Tag - vegetables

 
 

VEGETABLES

No need to go foraging for one of bears' favorite wild vegetables for this dish — just pick it up at your local farmer's market instead.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Jun 28, 2026
Smash tacos with bear-approved veggies
Alpine leeks are a forageable example of the “sansai” (wild edible plants) that make springtime a bounty of flavors across Japan’s countryside — for humans and bear-kind alike.
"Shin-tamanegi" (new-harvest onions) are perfect with chicken wings and salads.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Apr 22, 2026
New-harvest onions add layers of flavor to any dish
Keep your eyes peeled for the sweet and juicy “shin-tamanegi” onions at your local supermarket.
"Sekihan," a dish of sticky rice with adzuki beans, is popular during festive occasions because of its red hue, a color associated with good fortune in Japan.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 20, 2026
Eat a bowl of red rice for good luck
A dish of sticky grains with adzuki beans, “sekihan” is traditionally served to celebrate auspicious beginnings in school and work.
Former Government Pension Investment Fund President Masataka Miyazono joined Hulic last year as an adviser to focus on agricultural investments as the sector faces a rapidly aging and shrinking workforce.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2026
Former chief of $2 trillion pension fund joins developer growing tomatoes
Masataka Miyazono aims to help make Japan’s agricultural sector more productive in order to boost sustainability in the country.
Chef Masashi Motooka opened Restaurant Kam in Saitama Prefecture, taking over a property formerly used by his wife's late grandfather. The garden is an extension of his kitchen — his daily menu is determined by whatever is ready to be picked.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Jan 30, 2026
In Saitama, Kam finds its garden-to-table concept ripe with potential
Chef Masashi Motooka is making a name for himself with his deft execution of French cuisine paired with greens picked from his own backyard.
Turning "konnyaku" into braids is an easy way to present the low-calorie ingredient in a fun shape.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 23, 2026
Twists and turns to spice up the mild ‘konnyaku’
A staple of Setsubun, the gelatinous food can be easily enlivened by shaping it into braids and sprinkling them with some fiery chili peppers.
Winter is the perfect season to enjoy a hot, nourishing stew
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 21, 2026
Stay warm with a Japanese-style ‘pot-au-feu’ stew
Known for their “warming” properties, scrumptious root vegetables are the perfect, nourishing ingredients to toss into your pot as peak winter hits.
"Shungiku" chrysanthemum greens make a perfect ingredient in savory pancakes.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 2, 2025
In winter, spring chrysanthemum greens hit their peak
A favorite ingredient in savory pancakes and sukiyaki, these leafy vegetables offer a flavorful edge as well as a dose of antioxidants.
Yoko Nakazawa's debut cookbook, “The Japanese Art of Pickling and Fermenting: Preserving Vegetables and Family Traditions," offers 125 recipes, from fuss-free sweet vinegar pickles to more challenging dishes such as rice bran pickles (above).
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 11, 2025
Brine and dine: A guide to pickling your Japanese vegetables
Yoko Nakazawa’s debut cookbook offers a deep dive into preserving your greens — a method that has formed the bedrock of her family’s culinary traditions.
The Japanese version of "mābō dōfu," a tofu and pork stew, is less spicy than the original Sichuan dish.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 2, 2025
A Sichuan-inspired classic gets an umami boost
Toss in some shiitake mushrooms into your “mābō dōfu,” a spicy stew of tofu and pork, for a savory boost.
At Nepalico, the "dal bhat" — a Nepali dish consisting of rice and lentils stewed with spices — with chicken curry is the most popular item on the menu.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 24, 2025
Lentil by lentil, Nepali food takes shape in Tokyo
The cuisine is emerging out of the shadow of Indian fare, thanks to a new breed of passionate chefs keen to introduce locals to South Asian dishes beyond butter chicken and naan.
Swan & Lion's Sunday roast, which is drenched in a red wine gravy, is part of a three-course meal.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
Oct 17, 2025
Tokyo’s best Sunday roasts and all their trimmings
Bathed in rich gravy and paired with scrumptious Yorkshire puddings, the classic British dish is perfect for a languorous lunch — or dinner.
Avant-garde chef Grant Achatz and his team from Alinea are in Tokyo for a three-week residency.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 4, 2025
Eat your balloons: The culinary theater of Grant Achatz comes to Tokyo
The man behind Chicago’s iconic Alinea restaurant shares insights on modernist cuisine and his Tokyo pop-up.
The autumn eggplant works well in stir-fry dishes because its moisture-rich texture absorbs oil.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 30, 2025
Autumn eggplants offer a juicy start to the season
Packed with a higher water content than its summer counterpart, the tender vegetable is a great choice to soak up the sauce in your stir-fry.
Chef Shota Itoi’s innovative take on modern French cuisine at Auberge Eaufeu elevates the produce of rural Ishikawa Prefecture.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Sep 26, 2025
Auberge Eaufeu brings French flair to a quiet village in Ishikawa
Housed in a former elementary school, the restaurant is a brilliant showcase of the creative mind of chef Shota Itoi.
Otherwise common sights in Japan's supermarkets, the country's fruit and veggie boxes can hide surprising symbols of local pride.
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 19, 2025
Behold the glory of Japan’s fruit boxes
Watermelon mountains and onion parades: The everyday cardboard containers for fruits and veggies are a designer’s delight.
"Real Japanese Cooking: The Only Japanese Cookbook You Will Ever Need" pays homage to home-cooking favorites, such as classic tempura dishes.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 16, 2025
From tofu to teriyaki: Japanese essentials for the home cook
Packed with more than 600 recipes, Makiko Itoh’s “Real Japanese Cooking: The Only Japanese Cookbook You Will Ever Need” is an encyclopedic effort that lives up to its name.
Simple, affordable and versatile, the humble potato is now one of the world's most important crops. But its origins have long puzzled scientists.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 1, 2025
Study reveals potato’s secret tomato heritage
Natural interbreeding between wild tomatoes and potato-like plants in South America gave rise to the modern-day spud around 9 million years ago.
Juicy and refreshing, marinated tomatoes make the perfect side dish to cool you down this summer.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 27, 2025
As summer soars, the tomato offers a lesson in staying bright and cool
Peel them, soak them, chill them. Juicy, marinated tomatoes make the perfect side dish to bring down the heat this season.
Located in Patina Osaka, P72 doesn't have a fixed menu, opting instead to rely on whatever is available from local suppliers and its on-site garden to create its innovative plant-based cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 25, 2025
P72 sows the seeds for a dynamic plant-based cuisine
With an ever-changing menu dictated by what’s available from its garden and suppliers, the Osaka-based restaurant injects creativity and spontaneity into its green cuisine.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival