Tazukuri is dried small sardines (called Gomame) cooked in sugar and soy sauce. It is a part of Osechi Ryori, the traditional Japanese new year feast. There are a lot of kinds of dishes for Osechi Ryori, but Tazukuri is one of the big three celebration dishes, along with Kuromame (sweet black beans) and Kazunoko (herring roe).
Japanese Strawberry Shortcake (いちごショートケーキ) is a western-style layered cake with whipped cream and strawberries. It is the most popular kind of western cake in Japan for everyone. It is said the Strawberry Shortcake was “invented” by a pastry shop in 1920s, but it became more popular in the 1950s. And since then it still is often the best seller in any bake shop.
Miso Ramen (味噌ラーメン) is Ramen noodles in a Miso based soup that was created in Japan in the 1960s. Ramen noodles are originally Chinese style noodles, but it’s been changed and improved over the years, and evolved to be our own food. And Miso Ramen is the pinnacle of “Japanese” Ramen noodles, the king of all Ramen.
Yakibuta is roast pork similar to Cha Siu of China. While Cha Siu uses a variety of spices such as star anise and cinnamon and also honey to flavor the meat, Japanese Yakibuta has a much simpler taste. Yakibuta is usually sliced thinly and served as a dish for an appetizer or a part of meals, and it is also a very popular topping for Ramen.
Dinner is the meal everybody is looking forward to the most in the day. It is the biggest and most fulfilling meal of all in many parts of the world. Japanese dinner is the same way. Even if you’re OK to eat a simpler and lighter breakfast of toast and then Udon noodles for lunch, you would like to eat more significant food at night.
A proper Japanese dinner consists of one soup and three dishes along with rice. That is called Ichijyu Sansai (一汁三菜）in Japanese. The soup could be Miso Soup or a clear broth soup. The three dishes include one main dish like Tempura, grilled fish, Tonkatsu, and so on, and two other smaller vegetable dishes like salads and boiled veggies. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate menu, but Japanese people like to eat a variety of foods which are cooked in different ways for dinner. If the main dish is fried, the other dishes could be boiled, marinated in vinegar, or grilled, for example. Each food is served in a separate dish. Japanese dinner presentation can be very pretty with many dishes having different sizes, shapes, and materials (ceramics, wood, bamboo, iron, etc). A drawback is, however, you end up with a lot of small dishes to wash after dinner. You’d better have a nice American size dishwasher or husband to put to work.
We made our Japanese dinner here with Hamburger Steak as a main dish, Hijiki Nimono and Onion Salad as side dishes. Miso Soup with Tofu and Wakame and Genmai (Brown Rice) are also served with other dishes, of course. Hope you like this combination!
Shumai originated from Chinese-style dumplings, but changed to match Japanese taste just like Gyoza. Shumai are steamed pork fillings stuffed in Shumai wrappers. They are eaten alone or dipped in vinegar soy sauce with mustard. In the US, you can find Chinese shumai at Dim Sum in Chinese restaurants for breakfast/lunch. They can be wonderful in your lunch box and also as a tasty main dish for dinner.
Tonjiru (or Butajiru, 豚汁) is a type of miso soup made with pork and hearty root vegetables such as Gobo (burdock root) and carrots. Although it shares the same miso base, Tonjiru tastes quite different from ordinary miso soup. The broth is deeply flavorful, enriched by the umami from pork and the earthy depth of Gobo, giving it a unique and robust character.
Carrot Ginger Dressing is the dressing used in many Japanese restaurants in the US. The more American the restaurants are, the more likely they use this dressing for their salad, it seems. We have never seen the Carrot Ginger dressing in restaurants in Japan, so this must be an American thing. Where this originally came from is a little unclear, but it is said that some Japanese steak house restaurants started serving or something. Even though this may not be very authentic Japanese food, still the bright orange dressing is quite tasty and we would like to include it in our Japanese recipes.
Yakisoba is Japanese stir fried noodles. It is served with Yakisoba sauce, similar to Tonkatsu or Okonomiyaki sauce. Yakisoba is usually fried with sliced pork and vegetables like cabbage and bean sprouts. It is a very popular casual food (or snack) everyone likes in Japan. You can find Yakisoba at many places like Okonomiyaki restaurants, festivals, supermarket delis, and of course, home.
Kinpira Gobo is braised burdock root and carrot in a sweet and salty sauce. This is another mom’s home cooking kind of dish rather than restaurant food. The name Kinpira comes from legendary muscleman, and that shows how nutritious the dish really is. Kinpira Gobo is a great side dish you can make ahead. These strongly seasoned vegetables can be kept in the fridge up to a week. It’s perfect for lunch and busy weekday dinners when you want one more thing for the menu.