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Tag Archives: Ginger


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The easiest TOFU dish! (Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

This is the quickest, easiest, healthiest summer time side dish. It’s just cold Tofu with green onion and ginger.

This is a dish you might have when you want to add one more nutritious dish to your meal; when you don’t have any time to cook in the morning; when you don’t have a big appetite; or when you want to eat late at night…

Tofu has a lot of nutrition. As you know, tofu is high in great protein so it is often used as a meat substitute for vegetarians. Also tofu is low calorie (33 kcal / 2 oz.) so it is good food for people who care about their’ diet.

Ginger is used as a medicine (we call it Kampo) in Eastern Medicine. It may improve our immune system  and also has antibacterial and antioxidant properties.

Green onion is high in vitamins and carotene. It also has antibacterial properties. So These two vegetables are great to make you more energetic and healthy.

Serving: 1

Total Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Total Calorie: 49 kcal

[Ingredients]

・1/6 pack(2~3 oz.) of firm Tofu (33 kcal)

・1 Tbsp. of minced Green Onion (5 kcal)

・1/2 tsp. of grated Ginger (1 kcal)

・1 Tbsp. of Soy Sauce (10 kcal)
(Recommended Gluten-Free Soy Sauce)Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)

Cut washed tofu into small size and transfer to a plate.

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Add green onion and ginger on the tofu.

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Drizzle with soy sauce.

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Gluten-Free Chicken Dumpling

Shaomai (Chinese dumpling) is basically Chinese dim sum, which is pork meat wrapped in a skin made from flour.

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In my recipe I used ground chicken meat and summer rolls skin, which is made from rice starch and tapioca starch. The taste is definitely amazing, and it is healthy and gluten-free!

It takes about 60 minutes to prepare and cook this recipe, but it is worth the effort because this dumpling has great quality protein and vitamins, and it is very delicious! You can have this as a main dish with rice because rice is a great match!

You can get summer rolls skin at many grocery stores in the US so please try it!!

{Ingredients (15 pieces)}

1 small Onion

3 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

4 Tbsp. Potato Starch or Corn Starch

½ lb. Ground Chicken

½ tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

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

½ Tbsp. Pure Sesame Oil

1 tsp. grated Ginger

4 pieces Rice Paper Skin (made from rice and tapioca)

Some Green leaves such as cabbage (for keeping dumplings from sticking)

Here is my recipe in PDF (7 MB): Chicken Dumpling


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Yummy Tofu Hamburg Steak (Gluten-Free)

In Japan, we sometimes cook hamburger steak with Tofu because we can make it healthier—lower in calories and fat. Tofu hamburger steak is mainly made from ground meat, tofu and vegetables.

Today I introduce you to a simple delicious tofu hamburger steak recipe. The ingredients are chicken, tofu and green onion. It is healthy, delicious and also the texture is amazingly soft because of the tofu’s texture. Tofu is high in quality protein so this steak has great nutrition!

You should try it!!

{Ingredients (servings 2)}

A pack (14 oz) Firm Tofu

½ lb. Ground Chicken

½ large Onion

3 pieces Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

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

1 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

¼ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1 tsp. Grated Ginger

Here is my recipe in PDF (7 MB): Chicken & Tofu Hamburg Steak


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Japanese Pan-Fried Dumpling

Japanese Pan-Fried Dumpling (Gyoza) comes from Chinese food. The recipe was slightly adjusted for Japanese tastes. It is a very popular dish in Japan. Therefore, we have a lot of restaurants for dumplings and also we cook homemade dumplings. There are many ways to cook dumplings, such as pan-fry, steam, deep-fry and boil.

Today I introduce you to pan-fried dumpling which is the most popular way to cook dumplings in Japan.

In this recipe I show you how to make a dumpling wrapper, but you can also find prepared dumpling wrappers at Asian markets and they are easy to cook with.

This time I used ground chicken for the filling but you can use pork, beef or shrimp instead of chicken. Also in regard to vegetables for the filling, you can use any vegetables you want, such as cabbage, mushroom, tofu, herbs and so on.

My mother used to cook with just chicken and green onion for the filling because she said we enjoyed the chicken taste, and we did!

Enjoy your homemade dumplings!

{Ingredients (servings 4)}

2 ½ cups Flour

200 ml plus 1 cup Water

½ tsp. plus a pinch of Salt

1 lb. Ground Chicken

½ cup chopped Green Onion

1 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Pure Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. grated Ginger

1 tsp. grated Garlic

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Here is my recipe in PDF (7 MB): Japanese Pan-Fried Dumpling


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Quick and Healthy! “Ginger and Cucumber Pickles” (Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

This is a quick healthy cucumber pickle recipe. It is so simple that you don’t even need to use a knife.

I break a cucumber with a rolling pin and my hands. This is a traditional way. It doesn’t take time to marinate when you follow this way because irregular surfaces can absorb the sauce easily.

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Cucumber is high in potassium and water. Therefore it is effective for our health to eat cucumber.

I add ginger to the pickle sauce. Ginger is very nutritious and healthy. It helps our blood flow, helps speed up our metabolism, and blocks the oxidation process in our bodies.

Enjoy your new pickles!

{Ingredients (servings 2)}

1 Cucumber

1 tsp. grated Ginger

1 Tbsp. Pure Sesame Oil

¼ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)

1 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar

Here is my recipe in PDF (4 MB): Ginger Cucumber Pickles


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Chicken Meatball Soup

 

This very flavorful soup brings you great nutrition because the ingredients are chicken, green onion, ginger, dried shiitake mushroom and kelp. This dish is high in vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, vitamin D, minerals, beta-carotene, allicin, calcium, protein and so on. Also it is low calorie and low fat. This dish makes you warm, gives your metabolism a boost, and helps improve your immunity so it is great to help you recover from sickness and get back a good appetite.

(Recommended Dried Kelp) Dashi Dried Kelp
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I highly recommend eating kelp occasionally. Recently, it is easy to get dried kelp at many grocery stores and at most Asian markets in the US. Japanese use kelp for Dashi stock and side dish like pickles. Dashi stock is used as seasoning in Japanese dishes. We use several kinds of Dashi stock such as dried anchovy, dried bonito, dried shiitake, dried kelp and so on. The kelp Dashi stock is great to compliment exquisite tasting ingredients. Kelp helps maintain your body’s alkaline. Also kelp has a good amount of fucoidan and iodine which are essential nutrients (in moderation) for humans.

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

½ lb. Ground Chicken

1 Egg

2 Tbsp. minced Green Onion

½ tsp. grated Ginger

1 tsp. plus ½ separate Tbsp. Soy Sauce

½ tsp. plus ½ separate tsp. Salt

1 ½ Tbsp. plus ½ separate Tbsp. Cooking Sake

1 ½ Tbsp. Flour

1 carrot

3 pieces Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

2 cups Kelp Dashi Stock
(Recommended Dried Kelp for Dashi stock) Dashi Dried Kelp

1 cup Water (leftover from soaking Shiitake)

Here is my recipe in PDF (6MB): Chicken Meatball Soup

Here is “Kelp Dashi Stock” recipe in PDF (5MB): Kelp Dashi stock


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Incredibly Flavorful Chicken Meatball TERIYAKI

This chicken meatball dish is incredibly flavorful! I love it!!! The ingredients are chicken, egg, green onion and ginger so it is very healthy (low fat and low calorie!!).

The meatballs themselves have a slightly salty taste so you can use the meatballs for your salad, pasta, soup, sandwiches and so on.

Today I introduce you to chicken meatballs TERIYAKI. It has a sweet-salty taste, which is made from common Japanese seasonings: soy sauce, cooking Sake, sugar and Mirin, so it is not a heavy taste. I am sure you won’t be able to stop eating once you’re first bite!!

Many people have soy sauce in the house in the US. You can also use white wine instead of cooking Sake (The dish tastes little bit different though).

This is Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine I used in this recipe.
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I strongly recommend that buy Mirin and keep it in your home for cooking. It is sweet cooking rice wine and adds great sweetness and Umami to dishes, and importantly Mirin also reduces the fish smell in seafood dishes. You can use Mirin in most Japanese cooking, can use it when you need sweetness in any dish, and you also can brush your sweets with Mirin and beaten egg yolk right before you bake so they turn a nice brown and taste slightly sweet. This sweetness comes from rice saccharifying amylase.

Enjoy these incredibly healthy and flavorful Japanese-style chicken meatball TERIYAKI!!

{Ingredients (20 small balls)}
*Click BLUE TEXT to link to the product on Amazon*

½ lb. Ground Chicken

1 Egg

2 Tbsp. minced Green Onion

½ tsp. grated Ginger

1 tsp. plus 2 separate Tbsp. Soy Sauce

½ tsp. Salt

1 ½ Tbsp. plus 2 separate Tbsp. Cooking Sake

1 ½ Tbsp. Flour

2 Tbsp. Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine

2 tsp. Sugar

Here is my recipe in PDF: Chicken Meatballs Teriyaki


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Heal your stomach with healthy Ginger Soymilk Soup after big dinner. (Gluten-Free)

This Ginger Soup is my mother’s original recipe. The ingredients are ginger, garlic, soy milk, onion, carrot and so on. Because of this, the dish makes you warm, helps your digestion, improves immunity, and speeds up your metabolism. I used to have the dish when I didn’t feel well. The dish has great flavor and incredible taste.

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The nutrition in Napa cabbage is similar to that in regular cabbage, but it is lower in carbohydrate and calories than cabbage. Napa cabbage has Isothiocyanate, so it is good for digestion.

Importantly, Napa cabbage is an ingredient essential for Buddhist cuisine. Buddhist cuisine is a dish for Buddhist monks who are forbidden from eating meat and fish (Mahayana Buddhism). There are several detailed rules for cooking Buddhist cuisine.

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For example:

Using the following in one meal.

5 cooking methods : Raw, Simmer, Bake, Fry, Steam

5 seasonings: Sweet, Acid, Salty, Gingery, Bitter

5 colors: Red, White, Green, Yellow, Black

In Buddhist cuisine the focus is on the minimum nutrition necessary for a human being. The goal is to not take too much energy and nutrition, and to be grateful for all life on earth. Recently, people on a diet or who have been  fasting tend to eat Buddhist cuisine after finishing the diet or fast, because it is easy on the stomach and healthy. We can have real Buddhist cuisine in some temples so it is popular with foreigners too.

Japanese healthy diets are based on Buddhist cuisine. On my site, there are some dishes that reflect Buddhist cuisine.

Enjoy this healthy ginger vegetable soy milk soup!

{Ingredients (2 servings)}

1 tsp. minced Garlic

½ tsp. grated Ginger

⅓ Napa Cabbage (7~10 leaves)

1 Onion

1 Carrot

2 Tbsp. minced Parsley to taste

¾ tsp. Salt

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups Soy Milk

Here is my recipe in PDF: Ginger Soup


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Japanese Savory Pancake

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Okonomi-yaki (Japanese-style savory pizza pancake) is a traditional, well loved, representative cuisine from the west part of Japan (Kansai region). The recipe is very simple. It includes a baking mixture of flour, water, vegetables, shellfish, meat and so on.

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In Japan there are many festival days in summer and many food stalls sell Okonomi-yaki (and usually have long lines because it is so delicious). These stalls cook it on a big cast-iron pan.

This dish is very delicious and easy to cook. It also has a lot of nutrition in one plate, so it was my family’s regular dinner on Sunday, and my father used to cook (this means very easy to cook because my father couldn’t cook anything else)

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My mother always added ground dried anchovy to the mixture to add an anchovy Dashi stock flavor and fabulous nutrition such as calcium and DHA. You can put ground dried anchovy in most dishes to make the dish healthier. It works for omelets, soups, salad dressings, casseroles, pasta, and so on. Dried anchovy adds a slightly salty taste, so it doesn’t bother your dish’s balance. It is easy to grind dried anchovy with food processor (and we can get it at most Asian markets in the US).

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In my recipe, I use “Japanese Sweet Ginger Beef” in the Okonomi-yaki dish. This makes the dish taste great and flavorful. Please see the “Japanese Sweet Ginger Beef” recipe to learn how to prepare the beef.

{Ingredients (2 servings)}

1 ⅓ cups Water

1 ½ cups Flour

½ Cabbage

¼ cup Anchovy Dried Iwashi Fish

4 Eggs

4 Tbsp. “Japanese Sweet Ginger Beef

Here is my recipe in PDF: Japanese Savory Pancake

Here is “Japanese Sweet Ginger Beef” recipe in PDF: Japanese Sweet Ginger Beef


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Healthy Japanese Sweet Ginger Beef (Gluten-Free)

Japanese Sweet Ginger Beef is popular around my hometown area, the Kansai region, which is in the west part of Japan. It is also popular in the Kyushu region.

The seasonings are soy sauce and sugar, and I also use ginger to get rid of the beef smell and to make the dish flavorful so it is salty-sweet. It is a typical traditional, but incredible tasty, Japanese dish like Teriyaki!!

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We use fibrous beef meat for the dish which is called beef shank in English (Number 12 in the picture). Shank meat is high in good protein, vitamin B12, and vitamin K. it is also low in fat and cholesterol. The meat is hard by itself, but when it is simmered slowly, it becomes very tender and flavorful, and it makes great beef broth too!

This dish takes a little bit of time to prepare, but it is easy and simple. You can use this sweet ginger beef as an ingredient in salad, pizza, hamburger, and so on.

Enjoy this healthy beef dish!

{Ingredients (2 servings)}

½ lb. Beef Shank

8 slices Ginger (total)

¼ cup Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)

¼ cup Cooking Sake

4 cups plus ⅔ separate cup water

1 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Tbsp. Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine

Here is my recipe in PDF: Japanese Sweet Ginger Beef