Broccoli with Silky Pork Sauce consists of cooked broccoli florets topped with a silky sauce containing ground pork. The thick, silky sauce is called Ankake (あんかけ) in Japanese, and it’s one of the important cooking techniques used in Japanese cuisine. Because Ankake sauce retains heat well, this dish is particularly suitable for cooler seasons. Simply boiled (or steamed if preferred) broccoli with this umami-packed sauce creates a healthy yet satisfying dish for everyday dinners.
Cabbage Roll, also known as stuffed cabbage, is a popular western-style Japanese dish that involves stuffing ground meat into cabbage leaves and cooking them in tomato or consommé soup. It has become a favorite home-cooked entree for everyday dinners in Japan. While Cabbage Roll is a more directly European-inspired dish, Stuffed Nappa Cabbage incorporates more Japanese ingredients and seasonings. This variation is particularly appealing if you enjoy the taste of Dashi soup.
No-Fold Gyoza are Gyoza dumplings with pork filling but without complicated folding. Usually, you seal the Gyoza skin to keep the filling neatly inside by making kind of troublesome pleats. But here, the filling is merely wrapped in the skin by rolling. Super easy! It may not look as pretty as the regular one, but it’s still as tasty as always. This also freezes beautifully. One day make multiple batches and freeze, and have Gyoza dinners later on busy nights. No defrosting needed beforehand, but just cook a little longer. Hope you try this simple but delicious Gyoza soon!
Cheese Hamburger Steak (チーズハンバーグ) is Japanese Hamburger Steak (or Hamburg Steak) with sweet and tangy sauce and cheese on top. Melted cheese adds another layer of flavor and texture to the sauce, and a lot of people enjoy it whether they are eating at restaurants or at home.
Piman Nikuzume (ピーマン肉詰め) is Japanese green pepper stuffed with a ground meat mixture and pan-fried. The meat stuffing is just like hamburger meat, and the sauce is also similar to what we use for hamburger steak. Piman Nikuzume is very much a home cooking meal, but you can sometimes get it at diners and Izakaya food bars.
Nikudango Amazuan (肉団子甘酢餡) are meatballs coated with sweet and sour sauce. Nikudango literally means meatball and Amazuan means sweet and sour sauce in Japanese. This is another Chinese dish that has been adapted into Japanese cuisine. It can of course be found at Chinese restaurants in Japan, but a lot of people make the dish at home as a dinner entree.