Enjoy small potion of many kinds of dishes and have a great year!
Detailed recipes can be found on this blog and the cookbook Bento for Beginners!! now available on Amazon.
Author Archives: fravitch
Bento for Beginners (Easy, tasty and healthy cookbook)
The book I wrote is for people who wants to cook bentos for many great reason, such as saving environment, saving money, saving time and, of course, your health!! Using easy ingredients and simple methods, you can make your own delicious bento within 10 minutes in the morning. In the book I also show how to store the dishes safely and deliciously.
Moreover, If you are intimidated by Japanese cooking methods, you should take this book. It is the easiest Japanese cooking book!!
Now it is available on Amazon!!
Freeze-dried Tofu (Vegetarian, Gluten-free)
Today I introduce you to “Simmered freeze-dried tofu with egg”. The dish has delicious dashi flavor and is very healthy.
Freeze-dried tofu is very common preserved food in Japan. It is rich in nutrients and delicious. The tofu has been often used as an ingredient in Buddhist cuisine since 1600s.
The taste is very light and doesn’t have tofu aroma which is good for people who don’t like tofu very much. The texture is totally different from regular tofu. We can grill, simmer, bake and pan-fry them. Moreover, this is a great substitute for meat lately in Japan.
The recipe is very easy.
Bring the sauce to a boil and add the tofu. Simmer 15 minutes and drizzle with beaten egg.
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Freeze Dried Tofu
{Ingredients (serving 2)}
*Click BLUE TEXT to link to the product on Amazon*
1.2-ounce Freeze-dried Tofu
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)
½ Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Mirin (Sweet Cooking Rice Wine)
1 Tbsp. Cooking Sake
1 tsp. Kombu Dashi Powder with No MSG (Vegetarian Soup Stock) 
2 eggs
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Freeze Dried Tofu
Japanese-style Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomato (Gluten-free)
Today I introduce you to “Japanese-style braised chicken thighs with tomato”.
In the recipe, I use cooking sake, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper as seasonings and it is marvelous! The reason to add cooking sake is that it makes chicken soft and juicy and it rids the meat of its smell.
In Japan, people sometimes season tomato sauce dishes with soy sauce too. This adds great Asian flavor to the dish.
The dish is very hearty but the recipe is not complicated. You can cook with just one pan.
Cook chicken in a pan and set aside. With the pan, make tomato sauce. Put chicken back in the sauce and simmer.
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Braised Chicken with Tomato
Ingredients (servings 2)
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2 chicken thighs
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
½ onion
1 small carrot
A pinch of salt and pepper
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomato (no salt added)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Cooking Sake
1 dried bay leaf
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Braised Chicken with Tomato
Japanese-style oven-fried chicken (Gluten-free)
Japanese-style fried chicken called Karaage in Japanese, is made in a very thin batter so it is very juicy, tender and has great ginger soy sauce and garlic flavor. I am sure once you have a bite, you will not be able to stop eating because it is so yum!
In the traditional recipe, the chicken is deep-fried in oil but I cook them in the oven that makes the dish healthier, and of course it still tastes divine!! Also I use corn starch and gluten free soy sauce, so the dish is great for people who follow gluten-free diet.
In Japan, there are many kinds of Karaage, such as chicken, chicken gristle, shrimp, calamari, octopus, fish, fish bone and so on. You can use this recipe for those ingredients too.
The recipe is very quick and easy. There is no need to wait for marinating!!
Season the chicken and dredge in corn starch. Brush with some oil and bake on a prepared baking sheet in the oven.
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Oven-fried chicken
Ingredients (Servings 2)
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3 chicken thigh
5 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)
1tablespoon Cooking Sake
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1teaspoon grated garlic or garlic powder
Some vegetable oil for brushing
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Oven-fried chicken
Pan-Fried Tofu with Delicious Sweet-Savory Dashi Sauce (Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-free)
Today I introduce you to “Pan-Fried Tofu with Delicious Sweet Savory Dashi Sauce”. This dish is typical Japanese homemade dish which is called “Agedashi Tofu” in Japanese.
*When you use my homemade kelp dashi stock, this dish is going to be vegan dish. And if you want it to be gluten free, please use gluten free soy sauce.
*My Kelp Dashi recipe is here: Kelp Dashi stock
*You can buy vegetarian kelp dashi powder on Amazon: Kombu Dashi Powder with No MSG (Vegetarian Soup Stock)
In regular recipe for this dish, tofu is deep-fried but sometimes I feel deep-frying is a little bit too much work so in my recipe I cook tofu in a pan using only 2 Tbsp. of oil. It is easy, healthy and delicious, and also it still has great crunchy texture!
The recipe outline:
- Drain tofu in the microwave.
- Coat the tofu with corn starch and cook in the pan.
- Cook the sauce and drizzle the tofu with it.
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Pan-Fried Tofu with Dashi Sauce
Ingredients (Servings 2)
*Click BLUE TEXT to link to the product on Amazon*
½ pack (7 oz.) Firm Tofu
1 cups Dashi Stock (any kind)
1 Tbsp. Cooking Sake
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Mirin (Sweet Cooking Rice Wine)
3 Tbsp. Corn Starch
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
Some chopped Green Onion to taste
Graded Ginger to taste
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Pan-Fried Tofu with Dashi Sauce
Flavorful Ginger Chicken (Gluten-free)
Today I introduce you to “Homemade Ginger Chicken.” This is an incredibly flavorful dish marinated mainly with ginger and soy sauce.
As you know, ginger is extremely healthy. When you cook ginger, Gingerol, which is a flavor ingredient, changes chemically to Shogaol. This warms up our body and increases our metabolism. I often use ginger in my meals to make dishes flavorful and healthier!!
In this recipe I use chicken, but you can use pork instead of chicken if you prefer. If you use pork just make sure it is sliced thinly.
The recipe is very easy.
Marinate cut chicken in a zipper plastic bag. Cook it with sliced onion in a pan.
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Ginger Chicken Thigh
Ingredients (Servings 2)
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2 pieces Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thigh
1 Tbsp. Grated Ginger
4 Tbsp. Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)
4 Tbsp. Cooking Sake
2 Tbsp. Mirin (Sweet Cooking Rice Wine)
1 Onion
1 Tbsp. Pure Sesame Oil
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Ginger Chicken Thigh
Microwaved Japanese-Style Fried Egg (Vegetarian/Gluten-free)
Today I introduce you to “Microwaved Japanese-Style Fried Egg ”. Usually we use a special rectangular pan. Here is a quick instruction: Cook thin fried egg and fold up twice. Under the egg, make another thin fried egg and wrap the first fried egg. Continue this 3 or 4 times. Once you get used to cooking this, it is easy, but we need practice so here I will show you how to cook in the microwave. It doesn’t have the exact same shape as pan-fried egg but it is similar and of course it tastes delicious!
In Japan, this kind of fried egg is a very popular dish, even more than scrambled egg or sunny side up. We frequently add to our meals as a side dish and also add to lunch boxes.
Interestingly, there is a difference in the fried egg seasoning between west and east Japan. In western Japan, it tastes savory, seasoned with soy sauce and Dashi stock. In eastern Japan, it has a slightly sweet taste because sugar is added.
««Easy and tasty cookbook Bento for Beginners now available on Amazon»»
In this recipe I made sweet fried egg so that kids will like it too. The seasonings are sugar and milk (any kind is okay). If you want to try authentic fried egg, you can add 1 tsp. of cooking sake and soy sauce to the beaten egg. This makes the egg more flavorful!!
Here is a tip to cook egg in the microwave. Because of the egg’s elements, eggs sometimes change to purple-ish blue color in the microwave. This is natural and doesn’t harm you. However, in Japanese cuisine, the final presentation is very important so we add a splash of vinegar to the beaten egg. This keeps the egg from changing color when we cook in the microwave.
The recipe is very easy.
Whisk eggs and seasonings. Microwave. Make the shape with plastic wrap and microwave again.
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Microwave Fried Egg
Ingredients (servings 2)
3 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Milk (any kind)
1 tsp. Vinegar
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Microwave Fried Egg
Tofu and Edamame with Flavorful Thick Sauce (Vegan/Gluten-free)
Today I introduce you to a great high protein dish “Tofu and Edamame with Flavorful Thick Sauce”. This is an incredibly easy, healthy and delicious dish so it is great for weeknight dinners.
The seasonings are soy sauce and cooking sake. Also I use corn starch slurry to make the sauce thicker. The thick sauce coats tofu and edamame and you can enjoy all the flavors together.
I used frozen edamame in the recipe but you can use fresh too. Edamame is a very useful, versatile and nutritious ingredient. You can add it to many dishes, like omelet, soup, salad, rice, pasta and so on. Or you can just snack on boiled edamame! In Japan we traditionally eat edamame as an appetizer when we drink beer at dinner. The reason being that edamame may help the function of the liver which helps breakdown alcohol. At some common Japanese restaurants, Izakaya, they serve edamame right after we are seated before we order, like bread sticks in an Italian restaurant (mostly the cost is included in the price as a service fee).
The recipe is very easy and quick.
Place tofu, edamame and seasonings into a pan and cook. Add slurry and serve!
It is a vegan and gluten free dish when you use kelp dashi stock or your favorite vegetable broth, and gluten free soy sauce.
Ingredients (servings 2)
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½ pack Firm Tofu
½ cup Frozen Edamame
1 cup Dashi stock (any kind)
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)
1 Tbsp. Cooking Sake
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch (for slurry)
2 Tbsp. Water (for slurry)
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Tofu and Edamame Dish
Simmered Daikon Radish (Vegan/Gluten-free)
Today I introduce you to “How to Cook Simmered Daikon Radish”.
If you are a little bit tired of eating vegetables, you should try this.
It is delicious, flavorful and low in calories. It has a soft and juicy texture. It is way too good, so I can’t stop eating once I dig in!
Daikon is high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and so on. Also it is easy to digest, so we traditionally eat daikon with other green vegetables and rice porridge after new year’s (we eat a lot of big meals around New Years).
This recipe is very easy and the dish can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3 days.
In my meals, I always have rice, soup and some various side dishes which I make ahead of time. This is an incredibly healthy dish but you need other nutrition as well. This dish can be the main dish for me, but it actually has the nutrition of a side dish.
Here is the cooking video on my YouTube channel:
Peel and cut daikon. Simmer with the seasonings for 20 minutes. That’s it!!
I use a knife to peel daikon. This is because daikon has thick fiber under its peel. The fiber doesn’t cook through easily so if you leave it, the final texture is not as good as if you peel it.
Ingredients (servings 2)
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8~10-inch-length Daikon Radish
2 cups Dashi Stock (any kind)
2 Tbsp. Cooking Sake
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)
1 Tbsp. Eden Mirin, Rice Cooking Wine
Sliced fresh Ginger to taste
Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Simmered Daikon Radish
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