Fruit Parfait is a popular dessert you can find at many cafes in Japan. It is like an ice cream sundae with a lot of fruit. It looks very pretty with colorful and decorative cut fruit, and also of course, it is a delicious sweet.
Cream Soda is melon-flavored soda with ice cream on top, and it is a popular soft drink at Japanese “Kissaten” cafes (not cafes like Starbucks), which serve Spaghetti Neapolitan and Hot Cakes along with coffee and other drinks. Cream Soda is loved among kids for its sweet taste, but adults can enjoy it too, of course. People who know Kissaten culture will love to try this nostalgic soft drink again.
Shiozake (shio=salt, sake/zake=salmon) is grilled, salted salmon that is a very common dish for anytime of the day in Japan. It is often eaten for breakfast, but also a great item for Bento box for lunch and even a main dish for dinner.
Modanyaki (Modern Yaki) is a kind of Okonomiyaki that also contains Yakisoba. It is a regular item on the menu at any Okonomiyaki restaurant in Japan. Because Modanyaki is a combination of 2 starchy dishes, it is quite hearty and filling, especially when drenched with sweet and savory sauce and mayonnaise.
Tempura is battered and deep-fried seafood and vegetables. It is one of the most famous Japanese foods outside Japan, maybe after Sushi. Regular Tempura uses wheat flour, but here we tried our Tempura with gluten free ingredients in this recipe so that people on a gluten free diet can also enjoy this traditional and delicious dish. It is surprisingly crispy, and easy to make at home.
Matcha is a kind of green tea that is powdered, which is traditionally used for the Japanese tea ceremony. Although Matcha is a kind of tea, it is different from regular green tea leaves. It tastes rather bitter and has a much more concentrated flavor than green tea leaves. Matcha’s refreshing flavor goes surprisingly well with dairy and sugar, so it is a great flavoring to use in western style sweets as well as Japanese. It has become a common flavor in the US for many drinks and desserts, such as Matcha Latte and Matcha Ice Cream.
Onigiri are rice balls with some filling and wrapped with Nori roasted seaweed. It is a soul food for Japanese people, and it can be eaten in any kind of occasion. You may want to eat Onigiri as everyday breakfast or lunch, but you can bring it to a picnic or hiking since it travels very well. It is easy to make and easy to eat.
Kombu Tsukudani is thinly cut Kombu seaweed that is cooked and seasoned mainly with sugar and Soy Sauce. Kombu Tsukudani is a great accompaniment for plain Steamed Rice for its strong sweet and salty flavor. You can use it to top a bowl of rice or put it in your Onigiri rice balls.
Macaroni Salad is macaroni mixed with vegetables and mayonnaise, very similar to American macaroni salad. Because Japanese mayo has a very different flavor from mayo in the US, Japanese Macaroni Salad tastes quite different, just like Japanese Potato Salad. It is a very good side dish for Yoshoku (western style dishes) such as Hamburger Steaks and Menchi Katsu.
Cabbage Roll is ground meat stuffed in cabbage leaves and cooked in seasoned soup. It is one of the most popular western-style Japanese foods of all time, just like Hamburger Steak and Tonkatsu. Cabbage and ground meat are cooked in a mild but flavorful soup until very soft. This tasty and nutritious dish is a favorite dinner item for any age.