive oil with the starchy boiling liquid from the pasta. The shio konbu infuses this with loads of umami, while the yuzu gosho gives it a zesty, peppery kick, smoothing over any fishy notes from the canned tuna.