Miso and butter are a fantastic combination. This is a delightful, wonderfully rich, tasty soup that is a snap to make and tastes a lot like miso ramen.

This is a lightly seasoned Japanese pasta, and is great for a school or work lunch box. Enjoy!

Tenshinhan is Chinese style Japanese food. You can find it in most of the Chinese restaurants in Japan, but you can not find it in China. It’s essentially a fried egg with kanikama (imitation crab) covered with a thick, sweet sauce. It’s great—one of the more unique Japanese foods you might find on this site.

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.

The Japanese word for sushi rolls is makizushi. And tuna rolls are called tekkamaki (tekka roughly translates to “red hot iron”, because of the tuna’s resemblance to one). Cucumber rolls are called kappamaki (kappa is a mythological Japanese creature whose favorite food is cucumber). These are the most common sushi rolls in Japan.

“Nasu” is the Japanese word for eggplant, and “gyuniku” is beef. “Amazu” means sweet vinegar sauce. Japanese eggplant is smaller than western eggplant, but you can use either kind for this recipe.

Japanese: nasu to gyuniku no amazu itame

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.

This recipe is for fried gyoza (dumplings). Many restaurants actually use frozen dumplings, but this is how you make them by hand. They taste the best right after you pull them out of the fryer.

The combination of cheese and mochi (rice cake) gives the okonomiyaki a gooey texture, kind of like a cheese pizza. It’s fun to make a variety of okonomiyaki for parties.

Also check out my recipe for Kansai style okonomiyaki.

Pizza is a popular food to order in Japan, but we have some original recipes as well. This recipe is for a teriyaki chicken pizza. Perhaps it’s very different than the pizza that you may be used to, but it’s unique and tastes great!!

Konnyaku is made from konnyaku potato (yams). It has lots of fiber and is very low in calories, so its very good for your diet!

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

“Nabe” is the Japanese word for everything in one pot. There are many kinds of Nabe—it’s simple and great party food. It is also popular to eat in winter to make the body warm. I used chicken in this recipe but you can use beef, pork, seafood, and of course your favorite vegetables.

Chicken breast becomes dry and hard when you stir fry (compared to thigh meat) but this recipe shows you how to make chicken breast soft and tasty.

Nitsuke is a Japanese word that means “to boil with spices and add flavor.” Thick and meaty, itoyori is a white fish perfect for this recipe. However, you can use a different white meat fish to make this recipe if you cannot find itoyori.

Chicken Karaage is a very common Japanese home cooking recipe and many Japanese restaurants in countries all over the world have it on the menu.
Very simple and tasty!!

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.

This is similar to my Tanuki Udon recipe, but I used Kishimen, which is a thin, flat noodle, and, of course, egg. Feel free to substitute the noodles for your favorite type!

Saba Miso is a very common Japanese home cooking meal. People typically eat Saba Miso with steamed rice. This is one of my family’s favorite meals and I have very good memories of my grandmother making it for me and my father when I was a child.

Satsuma age is a fried fish cake from Kagoshima, Japan. Please try it if you’re ever here! There are many kinds of satsuma age available, so if you have a chance, try a few and pick your favorite!. My grandfather is from Kyuushu and he recently brought us a fresh batch. It was delicious!

Fried rice is typically very easy to make but a little hard to make it taste great. But the more you make it, the better it gets! Beef and pickled ginger is my favorite fried rice combination, but if you don’t like or cannot find pickled ginger, try regular pickles. It may sound strange but tastes great!

This is a very popular home cooking meal. It has been in Japan for over a hundred years and many families have their own custom version of this recipe. Enjoy!!

This is another mentaiko recipe! Mentaiko is seasoned cod fish eggs. It may be hard to find where you live, but some Japanese supermarkets sell them frozen. Many izakaya (Japanese drinking establishments) serve this type of potato salad. It’s easy and delicious!

This is an old favorite of mine. Great for an afternoon or late night snack. It’s easy and always tastes great! I’ll often have these for my obento (lunch box) too!

Gomoku Yakisoba is crispy, grilled noodles with vegetables, pork, and seafood, in a hearty, thick sauce. It’s great to make with your friends and enjoy in a large dish on a hot plate around the table.

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).

“Tori Dango” means chicken meatballs, and “Zōsui” means rice soup. My family loves zōsui, and this was one of my favorites as a child. Loved the chicken meatballs! Zōsui is very easy to make and perfect for a low calorie diet. Also check out Kaki Zōsui and Tamago Zōsui!

“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!

You can find many varieties of steak in Japan. At Japanese-style steakhouses we eat with chopsticks, so when the meal comes, the beef is already cut into bite sizes! Miso is delicious with beef, so please give it a shot when you want to try something different.

Mizuna is a Japanese vegetable, also called Japanese Mustard or California Peppergrass, which used for hotpots, salads, and pasta, among other things. This is just a quick little side dish you can throw together, especially if you have some mizuna leftover from other recipe.

Nikudofu is a popular dish in Japanese homes. The taste is similar to sukiyaki, but it is much easier to make, so you can whip it together if you’re busy or just feeling lazy!

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.

Nitamago is a very tasty boiled egg. It is a very common ingredient in Japanese Ramen noodles. Even if you’re only making instant ramen noodles, the addition of a nitamago can really spice up your meal. Thanks to Udom for the suggestion!

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!

Tantanmen is a Chinese noodle dish, and very popular in Japan. There are many tantanmen restaurants in Japan and some ramen houses serve it as well, but tantanmen is much easier than making ramen soup—and tastes great! This contains some Chinese spices that are not very common but many Chinese supermarkets have them in the spices aisle.

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!

Have you had Anko Nabe? The fish in this recipe looks very strange, but it contains a lot of collagen, which is great for your skin. I had it last night and my skin looks better today! The goosefish’s meat is thick and tastes very mild. This dish is great for your health, and perfect if you are dieting!

Kyoto is finally warming up! It feels like Spring is right around the corner. Soon the sakura (cherry blossoms) will be blooming all over Japan! I’ll be sure to post some pictures here when they do. This recipe is a Japanese rice soup made with steamed rice, and is great for a healthy diet! I posted a similar recipe a while back, Tamago Zōsui, but today I used fresh oysters! So good!

Salmon Cream Pasta is a popular item in Japanese-Italian restaurants. Not technically a Japanese dish, but it is popular in Japanese homes, so I thought I’d share it with you. Also, this tastes great with a little ikura (salmon eggs) on top.

Sweet and Sour Pork is a popular pork recipe from China (there it is called “Subuta”) and is very common in North America.

Many recipes call for ketchup for the “sour,” but we’ll take a different approach here.

Tanuki Udon is Kyoto’s original Udon soup. This particular Udon is thick and contains ground ginger for a special taste. Most Kyoto Udon restaurants serve Tanuki Udon but it is harder to find in other cities. Ginger and green onion are good for a sore throat, so this is also a good recipe if you are feeling sick, and is great overall for a healthy diet.

Japanese: Guratan.
Gratan is originally comes from French cuisine and is very popular food in Japan. Most common gratan is baked macaroni, chicken and vegetables in a white sauce with cheese, but there are many kinds and sometimes we make original Japanese styles like tofu gratin!

This is a Chinese style stir fry. You can use Chinese soup powder or chicken soup powder for sauce and for the stir fry, Chinese cabbage, carrot, pork, other vegetables, and mix it with katakuriko to thicken. We also have donburi dish called “Chuka don” in which you put Chinese stir fry on a ball of rice.

We use ground daikon in many ways: with grilled fish, grilled egg, soba, nabe, etc. It makes for a light dish, also has lots of vitamin C, so it’s good for your health! This recipe contains a little bacon, and as you know, everything goes better with bacon, so enjoy!

Chawanmushi is a Japanese traditional steamed egg and dashi custard dish with mushroom, kamaboko, shrimp, and chicken. Chawan means tea cup and mushi is steam, so this is literally called “tea cup steam”. If you can not find some of the ingredients you may omit them and the dish will still be delicious! This dish is great for your diet.