Appetizers

Potato Salad Pork Roll

September 2, 2011
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Usually when we make potato salad at home, there are leftover for the next day. One of my favorite dish when I was growing up was potato salad pork roll. Using the leftover from the previous day, my mother would roll it up with thinly sliced pork. This dish brings back nostalgic memories.

69 comments

Shishamo Wrap

August 29, 2011
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Shishamo is a popular Japanese delicacy but it’s definitely not for everyone. Served usually as an appetizer (fried or grilled), this unique fish is filled with roe (komochi shishamo). Honestly, I am not a big fan but my husband and my children love Shishamo. They usually fight over how many each one of them can have. If you are searching for an unique Japanese appetizer to surprise your family or guests, here’s a great recipe for deep fried Shishamo.

88 comments

California Roll

August 19, 2011
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Here’s the classic recipe on how to make California rolls. My children loves sushi and one of the first rolls they’ve tried is the California roll. The texture of crab meat and avocado mixed with delicious sushi rice and tiny tobikos bursting in your mouth is simply delicious.

114 comments

Japanese Tofu (Hiyayakko) 冷奴

August 17, 2011
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During Japan’s hot warm summer, it’s always nice to enjoy cold food such as zaru soba and cold tofu. The delicate taste of chilled tofu mixed with bonito flake and a splash of soy sauce seems to cool off the summer heat, even just a bit.

63 comments

Garlic Miso Chicken Wings ガーリック味噌チキン

August 5, 2011
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This is a recipe shared by my Japanese friend who used to live in SF Bay Area. I use small drumettes so my kids can enjoy this mini-drumsticks. The taste of garlic, miso, soy sauce, and mirin is very tasty. If you are looking for a easy appetizer recipe, give these wings recipe a try!

108 comments

Chicken Karaage 鶏の唐揚げ

July 20, 2011
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Among the classic Japanese dish, tempura, broiled fish, etc, one of my favorite is chicken karaage – aka Japanese fried chicken. Japanese fried chicken is quite different from American fried chicken since we typically uses boneless piece of chicken. The chicken itself is well marinated and dipped in corn starch for a crispy flaky crust. If you haven’t guessed by now, this is another one of my children’s favorite.

84 comments

Fried Lotus Root with Pork

July 4, 2011
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Lotus root is an unusual Asian vegetable you don’t usually see served in many US restaurants. In Japan, it’s often simmered and served as “nimono”. Here’s my favorite recipe for lotus root, ground pork sandwiched between two slices of fried lotus roots. It’s actually quite delicious, give it a try!

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Octopus Salad (Tako Su)

June 22, 2011
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Tako Su (octopus salad) is a common appetizer served in Izakaya (Japanese tapas) style restaurants. The sweet vinegar taste wakes up the taste buds and readies your stomach for a night of delicious food.

66 comments

Agedashi Tofu

June 13, 2011
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Agedashi tofu literally translate to deep fried tofu inside dashi broth. I previously shared agedashi tofu recipe but it was served with teriyaki sauce. Here’s the traditional agedashi recipe and it’s very simple to make. Enjoy!

89 comments

Spring Rolls with Sesame Ponzu Vinaigrette

June 3, 2011
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I know I probably say “this recipe is my husband and my favorite recipe” quite a bit, but this spring roll is really one of our favorites. It very quick to prepare since only pork belly has to be cooked. The soft rice paper wrapped around fresh veggie and crunchy pork belly dipped in a citrus soy sauce… it’s just perfect.

157 comments

Green Bean Shiraae

May 11, 2011
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It’s been a while since I posted a side dish so I want to share a popular green bean recipe. Side dishes (Osouzai, お惣菜) are predominately vegetables. As I had mentioned in my previous posts, typical Japanese meal consists of a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, the main dish, and 1-2 side dishes. A popular way to prepare side dish is Shiraae, mixing lightly-cooked vegetables with crumbled tofu, miso, and sesame seeds. Spinach and green beans are commonly used for Shira-ae dish.

63 comments

Napa Cabbage Gyoza

April 18, 2011
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I always love to challenge myself to make better Gyoza by experimenting with different ingredients and seasonings. What’s fun about Gyoza is that you can be creative with its filling. You can wrap any ingredients you like in the Gyoza skin and create your own invention. For the Gyoza recipe today, I added napa cabbage which is not a typical Gyoza ingredient. For this particular recipe you don’t need to dip gyoza in any sauce because it has enough seasonings and taste.

62 comments

Spinach Gomaae (Spinach with Sesame Sauce)

March 30, 2011
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Update: Pictures updated in August 2012. Goma means sesame seed in Japanese and goma-ae are dishes prepared with sesame seasoning.  We usually mix this ground sesame seasoning with spinach or green beans.  This is one of the most common Japanese side dishes, or we call it Osouzai (お惣菜) in Japanese, and you often find them included in [...]

57 comments

Agedashi Tofu

March 28, 2011
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Agedashi tofu is usually deep-fried tofu served in dashi-based soup and topped with finely chopped green onion, ginger, grated daikon, and katsuobushi. I’ve decided to experiment with it by coating the tofu in a teriyaki sauce. My husband absolutely loved the dish and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing this more often on our dinner table.

52 comments
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