Hiroko Shimbo

Hiroko Shimbo Japanese Cuisine authority; award winning Japanese cookbook author; chef-instructor; consultant to food industries; Japan tour creator and operator

Instead of using high-fructose corn syrup mirin or ‘a kind of mirin - mirinfuu’, I have found a much better alternative-...
03/17/2026

Instead of using high-fructose corn syrup mirin or ‘a kind of mirin - mirinfuu’, I have found a much better alternative- one that keeps the flavor clean, balanced and true to Japanese cooking. Great Eastern Sun carries a product called Sweet Cloud - an organic, maltose-dominant brown rice syrup with gentle sweetness, slow browning and a clean, neutral finish. It is so close to mirin in behavior that I simply mix 10ml sake with 5 ml rice syrup to create an instant, high-quality mirin substitute. .avl




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Pure luck! I found them and felt a gold digger in Chinatown. After simmering the shoots in rice bran and Japanese red ch...
03/17/2026

Pure luck! I found them and felt a gold digger in Chinatown. After simmering the shoots in rice bran and Japanese red chile pepper, akatogarashi, peeling the husks reveals that tender, aromatic and crunchy core- perfect for Takikomi Gohan. Learn how to prep and cook this spring treasure in the April newsletter at hirokoskitchen.com.




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I turned Dassai’s beautiful sakekasu, sake Lee酒粕, into kasu-dojo, matured version. Kasu-dojo is a marinating base of sak...
03/17/2026

I turned Dassai’s beautiful sakekasu, sake Lee酒粕, into kasu-dojo, matured version. Kasu-dojo is a marinating base of sake lees, mirin, sake, salt, sugar and miso. It’s one of the most delicious ways to honor the byproduct of sake brewing and transform it into ingredient which can produce unlimited nourishing, flavorful dishes. Sake-doko keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to 2 months: alcohol, organic acid, salt, low water activity, and aroma. Sake-Doko works all protein and vegetables!




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The snow that both entertained and annoyed me for two months has finally melted away in the garden…so I made a little ce...
03/17/2026

The snow that both entertained and annoyed me for two months has finally melted away in the garden…so I made a little celebration dish: tofu sauce mimicking the last patches of snow on the ground. Goodbye winter, hello spring. Spring calls for something green- and instead of seasonal fruit, I grabbed kiwi and Granny Smith for their textured, acidity and aroma. Not traditional, but perfect in this tofu dressing. Shaved lemon rind mimicking the forsythia, which shows burst of bright yellow flower before almost anything else. Fresh, bright and a little mischievous! By the way it plunged into the 20s this morning, but no snow in the forecast.

Looking forward to the Event!
03/12/2026

Looking forward to the Event!

Buta no Kakuni has its roots in Chinese red-cooked pork belly, but over time it evolved into a distinctly Japanese dish....
03/08/2026

Buta no Kakuni has its roots in Chinese red-cooked pork belly, but over time it evolved into a distinctly Japanese dish. The version from Okinawa-rafute- is especially famous, characterized by long, gentle simmering in Shochu added cooking liquid. To remove fat from pork belly, one traditional method is to cook meat with rice bran, nuka. The bran’s proteins and fine particles help bind and trap fat and impurities, resulting in a cleaner broth and fine flavors. My own preparations begin with browning pork on all sides, which melts out a significant amount of surface fat. I then pour hot water all over the meat to wash away any remaining grease before starting braising. The result is clean, less fatty and balanced kakuni dish that highlights the natural richness of this special cut without heaviness. I serve it with lemon-flavored sweet potato, an excellent palate refresher that lifts the dish and brings brightness to the presentation. Adding Onsen tamago is another idea making the dish more richly-tasting.



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Cucumber and red radish pickles in sweet white miso and Japanese mustard - Karashi-zuke. I always make this style of pic...
03/08/2026

Cucumber and red radish pickles in sweet white miso and Japanese mustard - Karashi-zuke. I always make this style of pickles with tiny summer eggplants, Fairy Tale eggplant - those tiny summer eggplants whose firm skins are perfectly suitable to a miso cure. Using cucumber and radish is a seasonal compromise, but the techniques shines. Japanese Karashi mustard is made of Brassica junca(brown mustard) or B. nigra(black variety). It is known for an extra sharp, clean pungency. It is a dry powder and mix with water just before use. It has to be stirred vigorously untill sharpness hit our nostrils. When blended into sweet miso it produces a bright sharp pickling base with pleasant sweetness. The result is salty, sweet and pungent pickles which are extra crunchy. Mustard does have antibacterial and antifungal properties. This is one of the reasons Karashi works so beautifully in pickles. American mustard which has vinegar, turmeric for color, salt, sugar and water doesn’t work.



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A simple Suimono soup, but the favorite of the vegetable day. The clean dashi allows the maitake’s aroma and texture - f...
03/08/2026

A simple Suimono soup, but the favorite of the vegetable day. The clean dashi allows the maitake’s aroma and texture - flash fried, tenderness of spinach , and the rich flavor of shiitake to come forward with clarity. Again here, each ingredient is united by clear umami-rich dashi, creating quite luxurious feeling.




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Agebitashi with zucchini, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, leak and Satoimo taro. Yes-the selection is sadly admittedly a lit...
03/08/2026

Agebitashi with zucchini, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, leak and Satoimo taro. Yes-the selection is sadly admittedly a little unruly, a gathering of vegetables that don’t share a season. I am waiting for returning to the spring farmers markets. Once it does, there will be no more “mishmash” dishes like this. But, even with this eclectic mix, the dish holds together because dashi is the anchor. It’s umami seasons and elevates the flavor of each vegetable. That is the point of this dish. Delicious!




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We have transformed the generic school dining room to a gorgeous fine dining room. White tablecloth, flower arrangements...
03/03/2026

We have transformed the generic school dining room to a gorgeous fine dining room. White tablecloth, flower arrangements and eighty or so origami ‘tsuru’, cranes. Everyone contributed to the creation.



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The Advanced block final project - Shokado Bento Box Kaiseki Dinner to sponsors - ended with a success, which boosted t...
03/03/2026

The Advanced block final project - Shokado Bento Box Kaiseki Dinner to sponsors - ended with a success, which boosted the students’ confidence. Under Murashima-sensei’s lead the students grow strongly. They are now visiting Japan under Japan Study Trip. I cannot wait for their come back to my kitchen, the last block of Inspiration, on March 30. Have a great trip and absorb more, as much as you can. No matter how much you learn, you are still biting into the tip of iceberg. Continue your study in and out of the lab kitchen.





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02/23/2026

The students are eager to master the Katsuramuki technique, and Justin (big congrats!) has shown remarkable improvement- an encouraging sign that motivates everyone to keep refining their skills. Within the program, students have only four days dedicated sushi, one of which is the Practical, where they serve invited guests. Filleting the fish correctly and cutting into with precision are essential foundations for making excellent nigirizushi. Yet, even when the fish is perfectly prepared, the hand-forming process can easily destroy the quality of fish if not executed with care. From start to finish, attention to details is the defining requirement. Just having a bite of sushi chef life, but it is a big bite for the students. When visiting Japan, please watch the sushi chef and learn more!




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