I trained in Tokyo for eight years, mastering the discipline of washoku—traditional Japanese cuisine. But I got restless. So I cooked my way through Southeast Asia, spent a year in Mexico City, and fell hard for the food of Peru. Now I see connections between cuisines that others miss: the umami in dashi and fish sauce, the heat in shishito and Szechuan peppercorns, the way Japanese technique can unlock flavors from any tradition. I'm always fermenting something.
Recipes
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Wok-Smoked Sirloin Lomo Saltado Udon
Peruvian Lomo Saltado meets Tokyo comfort food in the wok. I swapped the traditional french fries for thick, chewy Sanuki udon noodles that act like absolute sponges for this smoky, soy-vinegar, aji amarillo pan sauce.
Charred Baby Eggplant Skewers with Tamarind-Chipotle Miso Glaze
I’ve eaten my weight in Tokyo’s miso-glazed nasu dengaku and Bangkok’s sour-sweet tamarind street skewers. This dish is the lovechild of those late-night crawls, spiked with Mexican chipotle for a smoky backbone. We’re aggressively scoring the baby eggplants so they drink up the glaze, then hitting them with intense heat to achieve a blistered, lacquered finish.
Kobujime Scallop Crudo with Spring Pea & Yuzu Leche de Tigre
Listen, raw scallops are great. But kombu-cured scallops? That's where Japanese precision meets food science. By curing sea scallops between sheets of umami-rich kelp, we tighten the protein structure for surgical slicing while injecting them with deep, savory flavor. We contrast that oceanic depth with a vibrant, chlorophyll-packed Nikkei leche de tigre made from sweet spring peas, sharp yuzu, and fiery Peruvian aji limo.
Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Aji Panca-Black Garlic Jus & Kabocha-Amarillo Purée
Here is where Japanese precision meets Andean soul. We are utilizing a cold-pan roast to render duck breast skin until it shatters, then resting it while we build a lightning-fast pan sauce using fruity aji panca and fermented black garlic. Served over a silky kabocha squash and aji amarillo purée, it is an umami bomb wrapped in Nikkei elegance.
Crispy Chashu Carnitas Tacos with Yuzu Kosho Guacamole
What happens when a Tokyo izakaya and a Mexico City taqueria fall in love? You get these Chashu Carnitas. I'm taking pork belly and slow-braising it in a soy-sake-ancho broth until the collagen yields like butter, then finishing it with a viciously hot sear to crystallize the sugars into a jagged, crispy crust.
Satsumaimo & Shiso Kakiage with Aji Amarillo Kewpie
Kakiage is the unsung hero of Japanese tempura—a crispy, shatteringly light bird's nest of julienned vegetables. Here, the dense, chestnut-like sweetness of satsumaimo meets the sunny, fruity heat of Peruvian aji amarillo in a street-food snack that hits every single pleasure center in your brain.
Stories
View allWok-Smoked Sirloin Lomo Saltado Udon: A Tokyo-Lima Love Story
I swapped the traditional fries in Peru's iconic stir-fry for thick, chewy Sanuki udon noodles. The result? An umami bomb that absorbs every drop of smoky pan sauce.
May 23, 2026
Charred Baby Eggplant Skewers with Tamarind-Chipotle Miso Glaze
Tokyo precision meets Bangkok street food and Mexican smoke in these blistered, umami-packed baby eggplant skewers.
May 21, 2026
Kobujime Scallop Crudo: Where Tokyo Meets Lima
Why settle for regular raw scallops when you can cure them in kombu? Dive into my Japanese-Peruvian mashup featuring a spring pea and yuzu leche de tigre.
May 19, 2026
Shattering Skin & Andean Soul: Pan-Roasted Duck Breast
Experience an umami bomb of Nikkei elegance where Japanese cold-pan roasting meets the smoky, fruity depths of Peruvian aji panca.
May 17, 2026