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

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Homemade Authentic Sukiyaki (Gluten-free)

Today I introduce you to “Homemade Authentic Sukiyaki (Kansai Region Style)”. Sukiyaki is a savory-sweet beef hot-pot dish. I said Kansai region (west part of Japan) because the cooking process is different from the Kanto region (east part of Japan).

It’s a beef dish, but is unlike American beef dishes. It is a very healthy dish because we use small amounts of very thinly sliced high quality beef and tons of fresh vegetables. It has a savory-sweet taste, so kids who usually don’t like vegetables very much tend to love sukiyaki vegetables.

As vegetables ingredients, I use tofu, Shimeji mushrooms, Napa cabbage, and Japanese leeks.

You can use any kind of mushrooms substitute for Shimeji mushrooms.

Japanese leek, which is called Naga-Negi, is slightly different from the leek found at many grocery stores in the US. Japanese leek doesn’t have dirt between the layers so we just wash the outside, cut and cook. You can use green onion or American leek as a substitute.

Sukiyaki is a hallmark of Japanese food. Cook the meat in a pot, season, and add several kinds of fresh vegetables. You can cook at the table if you have a portable induction cooktop. And while you enjoy the dish with your family or friends, you can add more ingredients and seasonings so it’s always hot from the oven.

In Japan when we eat Sukiyaki we dip in beaten raw eggs. Japanese eggs are under extreme hygiene control from laying to selling and they set a very short best-before period so it can be eaten raw. Of course, we generally don’t eat raw egg in the US so you can eat Sukiyaki without raw eggs.

My book Bento for Beginners: 60 Recipes for Easy Bento Box Lunches

is now available on Amazon!!

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The recipe is

Heat beef tallow or cooking oil in a pot. Cook some sliced beef until some parts change their color.

Add soy sauce and sugar, and stir.

Add some vegetables and cooking Sake.

Cook until the vegetables get tender.

You can eat the beef first. While eating that, the vegetables should get tender.

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 Tbsp. Beef Tallow or Cooking Oil

1 1/2 lb. Very Thinly Sliced Spencer Roll Beef

1/4 heart Cut Napa Cabbage

2 Cut Japanese Leeks or 4 Green Onions

8 oz. Shimeji mushrooms or any kind

1 pack (14 oz.) Diced Tofu

4 Tbsp. Gluten-free Soy Sauce

4 Tbsp. Sugar

4 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

Enjoy!!!


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Simple Creamy Sweet Potato Soup & About Soy Milk

Today I introduce you to Simple Creamy Sweet Potato Soup. This is a vegan and gluten-free dish because I use soy milk and don’t use cheese. But the consistency is perfect and the taste is divine. This is the best homemade soup!! (For the final presentation I drizzled some spinach puree.)

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The reason I use soy milk is that I wanted to add protein to the soup. I used regular milk for my cooking when I lived in Japan. However I have used soy milk a lot in my diet since I moved to the US because there are fewer opportunities to get soy nutrients here. When I was in Japan, I had Natto, which is fermented soybeans, miso soup which is also fermented soybeans with salt and koji (the fungus Aspergillus oryzae) and used soy sauce for my cooking everyday, and I frequently had tofu dishes and soybean dishes. So I didn’t need to get nutrition from soy milk.

I want to say that soy milk is not milk. It is actually soybeans and water. But now there are many flavors of soy milk products which contain many additives to make it tasty. I think it’s better to drink these soy milk products than to drink sweet soda or sweet fatty beverages. If you don’t like these additives, you can choose Eden Organic Soymilk Unsweetened which has only two ingredients, soybeans and water. It has more of a soybean taste, but it is very healthy!

Now you can drink a glass of pure, unflavored soy milk per day because it’s not milk but just soybeans and water as I said. It is not good, however, to drink soy milk heavily like water. As I sometimes mention on the blog, we need to eat well-balanced meals to be healthier. For example egg is a highly nutritious food but we can’t live by eating only eggs because they don’t contain fiber and vitamin C. It could make you unhealthy if you ate only eggs. My point is you can’t eat huge amounts of soy even if it’s a healthy ingredient.

There are many articles that tell us that soy is a danger. If you ask me, you have to know “Appropriate quantities”. In Asia we eat large amounts of soy food and mostly live long and healthy lives. So how can we eat soy products and be healthy without risks!? Eat small portions of several kinds of food at each meal, which gives you a well-balanced meal. Read also You can Eat Anything You Want! But…

I use soy milk only for cooking soup or for my cereal about twice a week. I have 1/4 pack (3oz.) of tofu twice a week, miso soup every other day and use soy sauce for my cooking everyday. And I am totally healthy!!

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My suggestion is to use several kinds of milk substitutes wisely in your meal. You can use any kind of milk for this recipe if you want but I highly recommend to use soy milk for cooking because that makes your dish nutritious and delicious!! If you can, try to use unsweetened soy milk which contains only soybeans and water for cooking. It’s very healthy!!!

The recipe is very easy!

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Sauté cut onion and sweet potato. Simmer with vegetable stock. Add soy milk and blend with a hand blender.

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Sweet Potato Soup

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Ingredients (servings 2)

1 Sweet Potato

1 Onion

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil or Margarine

½ tsp. Salt

1 cup Vegetable Stock

1 ½ cups Soy Milk

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Sweet Potato Soup


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Very Flavorful and Yummy! Herb Tofu (Vegan/Gluten-free)

Today I introduce you to “Herb Tofu”. This is a very flavorful, delicious and healthy protein ingredient for your salad!!

The recipe is very easy and the taste is so perfect! No more tasteless tofu!! This is because I season the diced tofu before draining. This means the tofu sponges up all the seasonings while it drains. I tried and tried to cook herb tofu many times to make the taste right. This recipe finally achieves the result I wanted! I used 1 tsp. each of 7 kinds of seasonings: salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika powder, dried oregano, dried dill, dried basil. You can use any kind of herbs you want but you shouldn’t change the percentage of salt. When the salt rate is higher or lower than this, it makes the tofu very salty or tasteless. I hope this makes your salad tastier and healthier!!

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Mix seasonings and sprinkle the mixed seasonings on diced tofu. Drain for 15-20 minutes with paper towels. Cook for 8-10 minutes.

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Herb Tofu

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Ingredients (servings 2)

1 pack (14 oz.) Extra Firm Tofu

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Onion Powder

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Paprika Powder

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tsp. Dried Dill

1 tsp. Dried Basil Leaves

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Herb Tofu


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2-Delicious-Type of Cucumber Sushi Roll (Vegetarian/ Gluten-free)

Today I introduce you to “2-Delicious-Type of Cucumber Sushi Roll”. Most people know about sushi rolls wrapped with dried seaweed. But this roll is wrapped with thin fried egg. The other cucumber roll is made with the rice side out. I think this is more colorful than regular sushi rolls, and it looks fancy. It is a very healthy and delicious dish!!

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When you make sushi rolls, you need a Makisu which is a bamboo mat, to make a good shape. You can buy a Makisu at many Asian supermarkets and also on  Amazon.

The recipe is

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Make sushi rice vinegar with rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix the sushi rice vinegar and cooked rice. (You can buy some cooked rice. Also I have a pan cooked rice recipe. If you have a rice cooker, you might want to use it.)

Here is my cooked rice recipe in PDF: White Rice Recipe

Make thin fried egg (mix with slurry so as not to break easily). Spread the sushi rice on the egg on the Makisu. Place the cucumber and roll up.

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To make cucumber inside-out sushi roll, spread the sushi rice on the dried seaweed. Place it rice side down on a piece of parchment paper on the Makisu, put the cucumber and roll up.

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: 2-Delicious-Type of Cucumber Sushi Roll

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

½ Cucumber

1 Sushi Nori Organic Seaweed

1 Egg

3 cups cooked rice

½ Tbsp. Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)

1 tsp. Corn Starch

1 tsp. Water

50 ml Rice Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

[Tool]

Makisu Bamboo Mat

Parchment Paper

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: 2-Delicious-Type of Cucumber Sushi Roll


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Homemade Egg Drop Soup (Vegetarian / Gluten-free)

Today I introduce you to “Homemade Egg Drop Soup”. I always say you can be healthy and eat anything, but your overall meal must be well-balanced. Your meal should include many COLORFUL ingredients, some different COOKING METHODS, and some different TASTES in dishes.  For details to You can Eat Anything You Want! But…

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I know many people are too busy to prepare so many dishes at each meal. So I am going to show you how to quickly cook this delicious, fluffy and healthy egg drop soup. You can cook this dish within 10 minutes total. It is great to add the soup to your meal as the weather turns cold!

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There are many ways to cook egg drop soup but mine is very simple with only 3 ingredients. If you want, you can add some other ingredients, such as cabbage, carrot, onion, ham, or bacon. In addition, if you prefer thick egg drop soup, you can add slurry which is a mixture of water and corn starch.

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Here is my recipe video “How to cook Egg Drop Soup” on YouTube.

Ingredients (2 servings)

3 cups Vegetable Broth

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp. Salt

(Some Chopped Green Onion to taste)

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Bring broth to a boil and add salt.

Pour beaten egg into the soup gently and slowly.

Immediately turn off the heat and let it sit for 2 minutes.

Sprinkle with some chopped green onion to taste.

Enjoy.


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Vegetarian Pan-Steamed Gyoza Dumplings

Today I introduce you to Pan-Steamed Vegetarian Gyoza Dumplings. There are a lot of ways to cook Gyoza in Japan and this is my mother’s original recipe which is easy and delicious.

This time I used only vegetables. I used Shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and tofu. You can add any kind of ground meat if you want.

Also, I used Wonton wrappers because I can’t find Japanese Gyoza wrappers around here. I explain how to wrap the filling and provide you with easy-to-follow directions with pictures in my recipe PDF. If you can find Gyoza wrappers, of course you can use those.

When you hear “Pan- Steamed”, you might think you need a special pan. Don’t worry, you can cook this with just a regular pan. I think the wrapping part takes a little bit of time, but it is worth it because Gyoza are very delicious!!

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Cook the cut vegetables and season.

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Wrap the filling with wrappers. If you want to store Gyoza, you can keep them in the freezer using a plastic freezer bag.

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Cook with 1/4 cup of water in a pan with a lid.

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF:Pan-Steamed Vegetarian Gyoza Dumplings

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Here is a tip for storing ginger. 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).

Ingredients (about 35 pieces)
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6 Shiitake Mushrooms

4 Cabbage Leaves

3.5 oz. (¼ pack) Firm Tofu

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Grated Ginger

¼ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Pepper

Wonton Wrappers

Sesame Oil for cooking

Water for steaming

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF:Pan-Steamed Vegetarian Gyoza Dumplings


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My Mother’s Homemade Simple Fried Rice

Today I introduce you to my mother’s Homemade Fried Rice.

When I was child, we had steamed rice all the time in my house. So when my mother thought about the menu for our meals she checked in the refrigerator and came up with recipes for main dish and side dishes using the ingredients we had in the refrigerator. Sometimes (especially lunches before grocery shopping) we didn’t have enough ingredients for most main dish and side dishes, so she always cooked this fried rice because it has great carb, vitamins and protein all in one dish and it is delicious! I love this simple fried rice anytime. This is also a great dish for busy-day-meals!!

The ingredients are onion, turkey sausage and green bell pepper, and the seasonings are just salt and pepper. Any kind of meat and vegetables are okay. In the recipe I don’t mention how much salt and pepper I use because if you use other kinds of meat such as bacon or spicy sausage, you might need to adjust the amount of salt and pepper to avoid a strong taste.

The recipe is easy and quick!

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Cook chopped vegetables and meat. Add steamed rice and season.

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

Ingredients (1 serving)

1 Turkey Sausage

¼ Green Bell Pepper

½ Onion

A cup Steamed Rice

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper

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


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Egg-Drop Tofu (Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

Today I introduce you to “Egg-Drop Tofu”. This is a very common homemade Japanese dish. The seasonings are Dashi stock and soy sauce, so it is savory, flavorful and delicious!! I usually use tofu, onion and shiitake mushrooms as ingredients. You can add any vegetables you want. Also you can use any kind of Dashi stock. If you use kelp Dashi stock it is a vegetarian dish. If you use fish-based Dashi stock it is not vegetarian, but the dish may be more flavorful.

This is a very nutritious and easy-to-digest dish. The ingredients are simmered in the Dashi stock so the dish has a very tender texture. And also, it has a lot of healthy protein from the egg and tofu.

The recipe is easy.

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Heat Dashi stock and seasoning. Add cut vegetables and cook. Pour in beaten egg and steam for a few minutes.

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Egg-Drop Tofu
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

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

7 oz. (1/2 pack) Firm Tofu

½ Onion

3 Shiitake Mushrooms

3 Eggs

1 cup Dashi Stock (any kind is okay)

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)

1 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

1 Tbsp. Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine

Chopped Green Onion (to taste)

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Egg-Drop Tofu

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


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Delicious, Easy and Healthy Pan-Fried Vegetables (Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

Today I introduce you to an easy, healthy, delicious and useful vegetable side dish. This is a traditional Japanese side dish which is called “Kinpira”. The seasonings are soy sauce, cooking sake and sugar. It has a great sweet-savory taste and the vegetables have a crunchy texture. Delicious!! If you use gluten free soy sauce, this can be a vegan and gluten free dish.

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In Japan we usually use Gobo (Burdock Root) for this recipe but I can’t find that easily near here so I use potato and carrot. It is so tasty and the recipe is very easy!!

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Heat sesame oil in a pan and cook the sliced vegetables. Season with sugar, soy sauce and cooking sake and stir-fry. You can store for 3~4 days in the refrigerator.

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Pan Fried Vegetables Side Dish

If you don’t follow a vegetarian diet, you can add thin sliced pork or small pieces of chicken. Also I sometimes add bonito or kelp Dashi powder. These bring a hearty taste to the dish!!

In addition, you can make this dish spicy so you can add some sliced red pepper if you like.

If you don’t like to use alcohol in your cooking, you can use any kind of Dashi stock or broth instead of using cooking Sake.

 

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Ingredients (servings 4)
*Click BLUE TEXT to link to the product on Amazon*

1 Carrot

1 large Potato

1 Tbsp. Pure Sesame Oil

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

2 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

½ Tbsp. Sugar

½ Tbsp. White Roasted Sesame Seeds (to taste)

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Pan Fried Vegetables Side Dish


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Potato Croquette (Vegetarian)

I introduce you to “Simple Potato Croquette”. This is a great main dish for dinner and also a great snack for kids after school. The ingredients are potato and onion. Usually we add ground meat to the patties before frying in Japan, but when you don’t have any ground meat in the refrigerator or if you follow a vegetarian diet, you don’t need to add any meat. You can use sweet potato if you want. Just adjust the seasoning because sweet potato has a different taste from regular potato. Also you can add various ingredients, such as carrot, broccoli, spinach, corn, cheese, crab meat and so on.

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Boil potatoes, sauté onions and mix well like mashing potatoes. Season with some salt and pepper.

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Make into patties, flour, dip in beaten egg and dredge the patties in bread crumbs.

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Fry. To store, put the patties in a plastic zipper bag and keep in the freezer. You can store before and after frying either way.

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

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Please do not drain the used oil in the sink. Put some kitchen papers in a can or a jar which you don’t need and pour the cooled used oil in. Throw it out as regular garbage.

Ingredients (about 8 pieces)

2 large Potatoes

1 Onion

¼ cup Flour

1 Egg

¾ cup Bread Crumbs

Salt and Pepper (for seasoning)

Water (for boiling potatoes)

Vegetables Oil (for cooking onion and frying croquettes)

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