Aki's Japanese Recipes for Vegans

03/05/2020

Japanese Potato Salad😉🥗
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u8gxWkTTs8

As some of you may already know, Japan had an isolation period over 220 years until 1854. After that period, we started learning a variety of cooking cultures from foreign countries.

The very interesting fact about Japan is when new cultures are introduced from abroad, we don’t only copy but we learn from them and create something totally new. I would say this potato salad is one of the examples of this.

Potato salad is one of the most popular recipes at home today and actually, my mum often cooked this for me when I was a kid. I hope you’ll enjoy my video! 🙂

18/04/2020

Zero Waste Recipe: Spaghetti with Cauliflower Leaves😉🌿
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6yoRXbcPsY

I love cooking cauliflower leaves! It's also tasty if you saute garlic when you add onion if you like. It gives an extra rich flavor!:)

Here you can see more of my "zero waste" recipe series:

Cauliflower Leaves Miso Sautée:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE1gUEQKGyY

How to Utilise "Used Kombu": Tsukudani:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Ehq1DhkHg

Pumpkin Soup (Using Pumpkin Seeds):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HICuXKL1fqU

I hope that everybody can get through this challenging period.

11/04/2020

Japanese Seaweed&Umeboshi Soup 海藻と梅ぼしのお吸い物😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36fPOG6o2Q0

One of the unique qualities of Umeboshi includes the fact that it's great for digestion. Therefore, I can recommend to eat this soup in the next morning after drinking alcohol or eating too much. Also, because of its extremely sour flavour, this gives it the properties of a stimulant which tends to keep you wide awake. I know some athletes like to eat before a match to stimulate their bodies and increases concentration.

You can use different kinds of seaweed for this soup but I wouldn't recommend Kombu because it’s too hard for this dish. (It's edible and delicious to eat though.) Use softer seaweeds such as Wakame, Aosa or Hijiki. I used Arame this time.

I have offered Umeboshi to friends abroad and to be honest, almost all of them didn’t like it! lol So, it definitely has an acquired taste and it can be considered a Japanese delicacy! Try Umeboshi once in a lifetime! ;)

03/04/2020

How to Brew Japanese Green Tea (Sencha) with Kyusu 煎茶の淹れ方😉🍵
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilCFCO_TLJo

Today, I want to show you how I brew Japanese green tea (Sencha) with Kyusu. For me, Sencha is like speciality coffee. I love to try different single-origin Sencha from different farmers. Just like the brewing of speciality coffee is crucial, it is essential to learn the good manner to brew Sencha to achieve the best taste. I hope you enjoy brewing Sencha with Kyusu and seeking your own best way!;)

28/03/2020

A Japanese "intravenous drip" drink, Amazake🍚
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Q53V3n5dY

Amazake is a unique drink because of its thick texture, magical flavour and story behind. You can sip it in small amounts to enjoy its tranquil, calming taste.

If you go to a shrine during the New Year's celebration in Japan, you will see stands selling Amazake surrounded by people enjoying it. I believe that Amazake is deeply connected to aspects of our traditions, ceremonies, religion, and celebrations. If I had to choose one food or drink to represent Japanese culture, I'd choose Amazake.

In my video I explain Amazake as an "infusion drink." However, in Japan we call it an "intravenous drip" drink because it is so healthy.

Luckily nowadays Amazake is fun and easy to prepare from home. Because of its versatile nature, Amazake can be used as a sweetener, sauce, or even ice cream. In this recipe I use Japanese rice (typically sold as “sushi rice” or “milk rice” abroad). Different types of rice yield different results, so it’s fun to experiment too!;)

26/11/2019

Mr. Namae is one of the chefs that I respect most.

https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/l%27effervescence-zero-waste-restaurant-tokyo

At his acclaimed restaurant in Tokyo, chef Shinobu Namae looks for a connection to the land that goes beyond the ingredients he uses in the kitchen.

26/10/2019

Zero Waste Recipe: Cauliflower Leaves Miso Sautée😉🌿
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE1gUEQKGyY

It's a pity seeing people removing cauliflower leaves and a lot of them are left at a supermarket.

Actually, cauliflower is the same family as cabbage. So, we can cook them in the same way as cabbage and cauliflower leaves are in fact very tasty!

I would like to show you how we can cook them in a delicious, Japanese way;)

05/10/2019

Very first recipe video after moving to Amsterdam! "Corn Soup"🍽
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuTwS9M3OQs

I found fresh corns at organic farmer's market in Amsterdam, so I couldn't help but making a corn soup. Freshness is the key in particular when we cook a good corn soup and I highly recommend you to purchase at a farmer's market.

People tend to throw away cores and silks of corns but actually, they have a unique rich flavour and I always bring out the taste of cores and silks for soup.

As you may realise, it doesn't look a Japanese dish at all and I believe that this original recipe is originally from France. Yet, today, all most all Japanese children (and adults of course too) love a corn soup. (Especially, this is a typical dish in Hokkaido as Hokkaido produces the most corns in Japan.)

We sometimes get the first experience of tasting this magical flavour at a school meal when we are elementally school students. Or, we can even buy some from a vending machine in winter. Nonetheless, none of them can be as good as the one we cook by ourselves with fresh corns from local producers! This recipe is definitely worth trying once!;)

02/10/2019

Is anybody in the south of France? I'm currently traveling around Marseille, Nice and Lyon. I would love to explore sustainable projects and get to know local people there! (restaurants, stores, activities, co-working spaces, networking events..) Any tips are appreciated! 😉🌿

28/09/2019

Hello!! I'm back after 1 year break! It's my great pleasure that I could release my first video from my new city, Amsterdam;)

I upload my documentary films and articles on a different channel, "Earthackers". Here you can see my films and articles: "Earthackers" YouTube: https://www....

10/02/2019

I'm sorry for my loooooong break guys!! Today, I officially announce that I'm going to move to Amsterdam soon! I would like to start living there from 1st May and now I am looking for a room. If you know any place I might be able to move into, please let me know!

I prefer a private house but sharing with other roommates is also good. My budget is around 800€.

I'm polite, communicative and friendly. I clean up everything after my use of kitchen. (as you see in my video lol) I like having a meal with the others sometimes and would even cook some Japanese dishes spontaneously:)

I'll continuously work as a freelance documentary filmmaker / journalist for sustainable, circular economy activities there. Also, I really want to restart my recipe channel soon there.

I can't wait to start my new life! I look forward to seeing you all my friends in Amsterdam!😉

Big hugs,

Aki

12/08/2018

Hi there! Today, I finally launch my own sustainable web-magazine, "Earthackers"!! My purpose is to share socially beneficial, eco-friendly ideas across the world by my documentary films and articles. (Both in English & Japanese!) Please subscribe to the Earthackers youtube channel and like page as well in order to receive updates!:)

Earthackers: www.earthackers.com

I also created a supporters’ group in order to further expand this project and give you an opportunity to become a part of this ever-growing community. In return, I’d like to offer some incentives including access to full-length interview videos in addition to the normal introduction ones, a Skype chat together, and even an invitation to an annual meeting in Tokyo / Berlin.

Please check the supporters’ group here:
https://www.patreon.com/earthackers

I'm so excited to start introducing unique projects I have interviewed with through Earthackers!

I will surely keep uploading recipe videos too and I have been filming new recipes these days. They are a bit different from the others so far and might be interesting for you😉

Let’s share fascinating sustainable ideas through recipes, films, articles and all we can do together around the world! : )

Best regards,

Aki

Earthackers' Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Earthackers/
Earthackers' Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIT_fFOs5cD5lLLpAugq1qA?view_as=subscriber