Posts

In Asian cooking, we use chicken stock to make soups, noodle soups, hot pots, sauces, and many other dishes. It’s important to note the flavor profile of Asian chicken stock is very different from western one and they shouldn’t be used as a substitute. Asian Chicken Stock vs. Western Chicken Stock How is the chicken stock used in Asian cooking different from western chicken stock? While western chicken stock includes celery, carrot, parsley, and other herbs, Asian chicken stock is rather simple....

Ingredients 1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 packages (1.25 oz each) instant hot cocoa mix 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla Whipped cream, if desired Ground cinnamon, if desired Preparation In medium bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until cream begins to thicken. On medium speed, beat in powdered sugar and cocoa mix until blended. Add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and the vanilla; beat on high speed until soft peaks form....

Are you living in a small apartment with limited kitchen space or about to start cooking for the first time? I’m here to provide some tips on how to build a kitchen equipped to cook Japanese food at your own home. I will cover the essentials in each area of the kitchen. Items in italics are not an absolute “necessity”, but I wanted to include them because I use them often and I think they are worth to be included....

Preparation While we aren’t usually fans of tools that do only one task, the salad spinner is the exception: Sure, it does just one thing, but it does it exceptionally well. And what is that one thing? Simply put, a salad spinner thoroughly washes and dries your salad ingredients, so it can be used to prep any type of leafy green, salad leaves, or herb. Ahead, we’re explaining exactly how a salad spinner works, how home cooks can use it, and our food editors’ number one pick....

Welcome back to JOC Cooking Challenge! This is our fourth challenge since we launched the event early this year. I hope you had fun making Mosaic Sushi in March, Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan) in June, and Shio Ramen in September! What is JOC Cooking Challenge It’s a quarterly online event on Just One Cookbook where I share a new recipe for you to make at home, and in return, you just need to snap a picture of the final dish and share it with us!...

Preparation A holiday celebration isn’t complete for Martha Stewart without something sweet—and that’s exactly why you can often find Martha making a batch of her favorite sugar cookies for her guests. While her go-to sugar cookies are buttery classics that are delicious anytime on their own, our founder also loves to decorate batches of these festive cookies for Easter, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day with plenty of fresh royal icing. During one of the “Cooking School” segments featured on the first season of Martha in 2006, our founder and her guest worked their way through our founder’s foolproof (and easy!...

Ingredients 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/3 cup honey 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup diced dried fruit and raisin mixture 2 cups Wheaties™ cereal 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats 1/2 cup sliced almonds Preparation Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan with small amount of butter. In 3-quart saucepan, heat sugar, butter, honey and cinnamon to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly; remove from heat....

The Japanese celebrate the New Year by feasting on Osechi Ryori (お節料理), traditional Japanese New Year food packed in lacquered boxes along with this special mochi soup called Ozoni (お雑煮). What is Ozoni? Ozoni is a special soup that we eat in the morning on New Year’s Day in Japan. It usually includes mochi (rice cake) and the preparation varies both by household and region. There are numerous regional variations in Japan but we usually divide into two types – Kanto (Tokyo area) style and Kansai (Kyoto area) style....

When you are in Okinawa, you have to try this braised pork dish called Rafute (ラフテー). We tried Rafute in different restaurants during our 5-day trip in Okinawa, and noticed that each place made their own variation. Despite its “fatty” look, this braised pork belly dish is surprisingly light as all the fat is rendered from long hours of cooking. It is so tender, it falls apart when trying to eat it with chopsticks....

Ingredients 1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 3 slices (8x4-inch) deli roast beef 18 baby pickles, cut crosswise in half 18 grape tomatoes, cut crosswise in half 36 cocktail toothpicks Preparation In small bowl, mix cream cheese and horseradish. Spread about 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture over each slice of roast beef. Cut each piece of roast beef crosswise into 12 strips. Roll each pickle half in roast beef strip....

Ingredients 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 cups) 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cut into 16 pieces 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Preparation Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix all ingredients until squash and bell pepper are coated....

With the warmer weather upon us, my family has been eating this Shabu Shabu Salad (豚しゃぶサラダ) on rotation, if not every day. Yes, the salad emulates the concept from the Japanese hot pot – Shabu Shabu. There are plenty of veggies and sliced meat, but the simmering broth has been switched over to a refreshing dressing. From a winter meal, it’s now transformed into a fresh salad! I love that it requires minimal effort and so satisfying without feeling too full....

Ingredients 1 lb fingerling potatoes, halved if necessary to make same size 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup diced tomato 2 tablespoons diced shallot 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 (4 oz) filets white fish (mahi mahi or cod) 2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves...

Ingredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon finely chopped gingerroot 1 cup slivered almonds 1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained 1 1/4 cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz container) 5 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 cup white wine 2 teaspoons sugar 1 cup fresh snow pea pods...

Ingredients 1/3 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper blend 4 boneless pork loin chops, 1 inch thick (1 1/2 lb), cut into 1-inch cubes 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 bottle (11.5 oz) peanut sauce 1 cup Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton) 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 cups cubed (1 inch) peeled butternut squash (about 3/4 lb) 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 1/4 cups)...

Preparation At one point in history, your teapot was a breathtaking work of art. So were your set of kitchen canisters, your watering can, your boxes, and buckets. Even your wastebasket. This time in history we’re referring to is more specifically the 1800s-when toleware was at the height of its popularity-and even the most humdrum of household items were precious hand-painted masterpieces. So what is toleware? The word “tole” is derived from the French term “tole peinte de lac,” which means painted tin....

Preparation When you’re officiating a wedding, there’s plenty to take into consideration. Will the microphone be correctly placed? Will the best man remember the rings? And, what’s that music cue again? The last thing you want to be concerned about on the wedding day is whether your outfit is appropriate. In order to help you plan your attire ahead of the big day, here are a few tips about what an officiant should wear to a wedding....

Preparation Planning your wedding reception timeline is one of those tasks that makes you realize just how much is really going to happen on your big day. From the details of vendor installation to the timing of dinner, and finally, dancing. So, where do you pencil in time for dancing with your parent or parents? Well, you have a couple of options. Here’s the scoop. The majority of receptions follow a similar timeline with a ceremony followed by cocktail hour then dinner service followed by dancing....

Ingredients 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, if desired 1 cup buttermilk* 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips 3 tablespoons powdered sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons milk Preparation Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan....

Growing up, I always like this tangy, fragrant, and flavorful rice seasoning called Yukari (ゆかり). My mom called it the edible magic dust because I’d finish up my entire bento box whenever she sprinkled Yukari on the steamed rice. It’s one of the nostalgic food memories I keep close to my heart. Today, we’ll make this shiso rice seasoning from scratch! What is Yukari (Shiso Rice Seasoning) Made of dried red shiso leaves and salt, Yukari (ゆかり) is considered a type of Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning)....