Recipes by Kenji Nakamura
20 recipes
Aji Amarillo & Kurozu Braised Pork Belly (Nikkei Adobo)
A Tokyo-meets-Lima comfort dish where rich pork belly is slow-braised in an aggressively sharp broth of Japanese black vinegar, soy, and aji amarillo paste. The fierce acidity tenderizes the meat while cutting the fat, creating a melt-in-your-mouth bite that finishes with electric, citrusy heat.
Aji Panca & Black Garlic Glazed Cauliflower "Robata" with Whipped Sesame Tofu
This is my love letter to both the smoky robatayaki joints of Tokyo and the street-side anticucho grills of Lima. We're hard-charring cauliflower florets and glazing them with a sticky, fruity, umami-dense tare made from Peruvian aji panca and black garlic. Served over a cool, creamy whipped sesame tofu to catch every drop of that glaze, it's the ultimate izakaya-at-home dinner centerpiece.
Ahi Tuna "Yukhoe" Bowl with Gochujang-Yuzu Cure & Cold Glass Noodles
This is what happens when you cross the DNA of Korean raw beef yukhoe with Japanese sashimi traditions. We are taking beautiful ahi tuna, slicing it into thin strips, and hitting it with a high-speed 3-minute cure of gochujang, yuzu, and white soy. Served over bouncy, ice-cold sweet potato glass noodles with crisp Asian pear, it is the ultimate fast-prep umami lunch bowl.
Masa Chochoyotes in Smoked Ancho-Shiitake Dashi
When I lived in Oaxaca, I fell in love with chochoyotes—little masa dumplings with a thumbprint in the center. I realized nixtamalized corn has an alkaline bite almost exactly like the kansui used in ramen noodles, making them perfect for a Japanese-style broth. We are dropping these shio koji-spiked dumplings into a rapid dashi made from dried ancho chiles and shiitake mushrooms, two ingredients that share a deeply savory, dark-fruit umami profile.
Tamarind-Black Garlic Glazed Salmon over Miso-Brown Butter Udon
A sticky, tart tamarind and black garlic glaze creates a beautiful lacquer on perfectly pan-seared salmon. Resting on a bed of chewy Sanuki udon tossed in an emulsified brown butter-miso sauce, this dish is my ultimate answer to refined comfort food. The sharp tartness of the tamarind cuts right through the rich, umami-heavy noodles.
Quick-Cured Duck & Charred Treviso Winter Salad with Sake-Kumquat Citrus Dressing and Crispy Buckwheat–Nori Crunch
This is my February restaurant-bowl obsession: rosy duck breast that’s been quick-cured for precision, then seared hard for that shatter-crisp skin; bitter winter greens kissed by heat; and a bright kumquat-sake citrus dressing that clings like a light ponzu. The crunch is pure “Tokyo-meets-anywhere”: toasted buckwheat (kasha) + sesame + nori—like furikake’s louder, nuttier cousin.
Crispy Tofu “Karaage” Sticks with Ginger–Celery Quick Pickles & Sudachi-Style Citrus–Chili Dip
This is my izakaya-at-home snack when I want maximum crunch, bright acid, and a little troublemaking heat—without needing a deep fryer. Extra-firm tofu gets pressed, seasoned hard, then shallow-fried into shattery sticks, dunked in a citrusy, spicy dip that tastes like ponzu took a vacation to a lime grove. The quick pickles are the reset button between bites: cold, snappy, gingery.
Yuzu–Miso Hot Toddy with Chilled Matcha–Coconut Foam (Winter Citrus + Umami Brunch Sipper)
This is my favorite kind of contradiction: a steaming yuzu–miso “toddy” that smells like a citrus grove in winter, topped with a cold, salty-sweet matcha–coconut foam that melts slowly into the mug. It drinks like a cozy brunch latte, but with dashi-level umami and the clean, precise seasoning you usually only get in food—not beverages.
Ahi Tuna “Serrano-Avocado” Chirashi Bowl with Quick-Pickled Daikon Ribbons & Crispy Rice–Nori Crunch
This is my February lunch reset bowl: cool, jewel-toned ahi over warm sushi rice, with a bright serrano-lime “green sauce” that borrows from Mexican taquería logic but behaves like a Japanese dressing. The bowl is all clean contrast—hot rice/cold tuna, sharp quick-pickle, and a loud crunchy topping that stays crisp to the last bite.
Tataki-Style King Oyster Mushrooms with Yuzu–Black Vinegar Cure, Charred Little Gems, and Crispy Quinoa–Nori Crunch
This is my bright, winter-reset lunch bowl: meaty king oyster “tataki” kissed in a ripping-hot pan, then sliced and drenched in a sharp yuzu–black vinegar cure that turns mushrooms almost sashimi-like at the edges. I finish it on warm rice with fast-charred Little Gem lettuce, a snow of citrus zest, and a loud, crackly quinoa–nori crunch that drinks up the acidic dressing like a sponge—in the best way.
Yaki-Mushi Black Cod with Shaved Fennel–Pear Snow and a Fast Emulsified Ponzu-Butter
This is my winter market fish plate when I want everything razor-clean but still decadent: steam-roasted black cod stays impossibly juicy, then gets lacquered with a glossy ponzu-butter that tastes like the ocean got a squeeze of citrus. The wow move is yaki-mushi—high-heat steam roasting—so you get gentle steaming plus just enough surface heat for a delicate, fragrant “roast” without drying out this fatty fish. I finish with a cold, crunchy fennel–pear “snow” to reset your palate between bites.
Valentine’s Beef Tataki with Pink Pepper Quick Cure & Meyer Lemon–Olive Oil Emulsion (with Celery Heart Ribbons)
This is my at-home Valentine’s small plate when I want something clean and bright, but still quietly luxurious: beef tenderloin kissed hard in a pan, raw-centered, and dressed like a high-end salad. A pink pepper–coriander quick cure seasons the beef all the way through the surface layer, then a Meyer lemon–olive oil emulsion turns every slice glossy and citrus-sweet, with celery heart ribbons for crunch and perfume.
Shiitake Soba “Noodle Shop Steam” with Instant Tomato–Kombu Dashi & Scallion–Sansho Aromatic Oil
This is my warm, brothy noodle-shop fantasy for a February lunch: buckwheat soba swimming in a quick tomato–kombu dashi that tastes like it simmered all day, topped with deeply browned shiitake that act like little umami sponges. I finish it with a fast scallion–sansho aromatic oil that snaps the whole bowl into focus—Japanese precision with a global, slightly spicy, ramen-adjacent swagger.
Razor-Clean Shrimp “Ikejime” Crudo with Shio-Koji–Lime Cure, Cucumber–Nashi Snow, and Jalapeño–Shiso Ice Oil
This is my izakaya-meets-global reset plate: sweet raw shrimp kissed with a quick shio-koji–lime cure, then served over a frosty “snow” of cucumber and Asian pear for maximum cold snap. A bright jalapeño–shiso oil (kept ice-cold) lands like salsa verde’s clean cousin—herbal, green, and razor-sharp without tasting busy.
Scallop Tataki with Shio-Koji Quick Cure, Charred Radicchio, and Tangerine–Shoyu Emulsion (with Gochugaru Heat)
This is my winter “clean heat” dinner: sweet, briny scallops quickly cured for precision, then hard-seared tataki-style so you get a caramelized shell and a barely-just-there center. I plate them on bitter charred radicchio and drag everything through a glossy tangerine–shoyu emulsion spiked with gochugaru for a bright, lingering burn. It’s Japanese technique wearing a global chili jacket—sharp, high-contrast, and insanely satisfying.
Crispy-Skin Salmon with Aji Amarillo–Yuzu Kosho Pan Sauce, Sake-Glazed Sweet Potatoes & Scallion-Cilantro Oil
This is my winter weeknight love letter to Japan x Peru: salmon skin crackling like a good yakitori shop, then a fast pan sauce that hits like yuzu kosho—but with Peruvian aji amarillo’s sunny heat and fruitiness. Sweet potatoes get a quick sake–soy gloss (comfort), and a bright scallion-cilantro oil keeps the whole plate punchy and awake when it’s dark at 5 p.m.
Hamachi Quick-Cure Winter Crunch Salad with Satsuma–Aguachile Ponzu & Toasted Pepita–Nori Furikake
This is my February lunch when I want something bright but still feels like a meal: sashimi-grade hamachi, kissed with a fast salt–citrus cure, laid over a cold, crunchy winter salad. The dressing is ponzu-adjacent but thinks it’s an aguachile—citrus-forward, chile-sharp, and just savory enough to make the fish taste extra buttery.
Torch-Kissed Tofu Crunch Bowl with Quick-Pickled Citrus Carrot–Radish and Tahini–Sesame Miso Dressing
This is my precision lunch bowl: cold-crunchy vegetables, warm aromatic tofu, and a sesame dressing that’s creamy like goma-dare but brightened with citrus and a whisper of miso. Everything is make-ahead friendly—pickle, dressing, grains, and even the tofu—then you assemble in five minutes and (optionally) hit the tofu with a quick torch for that yakitori-stand perfume.
Beef Tataki with Calamansi–Tamarind Ponzu, Aji Amarillo Kosho, and Crispy Shallot–Nori Crunch
This is my izakaya-at-home flex: beef that’s barely kissed by heat, then brightened with a citrus cure and sliced with surgeon-level precision. The sauce is ponzu’s globe-trotting cousin—calamansi and tamarind for snap and tang—finished with a Peruvian-leaning aji amarillo kosho that lingers like a good bar story.
Broiled Miso–Mezcal Oysters with Quick-Pickled Jalapeño–Yuzu Cucumbers and Toasted Nori–Pepita Crumble
This is my winter izakaya share-plate for when you want the ocean, the grill, and a bright slap of Latin heat all in one bite. Briny oysters get a miso–mezcal butter that blisters under the broiler, then you cool the whole thing down with crisp quick-pickled cucumbers and jalapeños plus a nori–pepita crunch that tastes like the sea met a tostada.