Hello, Japanese food-loving friends! I know I sent a newsletter out earlier this week but I just could not resist sending you my latest recipes and articles!

As you know, I'm in the process of building the site and there is much work to do, but as the Japanese say, "A jug fills drop by drop" and this is just another drop for you...

Here are the latest articles from the Japanese Food site at BellaOnline.com.

Japanese Sushi Rice Secrets
The Japanese consider sushi-making a highly skilled art. It takes sushi chefs years of training to learn to prepare perfect sushi rice. Here is the basic technique for you to practice at home.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art35993.asp

Soybean Miso Paste Varieties
Made from fermented soybeans, miso paste comes in many variations, each with distinctive characteristics. Not only a basic ingredient for Japanese miso soup, miso paste also adds unique flavor to dipping sauces, salads, and meat and seafood rubs.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art64609.asp

How to Choose High Quality Nori Seaweed Sheets
There are several grades of nori marketed around the world. Good quality nori sheets will make a difference in the taste of your nori dishes. Here is how to spot better quality nori.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art64569.asp

Panko Japanese Bread Crumbs Recipe
Panko, or Japanese bread crumbs, is different from other types of bread crumbs. If you cannot buy panko pre-packaged, you can make your own using this easy recipe.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36093.asp

Hawaii-style Sushi Rice Su Recipe
Perhaps it was the plentiful sugar cane or the humid weather that influenced culinary adaptations when the Japanese immigrated to Hawaii but many recipes departed from their old world roots. Hawaii sushi is an example of an interesting variation.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36055.asp

Hawaii-style Maki Sushi Rolls
Many Japanese immigrated to the Hawaiian Islands around the turn of the 20th century, bringing with them traditional foods and customs. But the Hawaiian, Portuguese and Chinese presence influenced the Japanese, especially their cuisine.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36056.asp

Sweet Kabocha Japanese Pumpkin Recipe
Kabocha is a Japanese winter squash prized for its naturally sweet flesh. Nutrient-rich and flavorful, kabocha is prepared in a variety of delicious ways but the simplest and most popular is this recipe for Sweet Kabocha simmered in a light soy-sugar sauce.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14588.asp

And, as promised, I will teach you a new food or dining-related Japanese word and this week is the title of our newsletter Oishii, pronounced Oy-shee. It means delicious. I hope you will enjoy delicious Japanese food this week.

Please consider forwarding this newsletter to your Japanese food-loving friends! Thank you!

Until next time,

Chidori Phillips, Japanese Food Editor
http://japanesefood.bellaonline.com