Make your own sweet pickled Japanese daikon radish instead of buying the pricey packaged version.

My Caucasian husband does not like plain musubi or onigiri (white rice ball) which presented a problem in our marriage until I made him this version that satisfies his love of bacon.

Some things seem so simple that they need no explanation. But this isn’t the case with the humble rice ball.

Hot mustard, sweet mirin and Japanese eggplant make an intensely flavored tsukemono. This is my mother's version. Happy Mother's Day!

Pouring hot tea over rice once was a way to collect the last rice that stuck to the bowl, but many people enjoy ochazuke (rice and tea) as a humble yet satisfying meal when it is accompanied by simple okazu (side dishes).

The Japanese version of kim chi lacks the blistering heat of the Korean hot and spicy cabbage dish. This one is made with Japanese kyuuri or thin cucumbers like pickling or Persian.

Pan-fried thick udon noodles are similar to chow mein but with Japanese noodles and seasoning. rice.

Over thirty years old, this book is a clear, simplified introduction to the ancient art of mukimono or food garnishing that will teach you quick and easy ways to beautify your dishes.

An easy way to beautify your dish comes straight from nature: scatter on fresh flower petals or whole flowers! They add beauty, fragrance and flavor to simple dishes.

The Japanese revere beauty in everything, including food. Beautifying meals allows our eyes to savor and appreciate the ingredients that nourish our spirits as well as our bodies.