Teppanyaki is grilled meat and vegetables prepared on a flat Teppanyaki iron grill. The meat used in this dish is usually beef although not exclusively, and it is similar to or sometimes interchangeable with Yakiniku, grilled beef often cooked on a slotted grill. Most often Teppanyaki is eaten with a garlicky spicy dipping sauce or simple salt. Teppanyaki can be enjoyed as a regular dinner for a family but it’s also great as a party food for bigger crowds.
Fruit Sandwich is literally a sandwich with an assortment of fruits. Thinly sliced Japanese soft white bread goes very well with the filling of fresh fruit and whipped cream. This is not an everyday Japanese food, but people like to eat it from time to time.
Shokupan (Shoku Pan, Japanese Milk Bread, 食パン) is a Japanese square loaf bread that is often eaten as toast or used for sandwiches. Although rice is the biggest staple food in Japan, Shokupan bread today may be the most popular breakfast item. Shokupan is very soft and tender and delicious, and you will love it if you like Japanese bread. This basic white bread is so versatile it can be used it in many recipes, both savory and sweet.
Mabo Tofu (or Mapo Tofu) is one of the very popular Chinese dishes in Japan. Tofu in a garlicky, spicy meat sauce is vey tasty, and it goes very well with Steamed Rice. That may be the reason why Japanese people love the dish so much.
Tororo Soba is a Soba noodle dish with gooey grated Nagaimo. It could be hot or cold although the recipe here is a cold version. Zaru Soba is the very basic and most popular soba dish, but Tororo Soba is also found on the menu at any Soba restaurant in Japan. Cold Tororo Soba is a great dish during summer for Nagaimo’s rich nutrition and coolness of Soba when you don’t have much appetite from heat outside.
Kakigori (かき氷) is Japanese shaved ice with flavored 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.
Although you can get shaved ice here too, usually as a snow cone in the US, Kakigori is very different from that. Snow cones often use crushed ice or ice shaved in thicker pieces. Japanese shaved ice is very soft and fluffy, and melts in your mouth like newly fallen snow. It doesn’t have much crunchy texture at all. Hawaii also has a version called “shave ice” that is becoming popular in other states as well. It’s based on and very similar to Japanese Kakigori, but some of the flavorings are different.
Soba Bolo is a Japanese cookie made from buckwheat (Soba) flour, sugar and eggs. It is a simple cookie with a nice buckwheat aroma that has been enjoyed for years and years in Japan.
Soba Bolo’s name came from Bolo, or “cake” in Portuguese. Bolo the western dessert was brought into Japan in the 16th century by Portuguese missionaries/traders. Bolo has changed its form over time, and eventually it became one of Japan’s own sweets. Bolo in Japan today indicates more cookies than cakes, and also a kind of cookies that are light and crispy.
Yakimeshi is Japanese fried rice with egg, meat, and vegetables. Yakimeshi is something your mom makes from left over rice and ingredients she already has in the house. Other than rice and egg, there are no particular ingredients you need to use. Yakimeshi is quick and easy and also a very economical food you can make for your family or yourself.