Tuna Poke is raw Tuna cut into cubes and marinaded with a spicy soy-based sauce. Poke is actually a Hawaiian dish, but Japanese immigrants there may have contributed to the development of the evolution for the seasonings of Poke.
Inari Sushi or Inarizushi (いなり寿司) is a kind of sushi or rice ball. Sushi rice is stuffed in seasoned Aburaage tofu pouches. This recipe is an upgraded version with pretty garnish for festive spring occasions. (If you are looking for regular Inari, this is the one.)
Aspara Bacon (アスパラベーコン) is asparagus spears wrapped with a bacon strip and pan-fried. It doesn’t sound like a very Japanese dish, but it is a popular side dish for different occasions.
Aspara Bacon is so simple to make with easy-to-find ingredients. It is great for a Bento lunch on a busy morning. It is also a popular appetizer at home or at Izakaya bars in Japan. It’s salty and somewhat meaty, and goes well with beer and other drinks.
Stuffed Shiitake Mushroom (椎茸の肉詰め), Shiitake Nikuzume, is Shiitake mushrooms stuffed with ground meat and cooked with Teriyaki sauce. It is just like Renkon Hasamiyaki, and the harmony of vegetable and meat is enjoyed with a tasty sweet and salty sauce. Stuffed Shiitake Mushroom is great as a dinner entree and also good for a Bento lunch dish.
Tempura Donburi (天ぷら丼) is a Tempura bowl, fried vegetables and seafood over rice with sauce. It is also called Tendon for short. It is one of the favorite rice bowl dishes in Japan, and very easily found in many stores and restaurants there.
Tamago Zosui (卵雑炊) is rice porridge or risotto cooked with eggs. This mild tasting simple food is great at any time, but especially good when having no appetite or trying to avoid heavy foods.
Tanuki Soba (たぬき蕎麦) is hot Soba noodles in soup with Tenkasu fried Tempura batter bits. It is a Soba dish with a pretty simple topping, but that addition gives the dish richer flavor.
“Tanuki” literally means raccoon dog which is an animal found in Japan and a popular character in stories and culture there. One theory is that Tanuki Soba was named as a counterpart for another noodle dish – Kitsune noodle dishes. “Kitsune” means fox, but we don’t quite know why somebody wanted to give symmetrical animal names to noodle dishes. Another idea is that “tanuki (tane-nuki)” sounds kind of like “ingredients removed” in Japanese. Since Tenkasu doesn’t have any vegetables or shrimp like regular Tempura but is only crumbs, the dish may have been named this way.
Shiitake Nimono (椎茸の煮物) is dried Shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated, cooked, and seasoned with a sweet and salty flavor. Shiitake Nimono can be eaten as is for everyday meals or used as one part of Osechi Ryori, the New Year’s feast.
Nikudango Amazuan (肉団子甘酢餡) are meatballs coated with sweet and sour sauce. Nikudango literally means meatball and Amazuan means sweet and sour sauce in Japanese. This is another Chinese dish that has been adapted into Japanese cuisine. It can of course be found at Chinese restaurants in Japan, but a lot of people make the dish at home as a dinner entree.
Dashi, broth of fish or vegetables, is an important component when cooking Japanese food. Dashi is the base flavor of a lot of Japanese dishes, and it is hard to omit. Whether you make it from scratch or use more convenient instant granules or packets, Dashi will be needed if you’re cooking Japanese food. We’ll show you how to make 4 kinds of Dashi here, and they will be used in different dishes.
Dashi ingredients are found at Japanese or Asian markets, but you can also buy them online today. Check out our Dashi recommendations on Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)