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Kinpira Sweet Potato Recipe

Kinpira Sweet Potato

Kinpira Sweet Potato (さつまいものきんぴら) is braised sweet potato seasoned with Soy Sauce and sugar, just like Kinpira Gobo or Kinpira Carrot.  This is a great small side dish that goes very well with any kind of entree, fish or meat.  Or make it as a snack to have with tea in the afternoon.

Kinpira usually means Kinpira Gobo which is braised burdock root and carrot cooked in a sweet and salty sauce, but here we made it with Japanese sweet potato.  Japanese sweet potato has yellow meat with purple skin, and it is quite dense and sweet when cooked.  The American counterpart, often called a yam, has orange flesh, is less starchy than the Japanese kind, and has more water content.  It is much easier to find Japanese sweet potatoes at local stores today, and you can most likely find them at American supermarkets.  If you can’t try any Asian market.

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Nira Tama Recipe

Nir Tama

Niratama (ニラたま) is stir-fried garlic chive/Chinese chive and scrambled egg.  A variation of Nira Tama is similar to a Chinese dish, but what we made here is more home-cooking than anything else.  Nira Tama is easy to make with simple ingredients, so it can be an additional side dish for an everyday dinner.

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Ham Katsu Sandwich Recipe

Ham Katsu Sandwich

Ham Katsu Sandwich (ハムカツサンド) was known as “Katsu” sandwich in the 70s and 80s in Japan, and it was more thriftily made with ham rather than with Tonkatsu pork or chicken cutlets.  Ham Katsu soaked in a savory sauce is a perfect filling by itself for this simple and nostalgic sandwich. without lettuce or cabbage or any condiments.

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Ham Katsu Recipe

Ham Katsu

Ham Katsu (ハムカツ) is Panko-coated deep-fried thinly sliced ham.  It was a popular food in the Showa era (1926-1989) in Japan.  Ham Katsu has been more of a nostalgic food than anything else, but it’s getting more attention lately, and making a small come-back in the restaurant scene there.

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Abura Zomen (Stir-fried Somen Noodle) Recipe

Abura Zomen

Abura Zomen (油そうめん) is Somen noodles stir-fried with meat and vegetables.  It is a Japanese southern island regional food, but there are no hard-to-get ingredients or difficult steps in the recipe.  This easy-to-make but tasty noodle dish will appeal to a lot of people from the young to the old.

Abura Zomen is originally from the southern Amami islands of Kagoshima, Kyushu.  The name means “Oil Somen noodle,” but it’s not greasy at all.  It uses a not insignificant amount of water, or Dashi stock if you prefer, in the process of making fried noodles, so it may really be more braising than stir-frying.  The water and oil emulsify along the way, and it becomes like a thin sauce for the noodles.

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Fried Squid Ring Recipe

Fried Squid Rings

Fried Squid Ring (イカリングフライ) is squid sliced into “rings,” coated with Panko and deep-fried.  It could be an appetizer dish to go with drinks or a tasty entree for dinner.

Fried Squid Ring is more a home cooking dish than restaurant food.  It can be served at some diner-type restaurants, but more often, you may find it at Izakaya, food and drink bars.  It is like fried calamari in the US, but Fried Squid Ring is definitely always coated with Panko bread crumbs.

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Chuhai Recipe

Chuhai

Chuhai (酎ハイ) is a Japanese cocktail which includes Shouchu liquor and carbonated water flavored with fruit syrup, juice or other sweeteners.  Chuhai has been a popular drink in Japan at bars and restaurants, as well as canned versions you can easily find at stores there.

Shouchu is a clear distilled liquor favored by many alcohol lovers in Japan. Shouchu can be made from various things, such as by distilling rice, potato, wheat, etc. There are generally two kinds of Shouchu; one has a stronger flavor from such ingredients (Otsu kind) and the other with much less flavor (Kou kind), similar to vodka.  For making Chuhai, since the drink is mixed with something else for flavor, the latter more mild Kou Shouchu is often preferred.

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Vanilla Purin Recipe

Vanilla Purin

Vanilla Purin (バニラプリン) is a cold custard dessert in Japan.  The name Purin comes from the word pudding, but it is not the same thing as the gooey pudding in the US at all.   This custard pudding has more the feel of a jelly dish because of its gelatin content.  It is a very basic sweet but everyone in Japan adores it.  It is a great alternative dessert to ice cream in summer.

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