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Japanese Curry Fried Rice If like me, you always seems to have some leftover rice in the fridge, here's a great way to use it up - Japanese style curry fried rice. I would even go so far as saying that this dish is better made with old rice than fresh - rice that is a day or too old is drier and it suits this dish. If you've seen the other curry recipes on my site, you'll see that they all use Japanese curry roux cubes - that's the way almost all Japanese make their curry these days. But this recipe uses curry powder. Curry powder was actually used in Japan a long time before curry roux cubes came around - the cubes arrived in the late 1950's and just made it easier to prepare a quick dish with a curry sauce. Curry powder has a longer history - it was first used in Japan during the Meiji period. I prepared this dish using a mild curry powder - as you probably know, Japanese curries aren't about heat - they're more about subtle fruity, slightly sweet flavours with a little heat thrown in - but if you prefer your curry hotter, be my guest! Apart from the curry powder, I used a chicken breast and some bell peppers and then decorated with coriander for a nice, colourful contrast. All in all, it takes 15 - 20 mins to prepare. So, if you've got some rice that needs eating, why not try this out? You can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Curry Fried Rice or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy frying! Kurumi XXXX. If you're thinking of other Japanese curry style dishes, why not check out my Curried Potato Croquettes recipe ? Curry fried Rice ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 1/2 onion (80g) 1 clove of garlic 60g red pepper 60g yellow pepper 1 chicken breast (180g) 80g frozen sweetcorn 1.5 tbsp veg oil 1 tbsp mild curry powder 1/2 tbsp tomato ketchup 1/4 pepper 1/2 salt or to taste 1 tsp vegetable Bouillon powder 400g cooked rice (wet weight) how to: finely chop the onion, then mince the garlic and chop the peppers slice the breast into 2 thin fillets, then slice into strips and cut into dice sized pieces heat the oil in a frying pan, add and stir fry the onion, garlic & chicken for 2-3 mins add & stir in the curry powder, bouillon powder, sweet corn & ketchup and stir for 1 min add & stir fry the peppers for 1-2 mins add the rice, salt & pepper to taste and mix everything together well your dish is ready to serve! Japanese Curry Fried Rice

What can I tell you about Japanese rice that you don't already know? You'll know that rice is the staple food of Japan, is short grained and is rather sticky when cooked. You might also know that traditionally, rice has deep cultural and religious connections to Japanese people (the Emperor performs a rice planting ceremony every year) but that over the years, the consumption of rice has fallen steeply (about 50% in the past 50 years) as eating habits change and younger Japanese eat more Western style foods. But did you know that the Japanese still get through about 60kgs of rice per person per year which is about 10 times the average Brit? Or that there are over 4,000 varieties of Japanese rice? (OK, maybe you don't need to know that!) Anyway, here's a primer giving a few facts about Japanese rice that should come in handy...first off, let's look at what kinds of rice are used in Japan. There are 4 general types of Japanese rice as follows: Japanese white rice (H akumai ) Japanese White rice (Hakumai) Hakumai is the most common rice in Japan and what you'll almost certainly be given in a Japanese restaurant. Hakumai is milled and polished meaning that the hull, rice bran and rice germ are all removed, leaving the carbohydrate rich endosperm. White rice gets something of a bad rap these days from those pointing out that polishing removes fibre ad trace minerals and vitamins from the rice. On the positive side, rice has no cholesterol, gluten or extrinsic sugar, virtually no fat and allergic reactions to rice are almost unknown (have you ever met anyone with a rice allergy?). While there are lots of varieties available in Japan, the most common varieties are Koshihikari and Sasanishiki. A recent innovation in Japan has been the introduction of no-wash rice (musenmai) which over the last couple of decades has taken around 20% of the market. You'd be forgiven for thinking that removing the chore of washing rice was the reason for this development but in fact it was driven by ecology - Japanese researchers discovered that the milky coloured water washed down millions of sinks in Japan after rinsing white rice was one of the primary causes of pollution and algal bloom in Japan's waterways and lakes. Chances are, if you buy Japanese rice outside of Japan, it won't be musenmai so you will need to wash it. If you want to earn some eco-points, the simple solution is to put the water used to wash the rice on your flowers beds (your flowers will thank you for it!). Some Japanese and Koreans use rice water as a facial cleanser - you can find lots about this on the web. Japanese glutinous rice (M ochigome ) Japanese glutinous rice (Mochigome) Mochigome is the second most common variety of Japanese rice. Mochigome grains are very short, more opaque and, when cooked, much stickier than Hakumai. As the scientifically minded among you will know, carbohydrate is usually composed of two forms of starch, amylose and amylopectin - amylopectin gives rice its stickiness and the starch in mochigome is almost 100% amylopectin (Basmati, on the other hand, is far higher in amylose, so it is not at all sticky). Like other rice varieties, mochigome is gluten free. Mochigome is used in many traditional Japanese dishes such as red rice (Sekihan) and is also used to make traditional Japanese sweet foods. (incidentally, you might see Mochigome advertised as "sweet rice" - this doesn't mean it has a sweet flavour however as it doesn't contain sugar but Mochigome is used to make mochi cakes.) Mochi-gome is pounded into a thick paste to make mochi cakes. Mochi even hit the news in the UK earlier this year as a health hazard. (see here if you missed this interesting piece of reporting). Japanese brown rice (G enmai ) Japanese brown rice (Genmai) Genmai is essentially hakumai with its overcoat left on. The milling of genmai leaves all of the grain intact and the bran coat and only the hull is removed. Unlike hakumai, genmai is lauded for its health benefits, including the retention of more vitamin B and fibre (genmai is about 2% fibre compared to 0.3% for hakumai) from the retained bran coat - on the other hand, genmai is more difficult to digest and some people experience tummy upsets when they eat it. Genmai needs to be rested in water for 1 - 2 hours after washing and before cooking to let the grains absorb more water through the tough bran coat. There aren't really any recipes in Japanese that exclusively call for genmai as opposed to hakumai and if you ask any Japanese what most comes to mind when you say the word genmai, they may well think of genmaicha which is tea made with green tea and roasted brown rice. If you want to try genmai, have a look at my short tutorial here on how to cook it in a saucepan - apart from the health benefits, you might find you prefer its flavour and texture over white rice for some dishes. Japanese germinated brown rice (Hatsugamai) As the name suggests, germinated brown rice is brown rice that has germinated. It is Japanese germinated brown rice (Hatsugamai) claimed that this improves the flavour and the texture and also releases higher levels of nutrient from the grain, in particular gamma-aminobutyric acid (from which the name GABA for this type of rice arises). There are some big claims made for germinated brown rice such as its curative properties for hypertension and insomnia. Whatever else the process does, it certainly softens the bran layer, making the rice much easier to digest. If you'd like to watch my video tutorial on hatsugamai made by the Japanese producer Fancl, you can find it here . Japanese semi-milled rice (H aigamai ) Japanese semi-milled rice (H aigamai ) Also called "germ rice", ( haiga means germ), haigamai sits between hakumai and genmai in the milling process - the hull and bran are removed but the germ is left intact. The germ is essentially the rice embryo - what would develop into a plant - so it is relatively high in vitamins and other trace elements. Washing Japanese rice Trawling through all the articles about this subject on the internet, you could be forgiven for thinking that washing Japanese rice is a dark art known only to ninja cooks and that there is a right and a wrong way to do it. When i was at school in Japan, our home economics teacher washing Japanese white rice old us to rinse Japanese rice only once - that way you minimise the loss of nutrients. These days, most commentators advise washing white rice 2 or 3 times, until the water runs clear. IMO, neither way is right, but then neither way is wrong either. Washing once removes any foreign bodies that might be in the rice and retains more of the starch in the rice. Washing 2 -3 times removes more of the starch - so in a way, it comes down to what you want from your rice - if you want stickier rice, limit the washing, if you prefer your rice less sticky, rinse more. rinsing Japanese brown rice Washing brown rice is a lot simpler - you can wash it 2 -3 times because all the nutrients are safe behind the bran coat and won't be washed away - take a look at the photo on the left - as you can see, the water runs clear even on the first rinse because the rice is unpolished. Some commentators say you should "work" brown rice in water to soften the bran but I've never found this makes much difference - brown rice does however need to be left for at least an hour in water, so that the bran can soften before cooking. Storing Japanese rice When rice is harvested, it has a moisture content of around 20%. The drying process reduces moisture content to around 14%. G enmai has more retained moisture, in the form of oil left in bran coat than polished white rice - so it is more prone to moisture loss. General advice about storing rice is pretty much common sense - store it in an airtight container and consume it within 2 - 3 months. The older rice becomes, the dryer it gets and its aroma fades. It will need a little more water when it is cooked. If you buy Japanese rice in bags, it can be kept in the bag unopened for at least a year or more.

Edamame salad Well, summer is here so I thought I would prepare one of my favorite summer dishes - edamame salad. When you picture edamame, you probably see a bowl of boiled beans still in their shells sprinkled with some salt - the quintissential Japanese beer snack. But edamame are too good to just eat as an occasional snack. They're full of goodness - protein, iron, fibre and lots more, so I tend eat them on a regular basis in various dishes. When it comes to salads, I like mine to be quite punchy with lots of crunch and flavour and this one is no exception. Along with a portion of edamame, you get some onion (soaked in water to draw out the tartness), pepper and green beans. For a flavoursome dressing, I just mix up some soy sauce, sesame paste, a little vinegar and veg oil - this makes for quite a rich concoction so you can tone it down a little if it's too much for you. This salad can be served as a side but it's nutricious enough that you could just boost the amount and eat it as a lunch or supper. You can have it ready in 20 minutes, so it's time friendly to boot. If you want to try this out, you can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Edamame salad and the written recipe is as below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. I really do like my edamame in a salad! If you do too, why not try out my Edamame and Rocket salad ? Ingredients: 2 servings 110g green beans 1/2 small orange bell pepper (50g) 1/4 red onion (50g) 150g fresh or frozen edamame 1/2 tsp salt for the dressing: 1.5 tbsp soy sauce 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp veg oil 1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste) 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds how to: rinse all the vegetables trim the ends of the green beans, then halve slice the pepper thinly and then cut the slices in half thinly slice the onion and soak in water for 10 mins. change the water once or twice, then drain bring a pan of water to the boil, add the salt, cook the green beans & the soy beans for 3 mins, then drain to make the dressing, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, oil & tahini in a bowl and mix well back to your salad: drain the onion using your hand to squeeze out any excess water put the edamame, green beans, pepper & onion in a bowl and mix gently  drizzle with the dressing, sprinkle over the sesame seeds and serve Edamame Salad

This is a re-blog of an item I first posted in 2019 before you know what came along. Post the 2021 lockdown, I thought I would revisit the locations to see whether they had survived. I didn't eat anything this time around, I just wanted to check that if you read this post, you will still be able to find the restaurants reviewed. The good news is that all the restaurants are still open...except the winner! But, don't worry - the winner has other branches within walking distance for you to try. If you just want to know where I recommend you spend your hard earned cash, just scroll down to the conclusion. And if you're thinking, "I thought this was a cooking website", you'll find two recipe ideas at the end two. I choose two items that I ordered and show you how you can make these dishes as well (or in most cases better) than the restaurant version in your own kitchen (and for a lot less cash). Bento Box The Original Post I love making Japanese food...I also love eating out - so I often combine a trip into central London with lunch or dinner at a Japanese eatery - Soho is the place to go as you are quite spoilt for choice these days. Here are six short reviews of the places I have eaten at that I thought I would share with you. These are the sort of places you might like to visit after a shopping trip or before/after seeing a show for something simple, wholesome and fast. PS: the restaurants weren't aware that I was reviewing their fare and service. I pay for what I eat, so my opinions are honest and unbiased.... Tokyo Diner , Newport St, Soho, WC2H 7JJ. Tokyo Dinner This is a small, two floor restaurant on the edge of Soho. Pretty busy at lunchtime when we visited although upstairs was less so. Inside, it's a little cramped and decorated in a “Japan-homey” sort of way - if you were in a less than generous mood, you might describe it as a little dowdy. The menu was pretty comprehensive, including just about everything you would expect on the menu of a Japanese restaurant. Tokyo Diner is owned by an Englishman and has been in same place for over 30 years so they must be doing something right. We ate curry udon which was ok though not more than that and “tofu-don” (tofu served on a bed of rice) which was the first time we’d seen deep fried tofu fingers (think fish fingers but with tofu instead of fish) on a menu. The tofu fingers were served with a soy based, thick sauce - interesting idea and quite flavourful. Best of all (on a wintry December afternoon), there was a lot of it - the dish came served with miso soup. The staff were very pleasant. In fact, one of the waitresses charged out of shop pursuing two diners who’d left both a handbag and a pair of glasses behind. Cost £23 for two with complimentary green tea, so a great price. Tokyo Diner also does great deals on set lunches, especially if you arrive after 3pm! Food ★★★☆☆. Ambience ★★☆☆☆ Value for Money ★★★★☆ Kintan yakiniku Japanese restaurant in London Kintan , Great Castle St, W1G 0HY. This is a modern, ground and basement restaurant specialising in yaki niku (literally, cooked meat) aka Japanese barbecue. You cook your food at your table over an electric grill. Kintan also offers non-grill lunch sets for those in a hurry at lunch time. Kintan has been in London for around 3 years - its first outlet was established in High Holbodn - and is Japanese owned. We visited during early evening “happy hour” before the rather pricey evening tariff kick in (starting at £30 per head.) Inside, Kintan is very well decorated, a nice blend of modern cum Japanese cum diner. The service was pleasant although the Japanese staff shouting out slogans in Japanese didn’t make much sense as there didn't appear to be any Japanese diners in the place - so did anybody understand what they were saying? Kintan yakiniku The menu is, unsurprisingly for a barbecue specialist, heavy on meat but also lists seafood and vegetables together with some salads. There were four of us, so we ate a variety of meat and fish barbecue dishes, each of which came with miso soup, edamame, salad and rice. Everyone liked the edamame which were just right and served with the right amount of sea salt. The salads were decent enough. Two portions of the rice were, sad to say, awful - had someone tried to mash it like potato? The meat and sea food were ok but no more than that, some of the meat was more scrap than slice sized. Kintan is a decent choice if you must eat grilled meat or just want to try the yaki niku experience. cost £75 for 4 with complimentary tea. (not sure I’d pay the evening tariff but ok if you need to eat early and are a meat fan). Food ★★★☆☆. Ambience ★★★☆☆ Value for Money ★★☆☆☆ Koya Koya , 50 Frith St, W1G 4SG. Anglo-Japanese owned Koya describes itself as a “simple cafe style Japanese serving udon and small plates served at communal tables.” There’s another, newer, Koya located in the City a stones throw from Cannon St station which is described as “a little more grown up” by its English co-founder. Neither location accepts reservations. We visited during lunchtime so the place was full and a queue formed while we were there - never a bad sign. The interior of Koya is dominated by a long counter for diners and the food is prepared behind the counter. I’d describe the decor as “factory folksy” with plenty of stainless steel and wood and a kitchen area that looked as if it had been transplanted straight from Japan. Miso Pork Udon We ordered 3 dishes; Pork kakuni (Japanese style slow cooked pork) to share and bowls of Miso pork udon and Pork ginger donburi (minced pork with ginger, spring onion and onion on a bed of rice). The food was very good and the serving were pretty generous. The waiting staff were pleasant and dealing well with what is likely the restaurant’s busiest time of day. The one thumbs down in the restaurant is that few of the staff in the kitchen area seemed to wear catering gloves - while I have a problem with bare hands handling udon noodles, I have an even bigger problem seeing sauce being ladled into a dish with a bare hand rather than a ladle - seriously, I saw this with my own eyes! That eyebrow raiser aside, the meal was actually enjoyable and the food tasted comparable to what I'd expect to find in Japan. Cost £35 for 2. Food ★★★★☆. Ambience ★★★★☆. Value for Money ★★★☆☆ Tonkotsu , 63 Dean St, W1D 4QG. Tonkotsu Tonkotsu takes it name, literally, from the pork bones used to make its signature broth and thereafter, the thick, creamy ramen that has its home in Kyushu and which is also the restaurant's signature dish. The owners of Tonkotsu boast their own in-house produced noodles and broth, so we went there anticipating something a cut above the normal. The Dean St outlet (Tonkotsu operates 6 bars across London and 1 in Birmingham) is a 10 min walk from Leicester Square station, midway up Dean St. we went for lunch and had to wait a few minutes to be seated upstairs. The interior was a little gloomy for my liking and didn't conjure up any flavour of Japan or ramen but it was clean and functional. Tonkotsu ramen We ordered 3 bowls of ramen, 1 Tonkotsu (photo to left), 1 Tokyo and 1 Vegetarian curried pumpkin and spiced corn together with some deep fried sweet potato croquettes, pork gyoza and vegetarian shiitake and bamboo shoot gyoza. The croquettes appeared almost immediately and were very good, sweet, soft and creamy beneath a crispy crumb shell. We were set up nicely for the rest of the meal. The ramen dishes arrived some 10 mins later and turned out to be a mixed bag. The Tonkotsu itself was very hearty, too rich, in fact, for me but I'm sure some people might find it just right. The Tokyo ramen was pretty good although not outstanding. The vegetarian dish was disappointing with an almost tasteless soup and a curry flavour which we had to search hard for before we found it. The shop made noodles were fine but a little soggy for my liking (being Japanese I like noodles to have a little "bite" left in them) - they were probably just a little overcooked. We finished our ramen dishes but where, oh where, were the gyoza? 25 minutes and 3 requests later, they finally arrived (without an apology for the wait) and really, we wish they hadn't. The vegetarian filling fell out of the gyoza skins when we picked them up and these were about the most tasteless I'd eten in a long while. The pork gyoza really weren't much better. All said and done, Tonkotsu was a bit of a disappointment - for a shop marketing in-house noodles and broth, the sum of the parts should really be better than this. I really wanted to like this place - the ramen dishes were better than average but the late, unapologetic service and awful gyoza means Tonkotsu isn't going to win my customer loyalty. Cost £55 for 3. Food ★★★☆☆. Ambience ★★☆☆☆. Value for Money ★★☆☆☆ Taro , 61 Brewer St, Soho, W1F 9UW. Taro is Japanese owned and the original Brewer St site has been going for nearly 20 years - there's another branch in Balham and more recently, a take away in Cannon St in the City. Taro describes itself as unfussy which is pretty accurate as far as the Brewer St branch goes. The decor is very plain and when you walk in you get the impression that the place is about the food Taro Japanese restaurant and value for money - you wouldn't come here for the ambience. Diners are certainly packed in tightly and the staff do their best not to let diners pick a position of choice or spread out. The Brewer St branch kitchen is set at the back of the restaurant in full view of the diners (always a good thing in my opinion). The place was very busy when we arrived but we were seated quickly. We ordered chirashi sushi (a bowl of rice with various sushi arranged over the top- photo below) and a bento box with a generous portion of teriyaki duck on a bed of rice, 2 maki sushi, 2 nigiri sushi, small portions of tuna and salmon sashimi, edamame and bean sprouts. The bento also came with a bowl of miso soup - so, all-in-all a substantial lunch. table service was polite and efficient and we had our meals before us in under 15 minutes. Chirashi Zushi Both servings were generous and the food was pretty good although not outstanding. The teriyaki duck was good if a little tough and the sushi and sashimi were of a quality you would expect as part of a lunch set. Taro resembles Tokyo Diner in that both places are good value for money and serve satisfying portions of reasonably well prepared food. when all's said and down, we quite liked Taro - as they say, "it does what it says on the tin". Cost £28 for 2. Food ★★★☆☆. Ambience ★★☆☆☆. Value for Money ★★★★☆ Shoryu , 19 Air Street, Soho W1B 5AB. Shoryu Shoryu, like Tonkotsu, presents itself as a Kyushu ramen specialist. The chain (there are 9 branches in London as well as Oxford and Manchester) is owned by Tak Tokumine who also owns the Japan Centre stores and can probably take more credit than anyone else for having introduced Japanese food and culture to the UK in the last 20 years. We went to the smallest Shoryu outlet (the Air Street branch) which has a counter with 6 seats and room for maybe 4 more at a counter by the window. ( Note - this branch of Shoryu is now closed. However, you are spoilt for choice as Shoryu has 3 operating branches within a 10 minute walk at 9 Regent St SW1Y 4LR, and 5 Kingly Court W1B 5PJ and 84 New Oxford St WC1 1HB.) Gansu ramen My co-diner ordered gansu ramen (their signature tonkotsu dish - in the photo left) and gyoza and I ordered the hot, spicy tan tan tonkotsu. After 2 minutes, we were both nodding our heads with approval - this was very good ramen. If I wanted to be picky, I'd say that the egg was a disappointment - but that apart, the dishes were very good and reasonably priced. The other branches of shoryu might present themselves differently but the Air Street branch was just a simple, efficient little ramen shop serving an authentic product at a down to earth price - we both left thinking we'd try out another Shoryu branch soon. Cost £25.80 for 2. Food ★★★★☆. Ambience ★★☆☆☆. Value for Money ★★★★☆ Conclusion So, with six eateries reviewed, who's on the stairway to heaven and who's on the naughty step? Joint winners: Shoryu : very good food, good price, a little piece of Japan in London. Koya : very good food and service and a pleasant atmosphere. But please, do something about the gloveless chefs! Middle of the pack: Tokyo Diner & Taro : good value for money but both looking a little tired. Kintan : nicely presented but rather uninspiring food The tail ender: Tonkotsu : The ramen was OK but the gyoza were awful and making customers ask 3 times for part of their order..well, what can I say? Or why not make it yourself? We all enjoy dining out. But don't forget you can make Japanese food at home which will not only taste as good or better than what you eat out (or order in) and for a fraction of the cost too - what's not to like about that! I've listed two recipes below for items I ordered during my review. Just follow the links to the written recipes and Youtube tutorials. Curry Udon Recipe #1: Curry Udon. The curry udon I ate at Tokyo Diner was acceptable but nothing more. That's a shame because curry udon is an easy dish to make and should taste very good every time. As long as you get the curry sauce right and serve with freshly cooked noodles, this is one of those dishes where it is more difficult to do it wrong than do it right. You can find my written recipe by clicking here - Curry Udon . If you just wish to see the Youtube tutorial, click here - Curry Udon . Follow the how to instructions and I hope you'll agree with me that this is a Japanese udon dish anyone can make and enjoy. Pork Kakuni Recipe #2: Pork Kakuni. The Pork Kakuni we ordered and ate at Koya was very good. But don't think there's anything about the making of this dish that puts it out of bounds when it comes to home cooking. Just find the right balance of soy sauce, sake and mirin in your cooking broth and then let a pressure cooker or an oven do the hard work for you. You can find my written recipe and Youtube tutorial by clicking here - Pork Kakuni . If you just wish to see the Youtube tutorial, you can find the link here - Pork Kakuni . Follow the step by step instructions and you'll be eating your very own Japanese Pork Kakuni dish in the comfort of your own home for a fraction of the cost! About the reviewer. Hi, I'm Kurumi, a cooking writer and blogger. I'm Japanese but I have lived in London for the last Kurumi 30 thirty years. Back in the days before the internet (and Youtube), I was a food writer. My first book published in English was called Japanese Cooking for Two which I wrote in 1994. It has become the 9th best selling Japanese cookbook ever… yippee! My other books were ‘The Noodle Cookbook”, “The Soy for Health Cookbook” and “Healthy Noodles.” I also published a book in Japanese “English Home Cooking”. Then I had children and my life changed! By the time my children had grown up, the world had changed quite a lot too! Internet, Youtube, Insta etc. So, these days, instead of books, I publish recipe and articles on my website and on my Youtube channel. I hope you'll check out my recipes - they are all tried and tested (some more times than I care to mention!) until I think you will get them right first time when you make them and enjoy eating them. If you’d like to read more about me or my books, then follow the link here: https://www.kurumicooks.co.uk/about Happy eating! Kurumi XXXX.

Sweet Potato Salad You may remember that I published a Japanese potato salad recipe a little while ago. Here's a variation on the theme using sweet potato instead of the humble generic one. I like the sweet potatoes you can find in the UK - unlike the sweet potatoes you find in Japan, the ones I buy in the UK have a softer flesh. Along with the sweet potato, I used half a pepper, some cucumber, some peas and some raisins. The aim here is to produce a sweeter flavour to accentuate the sweet potato. The cucumber has the seeds removed and then it's slightly salted and given a good squeeze before adding it to the salad - that way, your salad doesn't become watery. When the sweet potato is cooked, just mash it enough to break it into fragments - you don't want a perfect puree smooth mash for this recipe. I use Japanese Kewpie brand mayonnaise for this recipe but if you can't get hold of it, you could just use a low fat mayonnaise instead. I like to think of this as a quintessential summer salad - whenever I make a bowl of this, it also disappears in minutes so I think it'll get the thumbs up in your household as well! Interested? You can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Sweet Potato salad and the written recipe is as below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. As an alternative, you could check out my Japanese Potato salad recipe here . Ingredients: 2 servings 370g sweet potato 80g cucumber 50g yellow pepper 40g frozen peas 40g raisins 5 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise* a little pepper 1/2 tsp salt some chopped chives for topping (optional) *if you can't find kewpie mayonnaise, you can substitute another brand how to: peel and cut the sweet potato into bite sized pieces quarter the cucumber lengthways, remove the seeds (this will prevent the salad from becoming watery) & slice thinly, then sprinkle 1/2 tsp of the salt over the cucumber. mix and set aside for 10 mins cut and finely slice the pepper put 3-4 cm of water in a pan, immerse the sweet potatoes, boil for 8-10 mins or until softened, then drain in a smaller pan, bring 2-3 cm of water to the boil, then add & boil the peas for 3 mins mash the sweet potato lightly in a bowl (you don’t want a puree, little bits and pieces of potato left in the mash is fine) add the peas, pepper & raisins using your hand, squeeze any excess water from the cucumber and add to the bowl add the pepper & mayonnaise and mix together well sprinkle with the chopped chives (optional) Sweet Potato Salad

Fennel and Pear salad I know what you're thinking - how can a fennel & pear salad be Japanese? Simple answer - it isn't - but one of my Japanese friends asked how she could use fennel (it isn't a native vegetable in Japan - the giveaway is that there's no Japanese name for fennel - it's called " fe-ne-ru " in Japanese!). It's a shame that fennel isn't more popular in Japan - the Japanese don't know what they're missing, do they! Anyhow, I thought I would use the opportunity to share with her (and you) one of my favourite salads - fennel and pear in a mustard and honey vinaigrette. The fennel makes this substantial enough that you could eat it as a lunch or even a dinner (maybe sprinkled with some crumbled blue cheese or tofu if you want a vegetarian option.....). There's no cooking involved, so this dish is quick and full of fibre and goodness. Best of all, it tastes great! If all this has your taste buds tingling, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Fennel and Pear salad . The written recipe is as below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you like salads nutritious enough to be a meal in themselves, why not check out my Edamame salad recipe? Ingredients:4 servings as a side dish 1 bulb, fennel (300g ), rinsed 1 large pear (200g) 1/4 red onion 50g raisins a handful of flat parsley for topping for the dressing: 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp cider vinegar 1/2 tbsp honey 1/2 tbsp french mustard 1 little salt & pepper 3 tbsp extra virgin oil how to: halve the fennel, remove the core and discard. then thinly slice and julienne the slices peel, halve, then thinly slice the pear, removing any seeds & the stem peel & thinly slice the onion, then soak in water for 10 mins, changing the water a couple of times to make your dressing: combine the lemon juice, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper & oil in a jar or bowl and mix well drain the onion, using your hand to squeeze out any excess water combine all the salad ingredients and mix gently. pour over the salad dressing & mix gently leave to stand for 10 mins before serving, garnishing with the parsley Fennel and Pear salad

Triple Mushroom salad with Ponzu dressing Mushrooms play a big part in Japanese cooking and if, like me, you are a mushroom lover, you'll always have one or two varieties on hand to put into your dishes. Personally, I like mushrooms so much, (and they are so good for you - most mushrooms contain vitamin B and button mushroom also contain vitamin D) I think they deserve to be the star of the show now and again. So here's a healthy salad that is made from three varieties of mushrooms - (I used oysters, shiitake & buttons but there's no reason you can't use other varieties) - on a bed of lambs lettuce. The salad is flavoured with a tangy quick ' n ' easy ponzu style dressing - ponzu was traditionally made using the Japanese yuzu fruit, dashi and katsuobushi but my recipe is much simpler (meaning that you don't need any special ingredients to prepare it - just soy sauce, rice vinegar and lemon juice). If you fancy the idea of this mushroom salad or just trying out the ponzu dressing, you can find the written recipe just below. For the Youtube tutorial for the salad and dressing click Triple Mushroom Salad and for the dressing, Ponzu Dressing or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you'd like to see another salad option, why not try my simple Fried Tofu salad . Triple Mushroom Salad with Ponzu dressing ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 170g button mushrooms 90g shiitake mushrooms 130g oyster mushrooms 60g lambs lettuce, rinsed 1 tsp grated garlic 25g butter for the dressing: 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sushi vinegar 2 tbsp water 1 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp lemon juice how to: combine the soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar & lemon juice in a jar and stir or shake until the sugar dissolved - that's it - the dressing is done! remove the stalks from the shiitake and button mushrooms & cut in half or bite sized pieces cut the oyster mushrooms cut in half lengthways, then into quarters melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the garlic for 2 mins over a medium heat add all the mushrooms and stir fry for 3-4 mins or until cooked to assemble the salad, put half of the lambs lettuce on a plate or in a bowl, then pile half of the mushrooms on top. repeat for your second serving your salad is now ready to serve. just drizzle with the ponzu dressing Triple Mushroom salad with Ponzu dressing

Stir fried Pork with Vegetables Here's a simple, versatile stir fry recipe that's ready in under half an hour and will provide most of your daily nutrition and fibre on one plate. The flavours are soy, mirin and sesame so it's tasty as well. When i made this, I used red bell pepper, asparagus and sugar snaps but you can substitute other vegetables if you have something else in your fridge or larder that needs eating - just make sure it's something with a little crunch to complement the soft, steamed rice and the pork. I marinade the pork first (minimum 15 minutes but 30 mins is better taste-wise and even better if you prepare a few hours in advance.) While the pork was steeping in those soy and mirin flavours, I stir fried the vegetables and the seasoning first for a few minutes and then set them aside. Next, I stir fried the pork - when that was ready, the vegetables went back in for a minute or two and ....it was ready. I served this with steamed rice and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. Do the same and you, your partner and/or family will all have smiles on their faces. If you want to rustle this up in your pan, you can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Stir fried Pork & Veg or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. For a stir fry with noodles, why not check out my Yakisoba fried noodles? Stir fried Pork and 3 vegetables ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 320g pork shoulder steak 1 tsp japanese cooking sake 2 tsp soy sauce 2 tsp sesame oil 1/3 red pepper 4 asparagus spears 10 sugar snaps 1 tbsp vegetable oil a little salt & pepper 1 tbsp mirin 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp sugar 400g-450g cooked rice (wet weight) 2 tsp toasted white sesame for garnishing how to: thinly slice the pork put the pork, sake, soy sauce & sesame oil in a bowl, mix well, then leave to stand for at least 15mins (the longer the better) thinly slice the pepper remove the base of the asparagus spears and slice diagonally heat the vegetable oil in a pan add & stir fry all the vegetables & seasoning with salt and pepper for 2-3 mins, then remove to a warm plate stir fry the pork in the frying pan for 3-4 mins or until cooked, add the mirin, soy sauce & sugar to the frying pan fry the meat over a high heat for 1-2 mins put the vegetables back into the frying pan and stir together well serve with rice and sprinkle with the sesame seeds Stir fried Pork with Vegetables

Miso minced Pork in lettuce leaf wraps I love sharing platters of food with family & friends, don't you? I don't know what it is but there's something communal about eating with your hands that seems to bring people together. So, to me, these Miso minced Pork and Lettuce wraps are a kind of finger food heaven. You might think that the Japanese eat everything with chopsticks but we eat with our hands as well. If you want to, you can always eat sushi with your fingers! Miso minced pork in Lettuce wraps is a modern dish that encourages the togetherness and communality of finger food. The pork is fried with a combination of miso, garlic, ginger and sesame oil to produce a delicious sweet but savoury flavour. Cut a few fresh lettuce leaves and get yourself a spoon and voila! Finger food heaven. If you like the idea of this recipe, you can find the written recipe just below and theYoutube tutorial at Miso minced Pork with Lettuce leaf wraps or just scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you want to try another simple recipe infused with Japanese flavours, why not try my miso garlic chicken. You can find the recipe for that dish here . Miso minced pork in Lettuce leaf wraps. ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 70g tinned bamboo shoots, rinsed 1 spring onion 2 shiitake mushrooms (dried or fresh)* 1 tbsp sesame oil 250g minced pork 1/2 tsp garlic paste 1/2 tsp ginger paste 1.5 tbsps miso 1 tbsp cooking sake 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp soy sauce 8-10 lettuce leaves, rinsed *if using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in warm water for 15-20 mins before mincing if you cannot find shiitake mushrooms, use button mushrooms as a substitute how to: cut the bamboo shoots lengthways and chop finely chop the spring onion finely remove the stalks of the shiitake mushroom and mince them heat the sesame oil in a frying pan, add the minced pork, ginger & garlic. fry for 2 mins add the onion, bamboo shoots & mushrooms to the pan, and stir fry for another 2 mins add the miso, sake, sugar & soy sauce to the pan and stir fry for 2-3 mins place 1/2 of the pork mixture into a bowl for one serving, spoon some of the mixture onto a lettuce leaf to eat Miso minced Pork in lettuce leaf wraps

Ma Po's Tofu I need to get this out of my system. Why do search engines not allow an apostrophe? It's sooo annoying. Why do I ask? Well, so many cooks call this wonderful Chinese invention Mapo Tofu? The correct name is Ma Po's Tofu - Ma Po was the Chinese lady who invented the dish and she deserves all the credit. But she isn't getting the credit because search engines don't allow apostrophes. It's such a shame! Ok, now that's off my chest, I can tell you more about the recipe! Ma Po's Tofu is a Sichuan dish which in its traditional form is quite oil and very spicy. I've eaten the dish in Sichuan and I have to say it was both too oily and too spicy for me - old Ma Po was clearly made of strong stuff! My take on Ma Po's tofu is therefore less oily. (In fact, the recipe uses only 1 tbsp of oil) and less spicy - this way you enjoy all the flavour of the meal (and it is still plenty spicy) but without the extreme heat and the extra calories. Putting the dish together is quick and pretty simple - just make sure you buy a firm (cotton) tofu that you can cut easily. Using a firm tofu also means it won't disintegrate when you mix it into the other ingredients. I used shaoxing chinese cooking wine in the recipe but at a pinch you can use a tbsp of sherry instead. Once you've made your Ma Po's Tofu, just plate up your rice and ladle the tofu mix over the top. I have a feeling this might convert a few people - if you're one of them - let me know! You can find the written recipe just below and for the youtube tutorial Ma Po's Tofu or scroll to the bottom of the page. happy cooking and kudos to old Ma Po! kurumi XXXX. Ma Po's Tofu ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 2 servings of cooked rice 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 cloves of garlic 2 tsp of grated ginger or ginger puree 150g minced pork 170ml water 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine (chinese cooking wine) 1 tbsp chilli bean sauce (toban djan) 1/2 soy sauce 1 tbsp tomato ketchup 1 tbsp miso paste 1 packet of firm tofu (approx. 340g) a little sesame oil 3 spring onions 2 tsp corn flour + 1 tbsp water how to: slice & mince the garlic and grate the ginger chop the spring onions and set aside cut the tofu into about 1.5cm cubes heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, add & fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds add the minced pork and fry for 2-3 mins add the water, shaoxing cooking wine, chilli bean sauce, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, miso paste and stir add the tofu in, take care not to break the tofu and cook for 2-3 mins, then add a dash of sesame oil combine the cornflour with water and stir in until the sauce begins to thicken lastly add the spring onion and mix your Ma Po's tofu is ready - serve with a bowl of rice Ma Po's Tofu

Pork Sauce Katsudon The Japanese love their brown sauce. The leading brand (and to most Japanese the only brand) is Bulldog. If you've never tried Japanese brown sauce, think of English HP sauce but with less tang, more fruit and a more runny structure. I'm not sure if a poll has ever been taken to find out which dish is responsible for the highest consumption of Bulldog sauce (sorry, I know this sounds a bit nerdy!) but at a guess, I would say it would be either Okonomiyaki savoury pancakes or this dish, Katsudon. If you go into a restaurant in Japan, there's a good chance that one of the items on the menu will be Sauce Katsudon.Basically that means a Tonkatsu fillet served on a bed of rice and soft cabbage and given a good slathering of Bulldog brown sauce. Like all katsudon recipes, this makes a great one bowl lunch or dinner. When I make this in the UK, I use lettuce in place of cabbage as I find the cabbage here is a little tougher than the Japanese variety and doesn't work quite so well in this recipe - this dish demands a soft leaf with only a hint of crunch. The Japanese typically use a lot of Bulldog brown sauce to dress this dish, but that doesn't mean you have to do so. If you can't find Bulldog sauce, then you could try this dish with HP or another brand as a substitute. Pork Sauce Katsudon is quite simple to make, especially if you have made any of my other katsu dishes - the basic technique for making a katsudon doesn't really vary - just the cooking time depending on what type of katsu you're cooking. Just follow the simple "how to" or watch the video tutorial and you'll have it down in minutes! I have one tip when it comes to buying your pork for this recipe. Choose loins which aren't too thick - 1 - 1.5cm (+/- 1/2 inch) is about right. If you buy thicker loins, you will have to extend the cooking time and this may overcook the panko breadcrumb coating and cause it to burn. You can find the written recipe just below and for the Youtube tutorial click Pork Sauce Katsudon or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. Would you like to pair this dish with a simple, easy salad? Why not check out my Daikon salad in Honey Vinaigrette . Pork Sauce Katsudon ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 2 pork loin chops 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 1 egg 40g plain flour 50g ‘panko’ breadcrumbs 150g lettuce* 450g cooked japanese rice some Bull-Dog sauce 1/2 lemon chopped parsley (optional) some cling film some veg oil for deep frying some kitchen paper *shredded soft cabbage is always served with katsu in Japan, however the cabbage available in the uk tends to be quite hard, so I use lettuce instead how to: finely shred the lettuce place the pork loins on a chopping board and cover with some cling film, (you don't need to wrap the loins just a single sheet of clingfilm will do), then tenderise on both sides using the back of a knife remove any excess fat from the pork coat the pork in the plain flour, making sure you get a nice uniform coat including the edges now repeat this process using the beaten egg, again making sure the whole pork loin is covered in an eggy film repeat again with the panko breadcrumbs heat 2cm of veg oil in a sauce pan and heat to 180’C. if you don;t have a cooking thermometer to test the heat, drop in a little breadcrumb - if the crumb bubbles on contact with the oil and floats to the surface, you are ready to deep fry deep fry your katsu for 2 mins on each side. be sure to adjust the heat so the oil doesn’t get too hot - you are aiming for a uniform golden brown colour for the panko breadcrumbs turn the katsu twice more, fry for 1 min more on each side (if your pork loins are quite thick, you may need a little more frying time) to assemble your katsudon, put 1/2 the rice in each serving bowl & cover with a bed of shredded lettuce then, cut the katsu into 1cm slices and place it on the lettuce your katsudon is ready. garnish with lemon wedges & some chopped parsley, if available, then drizzle with some brown sauce Pork Sauce Katsudon

Oyakodon Here is a classic Japanese dish that you'll find in homes and restaurants throughout the country. It's called Oyakodon, which means, Mother & Child Rice bowl. The name comes from the topping which combines chicken and egg. The chicken and egg are cooked together with some onion and/or spring onion and then placed on the top of the rice. The history of the dish apparently goes back about a hundred years to a shop that specialised in chicken dishes in Nihonbashi, in the heart of old Tokyo, so this may be the original "donburi" recipe. The Japanese don't have the same reservations about raw egg as people in the UK do, so the egg in this dish is normally left a little runny rather than being cooked into a solid omelette. Personally, I like to have my egg a little runny but with more chicken and a little less egg involved but you'll find Oyakodon served in Japan with lots more egg and less chicken as well - it's all a matter of your personal taste. Give it a try and once you've mastered the standard Oyakodon recipe, you can start experimenting with the combination that you like the most! I garnished my Oyakodon with some spring onion to give a little more fibre and texture to the dish - the other well known garnish for this dish is the green leaf mitsuba, which also works very well. if you want to give this dish a whirl, you can find the written recipe for this dish just below and the Youtube tutorial click Oyakodon or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you would like to browse another donburi why not take a look at my Pork Sauce katsudon . Oyakodon ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 2 chicken breasts (400g) 1 onion (160g) 100ml japanese dashi stock 2 tbsp japanese cooking sake 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp sugar 3 eggs 1 spring onion 450g cooked rice how to: halve and cut the onion into 1cm slices slice the spring onion diagonally cut the chicken in half lengthways, then cut into 1 cm bite sized pieces add the dashi stock, cooking sake, sugar & soy sauce to a 20cm frying pan and stir well when the sauce comes to the simmer, add the onion & chicken and simmer for 6-7 mins or until cooked roughly beat the eggs and pour over the chicken, thensprinkle over the spring onion turn off the heat when the egg are nearly cooked (although it depends how runny you want the egg to be) to assemble oyakodon, place 1/2 the rice into each bowl, then spoon 1/2 the chicken & egg mixture onto the rice your oyakodon is ready to serve - garnish with some raw spring onion and enjoy! Oyakodon