Your Home for Homemade Japanese Food

How to cook "with visual instructions" "using familiar ingredients from your local grocery stores" healthy, traditional and delicious Japanese dishes!!

Tag Archives: carbohydrate


by 13 Comments

Pan-Fried Udon Noodles

Today I introduce you to a very popular homemade Japanese dish: “Pan-Fried Udon Noodles,” which is called “Yaki-Udon” in Japanese. The ingredients are cooked Udon noodles, sautéed vegetables and turkey sausage seasoned with soy sauce. It is good for a quick meal because you can get carb, protein and vitamins from one dish. And it is very delicious!!

The recipe is very simple and quick. If you sometimes cook pasta dishes in your house, the cooking process will be familiar to you.

collage_fotoryakiudon

Sauté turkey sausage and vegetables.
Boil Udon noodles.
Dress all with seasonings.

You can use any vegetables and meats. And also you can cut the ingredients however you want. If you like to eat chunky vegetables, you can cut into big pieces. if you or your family don’t like vegetables very much, you can mince well and stir in as a seasoning on the Udon noodles.

Enjoy your-own-“Yaki-Udon”!!

{Ingredients (servings 2)}
*Click BLUE TEXT to link to the product on Amazon*

1 bunch (3.1 oz.) Organic Udon Noodle

4 Cabbage Leaves

2 Turkey Sausages

2 Shiitake Mushrooms

¼ Green Bell Pepper

1 Onion

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

2 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp. Pure Sesame Oil

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: pan-fried-udon-noodles

Advertisement


by 15 Comments

Udon Noodle Salad (Vegan/Vegetarian)

Today I introduce you to “Udon Noodle Salad”. This is similar to “Pasta Salad”. In this recipe I used soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and grated ginger for the dressing so the taste is different from general Pasta Salad.

In recipe I used this Organic Udon Wheat Noodle
81f1JgG1RdL._SY606_

It is great for a quick lunch because the recipe is very quick and easy. Of course it is also delicious and healthy. You can use any vegetables that are in your refrigerator.

Here is a tip for storing ginger.

Collage_Fotor

Peel the skin and wrap it with kitchen paper and then with aluminum foil. Keep it in the freezer and use within 1 month. You can grate the frozen ginger (you don’t need to defrost).

The recipe is easy.

Collage_Fotorsaraudon

Cut vegetables and mix with boiled Udon noodle and the dressing.

IMG_0156_Foodgawker

{Ingredients (1 serving)}           *Click BLUE TEXT to link to the product on Amazon*

1 bunch (3.1 oz.) Organic Udon

Boiled Water for boiling noodle

4 Grape Tomatoes

½ cup Frozen Corn

2 leaves of Iceberg Lettuce

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp. Mizkan Rice Vinegar

½ Tbsp. Pure Sesame Oil

1 tsp. Grated Ginger

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Udon Noodle Salad

How to cook Udon Noodle on YouTube:


by 15 Comments

Japanese Home-Style Chicken and Rice (Gluten Free)

This “Chicken and Rice” recipe is a very popular dish in Japan. A chicken fried rice dish is seasoned with KETCHUP. In Japan, many kids love the dish and it is a great quick and nutritious meal for many adults!

The recipe is so easy, quick and delicious! This dish also tastes good cold so it is a perfect lunchbox stuffer!!

Cut every ingredient.

Collage_Fotor

Saute the ingredients and add rice and ketchup.

Collage_Fotor2

Stir well.

IMG_8939

You can use any kind of vegetables and meats, and also you can add more or less ketchup to taste.

{Ingredients (servings 2)}

1 piece Chicken Thigh (about 0.2 lb.)

1 small Onion

1 Carrot

A half Green Bell Pepper

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

¼ tsp. Salt and Pepper

½ cup Gluten-Free Ketchup

2 cups Steamed Rice
(Recommended Rice)Nishiki Premium Rice (Recommended Brown Rice)Tamanishiki Super Premium Brown Rice

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Japanese Home-Style Chicken and Rice

Steamed Rice Recipe in PDF: Japanese Home-Style Chicken and Rice


by 26 Comments

Rice Croquette (Vegetarian)

Today I introduce you to “Rice Croquette”. It is delicious, easy and a great dish for potluck party! Also kids will love it!!

Make creamy white sauce.

IMG_9584

Mix steamed rice, the white sauce and cheese.

IMG_9588

Batter with flour, egg, and bread crumbs.

IMG_9591IMG_9592IMG_9593

Fry about 2 minutes.

IMG_9594IMG_9596

The outside of the croquette is crunchy and the inside is cheesy and smooth!

IMG_9641_Fotor

If you want, you can serve with your favorite tomato sauce. That would make the croquette look and taste great!!

{Ingredients (makes about 20 croquettes)}

3 cups Steamed Rice
(Recommended Rice)Nishiki Premium Rice
(Recommended Brown Rice)Tamanishiki Super Premium Brown Rice

3 Tbsp. Flour (total)

1 Tbsp. Butter or Margarine

1 cup Milk

1 cup Shredded Cheese (any kind)

2 eggs

½ cup Bread Crumbs
(Recommended Panko)PANKO BREAD CRUMBS

Vegetable Oil for frying

Salt and Pepper

Onion Powder, Garlic Powder (to taste)

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Rice Croquette


by 7 Comments

Homemade Vegetable Sushi Roll (Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten Free)

Today I introduce you to “Homemade Sushi Rolls”.

In Japan, many restaurants serve great delicious Sushi, but my mother also often cooked Sushi Rolls, Inari Sushi and Chirashi Sushi by herself. We can change the ingredients and the seasonings as we like so I love homemade Sushi.

In this recipe, I used carrot, Shiitake mushroom and cucumber as the filling. And when I cook the carrot and mushrooms, I used kelp Dashi stock. So this is a meatless and eggless dish.

Of course you can use any kind of ingredients such as shrimp, chicken, beef, ham, cheese, fried egg, canned Tuna, spinach and so on.

In addition, you can make an adjustment for the seasoning of Sushi rice. If you don’t like the taste of vinegary sushi rice, you can reduce the rice vinegar. If you want more seasoning, you can add more sugar and salt.

The recipe is not complicated. It is easy, great to cook with kids, and is a wonderful dish for a potluck party!!

Make some of your own Sushi with this recipe!!

{Ingredients (servings 2)}

5 pieces Shiitake Mushroom

½ Carrot

½ Cucumber

1 cup Kelp Dashi stock
(Recommended Dried Kelp)Dried Kelp for Dashi stock

3 Tbsp. Yamasa Organic Soy Sauce
(Recommended Gluten-Free Soy Sauce)Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)

2 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

2 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine

1 piece Dried Seaweed for Sushi Roll

1 cup Steamed Rice
(Recommended Sushi Rice)Organic Sushi Rice

[for Sushi Rice Seasoning]

50 ml Rice Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

[Tool]

1 Makisu (Bamboo Sushi Mat)

Here is my recipe in PDF: Homemade Vegetable Sushi Roll

Here is “Kelp Dashi Stock Recipe” in PDF: Kelp Dashi stock


by 9 Comments

Green Pea Rice (Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

Today I introduce you to steamed white rice with green peas. The Japanese process for cooking rice is a little complicated, so in this recipe I show you the easiest way to cook steamed rice. It takes about an hour, but you don’t need to do much.

We have many kinds of seasoned-steamed rice recipes, because rice is the most important carbohydrate in the  Japanese diet. Japanese rice is short-grain rice which is soft, sticky and a little bit sweet in taste. This is good for ease of digestion and also great for making Sushi rice.

The “Green Pea Rice” in this recipe has a slightly salty taste and a very tender green pea texture so even kids who don’t like green peas tend to eat this rice happily.

Green peas are high in protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and so on. Green Peas also have more vitamin B1 and fiber than many vegetables. But the nutritional value can weaken under the heat so when you cook, you can add the green peas to the recipe as the last part of the cooking process.

I love rice but I don’t have time to cook it for every meal so I always cook large amounts of steamed rice and freeze some of it. To store steamed rice, put cooked rice in a freezer bag and keep in the freezer. When you want to heat it up, you can microwave on a microwavable dish for 2~2:30 minutes. Please use the frozen rice within a month.

{Ingredients (servings 2)}

1 ½ cup Dried Rice (short-grain rice)

⅓ cup Frozen Green Peas

1 tsp. Salt

2 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

Water for soaking rice and cooking rice

Here is my recipe in PDF (5 MB): Green Pea Rice


by 2 Comments

Healthy and Quick “Tuna Pasta” Recipe

Today I will introduce you to a yummy light tasting, quick and healthy pasta dish! You don’t need to cook sauce in advance for this dish. You can put boiled pasta, drained tuna, and cut lettuce in a pan at the same time, cook for a few minutes and season. You can even cook everything in one pan. Boil the pasta, drain and cook in the same pan!

I usually don’t use canned food, but I always keep some canned tuna in my pantry because its stays good for a long time, is very useful, healthy and delicious. Tuna is a great source of protein and has other great nutritional benefits, such as vitamins, minerals, DHA, EPA, Omega-3 and so on. A Japanese tuna company published a study showing that fresh tuna and canned tuna have almost the same level of nutrition. (https://www.hagoromofoods.co.jp/knowledge/faq/faq_012.html). Canned tuna comes in water or in oil. I tend to choose tuna in water because it has less calories. Tuna in water has about 1/4 less calories that tuna in oil. But in fact, tuna in oil has more nutrition than tuna in water. So if you care about calories and protein more than other vitamins or minerals, you might want to choose tuna in water.

In this recipe, I use spaghetti, but you can use any kind of pasta you want. It is so easy, healthy, and delicious so I recommend it for lunch and/or for your weekday dinner!

Here is my recipe in PDF (4 MB): Tuna Pasta


by 10 Comments

Yummy Japanese “Potato Salad” (Vegetarian)

“Japanese Potato Salad” is a mix of mashed potato, mayonnaise and fresh vegetables. To make the vegetables tender and easy to eat, I knead well with salt or soak in water. This allows us to keep more nutrition in the vegetables than if we boiled them.

In Japan, potato salad is a very common homemade dish and very popular. There are many recipes which vary slightly depending on family traditions. We eat potato salad as a salad and also sometimes in sandwiches.

You can mash the potatoes however you like. If you like chunky potato, please don’t mash too much. And also you can add more potato, or reduce the mayonnaise, to taste. Enjoy!

{Ingredients (servings 3)}

2 large Potatoes

1 Carrot

1 small Cucumber

1 small Onion

6-7 Tbsp. Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

Water for boiling potatoes

Here is my recipe in PDF (4 MB): Potato Salad


by 2 Comments

Traditional Cold Japanese Wheat Noodle Recipe

Japanese wheat noodles (So-men) are made from flour. They have a very thin and smooth texture so they are easy to eat and don’t take much time to cook (basically about 2 minutes to boil).

This is Organic Somen Noodles I used in this recipe.

61f-UiwBKaL._SY606_

In Japan, traditionally we eat cold So-men with cold soup in the summer. It helps our bodies cool down and it has better taste and texture on a hot summer day than rice or other Japanese noodles.

I use anchovy Dashi stock in my soup recipe. You can also use kelp Dashi, bonito Dashi, shiitake mushroom Dashi and so on. And also you can get Japanese Dashi stock powder, which has so much flavor and is very useful, at many Asian markets.

So-men is mostly carbohydrate, so we can add meat and vegetables to add protein, vitamins and minerals. Adding meat and/or vegetables creates a good balance of nutrition. In my recipe, I always have So-men with egg, tomato, cucumber and chicken. Also, I sometimes add shiitake mushroom sauté, green onion, shrimp, lettuce, seaweed, okra, carrot and so on.

Enjoy your new noodle recipe!!

{Ingredients (servings 2)}
*Click BLUE TEXT to link to the product on Amazon*

2 bunches Organic Somen Noodles

1 piece Chicken Breast

2 Tomatoes

2 Eggs

½ Cucumber

2 cups Kelp Dashi Stock
(Recommended Dried Kelp for Dashi stock) Dashi Dried Kelp
*Any kind of Dashi stock is okay*
(Recommended instant bonito Dashi powder)Ajinomoto – Hon Dashi

3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp. Cooking Sake (total)

2 Tbsp.Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 ½ tsp. Salt (total)

Here is my recipe in PDF (6 MB): Cold Japanese Wheat Noodle

Here is my “Anchovy Dashi Stock” recipe in PDF: Homemade Anchovy Dashi Stock

Here is my “Kelp Dashi Stock” recipe in PDF: Kelp Dashi stock


by 15 Comments

Very Popular “Rice-Omelet”(Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

This is an original Japanese omelet style dish. We call “Om-rice” in Japanese. About a hundred years ago, a Japanese restaurant made this recipe as a meal for the restaurant’s employees to have quickly and get enough nutrition to work from one plate. Nowadays, this is one of Japanese kids’ favorite dishes because it is so delicious!!

The ingredients are rice, vegetables and egg. We always season with salt, pepper and ketchup but if you don’t like using ketchup, season with just salt and pepper which also would be great!

I use onion, carrot and fresh shiitake mushrooms as my vegetable ingredients. You can use any kind of mushrooms if you can’t find shiitake mushrooms. In Japan, shiitake mushrooms are the most common mushroom. We use fresh shiitake mushrooms, and also dried ones. I use the two kinds of shiitake mushroom quite differently because the flavors are totally different; when I want to add much more shiitake flavor to my dish such as simmered dishes, I use the dried ones. When I cook Japanese dishes for which I want to add just fresh mushrooms, I use the fresh one.

You can add any kind of vegetables to the Om-rice that you like, as long as they are chopped to the same size as the other vegetables.

Enjoy your new omelet!!

{Ingredients (servings 4)}

1 Onion

1 Carrot

3 Shiitake Mushrooms

1 clove Garlic

1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

3 cups (1.5 pint) Steamed Rice

¾ cup Gluten-Free Ketchup

8 eggs (total)

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil (total)

Here is my recipe in PDF (5 MB): Rice Omelet