This episode is supported by JapanCulture•NYC, the English-language website about all things Japanese in New York City.

Toshiki and Susan welcome cookbook author Sonoko Sakai to New York. Ahead of a weeklong press tour promoting Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors, Sonoko visits Susan's apartment kitchen to prepare dashi for her food demos and to make the pickle dish daikon namasu in honor of The Big Root. A writer, teacher, noodle maker, and grain activist based in Los Angeles, Sonoko is passionate about sharing Japanese home cooking to Americans. Her perspective on the authenticity of food has been shaped by her international upbringing, and although globalization has made international cuisine more accessible, her cookbook addresses topics such as sustainability and supporting domestic farmers and fishermen. Through her cookbooks and workshops, Sonoko hopes to educate both Japanese Americans and non-Japanese Americans the essentials of the Japanese pantry. Heating the dry ingredients shiitake mushroom, kombu, and bonito flakes in a pot of water, Sonoko teaches us: It starts with dashi. She uses a cold-brew dashi to build the flavor in our daikon namasu, a traditional New Year dish that embodies the white purity of the beloved winter radish and the red fire of carrot, chili pepper, and hoshigaki. Garnished with the rind of yuzu from Sonoko's tree in Los Angeles, it serves as the perfect addition to any Japanese homemade meal.