Probably this is one of my family’s favourite Japanese dinner menus. Off-cut Beef is cheap and tasty. Once you cooked it long enough, it wouldn’t be tough and chewy at all. Try this dish and find out how tasty the Daikon (white radish) could be. Serve with freshly cooked rice and enjoy the melting texture …
Cabbage is such a versatile vegetable and one of my favourites. This summer I have been using it for salad very often. Cabbage salad is not necessarily like coleslaw. The hard & crunchy texture can be softened by cooking slightly. This salad needs to be served straight away after mixing because the toasted nori flavour …
‘Menma’ is made from fermented Bamboo Shoots and it is a very popular topping for Ramen Noodle Soups. However, it is tricky to make ‘Menma’ at home as it involves drying and fermentation processes. But this ‘Braised Bamboo Shoots’ tastes quite similar to ‘Menma’ and it is so easy to make. Use Canned Bamboo Shoots …
‘Nimono’ is a simmered dish and it is one of the very Japanese dishes. What I cooked for dinner last night was ‘Nimono’ of Satoimo (Taro) Potato and Chicken as main ingredients with carrots and shiitake. They were simmered in dashi stock flavored with soy sauce, sugar and mirin. It is a very easy dish. …
This ‘Okra & Natto’ is very popular in Japan. The slimy Okra mixed with slimy Natto makes it more slimy and it can be eaten as it is, but it’s a great topping for Rice, Noodle and Tofu as shown below. My mother used raw Okra, but I like Okra slightly cooked. Makes 2 to …
Here in Australia, more exotic vegetables and fruit are available. Even supermarket stores are selling unfamiliar vegetables and fruit. I often wonder how to cook them and what they taste like. The best thing to do is ‘try them’. Have you cooked garlic shoots before? This vegetable with the garlic flavour is so tasty and …
Chicken Breast or Tenderloin fillets are healthy and nutritious protein. I usually cook them in salted water with some slices of fresh Ginger OR quickly cook in the microwave. When I use them for salad, I always tear into strips instead of cutting or slicing them, but it’s up to you. Makes 4 servings Ingredients …
Shungiku (Edible Chrysanthemum) leaves are available from Asian grocery stores. Shungiku has quite strong flavour which I didn’t like when I was young but I love it now. This salad can be made with Spinach or other green, but this strong fragrant vegetable is the best with this creamy dressing. Makes 4 servings Ingredients Shungiku …
A Korean grocery store nearby sells many ingredients very similar to Japanese ones and I can purchase dried Wakame. The dried Wakame are totally shrunk and look like thin twigs or something, but the volume increases a lot when rehydrated. You would better use small amount. My mother used to use Vegetable Oil for this …
‘Umeboshi’ are pickled Ume (similar to Apricot) fruits. ‘Umeboshi’ are very sour and salty. For health reasons, less salty ‘Umeboshi’ are becoming more popular. They are usually served as a side dish for breakfast or lunch, and used as filling for ‘Onigiri’ rice balls. They are also used as seasoning, and I think the sourness …
‘Kimpira’ is a Japanese style dish of vegetables that is stir-fried and seasoned with Mirin (Sugar) & Soy Sauce. Commonly root vegetables such as Gobo (burdock root) and Renkon (lotus root) or Carrot are used. The vegetables need to remain crunchy texture after cooked. Because it is too hard to find Gobo or Renkon where …
‘Goma-ae’, the dish of vegetables seasoned with sweet sesame seeds sauce is very popular with my family. Most commonly I use cooked vegetables such as Green Beans, Carrot or Spinach. I recently discovered fresh cucumber is also very tasty with ‘Goma-ae’ sauce. Makes 4 servings Ingredients 1 large Continental Cucumber *OR 2 Lebanese Cucumbers1/4 teaspoon …