Recipes by Kenji Nakamura
20 recipes
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.
Crispy Masa Okonomiyaki with Chorizo & Umeboshi-Chamoy
A street food collision that makes too much sense. Masa harina replaces wheat flour for a crispy, tamal-like edge, fried in rendered chorizo fat. We top it with an umeboshi "chamoy" because Japanese pickled plums and Mexican fruit sauces share the exact same salty-sour DNA.
"Hebi-Giri" Skirt Steak Skewers with Black Garlic-Aji Panca Tare
Lima meets Tokyo in this unapologetic street food mashup. I take skirt steak—my favorite cut for sheer beefy flavor—and use a Japanese "snake cut" technique to transform it into a pull-apart, tender accordion. We're charring these hard over high heat and lacquering them with a sticky, fermented tare of smoky Aji Panca, soy, and black garlic.
Flash-Seared Jumbo Scallops over Edamame 'Tacu Tacu' with Yuzu Kosho Salsa Criolla
In Lima, Tacu Tacu is the ultimate leftover dish—beans and rice fried into a crispy, hearty cake. The first time I ate it, I immediately thought of yaki-onigiri, the grilled rice balls I grew up eating in Tokyo. This Nikkei translation swaps the traditional canary beans for smashed edamame, forming a crispy-chewy base for perfectly flash-seared jumbo scallops. We cut the richness with a salsa criolla spiked with yuzu kosho, bringing that unmistakable fermented Japanese chili-citrus punch to a Peruvian classic.
Shio Koji & Mezcal Cured Ahi Tuna Tiradito
This is where Tokyo meets Oaxaca by way of Lima. We're using a rapid 30-minute shio koji and mezcal cure to firm up ahi tuna and flood it with umami, before bathing it in a vibrant jalapeño-yuzu leche de tigre. It's smoky, bright, fiercely savory, and completely addictive.
Kombu-Cured Tai Tiradito with Miso-Rocoto Emulsion
This is where Japanese precision meets Peruvian fire. We are using an ancient Japanese technique called kombu-jime to pack red snapper with explosive umami, then slicing it tiradito-style and dressing it in a creamy, fiery rocoto pepper emulsion. It is raw, elegant, and completely unforgettable.
Cold-Seared Duck Breast with Ancho-Umeboshi Glaze
Izakaya food is all about aggressive, savory bites that stand up to a cold beer or a stiff highball. I wanted to take the lacquered, smoky vibe of yakitori and apply it to a whole duck breast. We're crossing borders here: the sweet, raisiny depth of Mexican ancho chile collides with the tart, salty punch of Japanese umeboshi (pickled plum). It cuts right through the rich duck fat.
Matsukasa-Scored King Oyster Mushrooms with Aji Panca Glaze
Whenever I want to show people the raw power of plant-forward Nikkei cooking, this is the dish I make. By applying the Japanese "matsukasa" (pinecone) squid-scoring technique to dense king oyster mushrooms, we completely transform their texture to eat exactly like a tender sea scallop. A screaming-hot hard sear creates an aggressive crust, while an umami-bomb glaze of Peruvian aji panca and Japanese shio koji caramelizes deep into the crosshatches.
4-Minute Yuzu & Aji Limo Cured Hamachi on Crispy Nori
This is my ultimate Nikkei snack. We're taking fatty, rich hamachi and giving it a highly precise 4-minute acid flash-cure in a yuzu-leche de tigre, then serving it on shattering tempura-fried nori chips.
Shio Koji & Aji Panca Seared Flank Steak with Blistered Tomato "Saltado" Jus
Lomo saltado is the undisputed king of Peruvian-Asian fusion, but I wanted to strip it down to its elemental, high-heat parts. We're taking flank steak—a cut with wide, loose fibers that soak up marinades like a sponge—and hitting it with tenderizing shio koji and smoky aji panca paste. A smoking-hot, aggressive quick-sear creates an incredible crust, leaving behind a pan full of fond that we turn into a blistered tomato and black vinegar jus.
Quick-Seared Scallops with Aji Amarillo-Sake Butter & Crispy Nori Quinoa
A collision of Tokyo and Lima on a plate, right out of a screaming hot skillet. We're hitting plump sea scallops with a hard, fast sear to build a deeply caramelized crust, then basting them in a bright, fruity emulsion of Peruvian aji amarillo, sake, and white miso. The crispy toasted quinoa and nori crunch adds the perfect shattered-glass texture against the buttery mollusks.
Mezcal & Shiro Miso Udon "alle Vongole"
A smoky, umami-packed collision between classic Italian linguine alle vongole, a Japanese izakaya, and an Oaxacan mezcaleria. Chewy, thick udon noodles are tossed in a violently emulsified pan sauce of clam liquor, mezcal, cold butter, and shiro miso. The miso acts as a secret weapon, bridging the fat and water to create a glossy, clingy sauce that will ruin you for standard white wine clam pasta.
Ruby-Cured Red Snapper Ceviche with Hibiscus & Umeboshi
April means cherry blossoms in Tokyo, but my mind always wanders to the brilliant ruby red of Mexican Jamaica (hibiscus). Here, we're using a highly acidic, ice-cold hibiscus and lime tea spiked with salty-sour umeboshi to quick-cure fresh red snapper. The acid "cooks" the exterior to a firm, opaque pink while leaving the center buttery and raw—an absolute stunner on the plate.
Tokyo-Elote: Charred Sweet Corn "Ribs" with Yuzu Kosho Mayo
If Mexican elote and Japanese yaki-tomorokoshi had a beautiful, chaotic baby at a street market, this would be it. We're taking the "corn rib" technique and blasting it with screaming-hot cast iron to get that essential, unapologetic char. But the real magic is the flavor collision: the nutty Maillard reaction of soy-browned butter meets the citrusy, fermented chili funk of yuzu kosho, all finished with a smoky cotija and bonito dust.
Cast-Iron "Yakitori" with Charred Poblano-Shiso Salsa
Izakaya culture is all about aggressive seasoning, ice-cold drinks, and the beautiful alchemy of fat hitting screaming-hot metal. We're mimicking the intense heat of a binchotan grill using a smoking-hot cast iron and a little food science. A smoky, vibrant Mexican-Japanese salsa cuts right through the savory richness of the chicken.