Recipes
What would you like to eat today?
This is where you can find my recipes (and a little bit more.) All my recipes are grouped below by category. Take a look according to what type of dish you wish to try out. Once you've found it, simply click on the recipe to go to the recipe's dedicated page. Once you're inside the recipe, you can also find a video tutorial by clicking on the button under the "how to" section.
Recipes
What would you like to eat today? When you find what you're looking for, just click on the dish title to find your recipe. If video is more your thing, click on the Youtube at the bottom of the recipe to navigate to the video tutorial.
The Japanese word "katsu" is actually a derivation of the English word "cutlet". The original Japanese katsu dish was pork, AKA tonkatsu. These days, you can find lots of other katsu recipes - common to all of them is that they are deep fried in a coating of panko (breadcrumbs). You can find vegetarian and vegan friendly katsu too - my particular favourite is aubergine katsu.
The Japanese love a curry, or to be more exact, the Japanese love a Japanese curry. There are two things that stand out about a Japanese curry - one is that they are dead easy to prepare thanks to that great Japanese invention the curry roux cube. The second thing is that Japanese are typically quite fruity and sweet rather than spicy and very hot. If you love your vindaloo, then Japanese curry may not be for you but if you prefer milder curry with more flavour than heat, I suggest you check them out!
Teriyaki Chicken Large Sushi Rolls
Tuna & Spring Onion California Rolls
Salmon & Avocado Inside Out Rolls
Seafood Stick & Cucumber Inside Out Rolls
Sushi & Sashimi need no introduction. What's more, they don't require too much practice to master the basics. You might need to watch my videos once or twice to get you going but after a few attempts, I'm sure you'll have the hang of it!
You might be surprised to hear that tempura isn't originally Japanese but Portugese. Portugese traders introdcued it to Japan during the 17th century and the Japanese took up the idea with gusto. Nowadays tempura is considered one of the foundations of Japanese cuisine. "Age-mono" means deep fried in Japanese, so this section includes other deep fried seafood.
Aubergine & Bell Pepper Nabe Shigi
Fried Aubergine in Ponzu dressing
Okonomiyaki with Cheddar cheese
Sesame & Soy stir fried Konnyaku
Sweet Potato Mochi with Cheese
80% of Japan is mountainous so it's not difficult to understand why livestock farming has traditionally taken a back seat to the cultivation of plants. There's some history involved too, for hundreds of years, the eating of meat in Japan was forbidden. So vegetable cuisine is highly developed and I've brought the most popular recipes here to be enjoyed by you!
Shiso & Mizuna Salad with Tahini
Root Vegetable Salad with Mayo Tahini Dressing
Fried Tofu Salad with Tahini & Soy Dressing
Japanese Kabocha Pumpkin Salad
Chickpea & Cauli Salad with Cumin & Honey dressing
Daikon and Tuna Salad in a Sesame dressing
The Japanese eat a lot of veg. It's one reason why they live so long. In the UK, people are encouraged to "eat five-a-day" portions of fruit and veg. In Japan, that's "fifteen-a-day", so I think you get the picture. The salads you'll find here can be served as a side dish as art of a larger meal but they can also stand on their own as a light lunch or supper.
Onigiri, a rice ball formed with the hands. Time was when a rice ball was simply that - a ball of rice. But nowadays, there are all sorts of fillings and things you can sprinkle on the outside of your onigiri to make them into a tasty little snack. Even better, they are really fun to make and experiment with!
So what is an "onigirazu"? The literal meaning in Japanese is "without pressing" which means that unlike an "onigiri" which is made by forming a ball of rice with your hands, the "onigirazu" is made without any forming. But don't worry, making an onigirazu is a lot easier than explaining what it means!
This section covers dishes where the theme is small pieces of food spread over a bed of rice. "Poke" bowls and "Chirashi" bowls both have their origins in the practice of using small scraps of fish that would otherwise be thrown away - in the case of the Poke bowl by Hawaian fishermen and in the case of Chirashi by Japanese sushi chefs.
Fruit Sandwich with Strawberry & Kiwi
Matcha & White Chocolate Cookies
Cheese and Sundried Tomato Scones
Japanese foods isn't just about savoury dishes. The Japanese love sweet desserts and have invented the "fruit sando", a white bread sandwich stuffed with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Fruit jellies are another Japanses favourite made with seaweed derived kanten rather than gelatine.
Even if you don't fancy cooking something with a little Japanese inspiration, why not flavour your dishes with a Japanese sauce or dressing? These sauces suit most red and white meats, fish and vegetable dishes. The salad dressing make a welcome change from a vinaigrette or mayo dressing. What's more, none of them takes more than 10 mins to prepare!
Japanese slow cooked Pork Belly
Japanese deep fried Chicken Nuggets
Pork stuffed Peppers with Teriyaki Sauce
Japanese Steak salad with Onion sauce
Japanese Hamburg steak with Daikon Sauce
Mixed rice with Chicken and Mushrooms
Miso minced Pork in Lettuce leaf wraps
Stir fried pork with 3 vegetables
Japanese Pork & Potato Stew AKA Nikujaga
Stir fried Corned Beef & Sugar Snaps
Steak Donburi rice bowl with Wasabi Butter sauce
Japanese Hamburg steak with Shimeji mushroom sauce
Stir fried Beefsteak with Miso & Sesame
This section contain some of the classics of Japanese recipes using meat - dishes like Yakitori and Niku Dango as well as modern creations such as Hayshi Rice and Chicken Karaage.
Fried Mackerel with Rocket & Onion
Pan fried Cod in Lemon Ishiri sauce
Pan fried Cod in Yuzu and Butter
Cod with Wasabi, Soy and Olive oil dressing
Japanese cuisine and fish are almost synonomous - think sashimi and sushi. But the Japanese cook their fish as well - usually very quickly under a grill of in a frying pan. Here are some of the best Japanese cooked fish dishes, some uber traditional, others very nouveau - of course, they all share one thing in common - a great taste!
Tofu Kebabs with Miso Tahini sauce
Fried Tofu with Simmered Turnip
The days when people thought tofu was just for miso soup are long gone. As it is now regarded as one of the best alternatives to animal protein, there is a lot of interest in how to serve tofu in other ways. Here are a few of my favourites.
The humble egg is a big part of Japanese cuisine although it rarely takes centre stage. Here are some recipes where the egg is put front & centre.
Hiyashi Chuka (Cold ramen noodles)
Yakisoba (Japanese fried soba noodles)
Yaki Udon (Fried udon with pork)
Japanese noodle dishes need no introduction, do they. There can't be many cities left around the world that don't boast a Japanese noodle bar or twenty to tempt their residents. But with a little practice, you can make most of these dishes easily at home too and they'll be just as good (or quite possibly even better) than what you can get served in your local noodle bar!
Japan can get cold in the winter and in the north of the country, very cold. So it shouldn't be a surprise that hotpot cooking is an established part of the food culture, from classic dishes like Sukiyaki and Oden to the nouveau like Kimchi & Tofu.
Miso Soup With Pumpkin & Green Beans
Miso Soup with Daikon & Mitsuba
Japanese Consomme with Tofu & Mitsuba
Tofu & Vegetable Soup (Kenchi Jiru)
Osumashi with Egg Shiitake and Leek
From classics like Miso Soup and Dashi Stock to modern variants such as Sweet Potato Miso Soup and Vegan Dashi, this is the place to find my stock and soup recipes.
Pasta and gratin dishes are uber popular in Japan. The Japanese have taken some European dishes as their own and have also invented lots of different ways to enjoy thei. You'll find some of the most popular ones here - just click on the dish that takes your eye!
My Thai dishes are a little different. I've learned most of them from Thai friends. I've also learned that some people find an authentically flavour Thai dishes a little overpowering. So, I've created some dishes based on the Thai classics but a little toned down and with no loss of flavour.
The Japanese are crazy about K-Pop and Korean soap operas. They rather like Korean food too! That's no surprise as nearly 1 million Koreans live in Japan, some for several generations. Unlike the Koreans, the Japanese aren't too keen on "blow your head off" spiciness so the Korean dishes you'll find here are the "Japanised' versions, cooler and a little sweeter on the tongue.
Bang Bang Chicken with noodles
Lion's Head meatballs with cabbage
Chinese style Seafood Chukadon
Chinese style Chicken Chukadon
Chinese style Sweet & Sour Fried Chicken
Chinese style spicy King Prawns
Japan's most famous "Chinatown" is in the port city of Yokohama, not far from Tokyo. But you'll find Chinese restaurants the length and breadth of the country. Not only that but most Japanese kitchens regularly serve up Chinese food and it the dishes you'll find most in a Japanese kitchen that I have listed here.
I know Growing your Own isn't for everyone but if you have a little space somewhere (even a windowsill) there are Japanese foods you can grow. But there is a satisfaction to taking a pair of scissors and cutting and eating food that's come from your own efforts rather thn the supermarket. My one tip is buy your seeds from an established provider not from a site like ebay or Amazon (remember you won't know what seed you've actually received until it is growing!) With that said, here are a few of the leaves and veg I grow from time to time.