Tanin Donburi is a rice bowl dish where thinly sliced beef and egg are cooked in a savory sauce and served over steamed rice. It’s a staple menu item at udon shops and many Japanese restaurants, though less well-known than its cousin Oyako Donburi (chicken and egg).
Porridge, or Okayu (お粥) in Japanese, is rice cooked in broth or liquid until it becomes very soft, resulting in either a thin or thick soup-like consistency. Much like chicken soup in American culture, Okayu is traditionally served in Japan to people who are unwell or have little appetite, as it is a delicate and soothing meal that’s both nourishing and easy to digest.
Ume Wakame Gohan is a simple mixed rice dish made with Umeboshi pickled sour plums and Wakame seaweed. There’s no chopping involved—just combine all the ingredients and let the rice cooker do the work. It’s incredibly easy, but don’t underestimate its flavor. The sourness of the Umeboshi and the umami from the seaweed create a winning combination. This refreshing rice pairs well with any meal on its own and also works wonderfully when made into Onigiri rice balls for breakfast or lunch. Hope you give this one a try soon!
Doria is a Japanese casserole dish made with rice, creamy white sauce, and cheese. It’s a popular Western-influenced dish (Yoshoku) often served at Kissaten styled coffee shops in Japan. In this recipe, instead of serving in individual gratin dishes, doria is made in a deep pie dish that is ideal for family-style serving. After sauteing the chicken, mushrooms, and onion, we use the same frying-pan to make it simple (and less pots to clean!) Ketchup flavored rice goes really well with the creamy white sauce, but if you would like to skip adding the ketchup, that is totally fine, too. Doria is a hearty, warm, and comforting dish that is perfect for a winter dinner. Enjoy!
Satumaimo Gohan or Japanese Sweet Potato Rice is a popular rice dish to make at home when satsumaimo is in season in the fall and winter. Naturally sweet and somewhat sticky satsumaimo go really well with steamed rice. It is so easy to make if you have a rice cooker at home, and you only need 5 ingredients. All you need to do is to put all of the ingredients in the rice cooker and push the button! Salt is all you need for flavor, but adding sake will enhance the aroma. If you don’t have sake or don’t want to use it, you can skip it. Satsumaimo Gohan is great to serve with grilled fish or meat and any seasonal vegetables. Enjoy the taste of the season with this easy and delicious rice dish!
Garlic Yaki Onigiri is a variation of Yaki Onigiri, Japanese rice balls that are grilled to crisp on the outside. In this recipe, we simply pan-fried the rice balls with oil infused with garlic. Seasoning is quite simple, only with soy sauce, but Katsuobushi bonito flakes mixed in the rice adds so much umami to this simple dish. The flavor combination of fried garlic and rice can’t go wrong, and it’s simply irresistible. You might want to double or triple the recipe as you may need more than a couple once you start eating these rice balls!
Rice burgers are hamburger-like sandwiches made with molded and grilled rice buns instead of regular bread buns. The grilled rice is seasoned and browned just like Yaki Onigiri (grilled rice balls), and the beef patty is replaced with Yakiniku (grilled beef slices). Rice burgers offer a unique texture and more traditional Japanese flavor, appealing to both young and old in Japan since the 1980s.
Chuka Okowa is mixed sticky Mochi rice (also called sweet rice), flavored with some of the ingredients and seasonings used in Chinese sticky rice. This chewy, savory rice dish with pork and vegetables boasts a deeper umami flavor from oyster sauce and a touch of sweetness from a small amount of sugar. Chuka Okowa is prepared in the rice cooker, eliminating the need to wrap it with bamboo leaves and steam it in a steamer like the Chinese version, making it incredibly easy to recreate at home.
Fried Rice, known as Yakimeshi in Japanese, is such an easy dish to make with ingredients you already have. It’s a typical lunch dish to make at home with leftover rice, meat, and vegetable you have in the fridge. While salt and pepper with a bit of soy sauce are all you need to season Japanese-style fried rice, here we use dashi stock powder.
Mushizushi refers to sushi where Barazushi (mixed sushi with cooked vegetables) is placed in a steamer and served warm. In winter, the steam rising from the steamer placed outside sushi restaurants in Kyoto and elsewhere has been known as a seasonal tradition in the Kansai region (western Japan). By warming it up, the sourness of the vinegar becomes milder, resulting in a gentle taste. The rice also becomes plump and flavorful. While traditional Barazushi is always delicious, steamed sushi offers a unique flavor experience.