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. It is not that hard to fry Tempura, but you may need to practice a couple of times. However, it is worthwhile because freshly made Tempura is just so heavenly!
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.
Gyudon is a popular Japanese rice bowl dish featuring thinly sliced beef and onion cooked in sweet and savory sauce which is piled on top of steamed rice. The rice absorbs all the flavorful sauce from the beef cooked in umami-rich dashi and soy sauce. It is a lunch time staple both at home and in restaurants in Japan.
Korokke are potato cakes coated with panko and deep fried. Korokke is a food people of all ages love in Japan. Well, who wouldn’t like deep fried mashed potatoes? It does not seem like a traditional style of Japanese food, but it in fact is since Korokke has been popular for 100 years. People in Japan may not have to make Korokke at home because they can find it anywhere, but we do when living outside Japan. It’s hard to get decent tasting Korokke here… Besides you can’t beat homemade Korokke anyway when it’s hot and crispy!
Shira-ae is a vegetable side dish mixed with mashed Tofu. It is a little different from regular salad since there is no dressing like oil and vinegar. Shira-ae is served chilled, so in a sense it’s like salad. Shira-ae is hard to get in ordinary Japanese restaurants in the US, but this is a kind of food we grow up with.