Omurice, omelet rice, is fried rice seasoned with ketchup and wrapped with a crepe-like thinly fried egg. It is one of the most loved western-style dishes in Japan for a long time. Here we arranged an all-time favorite into a dish that can be enjoyed by people who are on special diets such as low-calorie diet and gluten free diet, or someone looking for a lighter version of the traditional dish.
Kakigori (かき氷) is shaved ice with flavored syrup like strawberry, lemon, melon, and simple syrup (sugar syrup). It is very popular during the hot and humid summer in Japan, and there are a lot of pop up Kakigori stores appearing in the season. Strawberry Kakigori is one of the most favorite flavors of all time. Kakigori is most likely made with bottled syrup, but home-made strawberry syrup is prepared easily at home, and, we have to say, it is so much better than store-bought one! The strawberry taste that is extracted from frozen strawberries is surprisingly rich and strong. And of course, there are no artificial colors or flavors at all!
Shirataki Yakisoba is stir-fried noodles using Shirataki noodles instead of regular Yakisoba noodles, but still having the usual Yakisoba flavorings. Shirataki, also called Ito Konnyaku, is a form of Konnyaku which is a gelatinous food made from Konnyaku potatoes. Shirataki is shaped like thin threads (ito), as opposed to regular Konnyaku, which is usually a slab or block form, and is often seen as one of the vegetables in Sukiyaki, the most famous Japanese hot pot dish.
Ebi Pilaf is a seasoned rice dish with shrimp, and it is a popular “western-style” (Yoshoku) rice dish in Japan. It is said that pilaf originally came from Turkey, but there are similar kinds of dishes all over the world. Since rice is a Japanese staple, Ebi Pilaf was gladly accepted in Japanese cuisine.
Warabi Mochi is a cool and smooth Mochi-like dessert, typically with Kinako (powdered soy bean) and sugar. The refreshing look of translucent/transparent Warabi Mochi and the cold sensation of it going down your throat have been enjoyed by people for a thousand years during Japan’s hot and humid summer.
Nanbanzuke is marinated fried fish in vinegar sauce with vegetables. It is a deep-fried dish, but, because of the vinegar in the sauce, this has a rather refreshing flavor. Nanbanzuke is more home-cooking than restaurant food, so it may not be found at Japanese restaurants in the US very often.
Tonteki is sauteed pork loin with a garlicky savory brown sauce. This hearty but reasonable B-class gourmet dish started in Yokkaichi city in Mie prefecture originally, but gradually spread to other parts of Japan.
Tonteki means pork (ton) steak (teki), and its origin is interestingly at a Chinese restaurant in Yokkaichi city in the 1960s. The dish was first created by the restaurant owner to satisfy the appetite of manual labor workers in the industrial city, but it gained its popularity quickly with many other people. Now a lot of restaurants in the area and beyond serve this pork dish with variations of their brown sauce.
Corn Potage Soup is a popular western-style soup in Japan. Corn gives the soup natural sweetness and this Corn Potage uses creamed corn, not just corn kernels, help adding even more body to the soup. This creamy corn soup goes so well with other western-style Japanese food like Hamburger Steak that together they make a perfect meal.
Grilled fish in foil is a very common home-cooking technique in Japan. It is a very quick and easy everyday dinner, but also a healthy and delicious dish.
Anman are Japanese steamed hot buns with Anko filling. The white bread part is made from both yeast and baking powder, and it is soft and tender. The filling is Koshian, smooth sweet red bean paste with a hint of sesame flavor. The name Anman comes from the Anko and the cake – Manjyu. Even though Manjyu are more traditional Japanese sweet cakes, this is a steamed Manjyu Japanese people love eating for a hot snack and light meal, just like Nikuman, the savory counterpart.