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Miso is a paste made from fermented soy beans.  It is one of the crucial seasonings in Japanese cuisine to make various foods like soups, sauces and other dishes. Miso is quite salty by itself, but dense in Umami (savory) flavor from long fermentation.  Japanese food using Miso such as Miso Soup is loved and well known to not only Japanese people but also to people in the whole world today.


Ebi Fry is Japanese fried shrimp. The shrimp is breaded with flour, egg, and Panko (bread crumbs), then deep fried.  It is a very popular dish at many restaurants in Japan, from big chain family restrants to mom and pop’s small corner eateries.  Although you may be able to find the dish more easily than some other Japanese food at restaurants outside Japan, making Ebi Fry at home is very easy too and also very cost efficient.  Most of the ingredients in the recipe are easily found at US supermarkets too.  So why not make it at home?

Kaki Gohan is seasoned rice cooked with oysters.  Oysters are one of the most popular foods that is in season during winter in Japan.  The juice from the shellfish is packed with Umami (savory flavor) and is absorbed into the rice while cooking.  In this dish, you don’t just enjoy oysters themselves but also the wonderful oyster-flavored rice.

Mochi is rice cake that is made from pounded rice.  It is very glutinous and sticky when cooked. Mochi doesn’t have very much flavor by itself other than a rice taste.  It is often eaten during the new year holidays as people get lots of Mochi for the dish Ozoni.  However, Ozoni is not the only way to eat Mochi, and actually, you could eat in any way and anytime through out the year if you wish.

Datemaki is an egg dish, a bit like sweet Tamagoyaki but cooked with fish cake.  Datemaki is a part of Osechi Ryori, the traditional Japanese new year feast.  There are a lot of kinds of dishes for Osechi Ryori, but Datemaki is prominent among them for its bright color and interesting shape.  Datemaki is fairly sweet like some other Osechi Ryori so that it can last for at least the first 3 days of the new year