Celery is not really an ingredient for Japanese cuisine. It has a strong flavor and may not be able to be used in all Japanese dishes; however, that doesn’t mean we can’t use it at all.
I made Celery into Sunomono Salad, and it tastes great. Refreshing celery and sweet vinegar go very well together. A little bit of sesame oil enhances the flavor as a whole.
Hiyayakko is a cold tofu salad with some toppings and soy sauce. It is fresh and cold, and perfect for hot summer.
If you live in Japan, you can buy tofu from supermarkets, but also from tofu shops in almost any town (is that still true?.. I hope) where they make fresh hand-made tofu daily. Fresh tofu has a stronger soy bean flavor than packaged tofu you can buy in the US, and it almost doesn’t need any more flavoring. When you eat uncooked tofu like Hiyayakko, you want to have that kind of quality tofu. However, it is almost impossible to get outside Japan unfortunately.
Ponzu Sauce is a very versatile sauce and can be used in many dishes. It is a dipping sauce for Mizutaki, or you can simply pour over a tofu dish such as Hiyayakko or grilled meat such as Hamburger Steak.
The tangy flavor of Ponzu Sauce is from rice vinegar and citrus juice. Citrus juice gives a more refreshing taste than vinegar by itself. It also adds a nice scent. Lemon is great because it is easy to get, but if you can find Yuzu citrus, please use it. Yuzu makes this simple sauce much more authentic Japanese instantly. Don’t waste Yuzu peel. Just cut finely and add to the sauce.
Kinshi Tamago (錦糸卵) is shredded egg crepes. The thin egg threads are used for toppings and garnish for many dishes such as noodles and sushi. Although it tastes good, Kinshi Tamago is not usually eaten by itself, but rather used as a splash of color and texture.
You might not think Potato Salad is Japanese food, but it is! Japanese Potato Salad is similar to American potato salad; semi-smashed boiled potatoes mixed with mayonnaise. Still doesn’t sound like Japanese food, does it? What makes Japanese potato salad Japanese? … the secret is in mayonnaise.
Omurice (オムライス), omelet rice, is ketchup fried rice wrapped with a crepe-like thinly fried egg. Doesn’t sound like Japanese food, does it? Omurice is a “western style” dish created in Japan in the early 1900s. For over 100 years, Omurice has been a very popular food for people of all ages, especially kids.
Inarizushi (いなり寿司) is a kind of sushi or rice ball. Sushi rice is stuffed in seasoned Aburaage tofu pouches. Inarizushi is technically sushi, but it is not something you order at nice sushi restaurants. It is easily found at supermarket delis, but, as you know, home made is the best. Inarizushi is a very casual food and a perfect lunch for picnics because it’s best eaten right from your hands.
If you are a beginner for Japanese desserts and not so sure about jumping into sweet red bean paste concoctions, Green Tea Cookies might be the perfect place to start. Most people are familiar with western-style cookies, and this is certainly in the same family. It just has less butter and more flour (two different kinds, cake flour and cornstarch). Because of that, the texture of the cookies is more powdery, and the texture might be a little different from what you are used to. Also it’s not overly sweet. Nonetheless, it tastes good (and Japanese)!
Tempura is one of the most famous Japanese foods outside Japan. It is battered and deep fried seafood and vegetables. Tempura can be as formal as you want it to be at very expensive Tempura specialty restaurants in Japan, or casual home cooking.
Chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し) is a Japanese hot appetizer. It is a type of egg custard, but not sweet. You might find it at sushi restaurants or a little more formal Japanese restaurants in Japan. “Chawan” means tea cup or rice bowl and “mushi” means steamed in Japanese, and it is indeed steamed food in a cup. Chawanmushi’s flavor comes mainly from Dashi, soy sauce and mirin, and even though Chawanmushi is a savory dish, the texture is similar to egg flan.