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  • Hundreds of Japanese snacks in stock at J-List
    Hundreds of Japanese snacks in stock at J-List

    Japanese Food

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    Homemade Umeshu

    Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

    It’s June now, which means it’s the Japanese rainy season, which means that it’s ume season, which means that it’s umeshu-making time. My favorite Japan blog Blue Lotus has posted an excellent article about making homemade umeshu (Japanese ume liqueur). It looks extremely easy to make, and the step-by-step guide is filled […]

    Put Your Veggie Scraps To Good Use: Compost

    Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

    Fresh herbs are expensive in Japan.  Can we spice up our cooking on the cheap?  Yes!  Reader kk sends in a 2-part tip that can save you cash and has the nice side-effect of putting your trash to good use:

    Grow your own herbs
    Use your food trash for compost

    In kk’s words:
    I grow my own fresh herbs […]

    Japanese Hassaku Fruit

    Sunday, February 10th, 2008

    One of my favorite things to do in Japan is go to the grocery store and try all the random fruits that aren’t available back home. One such fruit, that I really enjoy, is called the hassaku (はっさく).
    The hassaku fruit looks like a big orange, or maybe a grapefruit. It is harvested in […]

    Poor Man’s Tea: Mugi Cha

    Monday, December 17th, 2007

    A bottle of tea like the one pictured to the left costs about 200 yen at the grocery store. If you drink tea in buckets like I do (especially in the summer), that bottle doesn’t last very long. I used to buy several bottles of tea a week. It was expensive. […]

    A Short Guide To Faster Miso Soup

    Monday, November 26th, 2007

    Miso soup is a staple food in my house. Sadly, no matter how many times I make it, I never get the right amount of miso on the first try. I have to add more miso (or extra water) several times before I can get it just the way I like it. […]

    Ghengis Khan Plate: The Secret To Cooking Lamb

    Saturday, November 3rd, 2007

    Reader shiisa writes in again with a great tip for preparing strong meats like lamb: soak it in milk.
    Hi Thomas,
    I’m glad to see some e-mail information to nihon hacks added!
    And big thanks for making my comment into an entry! I also wanted to add this semi-follow-up to “How to Find 300 Yen Steaks in Japan.”
    Please […]

    Zousui Revisited

    Thursday, October 25th, 2007

    Nihonhacks.com’s first tip ever was how to avoid throwing out old rice by making zousui (rice soup). Helpful reader shiisa sends in another zousui tip: use leftover nabe broth.
    Excellent tip! This post reminds me of how you can also do the opposite: say you have a great nabe (hot pot) meal, something like […]

    Mystery Fruit - The Akebi Part 2

    Wednesday, October 17th, 2007

    A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the akebi fruit. The akebi is an oval-shaped, purple fruit that grows on a wild vine here in Japan. I had never seen or eaten one before, so I was excited to try it. After patiently waiting for my akebis to ripen, I finally had […]

    Get Cheap Bread at the Grocery Store

    Friday, October 12th, 2007

    Reader Amy writes in with a great grocery store tip:
    I do a lot of after-work shopping and have started to get the hang of the late-night discounts. One thing I’ve noticed is that supermarkets with in-store bakeries offer good deals on bread and pastries: the bakeries generally close before the supermarket does, and when that […]

    How To Find 300 Yen Steaks In Japan

    Tuesday, October 9th, 2007

    Relative to other places, the cost of living in Japan is high. Rent is expensive. Transportation is expensive. Clothes are expensive. Food is no exception. Just the other day I saw a single mango selling in the local grocery store for 3000 yen (I bought bananas). Steaks often clock […]

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