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Purin (プリン) is a popular Japanese custard dessert that is similar to pudding or flan. The texture is light, soft and silky, and it’s almost like jello. In the past, we have made baked Purin that is more traditional and no-bake Vanilla Purin that is easier to make with gelatin. In this recipe, we made Matcha Purin (抹茶プリン) by replacing the vanilla in our Vanilla Purin with matcha green tea powder. Grassy and slightly bitter matcha goes very well with sweet custard. Instead of caramel sauce, a matcha flavored simple syrup is used. You can also add whipped cream on top if you like.

Today’s miso soup is made with shrimp and green onions. Since head-on and shell-on shrimp is packed with umami, there is no additional dashi ingredients needed. You can actually make this miso soup with just the heads and shells (without meat) when you use the shrimp for another dish. All you need is miso paste and some chopped green onions. It’s so simple, but it’s incredibly flavorful!

In our mini-series of Japanese Cooking 101 in Kyoto, we are going to different stores from traditional to trendy, and show you a glimpse of the culinary scene of Kyoto in 2023. After we tasted delicious food at stores, we tried to recreate those dishes, not exactly but more in our own way, at home in Kyoto. We hope you enjoy our Japanese Cooking 101 food in a little different setting from our regular videos.

Our first episode is Wakaayu. Wakaayu (Waka-ayu, 若鮎) is a seasonal “Japanese confection” (Wagashi, 和菓子)that is available at many sweet shops during summer. Wakaayu in Japanese cakes is made from Sweet Mochi wrapped with a thin pancake, like Dorayaki, formed in the shape of a sweetfish, called Ayu. It is chewy and sweet, but not overly sweet, and it’s a wonderful reminder of the beginning of the new season.

Cold Soba buckwheat noodles are the best food in summer when it’s too hot and you have no appetite. They are cold, delicious, and nutritious. In this recipe, we add green vegetables, so it’s even healthier! Fried Tofu croutons are crunchy, packed with protein, and a good alternative to bready croutons. This also uses all plant-based ingredients, so safe to eat for vegetarians. If you want to make it ahead, prepare greens and soba separately, and don’t mix with the dressing until just before you eat. That way the dish stays fresh, not soggy. Hope you like it!

Garlic Edamame are stir-fried and seasoned whole Edamame pods with garlic sauce. It is not the traditional Japanese Edamame appetizer, which is usually simply pods boiled with salt, but a rather Americanized Japanese dish. Garlic Edamame may be new, but it is a very flavorful tasty little appetizer that goes with Japanese beer and Chuhai.

Today’s miso soup is made with tofu, brown and green onions. Tofu is probably the most commonly used ingredients for miso soup. Tofu with wakame seaweed and/or green onion are served at many Japanese restaurants. We added sliced brown onion to a typical tofu miso soup in this recipe. Thinly sliced brown onion adds sweetness to the broth. If you are tired of a typical tofu miso soup, try adding brown onion for a change!

With summer so hot everywhere these days, you feel like eating more cold food than ever. Japanese people know how to deal with brutal summer climate and therefore know how to cool down with food. These are some of the best summer Japanese dishes that are nice and cold, and you can eat them when you don’t have much appetite from the draining heat.