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Tag Archives: gluten free


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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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Miso Marinated Grilled Salmon (Gluten-Free)

Today I will introduce you to “Miso Marinated Grilled Salmon”.

It is very easy to make and incredibly delicious! I use only 4 ingredients. The preparation time is quick (but you need to marinate for at least an hour) and the cooking time is only 10 minutes!! In addition, I cook the salmon in a pan lined with parchment paper so there is no messy cleanup!

Marinated food with miso is very common and has a long history in Japan because it can be stored for a long time. We marinate various vegetables, meats and fish. The miso marinated vegetables are basically eaten without cooking and the miso marinated meats and fish are cooked and served. All ingredients have a lot of miso flavor and are slightly salty so very delicious!!! Lately in Japan, TOFU and EGG YOLK are becoming popular ingredients to marinate with miso.

This miso marinated grilled salmon is great for dinner by itself and also is great with your salad! The marinated salmon can be stored for 3 days in the refrigerator. So you can marinate some salmon fillets at once and cook lunch or dinner for your busiest days! Cooking takes only 10 minutes!

The recipe is

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Mix the marinated sauce and marinate salmon for an hour in the refrigerator.

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Cook in the pan lined with parchment paper.

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Miso Marinated Grilled Salmon

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

1 Fillet Salmon

3 Tbsp. ORGANIC Miso Paste

2 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

2 Tbsp. Organic Mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Miso Marinated Grilled Salmon


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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)
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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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The Best Salmon Recipe! Juicy and Tender “Steamed Salmon with Butter” (Gluten-Free)

Today I introduce you to Steamed Salmon with Butter. The dish is very tasty and is great for fancy dinners, but it is so easy because it is cooked in the oven. You can do other things while the meal cooks. Plus the cleanup is also easy because the salmon is wrapped with foil. Best of all, because the salmon is wrapped and cooked, the dish has great flavor and a very tender and juicy texture, which is very difficult to achieve when salmon is baked.

Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), and high in vitamins. More important still, salmon’s pink color is from Carotenoid Astaxanthin which is a very strong antioxidant material. However, today we see mostly farm-raised salmon in stores and the salmon may be bred to make their color brighter. So you should choose wild salmon if you can.

The recipe is very easy.

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Preheat oven to 400 °F. Place some sliced onion on greased foil. Put salmon on the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and put some butter on the salmon. Add any side vegetables you like. Cook in the oven for 25~30 minutes (depending on the thickness of salmon).  I recommend thinner salmon for all salmon recipes because it is easy to cook through evenly and quickly.

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Steamed Salmon With Butter

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Ingredients (servings 1)

1 reasonably thin Salmon fillet

½ Onion

1 tsp. Butter or Margarine

Salt and Pepper

Vegetables (such as carrots, broccoli, bell peppers to taste)

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Steamed Salmon With Butter

Here is “Steamed Salmon with Butter” recipe video on YouTube:


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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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Flaked Salmon (Gluten-Free)

Today I introduce you to “Flaked Salmon”. This has a very fluffy texture and a slightly salty salmon taste. Very yummy!!

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With similar uses as a can of tuna, you can sprinkle on your salad or rice, and also toss in boiled spaghetti along with some chopped green onion.

I love flaked salmon more than canned tuna though, so I regularly keep it in the refrigerator. In Japan, we can buy jars of flaked salmon easily at grocery stores, but I can’t find it where I live in the US, so I cook it. It is very quick and easy. You need just salmon, salt and boiled water. It takes only 15 minutes total.

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At first boil salmon, shred it, and then stir-fry the shredded salmon. Season with salt. Store in the refrigerator and use within 5 days.

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Flaked Salmon

The best tip for cooking this dish is to not overcook the salmon. Overcooking makes the salmon dry and hard. Boil for 5 minutes (It is okay even if the salmon isn’t cooked through yet) and stir-fry for 2~3 minutes.

Ingredients (servings 2 for pasta)

1 fillet Salmon

½ tsp. Salt

Boiled Water for boiling salmon

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Flaked Salmon

Here is “Flaked Salmon” recipe video on YouTube (I am sorry that there are some little image noises):