When my friend Koji asked if Abe and I wanted to take a Koji Workshop at the Japanese American National Museum this morning, I was a little confused.

Turns out Koji was not talking about himself (although he HAS ran some writing ones). Koji is also the name of a microorganism that aids in digestion and not only adds flavor + umami, but tenderizes proteins – from chicken…

…to eggs!

We started off by making our own “Koji Salt” – this is a great alternative for those trying to cut down on their sodium intake. The batches we made you get in a package and add water to…

…or you can buy the ready-made sauce and not have to wait 7-10 days for it to ferment.

Our teacher was Myoho Asari (aided/translated by master noodle-maker Sonoko Sakai) – she told us to taste the Koji salt by rubbing it on our hands, and licking it off (a la tequila shots)…

…there was a lot of food tasting happening!

Koji Blueberry Jam with Chobani…

…Shio Koji Tamago…

…Koji Salmon Cakes…

…and Chicken ones too!

Whenever more flavor was needed, I just added Creamy Koji to taste, plus this Yuzu Pepper Sauce for kick.

We all took turns cooking…

…even Abe got into it!

Our final samples were big cups of Shio Koji Chicken Vegetable Soup…

…Onigiri with Koji Sesame Furikake…

…and Koji Cabbage + Cucumber Pickles.

I can totally see why Koji is known as “the miracle condiment” – all these dishes were SUPER easy but tasted incredible. Sonoko said she uses this as her “cheat seasoning” – bringing complexity to the simplest ingredients. I’m pretty sure this must be what Umami Burger’s “secret ingredient” is because those fish/salmon cakes were just as tender/juicy/flavorful. I’ve posted the recipes (and more pictures) on The Actor’s Diet Facebook page.

Thanks Koji for introducing me to Koji!

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I don’t usually drive 2 hours to lunch, but when P.F. Chang’s contacted me to try out their brand new menu, I used it as an excuse to catch up with my girlfriend Emily.

I have only been to this chain once – years ago – but it looks different from what I remember…

…they’re remodeling for the 20th Anniversary.

The Irvine Spectrum location is the first one with this revamped look/special menu, with a rollout nationally on June 19th.

We ordered the Heirloom Tomato and Thai Basil Salad…

(FYI – actually regular Italian basil)

…Spicy Tuna Roll…

…Summer Vegetable Quinoa topped with a Sunny Side Egg…

…and Grilled Prawns with Red Curry Peanut Noodles.

I scored all the Prawns, since Emily doesn’t eat them.

Our overall favorite was definitely the quinoa – the desserts sounded great (there are some new menu items on this as well)…

…but I was too full and just had a fortune cookie instead.

Plenty of leftovers for Abe…

…I ate the remaining four pieces of sushi for dinner…

…and a big apple.

Happy change of seasons!

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Chip, chip hooray!!!

We’re always happy in this house when a delivery from Food Should Taste Good arrives.

To celebrate the launch of their “Let’s Summer” campaign, they sent a beach bag filled with goodies…

…including something for Julius!

Of course, they included their delicious snacks as well – I didn’t eat any (yet) but I did enter the Code # at the top of the bag to see if I won a prize…

…sadly I did not, but maybe you will!

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Sweets from Stanford…

…followed by Sweets from Sqirl!

Ah, Cookies + Art…

…for James Gulliver Hancock’s All The Buildings in NY book launch.

We walked from Poketo…

…over to The Pie Hole…

…and shared a Spring Crostada…

…Spinach + Mushroom Pot Pie…

…and one last sweet!

Sour Cherry. I left most of it for Abe – had enough sugar.

The evening ended on a high – we drove around aimlessly, listening to the new Daft Punk Album…

…which is also pretty sweet.

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Had my annual eye exam this morning…

…while waiting I was hoping to catch some Crazy Rich Asians coverage – the press thus far has been amazing – Oprah Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Publisher’s Weekly, and what I thought was Travel + Leisure but was actually Conde Nast Traveler.

I feel like I actually traveled to Southeast Asia afterwards!

Stopped by Bangkok Market on Melrose…

…filled with ALL KINDS of amazingness – some familiar…

…and some a little more ???

There’s also a butcher, and a produce section…

…but alas, no melon! I had to stop by Pavillions to pick up my breakfast…

…and look what I found in the current issue of Vogue!!!

You can also actually HEAR an excerpt of me reading on the Random House site now – the book comes out June 11th but you can preorder it online.

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