To make tea with this method, use a ratio of one to two tablespoons of tea leaves per liter of water.

Place the tea leaves in the bottom of a large teapot or container.

Add water, cover the container, and place it in the refrigerator to steep. Let it steep in the refrigerator for about three hours.

When your tea is ready, give the finished pot a gentle swirl or a stir before you drink it, since leaves may settle at the bottom during brewing.

Cold Brewing Japanese Green Tea (Iced Method)

Cover tea leaves with quality ice from purified water. Let the tea melt. It takes about 30 minutes to one hour.

Pour into a teacup or glass. Enjoy a healthy and delicious serving of cold Japanese green tea!

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This post – How to Cook Rice The Japanese Way – is all about the Japanese way of cooking rice. Preparing rice is one of the fundamentals of Japanese cooking. It is not boiled like pasta, it is cooked using the so-called absorption method. But there are more secrets to it.

I have included methods not only for cooking rice in a saucepan but also using a rice cooker in this post.

In Japanese culture, cooking rice (okome, お米) is almost an art. At home appliance stores in Japan, you will find so many different types of electric rice cookers on display.

About Rice in Japanese Cooking

Rice is one of the most important staple foods for Japanese people. People have a favourite brand of rice grain, and they strive to cook the best rice possible. Hence, most Japanese people have an electric rice cooker that will deliver consistent results.

Japanese rice is a short grain white rice that is fluffy and slightly sticky. Unlike long grain rice, including Basmati rice and jasmine rice, Japanese rice grains stick to each other when cooked. This is quite important because you can easily pick up a mouthful of rice with chopsticks.

The brand of rice grain is also a critical factor. There are so many different brands from all over Japan as well as overseas and competition is fierce. Japanese farmers put a lot of effort into the pursuit of producing the best rice grain.

The high quality of rice however also means a high price. But many Japanese people say that they are happy to pay a lot for good rice, even if they have to buy cheaper side dishes to go with it.

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Japanese knives have shot through the ranks in popularity over the years, and for good reason. When you’re traveling Japan and witnessing firsthand the precision and skill that sushi chefs display when slicing through fish, you’ll be immediately enraptured.

Unlike the heavier counterparts that you may be used to at home, Japanese knives are lighter and slimmer than most. Traditionally, chefs in Japan tend to favour sharpness and precision over heaviness and durability. Some say that Japanese knives were initially inspired by the long-revered Samurai sword. If you think of samurai swords in movies, they can easily slice through a tree trunk in one motion!

Now, think back to the Japanese dishes you experienced in Japan; you’ll notice how almost every dish contains minute details of every ingredient. Even the smallest of garnishes would have been prepared with utmost care to ensure perfect presentation.

That is the result of using Japanese knives.

Why Japanese knives are so popular?

You’re probably thinking, any proper chef would be able to re-create that! Well, that may be true, but most of us are normal beings who just want to prepare good home cooked meals for our families and friends. Most of us haven’t had years of training under chefs who have been slicing fish for 30 years!

That’s where Japanese knives come into play. The intense engineering and thought process that has gone into creating these small, lightweight pieces is beyond what people can imagine. Using these knives to prepare food in your kitchen is bound to elevate your cooking skills to the next level.

When you hold a Japanese knife for the first time, you’ll immediately notice that they’re thinner, lighter, harder, and see that they’re sharper than most. You’ll also find that, although the handle is majestic (they’re traditionally designed after Samurai …continue reading