My Souperinspiration: Bhutanese Spicy Chicken Stew Bjasha Maroo The inspiration behind my Bhutanese spicy chicken stew. Bhutanese cuisine is simple beyond our conception. In 2014, this was the one of the first stew we learnt to make in the home of Ugyen’s brother, Kinzang. Our guide told us that most Bhutanese only eat meat once a week. […]

My souperinspiration: Bhutanese inspired beef and barley soup Traditional Beef and barley soup This soup is one of the classic Western style comfort foods. It’s thick, hearty and delicious.It is nutritious as it’s packed full of vegetables, pearl barley and meat; perfect to keep your vitamin levels up during the cold season. Beef barley soup is […]

My souperinspiration: Bhutanese Potato cheese chilli with buckwheat balls Kewa Datse Cheese is a favourite ingredient and in fact ema datse – chillies and cheese “ema” means “chili” and “datse” means “cheese” in the Dzongkha language, is among the most famous dishes in Bhutanese cuisine and is Bhutan’s ubiquitous national dish of green or red chilies, […]

My souperinspiration A lasting first impression February 2014, was my first visit to Bhutan. Our very first lunch in Thimpu, the capital city of Bhutan, consists of a buffet spread at a modest restaurant, and one of the dishes that we were served was a beef broth style with cellophane noodles. It left a deep […]

My souperinspiration: Roasted Vegetable Chilli Cheese Soup Ema datse Running a close second to Bhutan’s primary cliché are chillies. A largely rural society, the Bhutanese eat fresh, fruity, large and not particularly hot red and green chillies in impressive quantities most of the year, and use them dried daily. There is a lively piquancy to […]

My souperinspiration:  Mixed Grain Dhal with Chicken In 2005, Ruth Reichl (then editor of Gourmet) was quoted as saying that the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan had, “the world’s worst cuisine”. Reichl’s proclamation is born of ignorance of the full depth and breadth of Bhutan’s cuisine. As a kingdom sandwiched between the Asian giants of India […]

My souperinspiration Miso The protein-rich fermented soybean paste called miso is one of the world’s great flavour foundations adding a savory quality called umami to all sorts of dishes, including soups, salad dressings, vegetables, stews and marinades. According to the The Oxford Companion to Food, miso was first developed in China and the first written […]

My souperinspiration Miso On this trip to Japan, in Matsumoto City, we met Hayashi san, the president and master shinshu miso maker at Marusho Jozo. Through our conversations, I found out he is 80 years old. But the man, does not look a day past 65 years old. The complexion of his skin, its tautness […]

My Souper Inspiration Daio Wasabi Farm (3640 Hotaka, Azumino, Nagano Prefecture 399-8303, Japan) The global vogue for all things wasabi have seen products such as wasabi peas, wasabi popcorn, wasabi seaweed snacks, wasabi hummus and dips hit the shelves and becoming popular. My recent trip to Japan especially to Daio Wasabi farm made me jump on […]

My souperinspirations Mentaiko at Yamaguchi Aburaya Fukutaro (1-1-1, Gojikkawa, Minami-ku, Fukuoka) Japan is obsessed with food and at no time is this more obvious than when you take a trip to a new part of Japan. Every town seems to have its own delicacy or speciality to try. Mentaiko is the star product of the Hakata ward […]

Why you should eat miso daily? There has been references that miso and rice for Japanese people are like ‘meat and potatoes for Americans’. Miso is Japan’s traditional seasoning and health food. Making miso is an art. Hundreds of varieties of this classic Japanese staple can be found across the country, and like wine and cheese, it […]

Nagano and traditional Shinano cuisine Zenkoji Temple is the heart and soul of Nagano City. It is one of the most important and popular temples in Japan. It was founded in the 7th century and stores the first Buddhist statue ever to be brought into Japan when Buddhism was first introduced in the 6th century. Similar […]