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.
Koshian (or koshi-an) is a kind of sweet red bean paste (Anko) used in a lot of Japanese sweets. While Tsubuan Anko is bean paste containing whole beans, Koshian is a strained and smooth paste. Koshian is used in many traditional Japanese desserts which have a more sophisticated feel. It tastes a little less sweet than Tsubuan Anko, and it may be easier for people who don’t like that sweet of an Anko flavor.
Hakusai (Nappa or Napa Cabbage) Nibitashi is a very typical home-made Japanese side dish. It is light, healthy, and subtly flavored, and can go with any entree and steamed rice. You don’t see this traditional small dish very often at Japanese restaurants in the US, but it is a perfect vegetable side dish for everyday dinners.
Furikake are rice toppings which are made of dried seafood and seasonings. Furikake is not typically made at home as a side dish, but is more often prepackaged products you buy at supermarkets and other stores in Japan. However, if you don’t have access to shops that sell Furikake, it is easily made at home too. There are many kinds of Furikake out there, but we will show you a very basic one with Nori and Katsuo (dried seaweeds and bonito flakes) here.
Gyoza is dumplings, usually ground pork or chicken and vegetables wrapped in round (fresh pasta like) flour skins and pan-fried. Gyoza is originally from Chinese fried dumplings, but it is so popular and rooted well in Japanese cuisine today. Most of the time, Japanese Gyoza is pan fried (with some steaming action in the middle), however, here we deep-fry to make them crispy outside and juicy inside.