Japanese Recipes
207 recipes found
Dirty Palmer (Green Tea-Ginger)
I make ginger green tea syrup - it's great in Greek yogurt but delicious with very fizzy water, vodka, and lemonade.
Perfumed Adzuki Beans and Rice with Bourbon and Bacon
We enjoyed this adzuki beans and bacon dish recipe right out of the pan for a warming lunch during a cold snap. This is easy to prepare and full of flavor.
Hot radish and japanese cucumber salad
This spontaneously created Radish- Cucumber salad has been long time favorite in my house. This oil-free, healthy, spicy, crunchy and unbelievably easy to make salad will fit into any diet.
Edamame with Sea Salt and Lime
For this recipe, I like to slightly nudge my edamame out of their pods with a gentle squeeze, swipe the lime wedge, dip in the sea salt, and munch. Yum!
Roasted Salmon With Wasabi Cream
Cold Soba Noodles With Dipping Sauce
In Japan, where it gets plenty hot in the summer, cold soba noodles, served with a dipping sauce, are a common snack or light meal. Soba are brown noodles, made from wheat and buckwheat, and the sauce is based on dashi, the omnipresent Japanese stock. You would recognize the smell of dashi in an instant, even if you have never knowingly eaten it. It's a brilliant concoction based on kelp, a seaweed, and dried bonito flakes. It is also among the fastest and easiest stocks you can make, and its two main ingredients – which you can buy in any store specializing in Asian foods – keep indefinitely in your pantry. I would encourage you to try making it, though you can also use chicken stock (or instant dashi, which is sold in the same stores).
Soba With ChickenJU And Green Onions
Chicken Katsu
Katsu, a popular Japanese comfort food of breaded cutlets, is commonly made with chicken or pork. For this chicken version, boneless chicken breasts are pounded thin, dredged in flour, egg and panko, then fried until golden brown for an irresistible crispy crust that yields to — and protects — juicy meat inside. The traditional accompaniments are a mound of crunchy shredded cabbage, steamed rice and a generous drizzle of sweet-savory katsu sauce. Also called tonkatsu sauce, it’s a tangy Japanese-style barbecue sauce made with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, ginger and clove. Though you can purchase bottles of it in Asian markets or online, the sauce is easy to make, lasts indefinitely in the fridge and serves as a great all-purpose dip.
Salmon and Daikon in Garlic Butter Miso Sauce
A stunning one-pot meal that cooks in just 15 minutes, this salmon dish creates a silky miso sauce that tastes lavish. The recipe comes from Naoko Takei Moore, who co-authored “Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking” with Kyle Connaughton (Ten Speed Press, 2015) and created Toiro, a Los Angeles shop that specializes in donabe and Japanese cookware. It’s intended to be cooked in a donabe, a Japanese clay pot prized for its ability to retain heat and cook evenly, but also works well in a Dutch oven or other pot. Once you’ve stirred together your miso sauce, seasoned your salmon and prepped your vegetables, the meal comes together with little effort, as you layer the vegetables, dashi, salmon and sauce in your pot then simmer until tender. Organize your prepped ingredients and the practice of cooking this dish feels as soul-soothing as the results.
Sweet and Spicy Tofu With Soba Noodles
If you don’t cook tofu often (or even if you do), this unfussy tofu dish is for you: There’s no flour-dredging or shallow-frying, and no marinating at all. As long as you pat the tofu dry (a bit fussy, but not by much), the vegetable oil’s high smoke point will yield crisp edges, while the sesame oil imparts flavor, putting you well on your way to making tofu taste great. What’s more, a ginger-and-garlic-laced soy sauce coats noodles and tofu alike, giving you chopstick after chopstick of toothsome pleasure. Serve these warm or cold, and be generous with the cool, crispy vegetables on top, especially for summer picnics where you can stretch this to serve 6 or even 8 as a side.
Chicken and Vegetable Donabe
Donabe refers to the Japanese clay pot traditionally used to make this warming dish. Clay holds heat for a longer period of time than other materials. This one-pot comforting donabe is made in a Dutch oven, which still keeps heat well and can accommodate a party of four. Chicken, vegetables and broth are combined in the pot and simmered together; as it cooks, the soothing broth is reinforced with fragrant aromatics and the flavorful juices from the chicken and vegetables. A citrusy ponzu sauce adds a bright, fresh finish to the otherwise mellow dish. Yuzu kosho, a Japanese fermented condiment made with fresh chiles, yuzu peel and salt, adds a pop of heat to the donabe, but it can be left out for a milder dish.
Beef Negimaki
Negimaki is a traditional Japanese dish consisting of thinly pounded meat that’s marinated in teriyaki sauce, wrapped around scallions and grilled. (Negi is the Japanese word for scallions; maki means roll.) Although beef is traditionally used for these tasty appetizers, chicken is a popular alternative. These can be assembled a few hours ahead and kept refrigerated until ready to grill. To make a complete meal, serve the negimaki with steamed rice and a simple green salad or roasted broccoli. Any leftovers can be chopped and tossed into fried rice the next day.
Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Japanese Rice Balls) With Pickled Shiitakes
Onigiri, also known as omusube, are portable snacks, often sold in Japanese convenience stores, which are traditionally stuffed with salty, tangy fillings, then wrapped in seaweed. When grilled, glazed or cooked, they become yaki onigiri. In this version, adapted from “Vegan JapanEasy: Classic and Modern Vegan Japanese Recipes to Cook at Home” by Tim Anderson (Hardie Grant, 2020), a little bit of the pickled shiitake filling goes a long way. (The recipe makes extra, which you can keep refrigerated to add to stir-fries, ramen or even omelets.) You could also stuff these with finely chopped kimchi, Japanese pickles, sautéed greens or nothing at all. Available online or at most Japanese supermarkets, an onigiri mold makes for sleek shaping, but, with a little practice, you could also form the shape by hand, or simply roll the rice between your palms into balls. For hot yaki onigiri, brush them with the miso glaze, which will form a delightful crackly, caramelized crust when broiled.
Gyudon
A popular fast-food dish in Japan, gyudon is a quick-simmered mixture of thinly sliced beef and crisp-tender onions cooked in a sweet soy broth that’s seasoned with fresh ginger. It’s perfectly suited to weeknight cooking because it requires minimal prep, a short ingredient list and less than 30 minutes of active cooking. Gyudon owes its popularity to Yoshinoya, Japan’s first fast-food chain, which was founded in Tokyo in 1899 and became wildly successful in the 1960s serving just this dish. Variations abound — this recipe borrows heavily from the chef Ivan Orkin’s recipe, as well as one featured in “Simply Bento” by Yuko — and while some skip the use of dashi, a Japanese stock using bonito flakes and seaweed, the ingredient gives the dish a slight funk that offsets the sweetness of the mirin, sake and ginger. The flavor is subtle, but it’s missed when absent.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Ramen With Bok Choy and Miso
The slow cooker puts a weeknight ramen fix within reach; don't skimp on the toppings here, which you can customize to your liking. They make each bowl feel special. Miso soup is traditionally made with dashi, an umami-rich stock made from kombu seaweed and dried bonito, a kind of tuna. But this recipe takes a different path to those deep flavors, substituting chicken broth and optional dried shiitake mushrooms, found in the produce department or international aisle of many grocery stores. Finally, a quick kombu steep adds umami. The ingredient is available at more specialty grocers and online, but feel free to leave it out. The soup will still be delicious.
Japanese Cheesecake
Japanese cheesecakes, sometimes called soufflé or cotton cheesecakes, have a melt-in-the-mouth texture that’s like a classic cheesecake crossed with an ethereal sponge cake. This one, adapted from Joanne Chang of Boston’s Flour Bakery, has bright lemon tanginess and crème fraîche richness as well. It’s best made the day before you plan to serve it, and will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Serve it plain and minimalist, with a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar on top, or with fresh berries for added color and juiciness.
Spring Chicken Miso Soup
Soup is welcome all year round, but it goes without saying a springtime soup veers lighter, even if the weather is still cool. Fresh green vegetables, like young leeks, peas and spinach, should play a major role. This delicate yet flavorful soup re-works the comforting chicken-noodle concept with a Japanese-inspired ingredient list.
Oden With Homemade Shrimp Balls
Oden is a comforting Japanese one-pot dish in which assorted fish cakes, vegetables, fried tofu and hard-boiled eggs are simmered in a dashi broth. Hondashi, bonito soup stock made from dried bonito and flavors of kombu, is a convenient pantry item that creates instant dashi. Homemade shrimp balls with fragrant ginger, garlic and scallions replace store-bought fish cakes in this version. As they poach alongside earthy mushrooms and daikon, the soup becomes fortified with deep seafood flavor. Inari-no-moto, found canned in most Asian markets, is deep-fried tofu that has been cooked in dashi, soy sauce and mirin until it softens and absorbs the sauce. The tofu adds texture and another layer of seasoning, but the hot pot is just as tasty without. Add udon noodles for a heartier meal.
Miso-Glazed Eggplant
Miso-glazed eggplant (Nasu dengaku) is on many Japanese menus, and it’s a dish I always order. It’s incredibly easy to make at home. I roast the eggplant first, then brush it with the glaze and run it under the broiler. The trick is getting the timing right so the glaze caramelizes but doesn’t burn. That’s a guessing game in my old Wedgewood oven, because the broiler door has no window.
Spinach and Tofu Salad
Here’s a spinach salad that takes cues from Japan and is hearty enough to be a main course. Try to find crisp, medium curly-leaf spinach, which will hold up when dressed. (Baby spinach leaves will surely wilt.) Other sturdy greens — such as mizuna, curly endive or Napa cabbage — can stand in for spinach, or you can combine several kinds of greens.
Curry Udon
Japanese curry bricks deserve their place in our pantries as a staple — inexpensive, with a long shelf life, and full of fast flavor. For those without easy access to store-bought curry bricks, you can make your own or opt for this recipe, in which a quick roux is made using a commercial curry powder blend. A Japanese brand like S&B is ideal, though most products labeled “curry powder” will work. If you have curry bricks in your pantry, you can use them and skip to Step 4, but note the package instructions to determine how many bricks to use. This recipe makes a thick, silky broth that clings ardently to the chubby udon noodles. Potatoes, carrots and onions are common ingredients used in Japanese curry, and while the spinach is not traditional, it adds a nice green element; substitute with broccoli, baby bok choy or kale if you prefer.
Vegetable Yakisoba
Yakisoba is a Japanese stir-fried noodle dish with a rich Worcestershire-flavored sauce. This veggie-packed version combines carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms and kale for a fun mix of textures and flavors. The key in this dish is to sauté the yakisoba noodles first, creating a dryer, firmer noodle that won’t fall apart in the sauce. (Fresh ramen noodles would also work well here.) The tangy-sweet sauce consists mainly of pantry condiments and can be made the day before. Leftovers can be enjoyed the traditional street food way: reheated and served in buttered hot dog buns topped with Japanese mayo and pickled ginger.
Japanese Milk Bread
When panko, Japanese bread crumbs, first appeared here, American cooks leaped to embrace their spiky crunch. (The first article about it in the New York Times appeared in 1998.) But how could breadcrumbs arrive from Japan, a land without bread? The answer is here, in the lofty, feathery white bread that is a staple at bakeries in Asia — and in Asian bakery chains like Fay Da and Paris Baguette. (Panko is often made from the heels of the loaf, called the “ears” in Japanese.) Milk bread was developed in Japan in the 20th century, using tangzhong, a warm flour-and-water paste traditionally used in China to make buns with a soft, springy texture and tiny air bubbles. Surprisingly, milk bread with an incomparable crumb and buttery taste is a snap to make at home, using supermarket ingredients. Once the tanzhong is cooked and cooled — a matter of 10 minutes at the stove — you have an easy and immensely rewarding dough. It can be shaped into coils or round rolls, like pull-aparts, instead of loaves, or you can paint it with cinnamon sugar or dulce de leche or strawberry jam when you roll it out.
Crisp Tofu Katsu With Lemon-Tahini Sauce
Katsu, the Japanese-style fried cutlet dish, is made just a bit healthier in this version prepared with tofu slabs. Here, the slabs are dredged in seasoned bread crumbs, baked, not deep-fried, and paired with quinoa, making it full, protein-dense meal. Note, too, that the leftover katsu here reheats nicely: Simply put it in your oven at 400 degrees, and bake for 10 minutes.