Nira is a green vegetable called “chives” in English and tama means egg in Japanese. I used fresh, organic nira that my teacher, Don, grew in his back yard. This vegetable has a unique smell and may be new to you. But the smell goes away after you cook it, is loaded with vitamins, and is good for eliminating fatigue. If you have a chance to go to an Asian supermarket, please look for this vegetable! It’s a great side dish!

Gobo is known as burdock root in English. It is a fibrous vegetable seldom used in North America and Australia, but you can find it at most Asian groceries. This salad is popular way to eat gobo. Many izakaya restaurants serve this salad as an appetizer in Japan and you can also buy it at supermarkets or delis.

This is a very common way to eat mochi. It is also called kinako (soy powder) mochi. This may be an unusual taste for the Western palate, but I’m confident its muted sweetness and unique texture will win you over.

Konnyaku is made from yams. “Nimono” means boiled and seasoned in Japanese. A few readers have requested more vegetarian dishes, so here is simple and delicious offering. If you can not find konnyaku, try daikon by itself, or other vegetables (potato, carrot etc), or tofu.

Mitarashi Dango is a Japanese sweet with mochi (rice cake) and thick, sweet sauce. It is originally from my hometown, Kyoto, but you can find it everywhere in Japan—even convenience stores. It is very good with hot tea.

For those of you who do not have a rice maker, this recipe will show you have how to make Japanese steamed rice in a saucepan.

Kyuuri is the Japanese word for cucumber, and goma is sesame. Japanese cucumbers are much thin and shorter than American cucumbers, and the taste little different, but you can use either. If you do not like skin or seeds, please remove them before adding salt.

We call hamburgers without the bun “hambaagu” so in Japan this dish would be called “Tofu Hambaagu”, even though there is no meat inside. This is a light dish, very healthy, and tastes almost like potatoes. Great for a side dish or the main dish of a small meal. Enjoy!

Jyaga Bata Yaki means baked potatoes with butter soy sauce. This is an easy side dish recipe that goes well with miso steak.

Tofu Steak is simple, healthy appetizer, or a perfect side dish for many of the other recipes on this site!

Hourensou is the Japanese word for spinach. This recipe is very simple, but it is my favorite way to enjoy this healthy vegetable. Popeye is a very famous cartoon in Japan. When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me to eat more spinach to be strong like Popeye.

Kinpira is a Japanese cooking style in which strips of ingredients are stir fried and seasoned with sugar and soy sauce. Kinpira gobou is the most popular kinpira dish. I made potato kinpira before. This is popular item for Japanese bento (lunch boxes).

“Koyadofu” is the Japanese word for dried tofu. “Tamago” is egg. And “toji” refers to preparing a dish mixed with egg. Koyadofu no Tamagotoji. It’s a healthy, filling dish that is great if you’re on a diet. When I was a child, my obaachan (grandmother) made this for me whenever she came to visit. Reminds me of her so much!

The nanohana plant is entirely edible, and the plant it is also the source of healthy Canola oil. Nanohana is a springtime flower, and in some areas of Japan you can find fields of the flower formed into mazes so visitors can wander through the blossoms and enjoy their beauty. Nanohana bloom just before sakura here in Japan, so they are kind of a prelude to spring, even though they are beautiful in their own right.

“Yasai” is the Japanese word for vegetables, and “Yaki Udon” is stir-fried udon. If you are on diet or want to eat low calorie food, you can add more cabbage or beans sprouts and add less sugar.

Tempura is a very popular Japanese dish all over the world. Basically it is battered and fried seafood and vegetables. We have been eating tempura over 300 years and there are many traditional, high quality tempura restaurants in Japan. This is simple dish but it takes a bit of work, and can be dangerous, so if you are not used to cooking with oil, please be careful!

Japanese: hourensou no shiraae. This is a very common side dish in Kyoto home cooking. We call side dishes “obanzai”. In Kyoto you’ll find many obanzai buffets and restaurants, where the items on the menu are served in small portions and are usually a mix of vegetables and fish. This dish is great for your health, and a perfect side if you are dieting!

Yakisoba is a popular Japanese fried noodle dish. We typically use yakisoba (chuka) noodles for the recipe but I used angel hair pasta instead and it turned out really well!

Agedashi tofu is common tofu dish served in dashi sauce. Many Japanese restaurants in foreign countries serve this dish. It’s simple and very tasty. Enjoy!

Zosui is Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice. When we make Nabe (japanese hot pot), we make zosui after with the hot pot soup. It good to eat when you are feel sick or have a hangover and is also easy on the waistline.

Kinpira is a Japanese cooking style in which strips of ingredients are stir-fried and seasoned with sugar and soy sauce. Gobou (burdock) is the most common vegetable for kinpira. I made jyagaimo (potato) and ninjin (carrot) kinpira for this recipe. It takes only 10 minutes to make, and is good as a side dish.

Japanese： Niratama Moyashi Itame.
Nira (Garlic chives) has a peculiar smell and tastes exactly like garlic. Nira is not very well known in the Western world, but it is making some inroads. It is known in Japan for it’s nourishing and invigorating qualities. We often put nira in gyoza.

Japanese: Komatsuna to Aburaage no Nibitashi. Komatsuna is a leafy Asian vegetable, historically only available in the winter months, but these days you can buy it in any season. “Aburaage” is Japanese for deep fried tofu and “nibitashi” means boiled, seasoned, and marinated. If you can not find komatsuna, try spinach—it also compliments this recipe.

Japanese: Kabocha no nimono. “Nimono” is the word for food that is boiled and seasoned. Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin. Kansai people call it “kabocha no taitan”. Pumpkins have lots of vitamins and dietary fibers. You can eat many pumpkins this way because it is very soft and sweet.

Tofu is healthy and low calorie for your diet, so many girls like to eat it. Tofu salad is a popular salad for restaurants in Japan. Please try it with your favorite vegetables. Tofu goes with pretty much everything! There are two basic kinds of tofu: “kinugoshi” (soft) and “momen” (hard). I used momen for this salad.

Miso soup is called “misoshiru” in Japanese. It is a traditional Japanese soup in which we use dashi for the base, then mix with miso paste. There are many kinds of miso soup: tofu, daikon, potato, shell, club, pork, etc…. Each Japanese family has is its own brand of miso soup, which we refer to as “Mother’s Taste”.

Japanese: Yasai Itame. The Japanese word for Vegetable Stir Fry is “Yasai Itame”. Yasai means vegetable and itame is stir fry. You can also use any kind of vegetables in this recipe. Please try with your favorite vegetable and stay healthy for this hot summer!

This is a recipe for basic Japanese potato salad. It’s made frequently at home and often finds its way into bento boxes (lunch boxes). It is delicious on its own, as well as in a sandwich. Add fruit (oranges or apples) and other vegetables like cabbage or cucumbers to mix it up. I prefer to use Japanese mayonnaise for this recipe.