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Explore all of the upcoming programs and events at the Center.
Wagashi Sweets Virtual Cooking Workshop – May 2021
Saturday, May 15, 2021
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Instructors: Larry Sokyo Tiscornia and Kimika Soko Takechi
$10 Center Members, $15 General Public
Connect via Zoom; Meeting ID and password to be issued upon registration
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Join us for a virtual Zoom Wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) Workshop! During this workshop, two varieties of bamboo-wrapped wagashi will be made. Sasamaki are bamboo leaf-wrapped sweets and often served during the summer months bringing a refreshing feeling to the guests. Chimaki are bamboo leaf-wrapped dumplings served during the Children’s Day and Gion Matsuri festivals. Both sweets will be filled with a kuzu (kudzu) starch and kurozato (black sugar) filling and then steamed. The ingredients are available at many Bay Area Asian markets and online through Amazon. If participants want to follow along they will need to prepare the bamboo leaves in advance so they are ready when the workshop begins (see recipe, provided upon registration). We will demonstrate how to cut the leaves into the proper size as well as how to wrap the sasamaki and chimaki during the workshop.
Sign up for our online cooking webinar with chef Kenji Yokoo and learn how to make the popular dish, omurice!
Sunday, May 23, 2021
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
$7 Center Members / $10 General Public
Connect via Zoom; Meeting ID and password to be issued upon registration
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Omurice is a family favorite home cooked meal in Japan, loved by kids and grownups alike. Omurice is a typical “yoshoku” or western-style meal that was very popular when Kenji was growing up in the Showa period. Kenji’s grandmother and other home cooks in those days learned to make many yoshoku meals for their families which were considered modern and “kakoii.” The trickiest part of omurice is making the omelette, and in this lesson Kenji will give you tips on how to make the perfect “torotoro” omelette (torotoro is Japanese for soft, creamy and melty) which is essential for delicious omurice.
In our cooking class, you’ll be joining Kenji over Zoom, and you can either watch and enjoy, or follow along in your own kitchen with Kenji’s instructions and make your own omurice during the webinar!
For those of you who wish to cook along with Kenji, please gather or prepare the following ingredients and supplies in advance:
Ingredients:
Makes 2 omurice
Chicken rice:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups warm cooked rice
- 1/2 lb chicken cut into small bite-size pieces
- 1/2 onion diced
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 1/2 cup cooked green peas
- pinch of salt
- pepper to taste
Omelette:
- 3 eggs (per omelette)
- 1 tbsp milk (per omelette)
- 1 tbsp butter
- pinch of salt (per omelette)
- chopped parsley to taste
Equipment:
- knife
- cutting board
- 8 inch fry pan
- saibashi (cooking chopsticks)
- spatula
- medium size bowl
About Kenji Yokoo
Kenji Yokoo, founder of the Bay Area based “Kenji’s Kitchen,” was born and raised in southern rural Japan and has been passionate about cooking from a very young age. As is common in Japan, he grew up in a home with three generations and spent all his time with his grandmother in the kitchen. She taught him everything he knows about cooking. Kenji learned from his grandmother not just traditional Japanese cooking techniques, but that the purpose of cooking is to bring joy to the people that you are cooking for. Kenji was given the Bay Area “Quality Champion” award by Airbnb for receiving the highest quality scores on his cooking classes. Kenji has also taught team building events with Japanese cooking for many Bay Area companies including Google, Adobe, Airbnb and Facebook. Kenji is also a cooking instructor at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California where he runs online webinars on traditional Japanese dishes. Click here to view Kenji’s Kitchen YouTube Channel
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