Today’s miso soup features a delightful combination of onion, pork belly, and tofu. The natural sweetness from the onion, combined with the savory miso taste, complements the rich flavor of the pork belly. With the addition of quality protein from tofu, this soup becomes a hearty and satisfying dish. As with many of our other miso soups, this recipe is quick and easy to prepare. Consider making extra for dinner and enjoying the leftovers for breakfast. Pairing this miso soup with steamed rice and pickled vegetables creates a simple yet fulfilling morning meal. Give it a try, and we hope you enjoy the wonderful blend of flavors in this miso soup!
Potato Potage, a French dish crafted from potatoes and other ingredients to produce a luxurious and velvety soup, has gained enduring popularity in Japan over many decades. This European-influenced soup has seamlessly integrated into Japanese cuisine and is frequently relished as a complement to Western-style dishes, including classics like Beef Steak and Hamburger Steak.
Tuna-mayo is a simple tuna salad that consists of canned tuna and Japanese mayonnaise, and tuna-mayo rice bowl (ツナマヨ丼) is an easy donburi rice bowl dish with tuna-mayo placed on a bowl of steamed rice. Tuna-mayo is one of the most popular fillings for Onigiri rice balls sold at any convenience stores in Japan. Creamy yet a bit tangy and salty Japanese tuna salad goes really well with steamed rice, and the flavor combination of tuna, mayo, rice, and nori seaweed is somewhat addictive. While Tuna Mayo Onigiri can be an excellent grab-and-go lunch in Japan, sadly not everyone is lucky to have convenience stores that sell such Onigiri nearby (certainly not where we live in the U.S.)
Miso Soup (味噌汁) is a traditional Japanese soup, and it’s served with any Japanese meal at any time of the day. Tofu and wakame seaweed miso soup is probably the most well known and popular, but the possibilities of ingredients are endless. You can use all sorts of meat, seafood, eggs, and vegetables that you already have in your fridge at home.
If making Dashi stock from scratch sounds too much work, you can use instant dashi packet or powder that are readily available online and at supermarkets. They are very convenient and flavorful, and we use it, too, on a regular basis. Most of our miso soup recipes are ready in 15 to 20 minutes! Hope you can try one of our simple and easy recipes below, or you can come up with your own combinations of ingredients.
Get Instant Dashi on Amazon (Commissions Earned)Simmered Daikon with Ground Chicken is a common winter dinner dish in Japan. Thick daikon rounds are cooked until soft and gently seasoned in Dashi soup, then thickened with potato starch. The resulting silky sauce/soup keeps the dish warm while eating, making it a healthy and delightful entrée for cold nights.
Miso Glazed Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku, 茄子田楽) is grilled eggplant rounds topped with a sweet miso sauce. It makes for a great appetizer alongside your favorite drinks such as sake and beer. Additionally, it serves as a delicious main dish that pairs well with steamed rice. The robust flavor of the miso sauce complements the freshness of the juicy eggplant. Feel free to use any kind of miso you prefer, adjusting the amount of sugar and Mirin accordingly. This dish is also vegan-friendly. We hope you give it a try!
Today’s miso soup is made with carrot and egg. This miso soup is definitely an everyday dish with simple ingredients that are already in your fridge. The sweetness from the carrot makes the taste of the soup nice and mild, and the fluffy egg is irresistibly tempting. You can make this miso soup at a moment’s notice. Hope you like it!
Cabbage Roll, also known as stuffed cabbage, is a popular western-style Japanese dish that involves stuffing ground meat into cabbage leaves and cooking them in tomato or consommé soup. It has become a favorite home-cooked entree for everyday dinners in Japan. While Cabbage Roll is a more directly European-inspired dish, Stuffed Nappa Cabbage incorporates more Japanese ingredients and seasonings. This variation is particularly appealing if you enjoy the taste of Dashi soup.
Mapo Tofu with Spinach and Mushroom is a healthy one-dish meal. Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐, more commonly known as Mabo Tofu in Japan) is originally from China, but it’s been well adapted in Japan. This is a variation of our home cooked Mabo Tofu with added spinach and mushroom. You can serve it over rice, and it becomes an easy and nutritious meal by itself. This is a perfect dinner to serve on a busy weekday.
Today’s miso soup is made with white miso, sliced onion, and grape tomatoes. White miso is sweeter and milder than regular miso, and it tastes almost creamy. The flavor of the miso balances well with the tartness and umami from tomatoes.