28th February 2018 / Last updated : 13th November 2018 Mog 03 : Side Dishes

Freeze-dried Tofu Simmered in Seasoned Broth(Koya-Tofu no fukumeni, 高野豆腐の含め煮)

I love tofu. But freeze-dried tofu attracts me more. Really want to say “Thank you!” to the inventor of it. Ingredients (4 servings) 2 tubs of freeze-dried Tofu 1 carrot 4 dried shiitake mushrooms 4 snow peas (optional) 2 tablespoons of soy sauce 2 tablespoons of cooking sake 2 tablespoons of mirin (otherwise 2 tablespoons of cooking sake and 0.5 tablespoons of sugar) 2 teaspoons of sugar 1.5 cups of dashi (To make dashi, check this page.) Instruction Soak freeze-dried tofu in water until it swells up to about 3~4 times its original size. Reconstitute dried shiitake mushrooms. To reconstitute dried shiitake mushrooms, microwave them for 3 minutes, and leave […]
26th February 2018 / Last updated : 1st July 2019 Mog 07 : Other

Kombu and Okaka Furikake (昆布とおかかのふりかけ)

Don’t you want to waste kombu kelp and bonito flakes after making dashi? Try furikake, then! Sprinkle it over freshly cooked rice and Bon appetite! It can be a good friend of onigiri filling as well. Ingredients 1~2 sheets of soaked kombu kelp 20 g of soaked bonito flakes (Drain their water thoroughly.) 1.5 tablespoons of soy sauce 1.5 tablespoons of cooking sake 1.5 tablespoons of mirin (otherwise 1.5 tablespoons of cooking sake and 0.5 tablespoons of sugar) 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds Instruction Cut some kombu into thin strips. Put some cooking sake and mirin in a pot. Heat until the mixture boils. Add the kombu and bonito flakes. […]
25th February 2018 / Last updated : 8th December 2018 Mog 05 : Rice & Noodles

Miso Cream Pasta (味噌カルボナーラ)

Miso is an amazing seasoning, which makes dishes creamy and healthy! If you’d love to have spaghetti carbonara but need fewer calories, you might want to try this recipe. You can use any ingredients you like – for today’s recipe, I used vegetable in my fridge. Ingredients (2 servings) 200g of spaghetti                1/4 paprika 1/2 onion mushrooms (optional) 3 asparaguses sticks 1 tablespoon of olive oil 2 cloves of garlic 1 teaspoon of white wine 3 tablespoons miso 1 cup of soy milk Instruction Start cooking the spaghetti. Slice onion and garlic. Cut other ingredients into bite-size chunks. Combine miso with soy milk. Drizzle […]
24th February 2018 / Last updated : 27th November 2018 Mog 01 : Basic

How to make Dashi (Japanese soup stock, 出汁)

Basic soup stock in Japan is amazingly easy to make. Use Dashi for various Japanese dishes. Ingredients 6 cups of water 15 cm of square koｍbu kelp 40g of dried bonito flakes Instruction Wipe off the dirt and dust from the kombu kelp with paper towels. I used teabags today. You can get this item at 100 yen shops. Put some bonito flakes in the teabags. Put some water in a jar. Soak the kombu kelp and the bonito flakes in the water. Store in a fridge overnight. Before soaked After soaked Remove the kombu kelp and the bonito flakes. Use the dashi for any types of dishes. Now your […]
23rd February 2018 / Last updated : 18th August 2019 Mog 02 : Main Dishes

Boiled Fish (魚の煮付け)

Simple and healthy! I can eat at least 3 bowls of rice with it! Ingredients (1~4 servings) 1~ 4 fillets of fish (I prepared a fillet of sole today) A sprinkling of salt 1/2 cup of soy sauce 1/2 cup of cooking sake (Otherwise white wine) 1/2 cup of mirin (otherwise 1/2 cup of sake and 50 g of sugar) 1/2 cup of water (Soy sauce : Cooking sake : Mirin : Water = 1:1:1:1) 1 thumb-size piece of ginger Instruction Sprinkle salt on all side of fish. And leave it for about 10 minutes at room temperature. Water comes out. Press the fish between paper towels to dry surfaces […]
22nd February 2018 / Last updated : 12th December 2018 Mog 03 : Side Dishes

Red-and-White Salad (Kohaku Namasu, 紅白なます)

Kohaku Namasu is a New Years’ dish in Japan. A colour combination of red and white is considered celebratory in Japan. My mum used to cook a huge portion of Kohaku Namasu and store in a big jar. It lasts nearly 2 weeks.  Ingredients 1/4 of Japanese radish (大根)(otherwise a radish) 1/2 of carrot (80 g) 1 teaspoon of salt 2 tablespoons of sugar 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar (if any, otherwise normal vinegar is ok) Instructions Cut radish and carrot into fine strips.   Rub salt in cut radish and carrot. And leave it for 10 minutes. 10 min. later. All ingredients are shrunk.   Drain water. Season sugar […]
22nd February 2018 / Last updated : 18th February 2019 Mog 01 : Basic

Tuna Rice ball (Tuna Onigiri, ツナおにぎり)

How to make Onigiri in a perfect triangle? Let’s learn Japanese traditional lunch! You can put any ingredients as you like, such as cheese and avocados. Be creative! Ingredients (for 1 piece of Onigiri) 200 g of cooked rice (to learn how to prepare cooked rice, check this page.) 2 dashes of salt Canned tuna (mixed with mayonnaise and black pepper) Nori (dried seaweed, optional) Instructions Cut wrapping film to a length of about 30 cm. Spread it on a table, and sprinkle 2 dashes of salt. Spread cooked rice on the middle of the wrapping film. Put some tuna on the position shown in the picture below. Today’s filling […]
20th February 2018 / Last updated : 8th May 2019 Mog 02 : Main Dishes

Tori-Soboro Donburi (Scrambled Chicken Bowl, 鶏そぼろ丼)

Less than 20 minutes to prepare! Strongly recommended for Japanese cuisine beginners. All you need is chicken and eggs. Perfect Sunday’s colourful lunch and a Bento’s good friend! Looks so pretty and yummy. Ingredients (3 servings) [Tori-Soboro (scrambled chicken)] 300 g of ground chicken 2 tablespoons of soy sauce 2 tablespoons of cooking sake (if any, otherwise white wine) 1 tablespoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger juice 2 tablespoons of mirin (if any, otherwise 2 tablespoons of sake and 2 teaspoons of sugar.) [Tamago-Soboro (scrambled egg)] 6 beaten eggs 1 tablespoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of salt 100 g of Green beans (If any, otherwise boiled green peas) […]
19th February 2018 / Last updated : 27th November 2018 Mog 02 : Main Dishes

Pan-Seared Salmon Fillets with Miso Sauce (Chan-Chan Yaki, ちゃんちゃん焼）

Chan-Chan Yaki is a Japanese local food in Hokkaido where I used to live. I used to cook it quite often when I was there. Miso sauce goes well not only with salmon but also with chicken and pork. Ingredients (2 servings) 2 fillets of Salmon 200 g of cabbage 1 carrot 1 onion 1 bunch of Shimeji mushrooms (optional, otherwise shitake.) 1 tablespoon of salad oil a sprinkling of salt a sprinkling of black pepper  [Miso Sauce] 3 tablespoons of miso 2 tablespoons of cooking Sake (if any, otherwise white wine) 1 tablespoon of sugar 2 tablespoons of mirin (if any, otherwise add 2 tablespoons of cooking Sake and […]
18th February 2018 / Last updated : 15th October 2018 Mog 05 : Rice & Noodles

Vegan Takikomi-Gohan (Japanese Paella, 炊き込みご飯)

My favourite Takikomi-Gohan. You can try all the ingredients! Ingredients (3~4 servings) 150 g of mushrooms (e.g. shitake mushrooms) 1 small carrot (about 80 g) 1 piece of deep-fried tofu 10 cm of dried kombu kelp 2 tablespoons of soy sauce 2 tablespoons of cooking Sake (otherwise, white wine) 450 g of uncooked rice 620 cc of water (including soy sauce and cooking sake) Instructions Wash and soak uncooked rice. Pour some boiling water over deep-fried tofu to remove excess oil. Prepare all ingredients. Slice carrot, mushrooms, and the deep-fried tofu. Any mushrooms are ok. I prepared Shimeji mushrooms and king oyster mushrooms today.   Drain water from the uncooked […]