Yakimeshi is Japanese fried rice with egg, meat, and vegetables. Yakimeshi is something your mom makes from left over rice and ingredients she already has in the house. Other than rice and egg, there are no particular ingredients you need to use. Yakimeshi is quick and easy and also a very economical food you can make for your family or yourself.
Kakitamajiru is a kind of Sumashijiru, a Japanese clear soup, but with an egg. It looks similar to the famous Chinese egg drop soup, but the flavor is totally different. Kakitamajiru is made from Dashi (or Ichiban Dashi), and it has a subtle but nice Umami (savory flavor). The soft yellow egg and green Mitsuba, Japanese herb, look very pretty, too, giving a splash of color to a meal.
Kushikatsu is pieces of deep-fried pork, like Tonkatsu, on a skewer. It is a comfort food Japanese people love. There are a lot of Kushikatsu restaurants/bars in Japan, and it is usually a kind of food you eat out of the house, however, it is easy to make at home for dinner or a fun dish to serve for a large crowd.
Nametake is cooked soft Enoki mushrooms (Enokitake) in Soy Sauce flavored sauce. This little salty dish is a convenient preserved food in a jar, like pickles in western homes, that you want to keep in the refrigerator all the time. It is a great accompaniment not only for Steamed Rice but also a great topping for Tofu and even pasta.
Tarako Spaghetti is one of the most popular Japanese flavored pasta. Tarako is salted cod roe and eaten both as is or cooked. In this dish, the saltiness from Tarako and fresh taste of Shiso leaves match with spaghetti so well that you want to go back to make it again and again.
Hanami Dango (花見団子) is a Japanese sweet Mochi dessert, where 3 different Dango balls, pink, white, and green, are skewered on a stick. In Japan, the end of March to April is the time of viewing and appreciating cherry blossoms (“hanami”). People go to parks where a lot of cherry trees are and eat and drink under the trees. Hanami Dango is commonly eaten during the cherry blossom season, although it is available all year round at many stores in Japan. Hanami Dango is so popular it is even represented by the emoji! 🍡
Gyoza are Chinese dumplings made with meat and vegetables wrapped in round (pasta like) flour skins and then pan-fried. Gyoza are originally based on Chinese fried dumplings, but they are now a popular and well-rooted part of Japanese cooking today. Probably pork is the most common filling for Gyoza in Japan, but if you love shrimp, Shrimp Gyoza is a great alternative to regular Gyoza. Shrimp Gyoza not only have a nice shrimp flavor but also a texture you’ll surely enjoy.
Miso is a paste made from fermented soy beans. It is one of the crucial seasonings in Japanese cuisine to make various foods like soups, sauces and other dishes. Miso is quite salty by itself, but dense in Umami (savory) flavor from long fermentation. Japanese food using Miso such as Miso Soup is loved and well known to not only Japanese people but also to people in the whole world today.