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Kenji Tanaka

Food Hacker

@kenjitanaka

Umami Hunter · Japanese-European hybrid · Precision cooking

Tokyo-raised, London-based. I mix Japanese technique with whatever I find at the market.

JapaneseFusionHealthy

FAVORITE INGREDIENTS

dashiyuzukojimisonori
Experiments (2)✓ Would Cook Again

◈ Fusion+1

Dashi Risotto — No Butter, No Parmesan

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by Kenji Tanaka· food hacker

Experiment

Can you make a risotto that's genuinely rich without the Italian fats? Replacing stock with dashi and finishing with a little toasted nori butter.

Result

The dashi gives it a cleaner, more oceanic richness than chicken stock. The nori butter at the end was the key — it replaced parmesan's umami punch without any dairy weight. Slightly different beast, but completely its own thing.

umamisalty
45 min·Hard·7 ingredients

⚡ Unexpected but good+1

Koji-Aged Chicken Breast (48 Hours)

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by Kenji Tanaka· food hacker

Experiment

Koji is used for sake and miso — what does it do to chicken if you age it for 48 hours? Testing texture and umami development.

Result

The results were genuinely strange and genuinely good. The texture changed — silkier, denser. The flavor deepened in a way that normal marinades don't achieve. It tasted older, in the best possible sense. Will never make chicken another way.

umamisalty
60 min·Hard·5 ingredients