I had been looking forward to this day for so long! When I was visiting a friend’s home here in Tokyo last month, I remarked on her beautiful and spacious kitchen. Since moving to Tokyo, my kitchenette is so tiny that I lost the inspiration to cook. Back home in Vancouver, though, cooking is one of my greatest hobbies.
She kindly invited me back to cook a dish in her kitchen. She is already well-versed in Western cuisine such as French and Italian. So, I tried to think of something that would be new and exciting to her and the other guests. I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind, “Burritos!”
That actually turned out to be more of a challenge than I thought! Finding full-size tortillas and canned black beans in Japan is no easy task. I didn’t even try looking for guacamole, so I made my own.
Guacamole ingredients:
– avocadoes
– salt
– chili (I used Japanese shichimi.)
– shikuwasa juice (A type of Okinawan fruit. I decided to try it instead of lime juice!)
– Kewpie mayonnaise (Okay, I know this isn’t orthodox. But, I wanted to make it a bit sweeter and creamier to suit the Japanese pallet.)
When I arrived at her home at 11:00, she was brewing a pot of chai that she made using her own whole spices. Delicious!
After everyone else arrived (three teachers from the school where I work), we sat and chatted for a while as we sipped on our tea. Then, we got to work prepping our meal. They kindly offered to help me, which definitely sped up the process! I started cooking the taco meat, while they chopped up the cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.
To a small jar of store-bought salsa, I added finely diced cherry tomatoes, onion, and garlic, along with some salt, red chili and black pepper.
All in all, the burrito included ground pork seasoned with taco spice, beans, shredded cheese, guacamole, salsa, diced onions, and shredded cabbage. After rolling, I topped the burritos with more salsa and a dollop of thick sour cream.
…And they came out amazing! I had been worried that the strong spices and flavours of burritos (especially the way I make them!) would be too overwhelming or unpleasant to the Japanese pallet, but they assured me that they loved it!
They also kindly brought an assortment of cheeses, cold-cut meats, and drinks. That was some good cheese 🙂
The host also prepared a cauliflower salad, and even rushed out at some point that afternoon to pick up her order of tarte tatin cakes from a local patisserie. They were the last two slices, so she also picked up an assortment of tarts and cheesecakes. All delicious.
Elle's Room 
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