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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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3 Ingredients! Super Easy “Corn Side Dish in Buttery Soy Sauce”

Today I introduce you to “Japanese-Style Corn Side Dish in Buttery Soy Sauce”. This is a super quick and easy recipe which takes only 15 minutes or so. It is a great side dish for your family and friends during this holiday season! In this recipe I use soy sauce and butter (or margarine) for seasoning so it has a very different taste from a corn dish seasoned with just salt and pepper, but it is incredibly flavorful and delicious!! As an aside, have you ever tried to season a sautee dish with soy sauce and butter/margarine? If not, please try it sometimes!! You can season sautéed meat, seafood, vegetables…almost anything! I love sautéed mushrooms seasoned with soy sauce and margarine, which is totally divine!! 

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««Easy and tasty cookbook Bento for beginners now available on Amazon»»

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The recipe is very easy.

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Cook frozen corn kernels with butter/margarine over medium-high heat and season with soy sauce.

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Corn Side Dish in Buttery Soy Sauce

The reason I used frozen corn kernel is I always keep them in the freezer. I buy many fresh ears of corn, steam them for a short time, cut the kernels off and freeze in a plastic bag. This is why I cook over medium-high heat to evaporate the water from the frozen corn. You can use fresh corn kernels for this recipe and cook over medium-low heat.

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

3 cups (20~24 oz.) Frozen Corn Kernels

1 Tbsp. plus 1 Tbsp. (to taste) Margarine or Butter
If you follow vegan/vegetarian diet, please use your favorite vegan/vegetarian margarine

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

*Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: Corn Side Dish in Buttery Soy Sauce


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Cheesy Sweet Potato Croquettes (Vegetarian)

Today I introduce you to Cheesy Sweet Potato Croquettes. I put shredded cheese and corn kernels in mashed sweet potato so it is very cheesy, creamy and incredibly tasty!!

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I use sweet potato instead of regular potato because it is healthier. Sweet potato is high in vitamin C, potassium and fiber. And it also has a low GI (glycemic index). This means sweet potato doesn’t make our blood sugar rise quickly or as much as foods with a higher GI, even though it contains carbohydrate. It is healthier to eat low GI foods first during your meals. You might want to consider the order in which you eat things to avoid raising your blood sugar quickly.

Croquettes are very filling and delicious. They are not only good as a main dish but also for kids’ snacks after school. You may think that frying is too much work but this delicious dish is totally worth it. We can cook a lot of croquettes at once and store in the freezer before frying.

The recipe is

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Mash boiled sweet potato. Wrap cheese and corn kernels mixture with the mashed potato.

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Batter the mash potato and fry.

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: sweet potato croquette

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Ingredients (7~8 croquettes)

1 Sweet Potato

½ cup Corn Kernels

½ cup Shredded Cheese (any kind)

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ cup Flour

1 Beaten Egg

1 cup Breadcrumbs

Water for boiling

Vegetable Oil for frying

Detailed and visual instructions can be found in the recipe PDF: sweet potato croquette


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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

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Makisu Bamboo Mat

Parchment Paper

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


by 7 Comments

EGG-FREE Healthy Sweet Potato Treats (Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

This is an EGG-FREE and MILK-FREE healthy, tasty  Japanese-style sweet treat. Because of its sweet taste, Japanese use it for desert a lot. Examples are baked sweet potato, caramelized fried sweet potato, sweet potato snacks, dried sweet potato, mushed sweet potato and so on.

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Sweet potato is high in fiber, vitamin B, C, E, and potassium. The amount of vitamin C in a sweet potato is 10 times of that in an apple. And the vitamin C in sweet potato does not break easily when heated.

Sweet potatos gain their sweet taste when cooked slowly. So I don’t use the microwave to make them tender so I can get a really sweet taste in the dish.

This recipe uses a small amount of Mirin instead of egg as a brush coat on the dough before baking. So this is also a great sweet for kids!

I hope you will like it!

{Ingredients (15 small balls)}

1 Peeled Sweet Potato

3 cups Water

3 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Tbsp. Gluten-Free Margarine

3 Tbsp. Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine

Pinch of Organic Black Sesame Seeds

Here is my recipe in PDF (5MB): Japanese Sweet Potato Treats


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Simple Finger Food “Sushi Canapé” (Gluten-Free)

This “Sushi Canapé” recipe is totally original and great for a potluck. The ingredients are easy and it is a simple finger food.

The manner for making a sushi roll for this dish is not traditional. I came up with an easy way to roll which everybody can do without fail. But the taste is totally like regular sushi! You can top it with whatever you want such as smoke salmon, fish row, vegetables and so on. Once you know this recipe, you can serve Japanese sushi to your family and friends!

Enjoy your sushi roll!!

{Ingredients (15~20 canapés)}

2 pints Steamed Rice

3 beaten eggs

¼ lb. Ground Chicken

1 Avocado

¼ tsp. Wasabi Paste or Organic Wasabi Powder(combine with water to make Wasabi paste)

3~4 pieces Dried Seaweed for Sushi

50 ml Rice Vinegar

2 Tbsp. Sugar (total)

1 ¼ tsp. Salt (total)

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

1 Tbsp. Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine

1 Tbsp. Cooking Sake

Makisu Bamboo Sushi Mat for rolling sushi

Here is my recipe in PDF (9MB): Sushi Canape

Here is “White rice” recipe in PDF (5MB): White Rice


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Chicken Karaage

Chicken Karaage is Japanese style fried chicken. Karaage is made in a very thin batter so it is very juicy, tender and flavorful. The chicken is also marinated in a  tasty sauce that is made of soy sauce, garlic and ginger. I am sure once you have a bite, you will not be able to stop eating because it is so delicious!

There are many kinds of Karaage, such as chicken, chicken gristle, shrimp, calamari, octopus, fish, fish bone and so on.

I used chicken breast to make the dish healthier. You can use chicken thigh instead if you prefer. I will also show you how to make the chicken breast more juicy with baking soda and salt in this recipe.

This is a very simple recipe but has great taste, texture and flavor.

Please enjoy it!

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

1 lb. Chicken Breast or Thigh

1 teaspoon grated Garlic

1 teaspoon grated Ginger

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 tablespoons Cooking Sake

¼ cup Flour

2 ½ cups Vegetable Oil

Here is my recipe in PDF: Karaage


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Potato Galette (Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

Potato is high in vitamin C. It has about the same amount of vitamin C as spinach or orange. In addition the vitamin C in potato is resistant to heat so we can absorb the vitamin C easily from potato dishes. A raw potato’s calorie count is about the same as pumpkin and lower than sweet potato.

This potato galette recipe is very quick, easy and delicious! My mother always cooked it for a snack. It is also good to bring to potluck parties because the ingredients are just potato and cheese. There is no egg and no flour.

{Ingredients (Serves 2)}

4 Potatoes

¼ teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons shredded Mexican Cheese (4 cheese mix)

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

½ cup vegetable oil

Here is my recipe in PDF: Galette


by 10 Comments

Gomoku-Chirashi (Vegetarian/Gluten-Free)

Gomoku-Chirashi is a traditional Japanese home dish which is delicious and nutritious, and a kind of Chirashi-sushi. We enjoy it at parties with family at home, such as on New Year and Girl’s day (March 3rd).

The recipe here does not use fish or fish roe, but rather vegetables. We think dishes should have colorful ingredients such as red, green, yellow, brown and white so you can use any colorful vegetables you want.

Before the Japanese had refrigerators they used this recipe to preserve food.

{Ingredients for Sushi-Rice (For 2 people)}
*Click BLUE TEXT to link to the product on Amazon*

・2 ½ cups Cooked rice

・75 ml Rice Vinegar

・2 tablespoons Sugar

・1 ½ teaspoons Salt

{Ingredients for Gomoku-Chirashi}

・4 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

・150ml Water (leftover from soaking Shiitake)

・1 Carrot

・2 Eggs

・2 tablespoons White Roasted Sesame Seeds

・1 tablespoon Dried Seaweed Flakes

・2 tablespoons Soy Sauce REDUCED SODIUM [Gluten Free] (Organic)

・2 tablespoons Sugar

・1 tablespoon Cooking Sake

・1/2 teaspoon Salt

Here is my recipe in PDF: Gomoku-Chirashi