Menchi Katsu is deep-fried ground meat patties with chopped onions and seasonings. It is a popular western food from butcher shops and delis in Japan just like Korokke. Menchi Katsu tastes like a hybrid of Hamburger Steak and Tonkatsu. Inside is juicy hamburger, and outside is crunchy Panko crust. Even though Menchi Katsu is categorized as a “B class” cheap dish, freshly fried Menchi Katsu is as good as expensive steaks! … or at least we think so.
Miso Dressing is a tasty Miso based dressing great for salads, simple boiled vegetables (as in the recipe), and even cooked meat. This salty sweet dressing tastes quite different from western dressings, but you’ll like it if you like the flavor of Miso.
You can use either white or Awase (between red and white) Miso for the dressing. Red Miso may have too strong of a flavor for this dressing. A key flavor of the dressing other than Miso is sugar. We think a bit on the sweet side tastes better, but you can decide how much sugar you would like to use. Depending on what kind of Miso you choose, you may have to adjust the amount of sugar. White Miso is much sweeter, so beware.
Hayashi Rice is Japanese beef stew poured over Steamed Rice. Hayashi sauce has distinct flavors of demi-glace brown sauce and red wine. It has been a popular western style Japanese dish since the early 1900s. Hayashi Rice is often found on a menu at Yoshoku-ya (western style food restaurants) along with Hamburger Steak and Tonkatsu. It is also a popular home cooking dish, although the sauce is usually made from instant roux looking just like instant Curry roux. It was more popular in the 70s and 80s, but Hayashi Rice is still an old time favorite Yoshoku for Japanese people.
Shogayu is a Japanese version of ginger tea that is used as a home remedy to treat the common cold. This soothing and spicy herbal tea certainly warms up the body in cold seasons.
Kuromame are Japanese black beans cooked in sweet syrup. It is a part of Osechi Ryori, the traditional Japanese new year feast. There are a lot of kinds of dishes for Osechi, but Kuromame is one of the big three celebration dishes, along with Tazukuri (candied dried anchovies) and Kazunoko (herring roe). Sweet Kuromame is a nice complement to a lot of the other saltier dishes in Osechi.
Kazunoko is salted herring roe that has been marinated in seasoned Dashi. It is a part of Osechi Ryori, the traditional Japanese New Year feast. There are many kinds of dishes for Osechi Ryori, but Kazunoko is one of the big three celebration dishes, along with Kuromame (sweet black beans) and Tazukuri.
Tazukuri is dried small sardines (called Gomame) cooked in sugar and soy sauce. It is a part of Osechi Ryori, the traditional Japanese new year feast. There are a lot of kinds of dishes for Osechi Ryori, but Tazukuri is one of the big three celebration dishes, along with Kuromame (sweet black beans) and Kazunoko (herring roe).
Japanese Strawberry Shortcake (いちごショートケーキ) is a western-style layered cake with whipped cream and strawberries. It is the most popular kind of western cake in Japan for everyone. It is said the Strawberry Shortcake was “invented” by a pastry shop in 1920s, but it became more popular in the 1950s. And since then it still is often the best seller in any bake shop.
Miso Ramen (味噌ラーメン) is Ramen noodles in a Miso based soup that was created in Japan in the 1960s. Ramen noodles are originally Chinese style noodles, but it’s been changed and improved over the years, and evolved to be our own food. And Miso Ramen is the pinnacle of “Japanese” Ramen noodles, the king of all Ramen.
Yakibuta is roast pork similar to Cha Siu of China. While Cha Siu uses a variety of spices such as star anise and cinnamon and also honey to flavor the meat, Japanese Yakibuta has a much simpler taste. Yakibuta is usually sliced thinly and served as a dish for an appetizer or a part of meals, and it is also a very popular topping for Ramen.