Japanese Miso Paste

Miso paste is a traditional Japanese food made by fermenting soybeans with a mould called koji and sea salt. The most common types of miso are red, white, barley and soybean. Miso was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks in the 7th century, and has several well-known health benefits.

Red miso is a mixture of white rice, barley or soybeans fermented for one to three years. It contains the highest levels of protein. White or yellow miso contains a higher percentage of rice koji and less soybeans, is sweeter than red miso and contains a higher percentage of carbohydrates and a lower percentage of protein. It is only fermented for a few weeks and has a shorter shelf life than other varieties, usually up to two months refrigerated. Soybean miso is a reddish-brown, chunky miso, made only from soybeans with a fermentation period of at least a year.

Miso has many health benefits and a lot of these can be contributed to the koji mould. It is a probiotic, which is good for digestive relief and contains many B vitamins, including B12.

How Can I Use Miso Paste? 

Tamagoyaki Recipe (Japanese style Omelette)

This Month’s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Tamagoyaki, which is a Japanese style sweet omelette. In Japan, it is usually served as a side dish to breakfast, but it is a great side dish for any meal.

Tamagoyaki Recipe

Tonjiru Pork Soup Recipe

This Month’s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Tonjiru, which is a Japanese soup made with pork and vegetables, flavoured with miso.

This is one of my favourite Japanese soups along with Miso Soup. It contains mainly root vegetables and is a real comfort food.

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Kinoko-gohan (Mushroom Rice)

Image from Blue Lotus

This Month’s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Kinoko gohan, which is a quick and easy dish to make at home.

This is one of our family favourites and is really tasty with all those great Japanese mushrooms like Enoki and Shitake.

Shogayaki (Pork with Ginger Soy Sauce)

image from cozymax

This Month’s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Shogayaki, which is a quick and easy dish to make at home. This recipe uses the Teriyaki sauce shown in last month’s recipe to flavour the sliced pork, which is then stir-fried.


Shogayaki is commonly served hot with rice and shredded cabbage.

Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

image from AsiaFood1

This Month's Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is the world famous Teriyaki Sauce.

Teriyaki (てりやき) is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine where food is broiled or grilled in a sweet sauce marinade. Teriyaki sauce is now available at most supermarkets or Asian Grocery Stores, but it is so easy to make yourself at home.

Preparing Sushi Rolls

Hoso-maki (Slender Roll)

This is a basic method for rolling up sushi. Hoso-maki or Slender roll is one of the easier rolls to start with. Once you master this, try some larger or more complicated rolls.

Makes 6

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Omuraisu (Rice in Omelette)

Photo by JanneM

This month's easy to cook Japanese Recipe is Omuraisu. Omuraisu is a popular Japanese dish that can be called a fusion dish (yoshoku) as it combines a classic omelette with chicken rice. It is usually topped with ketchup and is a popular dish at home or in a restaurant.

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Gyoza (Japanese Dumplings)

Gyoza or Japanese Dumplings are originally from China but have become very popular in Japan. This is a great easy recipe for Gyoza.

Makes 10

Dipping Sauce
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili oil

Ingredients for Dumpling
• 60g minced pork or king prawns
• ¼ tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 Chinese cabbage leaf, chopped
• 5 stems Chinese garlic chives (nira), chopped
• a pinch of salt

• 10 round gyoza wrappers or gow gee wrappers
• vegetable oil for frying
• ¼ cup water

Method

1. Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Place all the dumpling ingredients together in a bowl and combine well.
3. Place a wrapper on a plate or board and, using one finger, wet round the edges.
4. Put 1 tablespoon of filling on the center of the wrapper.
5. Fold the wrapper over the filling, seal the edges together by pressing and making small pleats.
6. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
7. Heat a non-stick frying pan and add a little oil, swirling around the pan.
8. Lay a few gyoza side by side in one or two rows in the pan, and cook on one side until golden brown. Then using a spatula turn over one row all at once. Add water and put a lid on to steam.
9. Steam for a couple of minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
10. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Note:
• You can buy already prepared gyoza dipping sauce at most Asian Supermarkets.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Korean Style Beef Burger

This is a modern take on the classic burger with Asian flavours such as garlic, ginger and sesame oil in the meat and served with soy braised onions and chilli mayonnaise.


Serves 4

Ingredients
• 600g minced beef
• 4 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 Tbsp chopped spring onions
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2cm knob ginger, finely grated
• 1 tsp sugar
• sea salt and pepper
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, halved and finely sliced
• 2 Tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp chilli sauce
• 4 burger buns
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 8 soft lettuce leaves
• ½ cucumber, finely sliced
• 2 small tomatoes, sliced

Method

1. Mix the beef, using your hands, with 2 Tbsp soy sauce, sesame oil, egg, green onions, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and pepper. Form into patties and refrigerate for an hour.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and cook onions over a medium heat for 10 minutes, tossing well until softened.
3. Add remaining soy, mirin and vinegar to the pan and cook 5-10 minutes more until golden brown. Set aside.
4. Whisk mayonnaise and chilli sauce together.
5. Brush burger patties with remaining vegetable oil and grill or pan fry over a medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side, until browned.
6. Split burger buns and lightly grill.
7. Top base buns with lettuce leaves and burger patties. Add a spoonful of chilli mayonnaise and top with soy onions and sesame seeds.
8. Arrange lettuce, cucumber and tomato on remaining bun tops alongside and serve.

With the help of Epicure, The Age 2011

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Yaki-meshi (Japanese Style Fried Rice)

Yakimeshi or Japanese Style Fried Rice is a popular dish to cook at home in Japan. It is best to use left over rice or rice that you have made previously that has been frozen for this recipe to give it the best texture.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked left-over rice
• ½ cup fresh or frozen green peas, cooked & drained
• ½ cup fresh or frozen corn, cooked & drained
• 2 eggs
• vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• a pinch of pepper

Method

1. Warm or defrost rice briefly in microwave.
2. Cook peas and corn separately and drain well.
3. Break eggs into a bowl and stir.
4. Heat a frying pan over a high heat, add a small amount of oil. Add egg mixture to pan, stirring constantly. Transfer scrambled egg onto a plate.
5. Add more oil to pan, add garlic, carrot and spring onion and stir for 1 minute with wooden spoon.
6. Add green peas and corn, then warmed rice stirring continuously. Add scrambled egg.
7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir-fry for a minute.

Note:

• If you want a spicy version add 1 Tbsp of curry powder
• For a Tokyo-style fried rice add soy sauce instead of salt
• Other ingredients you can add to the fried rice include chopped ham or bacon, cooked chicken thigh or roasted duck.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Healthy Miso Soup

Did you know that Miso Soup is really healthy for you? Studies are confirming that Miso Soup possesses numerous health promoting benefits. It is rich in antioxidants and protective fatty acids, and loaded with healthy doses of manganese, zinc and copper. It also contains isoflavone that may have protective effects against some cancers.

New studies are also confirming that consuming Miso Soup can be an effective component in weight control. It works by reducing the accumulation of fat in the body.

Science is just now only beginning to uncover the tremendous health and wellness potential of this magnificent soup.

Click here for a Healthy Miso Soup Recipe

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Oyako-don (Chicken and Egg with Rice)

Oyako-don is a popular Japanese dish that can be found at home or in a restaurant. Oyako means parent and child in Japanese so both the chicken and egg are used in this famous Japanese dish.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 150g chicken breast
• 1 tbsp mirin
• a few drops vegetable oil
• 1 brown onion, sliced
• 1 spring onion, sliced diagonally
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 bowls cooked rice

Dashi Mixture
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp sake
• 70ml dashi

Method

1. Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and marinate with mirin.
2. Make the dashi mixture by heating soy sauce, caster sugar, sake and dashi in a saucepan, set aside.
3. Pour a little of the oil in a frying pan and stir-fry chicken until cooked through.
4. Add onion and stir until lightly brown. Add spring onion and cook for a further minute.
5. Add dashi mixture and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
6. Pour beaten eggs over the simmering mixture. Set over low heat until the egg is just cooked.
7. Place a portion of the hot rice into each bowl and slide half of the chicken and egg topping over the rice in each bowl.

Note:
• For a slight variation you can top with either tempura or pork cutlet

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Healthy Nutritious Japanese Food

A little while back I wrote a post about healthy Japanese food. This included such well-known things as nori (seaweed), miso, natto, tofu and green tea. You can read the post here

Here are some more really healthy Japanese food that scientists have been raving about recently.

Shitake Mushrooms

Shitake mushrooms are powerful immunity boosters. A compound found in the mushrooms called lentinan, has been found to be a powerful immune strenghthener. Shitake mushrooms are also credited with having anti-cancerous properties, as they contain high levels of powerful antioxidants. They are highly nutritious and also provide good amounts of protein and fibre.

Kaiwaredaikon (watercress)

Kaiwaredaikon called watercress in the west has been used in Japanese cuisine for centuries. It is usually found in salads and toppings. It contains high levels of phytochemicals, known as isothiocyanates, that help fight free-radical damage in the body and help to reduce the risk of cancer. Kaiwaredaikon is also high in iron, folate, calcium, antioxidants and vitamins A and C.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Okonomiyaki (Savoury Japanese Pancake)

Okonomiyaki is a popular dish from Osaka and is basically a savoury pancake with ingredients of your choice along with egg, flour and cabbage as the basic ingredients.



Makes 1

Okonomi-yaki Sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp caster sugar

Ingredients
• 50g self raising flour
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ cup dashi
• a pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 cup thinly chopped cabbage
• 2 king prawns and/or thinly sliced pork

Toppings (if desired)
• aonori (green-seaweed) flakes
• dried bonito flakes
• Japanese mayonnaise

Method

1. To make Okonomi-yaki Sauce, mix ingredients together in bowl.
2. Place flour, milk, dashi and salt in a bowl and lightly stir.
3. Break an egg into the mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add spring onion and cabbage and mix.
5. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and swirl some oil over base.
6. Drop the egg mixture into the pan. Top with king prawns and/or pork.
7. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn over and cook for about 4-5 minutes until cooked through.
8. Brush the top with okonomi-yaki sauce, and if desired sprinkle with aonori and bonito flakes.
9. Serve with Japanese mayonnaise.

Note:
• You can buy already prepared okonomi-yaki sauce at most Asian Supermarkets.
• Other kinds of seafood and meat can be added to this dish and cheese is also a great addition.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Some other Great Japanese Recipes that you might enjoy:

Yakisoba

Sukiyaki

Tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet)

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Yakisoba (Japanese Stir-fry Noodles)

Yakisoba is a popular takeaway dish in Japan and is usually served with a fried egg on top and with some Japanese mayonnaise. It is a popular festival food and can be found all over Japan.

Serves 2

Yakisoba Sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp dashi
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey

Ingredients
• 300g yakisoba noodles
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 100g sliced pork fillet
• 2 cabbage leaves, cut into small pieces
• ½ carrot, sliced
• 2 shitake mushrooms
• 1 spring onion
• salt
• white pepper

Toppings (if desired)
• aonori (green-seaweed) flakes
• dried bonito flakes
• Japanese mayonnaise
• red pickled ginger

Method

1. Cook noodles and drain well.
2. Heat oil in pan and add garlic, sliced pork, cabbage, carrot, shitake mushrooms and spring onion, stirring all the while.
3. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
4. Make sauce by combining all the ingredients together.
5. Add noodles and sauce to pan, while still stirring.
6. Place the noodles onto individual plates and top with red pickled ginger, green nori or bonito flakes if so desired.

Note:
• You can buy already prepared yakisoba sauce at most Asian Supermarkets.
• Yakisoba is also great with a fried egg on top and with some Japanese mayonnaise.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Some other Great Japanese Recipes that you might enjoy:

Sukiyaki

Tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet)

Gyudon (beef bowl)

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Sukiyaki (すき焼き)

This month`s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Sukiyaki.

This is a world famous Japanese dish, but in Japan there are quite a few varieties based on regional differences. Cooking is always done at the table for this dish in Japan, and it is a great Party favourite.

Sukiyaki is usually served with steamed rice as an accompaniment.

Serves 4

Sukiyaki Sauce
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 500g dashi

Ingredients
• 600g Scotch filet or sirloin steak, finely sliced
• 1 packet momen (firm tofu), cut into small cubes
• 8 shitake mushrooms
• 4 spring onions
• ¼ Chinese cabbage
• 1 packet udon noodles, cooked and drained
• 4 eggs
• vegetable oil

Method

1. Prepare meat, vegetable and noodles and place on a large plate.
2. Break eggs into individual bowls and lightly beat.
3. Make the Sukiyaki Sauce by combining all the ingredients.
4. Oil the pan and start cooking by sautéing the spring onion, add some of the beef, followed by small portions of the other ingredients and the sukiyaki sauce, a little at a time. Make space for further ingredients by pushing the cooked ones to one side.
5. As the food cooks, guests can serve themselves by dipping the hot food into the beaten raw egg and eating with a bowl of rice.

Note:
• Other ingredients can also be added to the dish such as enoki or shimeji mushrooms.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

This recipe is taken from the book Japanese Cooking at Home

The Best Asian Supermarkets in Melbourne Australia

One of the best Asian Supermarkets in Melbourne, Australia is AKK Supermarket in Springvale. AKK Supermarket is located at shop 18-21 Central Shopping Centre, 268-274 Springvale Rd, Springvale. This one stop-shop covers all Asian cuisines, with a large range of fresh ingredients to complement the hundreds of jars and tins on the shelves. They have a great range of Japanese products and is a great place to stock up on rice, as they have just about every variety you could ever need.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe of the Month

Healthy Japanese Food

There are lots of great healthy Japanese food you can add to your grocery bag when shopping. The following items are some of the healthiest and best.

Seaweed
This superfood is extremely nutritious as its rich in protein, omega-3 fats, zinc, iron, selenium and iodine. Seaweed also contains potent health promoting compounds. Seaweed helps strengthen the immune system, and has anti-cancerous and anti-ageing properties.

How to use Seaweed in your Cooking
I usually add small strips to my soups, salads and stir-fries. My little boy also loves eating nori rolls with rice and tuna.

Read more on Seaweed

Miso
Miso is made from fermented soybean paste and contains beneficial bacteria helpful for improving digestion and strengthening the immune system. Miso is a rich source of protein, fibre and B vitamins.

How to use Miso in your Cooking
I usually use a spoonful of miso to add flavor to my soups, stir-fries and sauces.

Read more on Japanese Miso

Natto
Natto is a fermented soybean made from boiled soybeans and active bacteria. It has many health benefits including reducing high blood pressure and dissolving harmful blood clots.



Read more on Natto

Tofu
Tofu or bean curd is made from soy milk and has its origins in China. Tofu has little flavor on its own, so it can be used either in savory or sweet dishes. Tofu is low in calories with little fat. It is high in iron, calcium, magnesium and protein.

Green Tea
Green Tea is a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits. It contains a compound called EGCG, which is a substance with 25 to 100 times the antioxidant power of vitamins C and E.



Read more on Green Tea

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Ten-don (Tempura on Rice)

This month`s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Ten-don (Tempura on Rice)

This is a great version of the other popular don-dishes like Gyu-don and Oyako-don

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 6 tempura king prawns or tempura of your choice

Sauce
• 2/3 cup dashi
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 2 bowls of warmed cooked rice

Method

1. Prepare tempura. See Recipe How to Make Japanese Tempura
2. Combine all the ingredients for sauce in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat.
3. Turn down heat to a simmer and gently simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Place the warm rice in each bowl, and top with tempura followed by the sauce.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!