Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Shiso Leaf Genovese Pasta

You cannot go wrong with this Genovese pasta. Try making your very own homemade Genovese sauce to make this pasta extra delicious. Recipe for sauce: Shiso Leaf Genovese Sauce.



Shiso Leaf Genovese Pasta
(Serves 2)

·      2 tablespoons of Shiso Leaf Genovese Sauce
·      2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese powder
·      1 tablespoon of water from boiling pasta
·      some extra virgin olive oil
·      some salt if you like
·      pasta, cooked

1.     In a bowl, combine Genovese sauce and water from boiling pasta and mix well. Add cooked pasta and mix again.



2.     Add Parmesan cheese powder and olive oil and mix. Sprinkle some salt if necessary.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Shiso Leaf Genovese Sauce

Why say no to this easy homemade Genovese sauce recipe! This sauce can be used for pasta, or sautéed fish or chicken. Add some Parmesan cheese when you cook! And stay tuned for my Genovese pasta recipe using this sauce.

Check out my previous posts if you have left over Shiso leaves or Shiso seeds.


Shiso Leaf Genovese Sauce

·      100g of Shiso leaves, washed
·      1 clove of garlic
·      ⅓ cup of pine nuts
·      ½ teaspoon of salt
·      ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil

1.     Combine everything in a food processor and pulse.




2.     Place the sauce in a clean sanitized container. It will last a week in the fridge or longer if you freeze it.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Soy Sauce Based Preserved Shiso Leaves

In addition to the Salted Shiso Leaves I introduced in my previous post, here is another recipe using Shiso leaves. I eat this also with freshly cooked steamy white rice.

Check out my previous posts if you have some Shiso seeds.
Salted Shiso Seeds
Soy Sauce Based Preserved Shiso Seeds


Soy Sauce Based Preserved Shiso Leaves

·      some Shiso leaves
·      some soy sauce

1.     Pluck the Shiso leaves one by one from the stalks.


2.     Wash the leaves carefully one by one with water to clean out the dirt.


3.     Pat dry well using paper towel.



4.     In a container, preserve by pouring some soy sauce in between every 10 leaves.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Storage and Display: How to Store your Rice

In Japan we cook and serve rice just about every day. As you can imagine, the storage of our rice is probably the first thing we think about when setting up our kitchen. I am sure some of you have ventured to the Asian or Japanese markets and bought a large bag of rice, then after using the rice for the first time, have thought “what should I do with it now?”, “Should I clamp a clothes pin on the end of the bag and leave the rice in the package?”, “should I keep it in a sunny or dark location?”, “how long can I keep the rice?”.


Well first, we should not keep it in the bag for a long time. The bags are not typically airtight and they do not provide proper long-term protection from humid air, kitchen scents, or even small insects. It should be transferred from the package to a sturdy container (preferably a sealed vessel). Also the container should protect the rice from picking up food scents from the other items.
Second, rice does not like hot or humid locations so don’t store rice near the sink, stove, or in the direct sunlight. If you have the space for it, your fridge is actually the perfect spot to store your rice.
Lastly, rice has a shorter shelf life than most people realize. Rice keeps fresh and tasty for about 1 month. After about 1 month the taste of the rice will be impacted. You should only buy rice quantities that will be used in 1 month.


I store my rice in an antique glass jar right up on the counter but in the corner where it doesn’t get the direct sunlight. I typically have brown rice, mochi, rice, and good quality Japanese rice each in their own glass jar. The glass containers protect the rice well and I love to see the view of the rice in my kitchen. The different sized containers with the color contrast of the different rice give visual impact. This is my storage and display idea for rice.


Remember, when you transfer your new rice to your storage container, you need to finish up the current rice and wash the container first.