Horenso no goma-ae (spinach with sesame sauce)
This simple recipe for spinach or green beans makes a regular appearance at our dinner table. You can make it out of white or black sesame seeds. The flavor is the same. Lately, I've been using black seeds more often because of their reputed health benefits. You could say there's currently a "black food boom" in Japan. My method for cooking the spinach is easier and faster than the traditional Japanese method, and preserves vital nutrients as well. RECIPE

Komatsuna no ohitashi (stir fried mustard spinach)
As I describe in the ingredients section on the vegetable page, komatsuna is even healthier than spinach. The slightly bitter flavor and crunchy stalks hold up well to stir frying. Use minimal oil to quickly stir fry washed and roughly chopped komatsuna with 1 clove of garlic, salt, and red pepper to taste. As the komastuna gets hot, splash with sake and cover the skillet. This serves to quickly steam it, and to finish cooking without adding more oil. At the very end, add a few drops of sesame oil for flavor and a nice aroma. In the photo, it is served on antique imari.

Kabocha no Nimono (simmered pumpkin)
When I serve this dish, people can’t believe that something so simple could be so delicious. The key is to use kabocha, not regular pumpkin. I have tried to find anything to compare to kabocha’s sweet, almost chestnut like flavor and dense, rich texture, and I have not. Luckily, it's grown increasingly popular in the West, and I can usually find it at the local market. The photo shows just two morsels in a small kyo-yaki dish. RECIPE

Kabocha Tempura
Another way to enjoy kabocha is to prepare it as tempura. This is my absolute favorite way to enjoy kabocha, but I don't prepate it often for health reasons.

Green Beans with Creamy Miso Dressing
I learned this quick and easy recipe in Elizabeth Andoh’s kitchen. She used neri goma (roasted white sesame paste that comes in a tube) as a shortcut, and served the sauce with Manganji peppers. She suggests poblano peppers in the U.S., but I use this sauce most often with green beans. RECIPE

Tataki Gobo (pounded burdock)
This dish is served during Oshogatsu, the New Year’s holiday celebration. Burdock is a deep root that symbolizes stability. Here, it is cut and pounded (tataki), splitting the ends, which is believed to split and multiply good fortune, then tossed with sesame dressing. Here, it is served in an oribe mukozuke. Refer to the vegetable page for more information and a photograph of the whole unprepared root. RECIPE

Savory Simmered Daikon
While bitter when raw, the flavor of daikon transforms, mellowing with cooking. My view of this humble vegetable changed when I was served a single hefty round, simmered in light stock, at a vegetable restaurant in Kyoto's Nishiki market. The expert preparation, while simple, yielded a rich flavor and buttery texture that was a revelation. I have since replicated this recipe at home. RECIPE