Short essays and notes on food, history, and the kitchen.
Where ideas live before they cool into a book.
- Recipe NoteApril 13, 2026 · Recipes · 5 min
Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly)
Thick slabs of pork belly braised in soy, mirin, sake, and sugar over several hours until the collagen has dissolved into gelatin and the fat layer has rendered into something that melts rather than resists. Time is the only technique here.
- Recipe NoteApril 10, 2026 · Recipes · 5 min
Tsukune
Ground chicken formed around skewers and grilled, then glazed with a sweet soy tare. Tsukune are yakitori in the sense that they use the same sauce and the same heat, but the texture is unique — the ground meat binds into a soft, cohesive ball.
- Recipe NoteApril 7, 2026 · Recipes · 5 min
Gougères
Savory choux pastry puffs made with Gruyère folded into the paste before baking. Gougères are light because the choux dough relies on steam — not chemical leavening — for its rise.
- Kitchen ScienceApril 6, 2026 · Kitchen Science · 5 min
The Difference Between Simmering and Boiling in Sauce Making
A sauce held at 90°C and a sauce held at 100°C are not the same sauce, even with identical ingredients and identical cooking times. The last ten degrees change everything.
- Recipe NoteApril 4, 2026 · Recipes · 6 min
Oyakodon
Chicken simmered briefly in a dashi-soy-mirin sauce, then bound with half-set egg and served over rice. The name — parent and child — refers to the deliberate combination of hen and egg in one bowl.
- Recipe NoteApril 1, 2026 · Recipes · 5 min
Salmon Ochazuke
Leftover rice and a cup of hot dashi or green tea — ochazuke is the Japanese answer to the question of what to do with cold rice that has dried out. The salmon flakes are cooked, the nori is dry, the broth is hot: everything already done.
- Recipe NoteMarch 29, 2026 · Recipes · 6 min
Chả Giò (Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls)
Rice paper frying works differently from wheat wrappers — the starch gelatinizes into a crisp shell only at the right oil temperature. Too low and the roll absorbs oil before the crust can form. The two-stage fry is the solution.
- Recipe NoteMarch 27, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Shoyu Ramen
Shoyu Ramen consists of a soy sauce-based broth combined with cooked noodles, garnished with toppings like green onions and nori.
- Recipe NoteMarch 26, 2026 · Recipes · 6 min
Thịt Kho Trứng (Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs)
Coconut water — not coconut milk — is the braising liquid. Its sugars caramelize into the sauce gradually over an hour, producing a sweetness that no amount of added sugar can replicate. The process is subtle but the result is not.
- Recipe NoteMarch 24, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Nikuman
Nikuman combines a soft, steamed bun with a savory filling, showcasing the balance of texture and flavor in Japanese cuisine.
- Recipe NoteMarch 23, 2026 · Recipes · 6 min
Cá Kho Tộ (Clay Pot Caramelized Fish)
Vietnamese dry caramel is made from white sugar cooked to amber — then deployed as a savory seasoning, not a sweet element. That inversion is the logic of the dish, and understanding it changes how you read the whole reduction.
- Recipe NoteMarch 20, 2026 · Recipes · 7 min
Bún Bò Huế (Hue-Style Spicy Beef and Pork Noodle Soup)
Built on lemongrass and shrimp paste, not star anise — learning to distinguish it from phở is learning to hear the architecture of two different broth philosophies working from different foundations.
- Food HistoryMarch 19, 2026 · Food History · 2 min
The 5,000-Year Journey of Fermentation: A Culinary Revolution
Explore the remarkable history of fermentation, from ancient practices to modern culinary innovations, revealing how this age-old technique has shaped our food culture.
- Recipe NoteMarch 18, 2026 · Recipes · 3 min
Yakitori
Yakitori combines marinated chicken skewers with precise grilling techniques to create a flavorful dish.
- Recipe NoteMarch 17, 2026 · Recipes · 7 min
Bánh Mì
Not a sandwich — a textural argument. Crunch, fat, acid, and fresh herbs in deliberate sequence, where every component exists to maintain contrast and every layer has a structural job.
- Recipe NoteMarch 14, 2026 · Recipes · 6 min
Cơm Tấm (Vietnamese Broken Rice)
Broken rice is not a substitute for regular rice — it is a different geometry, a different surface area, a different sauce-absorption rate. Cơm tấm is built around that difference.
- Recipe NoteMarch 11, 2026 · Recipes · 6 min
Gỏi Cuốn (Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls)
Rice paper hydration is a one-second window. Soak it for three and it becomes a problem; fold it while firm and it finishes softening around the filling as you roll. The assembly is the technique.
- Recipe NoteMarch 8, 2026 · Recipes · 6 min
Bánh Xèo (Sizzling Vietnamese Crêpes)
A rice flour batter with coconut milk, diluted and turmeric-yellow, cooked in very hot oil until it shatters. Bánh xèo is not a crêpe — it is a crisp shell of dried batter that happens to be thin.
- Recipe NoteMarch 7, 2026 · Recipes · 4 min
Takoyaki
Takoyaki is a savory Japanese snack made by cooking a batter filled with diced octopus in a special molded pan.
- Recipe NoteMarch 5, 2026 · Recipes · 7 min
Bún Chả (Grilled Pork with Rice Noodles)
The dipping sauce is the dish. Bún chả is a study in balancing four competing forces — sweet, sour, salty, sharp — without letting any one of them win.