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Why are French, Italian, and other Western dishes such as curry and deep-fried foods now integral to Japanese cuisine? Then, we must dive into the story of Yoshoku (洋食) – a Japanese adaptation of Western cuisine that traces its history to the late 19th century and continues to evolve to this day, beloved by Japanese, both old and young alike. A little digging into Japanese history will show how Yoshoku is distinctly Japanese and not simply a fusion of French or Italian cuisine....

Do you remember the 2002 Football World Cup? I do. Brazil played Germany, winning 2-0. Do you know what I remember most? Getting up every 2 minutes to whip up another cup of coffee for the people we had over to watch the game. In a metal spoon, with a mug, and two cups at a time. Eventually my brother Amir got fed up and announced that coffee time was over so that I could watch Football in peace....

In a Japanese household, you’ll often find colorful side dishes served in small plates at family dinners. These side dishes play an equal role to the main dish in providing sustenance and making the meal more appetizing. Additionally, they refresh the palate to counter heavier or greasier foods on the table. What do you look for when choosing a side dish? I follow these simple rules: consider varying colors, textures, flavors, and nutrients that round out a meal....

Many people are most familiar with Thai and Indian-style curries, but did you know there’s also a whole suite of delicious Japanese curry for you to explore? While it’s not native to Japanese cuisine, Japanese curry is considered one of the nation’s most popular convenient, and comfort foods. We even invented a myriad of Japanese curry dishes that are suited to the Japanese lighter palette. Why you’ll love Japanese curries?...

Food speaks. It isn’t always just about how it tastes, but also about the nostalgia it brings, and the memories it creates. A friend once spoke with great passion about how the food she cooks is the best way she knows how to communicate her culture to her kids, to instil a love for where she comes from, who she is, and who they are. Her words have stuck with me, especially since like her I too am raising Canadian kids who I hope will love their Pakistani heritage as much as their Canadian identity....

Aburaage (油揚げ) is puffed tofu pouches deep-fried to a golden yellow color. What Is Aburaage Aburaage (油揚げ) is a Japanese deep-fried tofu pouch made of firm tofu. It is made by cutting firm tofu into thin slices and deep-frying twice in vegetable oil. They are first fried at a lower temperature of 230-250 ºF (110-120 °C), which causes the tofu to expand in size. Then they are fried again at a higher temperature of 360-400 ºF (180-200 °C), which plumps them up further and turns golden brown....

There are many different types of aji peppers in the world, most of the produced in the South American and Caribbean region. They range from very mild to somewhat hot, depending on the variety, though the majority of them offer up a wonderful fruity flavor. Because of that flavor, and also how easily they grow, they are important to many different cuisines. Ají dulces are also known as ají dulce, ajicito or ajíes in Puerto Rico; ají gustoso or ají cachucha in the Domincan Republic; or ají cachucha in Cuba....

Hop on here for more Pakistani sabzi recipes! Kadhi Pakora Tested and Retested Confession: I am not a Karhi person. Most Kadhi Pakora recipes taste to me like a whole lot of nothing. Harsh? Maybe a little. I have tried every iteration of Karhi recipes. I’ve made the ones with ingredients that boiled for hours and then strained out, thick ones, runnier milder ones, and the ones that produced so much Karhi that I struggled to find a small army of people willing to eat it....

“Awaze Tibs” translates to “Spiced Meat”, and that is exactly what you’ll get with this recipe. The awaze sauce focuses primarily on berbere spice, a robust Ethiopian spice blend of bold chilies and aromatic spices, essential to many East African and Ethiopian dishes. This brings to the dish its signature heat and flavor. This recipe is made with beef, though you can use lamb as well. I fell in love with the dish at a local Ethiopian place, and just had to make it myself....

With it being football season, I thought it was past time to bake up some wings! Or just past time because I just love me some wings… As I was thinking of what both men and woman, and the football watching and non-football watching type, would like in wings, I almost immediately landed on the flavor profile of chipotle honey lime. Its smokey, sweet and spicy and I am pretty sure everyone who has the pleasure of gobbling up these Chipotle Honey Lime Hot Wings will LOVE them – even your kids – because you can completely customize how spicy they are....

Easy Honey Lemon Chicken Patrick couldn’t even wait for me to finish taking pictures before he had polished off almost the entire meal of Honey Lemon Chicken. This is a 100% candid shot of him caught in the act… And I don’t blame him when Sticky Honey Lemon Chicken means a sweet honey sauce with a splash of citrus and a slight zing from the fresh ginger smothering crispy, spiced and breaded baked chicken morsels....

Banana bread has to be one of the most classic sweet treats, regardless of your cultural background. Each family appears to have its own favorite, and some are preciously passed down from one generation to another. I’ve baked many banana breads over the years, but my ‘forever’ favorite is the one that I’ve been making since college. It is moist and tender, topped with caramelized banana slices, just the right amount of sweetness, with an intense banana-y flavor....

There are a number of traditional Goan delicacies, and Bebinca, also known as the queen of Goan desserts, is one that is always featured in most Goan festivities, be it Christmas, Easter, weddings or Christenings. Making bebic, requires lots of patience, as each layer has to be baked, before the addition of the next layer and so on. Homemade bebinca is definitely a labor of love! BEBINCA INGREDIENTS For this Goan dessert, bebinca recipe, made using,...

One pot chicken dinners are always a win! Try out these favorites: chicken fricassee, one pot chicken Parmesan pasta, garlic herb chicken with scalloped potatoes, chicken Florentine, Tuscan chicken, honey mustard chicken with green beans and potatoes. PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER What is chicken cacciatore? Chicken cacciatore is indeed divinely delicious, but it sounds so much fancier and more complicated than it is. Rather, chicken cacciatore is a one-pot rustic, hunter-style braised stew with chicken, tomatoes, onions, herbs, and often bell peppers, mushrooms, and either capers or olives....

Easy Grape Salad I am so sad I ran out of time to post this fabulous Grape Salad before Memorial Day – so that means you are going to have to make it for the 4th of July – and many times in between now and then. It’s as equally delicious as it is easy with ZERO fruit chopping! When was the last time you made a salad with no chopping?...

Watch How to Make Potato Soup Step 8: Adjust to taste. Make it perfect for you! Tag @CarlsbadCravings and Use #CarlsbadCravngs Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!

Happy Monday! Let’s start the week with a bento recipe! Well, I know my post today is a bit later than usual but the site was experiencing some technical issues last night and the post got delayed. If you are trying to search on my blog right now, it’s not available at this time. My husband and I will fix it soon and I’m sorry for the inconvenience. If you are curious what happened, 2 ip addresses spammed 5,000 comments and basically crashed my site and corrupted my database for 5 hours last night....

If you make this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! – Mike H. We’re taking our favorite flavors of Buffalo Chicken and Buffalo Sauce and turning them into burger form, and they’re perfect for tossing onto the grill. I absolutely love Buffalo chicken, and I love these just as much....

Crisp caramelized edges, chewy and gooey in the middle with fragrant coconut flavor, butter mochi is one of the most popular desserts in Hawaii. It’s a sort of hybrid dessert combining Japanese mochi with local coconut cake. My family has enjoyed our fair share of butter mochi—from Shueido, a Japanese confectionery store in San Jose, to souvenirs from Hawaii to Naomi’s homemade one (she’s a JOC team member). Today I’m sharing our family’s favorite version....

I kind of missed the boat in posting this Grilled Cajun Steak in time for Labor Day so although you don’t have a dedicated holiday to grill up this juicy, Cajun rubbed hunk of deliciousness, I hope you still fire up the grill all the same and simply celebrate LIFE with this Cajun Steak! In addition to this steak, I’m celebrating life this week by heading to Kauai with some blogging friends so if you aren’t following me on Instagram and want to join the fun, I’m going to be posting plenty of Instagram Stories so come say hi!...