Miso Hungry Podcast

Tsukimi or Otsukimi (月見)literally means “moon-viewing,” and refers to Japanese festivals honoring the autumn moon. The days for the celebration of the full moon and the celebration of the waxing moon normally fall in September and October of the modern solar calendar. The tradition is thought to date back to the Heian era (794—1185) when […]

This week we have another special guest – Kate, aka the yaki imo girl, aka our #1 Miso Hungry Podcast fan, from Eat Recycle Repeat! She’s joining us to talk about her very favorite food – Japanese sweet potatoes! (Our apologies in advance about the sound quality this week – Kate was Skyping with us […]

This week, we were lucky enough to have Matthew Amster-Burton agree to do an interview with us. You might know him from his fantastic podcast, Spilled Milk that he does with Molly Wizenberg, his blog Roots and Grubs, or his book Hungry Monkey. We gave him the option of choosing whatever topic he wanted, and […]

Bento boxes! We love them. You should too. You can get bento boxes pretty much anywhere in Japan. Train stations, convenience stores, department stores… and they’re almost always guaranteed to be delicious. One of our favorite things about bento boxes is the variety of foods you can get in a single bento. Rice, meats, veggies, […]

We only had two more days together in Tokyo before Allison and Son headed to Kyoto for a few days and Rachael and her family stayed in Tokyo, and there was a lot for us to do! Day 6 First off, sushi. Because hello, we're in Japan... but we hadn't had sushi yet! (I know, what's wrong with us?) We headed off to a good kaiten sushi place ("conveyer belt" sushi) where we ate our fill of good, but super-inexpensive sushi. (Kaiten sushi, or "conveyer belt" sushi, is a type of sushi bar where the sushi chef(s) stand in the center and make the sushi, and then place each plate on a conveyer belt that revolves around them. The customers sit at a bar around them, and take a plate off the conveyer belt anytime they see something they want to eat. You pay by plate (sometimes they color-code the plates; here all the plates cost the same amount, except for a few specially-marked ones) so at the end of the meal they just tally it up for you.) The mango pudding also really hit the spot on this hot, hot day! Look how much we ate! After lunch it was a bit of shopping (where we picked up the two pairs of silicon saibashi that we're giving away!), then made a stop at a combini to get these "Coolish"... ice cream in a pouch. Yes, they're just as awesome as they sound. And then, off to a bookstore in Roppongi Hills... to buy waaaay too many cookbooks. (It's all Rachael's fault.) Rachael and her family had a dinner with Mr. Fuji's work at a super expensive place, so Allison and Son decided they would pass and instead take Rachael's recommendation to go to her favorite udon place. As Rachael describes it, "the bowls are the size of your head." Seriously. It was so good. (If you're ever in Japan, it's called Tsurutontan, and there are several locations. Rachael loves the Nabeyaki udon, Allison adores the curry udon. Really good noodles... and cat-approved! ~_^) Day 7 The next day was our last day together... and we spent it doing more shopping! This time, a trip to Kappabashi, the street that is home to Tokyo's cooking district. Tons of cookware to look at and buy (and wish we had room in our luggage to take more back!) After that, it was off to Ginza... to get lost. Eventually we found the yakitori place we were looking for (which was in a basement, and you entered from an alley, so it was pretty had to find). The yakitori place - Torigin - was seriously good. All sorts of delicious grilled foods! And then it was time to say goodbye. We wish we could have had more time together! But there's always the next time... and until then, we can promise you there will be tons of episodes about all the delicious things we ate in Japan! We're having a contest! You can enter to win one of two pairs of silicon saibashi (cooking chopsticks, like these) that we brought back from Japan. Today is the last day of the giveaway, so don't forget to go enter! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on Episode 25's post. One entry per person. You have until 11:59PM on Monday, September 24th, 2012 to enter. We will ship internationally, so anyone may enter. The two winners will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!

We just have to say, we have the most awesome fans ever. Seriously, you guys rock. While we love you all, you'll get to see who currently has the ranking of #1 fan in just a bit... Our next few days in Japan involved a lot of great food... oh, and a typhoon. (If you missed the first part of the trip, you can listen here!) Day 3 (Our 3rd day together was Allison's 5th day in Japan, which is why the day numbers might seem a little off sometimes...) So first things first, Allison just had to try the Shiro Cream Puff from Beard Papa's that Rachael had been raving about. Made with tapioca flour and a cream cheese filling, she was instantly obsessed. Since Rachael and her family got to spend our day 5 (a Sunday) seeing old friends at church, Allison and Son ventured to Don Quixote, which we describe as "Wal-Mart on crack". Seriously. Then we went to Bassanova! Green curry soba for the win! But the much more exciting part of this was getting to meet Kate!!! We're still flipping out over the fact that we get to not only say that we have fans as cool as Kate, but that we have a #1 Fan! Kate, you rock, and we think you're totally awesome. Day 4 This was the day we attempted to go Tsukiji fish market. And by attempted, we mean what actually happened was a comedy of errors where Allison and Son got stuck in their hotel, got slightly lost, then ran around looking for Rachael (whose alarm hadn't gone off!) Ah well. At least it was a pretty morning. So after we all got a little more sleep, we headed off to Hamarikyu park where Son did a bit of filming... And then we took the waterboat from Hamarikyu, up Sumida river, to Asakusa where walked up the street to Sensoji temple. On our way, we got to try all sorts of goodies - taiyaki, sweet potato age manju, and (of course) ice cream! After letting the girls play in a park a bit, it was off to Kaikaya by the Sea for dinner - a place that Rachael has been RAVING about for ages. We finally got to try the ginger ale in copper cups that she goes on and on about... And happily, the tuna ribs (along with the rest of the meal) lived up to the expectation that she had set. (The buttery fried goatfish was another huge winner in that meal!) Day 5 Did we mention it was typhoon season when we went? Yeah. And like any sane person would do, we went to the zoo on the day the typhoon was supposed to hit. And dragged poor Kate with us! Zoo food in Japan is surprisingly good, for a ridiculously inexpensive price. Allison's maple syrup-filled pancakes with blueberry jam were fantastic, and the chicken karaage that Rachael got for the girls was crazy good. But the best thing ware the homemade roasted sweet potatoes (yaki imo!) that Kate brought for us. Because she's the yaki imo girl! (P.S. Go follow her on twitter. Tell her we sent you. Be prepared to find out why we adore her so!) That evening we actually got to meet Keizo (since he wasn't there when all we went to Bassanova) and go out for monjayaki! Monjayaki is like okonomiyaki, but waterier. However, still delicious. After dinner, the Fujis went back to their hotel (smart people - there was a typhoon coming, after all!) but Son was still hungry, so we went for ramen with Keizo and his girlfriend. And then it was a sprint back to the rain station, against the rain and wind that were getting stronger by the minute! Yeah. There was a typhoon. Thankfully we were all safe in our respective beds by the time it actually hit. What a day! We're having a contest! You can enter to win one of two pairs of silicon saibashi (cooking chopsticks, like these) that we brought back from Japan. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. One entry per person. You have until 11:59PM on Monday, September 24th, 2012 to enter. We will ship internationally, so anyone may enter. The two winners will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!

We're back from Japan! (Actually, we've been back for almost two months already. But we haven't been able to record until now, so...) We're back from Japan! We've fallen hard for the combinis (convenience stores, like 7-11 and Family Mart). We have a renewed obsession with onigiri. And we miss Japan like crazy now that we're back!!! So what did we do in Japan? Well, on the first day we were both there (Allison arrived a few days before Rachael did), we all went and visited the Tokyo Skytree. And by visited, we mean stood around and looked up at it. When we were there, you had to have a reservation to get up into the Skytree, because it's only a few months old. So instead we got curry pastries. And while we were sitting around eating, met some very interesting people! The next day, we all rented a car, and off to Mt. Fuji we all went. (Mr. Fuji drove.) We got to check out a Japanese rest stop, which is ridiculous compared to what we're used to in the US. It's got an entire food court! Then around and around and around, up Mt. Fuji. Though it was quite warm in Tokyo, it was freezing cold and incredibly windy and rainy up the mountain, so we unfortunately didn't get to spend much time there before sprinting back to the car. But it was totally worth it for the little udon restaurant we found at the base of the mountain. The noodles were handmade - to die for. And the only meat available? Horsemeat! And then, like any normal traveler would do in a foreign country, we went to Costco. Seriously. We went to Costco. Which was one heck of a freaky experience in itself. You walk in, and it looks exactly like every single Costco you ever see in the US. But then they have some different things - like all sorts of different types of sashimi-grade seafood. Fish, fish eggs, uni, seaweed... we're seriously jealous. However, the real reason we were there? Rachael has been tempting the rest of us with Hokkaido Milk Soft Cream ever since we started this podcast, so Allison couldn't pass up an opportunity to try some. So worth it! We're having a contest! You can enter to win one of two pairs of silicon saibashi (cooking chopsticks, like these) that we brought back from Japan. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. One entry per person. You have until 11:59PM on Monday, September 24th, 2012 to enter. We will ship internationally, so anyone may enter. The two winners will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!

Tsukemono (漬物), literally “pickled things”, are Japanese pickles. They are valued for their unique flavors and textures and commonly used as a garnish, relish, condiment, palate cleanser or digestive. Served with rice as okazu (a side dish), with drinks as otsumami (a snack), as an accompiment to or garnish for meals, and as a course […]

It's summer! And aside from having songs from 70s movies that were set in the 50s stuck in our heads, we can't stop thinking about all the fantastic summer foods we love. So without further ado, let's dive right into all the fantastic summer foods Japan has to offer! Produce Cucumbers - look for them in tsukemono (pickled cucumber), sliced with miso-sesame dressing, and kappa maki (cucumber sushi rolls) Eggplant can be found grilled, steamed with miso glaze, in vegetable curries, and pickled in tsukemono Musk melon. The outside looks like cantaloupe, but the inside is yellower. It has a very distinct flavor (and it's pricy - $100/piece!) Many melon-flavored things can be found in Japan, such as Hi-Chew, ice cream, and sodas Watermelon - just like here in the US, watermelon is a popular summer fruit in Japan (though it's far more expensive there!) Pepsi will be offering a Salty Watermelon-flavored Pepsi starting this week (July 24th)... if any of our listeners are in Japan right now, we'd love it if you can try it and let us know how it is! (We're so disappointed we're missing it. You can also find watermelons in all sorts of shapes, like cubes, hearts, pyramids... Suica wari is a popular watermelon splitting game... each person takes turns getting blindfolded and taking a swing at the watermelon with a stick (kind of like a piñata)... whomever breaks the watermelon open wins, and then everyone shares the watermelon. (If any of you do this, we want video!) Noodles Somen: somen salad hiyashi somen served on ice with a dipping sauce (tsuyu) and toppings nagashi somen - flowing noodles. Similar to kaiten sushi, but the somen flows down a length of bamboo filled with icy water, and you have to pick the noodles out with your chopsticks! Hiyashi chuka or hiyashi udon - chilled chuka (ramen) noodles or chilled udon noodles. These are different from chilled somen because they're served with their toppings on top, instead of on the side. Zaru soba - soba (buckwheat noodles) served on a "zaru" (a woven bamboo plate) (By the way, buckwheat is gluten-free, BUT most soba is made with a little wheat flour so it isn't gluten-free. "Ni-hachi" refers to noodles that are made with two parts wheat flour and eight parts buckwheat flour. "Ju-wari" or "to-wari" soba refer to 100% buckwheat soba.) Yakisoba - pan-fried chuka noodles (ramen noodles) with thinly sliced pork, cabbage, bean sprouts, a little sauce... like a Japanese version of chow mein, except so much better. Other Foods Unagi - eel that has been skinned, butterflied, steamed, grilled, then topped with eel sauce. It's eaten during summer because they believe it gives you stamina to get you through the hot, muggy days of summer. Hiyayakko - chilled tofu topped with shoyu, grated ginger, green onion, grated daikon, or Japanese mustard. (Also try chilled tofu topped with maple syrup - delicious!) Edamame - green soybeans, still in their pods, boiled and then tossed with coarse sea salt Kakigori - shaved ice. Very finely shaved, like snow (not crushed ice, like a snow cone), then topped with flavored syrups (strawberry, cherry, lemon, green tea, melon, sweet plum) sweetened condensed milk, adzuki beans. Anmitsu - sweet, fruit-flavored jelly cubes, anko, mochi, fresh fruit, and a sweet black syrup made with black sugar. Variation: cream anmitsu comes with a scoop of ice cream. Soft cream - Japanese soft serve. Some of Rachael's favorite flavors include hokkaido milk, purple sweet potato, black sesame, and musk melon. What Japanese summer foods have you had this summer? What are some of your favorites, or which do you want to try?

In which we try not to get kicked out of Japan, refer to dates as "yesterday" when in fact they happened nearly two months ago, and take shoyu shots (try saying that five times fast). It's been (ahem) 6 weeks since our last episode went up. Yeah... it was supposed to go up a week after our last one, but it turns out Rachael has a full-time family, Allison had a big deadline she had to meet, and oh right - we went to Japan! So yes, while we had all the best intentions of having episodes recorded, edited, and posted for the entire time we were gone... that definitely didn't happen. Instead you get them now! So when we refer to things such as the Diablo III launch happening yesterday or our Japan trip as "upcoming" rather than "already happened and we miss it already"... you'll know why. Most etiquette you'll run into in Japan is fairly common most everywhere. For example, wait until everybody is served to start eating. Don't talk with your mouth full. (But it is okay to slurp your ramen noodles! Who knew?) If you aren't given a spoon, it's totally okay to pick up your bowl and drink your soup from it as if it's a cup. At the beginning of a meal (and at the beginning of our podcast!) you say "itadakimasu!" (いただきます) It means, "I humbly receive," and is a way of paying your respect and giving gratitude to everything that went into the meal you're about to eat - from the person who prepared your food to the living organisms that gave their lives so you can eat. When you finish the meal, you say "Gochisōsama-deshita" (ごちそうさまでした) - literally, "You were a Feast (preparer)." You're honoring the person who prepared the meal for you. Presentation, as many of you know, is hugely important in Japanese culture. Because of this, they often arrange the dishes they give you (if you're getting your own individual dishes, as opposed to eating family-style) in a very specific way. So while you're eating, you should try to avoid moving the dishes around and destroying the visual arrangement that was originally there. Also, you should spread out your eating among all the little dishes you are given, instead of eating one dish all at once. Take a bite of rice, then a little of this, then another bite of rice, then a little of that. (Rice is seen as a palate cleanser.) When you're eating a meal where you'll get a lot of these little dishes, you should wait until everyone is served ALL of their dishes before eating. (Except for kaiseki, Japanese food usually isn't eaten in courses.) Often, when eating anywhere in Japan, you'll be given an oshibori - either a hot, damp hand towel, or a wet towelette in a plastic wrapper. This is your napkin - most restaurants won't give you napkins (although we have seen little waxy napkins that are completely not helpful, or tissues). You're not supposed to eat while you're walking. (Some people don't even think you should eat while in public, but that rule is broken quite often.) Don't pour shoyu on rice. (Er... yeah. We've both been breaking this rule our entire lives.) No getting blatantly drunk in restaurants. But if you are drinking, make sure to pour for others, but not for yourself. So if you're out drinking, you're supposed to keep an eye on your friends' glasses and top them off when appropriate, and they should do the same for you. (We're not sure if this is the case for non-alcoholic drinks, but we're guessing it's okay to pour water for yourself.) No belches. Please. We've all heard there are some Asian cultures where loud burps are considered a sign of appreciation of the meal, however Japan is not one of them. So there you go. Now you know how to NOT get kicked out of Japan for etiquette transgressions!

We all know foreign countries have lots of rules that are strange to us… especially when it comes to Japan! * But since we’re foreigners, it’s expected that we can’t possibly remember all their etiquette rules… so it’s totally fine to throw all manners to the wind! ** To help you out with that, here […]

Have you entered our Zojirushi rice cooker giveaway yet? If not, don’t forget to head on over and enter… the contest ends tomorrow! Chopsticks are called hashi in Japanese. They are also known as otemoto or o-temoto, a phrase which is commonly printed on the wrappers of disposable chopsticks. “Te” means hand and “moto” means […]

Have you entered our Zojirushi rice cooker giveaway yet? If not, don’t forget to head on over and enter! Miso. It’s about time we talked about it… it is a part of our podcast’s name, after all! Alright… so we know miso is important in Japanese cooking. But what exactly is it? Fermented soybean paste. […]

Make sure you don’t miss the Zojirushi giveaway we’re doing! How is rice grown? In Japan, young seedlings are first raised in nursery beds until they are large enough to be transplanted into water-filled paddy fields during the rainy month of June. The rice needs a long, hot growing season and a warm, dry maturing […]

Last week, we talked about seaweed. This week (and next week), rice! (Hey, that means we’re halfway to sushi!) Rice is important. Super important. In fact, it’s one of the most important topics we could talk about because of the HUGE influence it’s had on Japanese society and culture. Rice is more than a staple […]

This week, we’re talking seaweed… or as we like to call it, sea vegetables. In Japanese, the word for seaweed is “kaiso”. Kaiso are an important part of the Japanese diet. The Japanese have been harvesting them for thousands of years, both wild and cultivated. Kaiso are highly nutritious (many sea vegetables are especially rich […]

Part two of our Japanese pantry episode in 3… 2… 1… (If you missed Part 1, listen here.) This week, we’re talking about all the other essential ingredients that should be in your Japanese pantry. Because, you know… Japanese food does consist of more than just rice and shoyu. So, what else is important? White […]

In which nobody’s gotten any sleep, Allison confuses herself about shoyu, and we go off on a ton of (interesting and relevant-ish, we promise!) tangents. Although this was supposed to be a single episode, we just had so much information we wanted to tell you about what ingredients are important for your basic Japanese pantry, […]

Prepare yourself… today, we’re completely and totally geeking out. (Especially Rachael.) Why? Because today’s topic is something we get especially excited about – TOFU! You might think tofu is a silly thing to get excited about, but we’d bet that’s because you’ve never tasted fresh, homemade tofu. (Trust us. It’s amazing.) So what is tofu? […]

“There are five attributes to a great chef: Take your work seriously Aspire to improve Maintain cleanliness Be a better leader than a collaborator Be passionate about your work.” -Masuhiro Yamamoto, Japanese Food Critic Jiro Ono in JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is […]

Over the last few weeks, Rachael has developed a recipe for black sesame pudding that we’re such big fans of, we recorded a bonus mini episode all about it. Go visit her blog for the post and the recipe… then make the pudding, and come back and let us know how you like it!

Tonkatsu (豚カツ, とんかつ, or トンカツ) is a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet that is very popular in Japan. It is traditionally served with shredded cabbage, or miso soup, or both. Ton means pork in Japanese. Katsu is short for katsuretto (aka “cutlet”). Keep in mind that we’re talking about tonKAtsu, not tonKOtsu – make sure you […]

It’s almost one of our favorite times of the year… cherry blossom season! Which means it’s also time for Hanami festivals! These festivals have been happening for centuries. Hanami literally means flower viewings, or seeing the flowers. These days, that specifically refers to sakura – cherry blossoms. In popular places, it’s common to reserve a […]

It’s been a year since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, on March 11, 2011. But did you know that the region hit was the 2nd largest food production region in Japan? Tohoku is one of Japan’s major seafood producing regions with a number of fishing ports being home to deepwater and tuna fishing fleets. […]

This week, we’re all celebrating Hinamatsuri! Come join our Hinamatsuri party! (Which actually has nothing to do with wearing stuffed octopuses on your heads like hats. But, you know, that’s how we roll here at the Miso Hungry Podcast. We’re silly like that.) So what is Hinamatsuri? Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is Girl’s Day, or the Japanese […]

Today it’s tako time! (And we’re having a giveaway, so make sure to read the whole post!) But… don’t get that confused with tacos. There are no tortillas to be seen around here. When we say tako, we mean octopus. Yum. Tako is almost always cooked before eating; unlike many fish that are offered raw, […]

This week, Rachael and Allison have learned that… they just can’t get away from those purple sweet potato mountain mushroom candies. Addicted? Yes, we are. Hey look, it’s the purple sweet potato mountain mushrooms again! (Yeah, we’re kind of obsessed.) But really, this week we’re talking about chocolate! Or, as they say in Japan, chokorēto […]

Today, we’re talking about uni (うに)! So… er… what is uni? When you’re eating uni, you’re eating the insides of a sea urchin… more specifically, you’re eating the reproductive organs of a sea urchin (but most people call it roe, since it sounds a little better). You’ll probably never actually know whether you’re eating a […]

The Super Bowl is coming up this weekend! Wait, who’s playing? (Obviously, we’re just here for the food.) But how does this relate to Japanese food? Well, over there, they’re baseball fanatics… so we wanted to know what they eat when they’re watching sports! At the games, they eat all sorts of delicious things: hot […]

Onigiri! Japanese comfort food to the max. It can be anything from a ball of rice sprinkled with salt to rice surrounding tuna or salmon, wrapped with nori. But it's not sushi. Nope. No rice vinegar involved, thus... not sushi! They make excellent lunches. Bring them to school or to work - they'll stay fresh unrefrigerated for up to six hours, thanks to the wonderful, magical (okay, not so magical) preservation qualities of salt! And if you fill your onigiri with an umebosi - a very salty, sour pickled plum - it'll stay fresh for up to eight hours. You can fill them with anything that goes well with rice - common onigiri fillings include flaked salmon, gingery chicken, spicy fish roe, bonito flakes moistened with soy sauce, and tiny clams cooked in a sweet soy glaze. But the possibilities are endless. (Rachael put an olive in her olive-loving older daughter's onigiri; Allison's contemplating how she can get bacon into one.) Onigiri have been around for a really long time... more than 1000 years. (Holy cow, that's a long time!) There are even Japanese fairy tales about it. Onigiri can come in all sorts of different shapes. To get them into all these fun shapes, you can form them by hand... or there are lots of different molds you can buy. So how do you make an onigiri? Lucky for you, Rachael made an awesome video that shows all three methods for making it: If you're ever in Japan, you can buy onigiri at most convenience stores... make sure to watch this video where Rachael shows you how to open onigiri from convenience stores... it's pretty cool! Now, we want YOU to make onigiri, and tell us about it! It's so easy to do... and we just know you'll love them. (Need inspiration for your onigiri? Check out this blog.) And remember... “Onigiri should fall apart in your mouth, not in your hands.” – Sonoko Sakai (Don't forget, today's the last day to enter our Japanese candy giveaway!

Japanese candy will ruin you. It’s ruined both of us… it’s so good, we can’t help but be addicted. Rice candy has always been Allison’s favorite. It has a yummy, light, citrusy taste, there’s a really cool edible rice paper wrapper that melts in your mouth, plus you get a sticker in every box. And […]

Happy New Year! In this episode, we talk all about the Japanese New Year. It’s a big deal. You’ll find out why it’s a good idea to plan way ahead if you want to order food for your Japanese New Year celebrations, and why it’s a very, very bad idea to go shopping at an […]