Podcasts about hiroko shimbo

Hiroko Shimbo

Hiroko Shimbo

Hiroko Shimbo’s primal utility sauce is good for the freezer, and best when brought out for surprise inspiration.

This week on Japan Eats, host Akiko Katayama is joined by Hiroko Shimbo, an authority on Japanese cuisine who has earned world-wide recognition. She is a chef-instructor at respected culinary schools, a consulting chef to diverse food service industries, and a cookbook author based in the United States since 1999. Her latest book, Hiroko’s American Kitchen: Cooking with Japanese Flavors, was selected from among 500 books to receive the IACP 2013 Cookbook Award as the best American cookbook of the year. Hiroko’s American Kitchen offers an entirely new perspective on Japanese cooking. Rather providing instruction for preparing authentic Japanese cuisine, the book focuses on a larger audience of cooks by integrating Japanese flavors and cooking techniques with readily available produce, meats and seafood to recreate dishes already familiar to the America table but with unique added appeal.

Hiroko Shimbo is an authority on Japanese cuisine who has earned world-wide recognition. She is a chef-instructor at respected culinary schools, a consulting chef to diverse food service industries and a cookbook author based in the United States since 1999. Her associates and clients comprise a domestic and international cohort of renowned food professionals, organizations and companies. Hiroko has written three award-winning cookbooks. Her latest book, Hiroko’s American Kitchen: Cooking with Japanese Flavors, was selected from among 500 books to receive the IACP 2013 Cookbook Award as the best American cookbook of the year. Hiroko’s American Kitchen offers an entirely new perspective on Japanese cooking. Rather providing instruction for preparing authentic Japanese cuisine, the book focuses on a larger audience of cooks by integrating Japanese flavors and cooking techniques with readily available produce, meats and seafood to recreate dishes already familiar to the America table but with unique added appeal.

The next time you see a leaf of shiso sitting under your sashimi, wrap it around the fish, and put it in your mouth. It’s not there just for aesthetics. “Shiso has an antiseptic property so it is safe to eat with raw fish,” said Hiroko Shimbo, the author of Hiroko’s American Kitchen and a well-known expert on Japanese cuisine. She explained that shiso has been cultivated in Japan since the 8th century, and it has long been paired with raw fish. “Most of the times I find here, in America, when the shiso is served with fish, they are just left untouched,” Shimbo said. “I advise that you will eat it and enjoy the very refreshing flavor after the fish.” The spade-shaped leaf is currently in season. Also known as perilla leaf or ooba, it’s related to mint, though Shimbo said it tastes nothing like that herb or basil. She added that green shiso has a stronger, fresh herbal flavor, than the purple variety, which is used to make pickled and dried plums known as umeboshi. “[It’s] always used fresh, as a whole leaf... or chopped fine, or julienned, and then [used to] garnish the dish,” Shimbo said, adding that Japanese cuisine also uses tiny shiso flowers for both aesthetics and flavor. She recommends getting shiso at farmers markets when possible, rather than Japanese grocery stores, where the shiso sometimes seems more industrially produced and less flavorful as a result. “I get amazing, fantastic quality of shiso [at farmers markets],” Shimbo said. “And there are several vendors [that] carry the shiso in Union Square and the one that I love the most is… Two Guys From Woodbridge.” (Photo: Hiroko Shimbo/Courtesy of Hiroko Shimbo) Tomorrow, Saturday, September 14, Shimbo will be at the Union Square farmers market for a book signing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. She will also be sharing samples of shiso juice, which she explained is currently popular in Japan. Don’t be shocked if the color of the shiso juice reminds you of the pink slime that took over New York City in Ghostbusters II. The color is a caused by anthocyanin, a water-soluble pigment in shiso that reacts with acid. So, not evil at all. “I first… infused water with the shiso, then add lime juice,” Shimbo said. “The acid just quickly turns crystal clear–colored juice to this color.” Try making it yourself as a fun home science experiment. Shimbo’s recipe is below, and the resulting juice tastes like lemonade with a slight herbal kick. Shiso Juice 1 bunch shiso from the Green Market, pick all of the leaves 3 cups water 6-8 tablespoons lime juice 1 to 1 1/2 cups simple syrup (You can use citric acid, as well.) Rinse the shiso leaves under running water. Bring the water in a pot to a boil. Turn the heat to low-medium, add the shiso leaves to the pot and infuse the water for about 5 to 8 minutes. Strain the shiso-infused water into a clean jar, discarding or preserving the leaves. Add the lime juice to the jar. The shiso leaves infused water turns to beautiful purple color. Add the simple syrup to the jar to your taste and keep the jar in the refrigerator, or freeze it if you are not consuming it within 3 days. When serving add 1/5 of the sweetened shiso juice to a glass cup. Fill the glass with flat or carbonated ice cold water.

This week on Let’s Eat In, Cathy Erway is talking about Japanese food with cookbook author Hiroko Shimbo! Hiroko recently wrote the book Hiroko’s American Kitchen– a book that combines Japanese flavors with American recipes. Tune into this episode to hear Hiroko recount a brief history of sushi in the United States, and how traditional recipes have been changed to suit an American palate. Hiroko and Cathy talk about some of the sauces and stock in Hiroko’s American Kitchen, and how they can be used for multiple purposes. Hiroko also talks about Asian fusion in New York City, and how cuisines have been borrowing from other cultures for centuries! This episode has been sponsored by Fairway Market. “The world has become so small, and everything is coming here to New York City. The chefs can play with many foreign flavors to produce something interesting. That is wonderful!” [19:05] — Hiroko Shimbo on Let’s Eat In

The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds is traveling North, South, East and West, Wednesday, October 17, 3 pm ET when four of America's top celebrity chefs join Halli for a delicious conversation on haute cuisine. Joining Halli on the show is the foremost Japanese food teacher in America with world-wide recognition, Hiroko Shimbo, whose latest cookbook Hiroko's American Kitchen provides 125 new recipes that highlight the best of Japanese cuisine; the delightful Alex Hitz, chef, entertainment expert and raconteur who will share recipes from his new book My Beverly Hills Kitchen, Classic Southern Cooking with a French Twist; chef Norman Van Aken, author of My Key West Kitchen the new cookbook that Chefs Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse are raving about; Raquel Roque author of Cocina Latina, the definitive book on Cuban cuisine. The Halli Casser-Jayne Show is Talk Radio for Fine Minds and Lovers of Haute Cuisine.

This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda is joined by trained sushi chef, restaurant consultant, cooking instructor, and cookbook author Hiroko Shimbo. Linda and Hiroko discuss the tradition of “good luck round food” for the new year along with the ceremonious pounding of the mochi. Tune in and learn more about Japanese cuisine and its role in Western culture. Also find out whether or not lobster should be eaten on New Years Eve. This episode was sponsored by Cochon555 – learn more at www.cochon555.com