Today I introduce you to “Pan-fried garlic chives and egg”, called Nira-Tama in Japanese. It is a very common homemade dish and takes only 10 minutes to cook. Garlic chives have a great garlic flavor as it is named. It is also called Chinese chives or Asian chives. In ancient times, garlic chives were used for medicinal purposes in East Asia because it is rich in nutrients. Here is a tip for storing garlic chives. The chives are easy to wilt in the refrigerator. I highly recommend to froze it. Wash fresh garlic chives, dry them and put in a freezer bag. Use within one month. Ingredients (ser ..read more

Today I introduce you to Japanese wheat noodle, Somen. In Japan, we often eat cold somen with cold Dashi soup in summer as a carbohydrate instead of rice. That is because it helps our bodies cool down and it has better taste and texture on a hot summer day than rice. In this recipe, I use a store-bought Japanese noodle soup. There are many kinds of products but this Kikkoman Japanese Noodle Soup Base is decent. It is concentrated soup base so combine with water to dilute it right before serving according to their package instruction. The recipe is very easy. Boil water in a stock pot, stir ..read more

Egg Donburi is easy to cook, has carbohydrate and protein, and is delicious!! It is great for lunch during work, or any meal at home. In this recipe, I sprinkle some chopped green onion but you can add  sliced dried seaweed (Nori) on top in stead. Seaweed has great protein, minerals, and iron. You can get dried seaweed in most grocery stores easily so please add it to your meals everyday. [Recipe] In a sauce pan, combine sliced onion, dashi stock, cooking sake, soy sauce and mirin. Bring it to a boil and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Pour beaten egg into the soup gently and ..read more

Have you ever eaten burdock root called GOBO in Japanese? It has crunchy texture and mild earthy flavor. Burdock root is high in fiber and rich in polyphenols. It is widely used for homemade dishes in Northern Asia. Because burdock root has a thin skin, you actually don’t need to peel. Just scrub with a vegetable brush or the back of a knife. In addition, the burdock root gets discolored after scrubbing the surface by oxidation of polyphenols. This is natural and doesn’t harm you. Today I will introduce you crunchy burdock root chips. Ingredients (serving 2) About 20-inch Burdock root Salt ..read more

Today I introduce you to lotus root dumpling. It is a popular dish in Japan. The dumpling has great smooth texture and delicious dashi sauce gives the dish amazing flavor. Lotus root is a very nutritious vegetable; high in vitamin C, potassium, fiber and polyphenol. It doesn’t have a particularly strong taste or aroma, so it suits all taste. In this recipe, grated lotus root is cooked in a microwave. This makes the recipe easy. Grate peeled lotus root and mix with cornstarch and salt. Put about 3 tablespoons of the mixture on a piece of wrap and make a ball shape.Place the wrapped lotus root ..read more

Today I introduce you to Chicken Tenderloin Roll. Chicken tenderloin has low fat, low calorie, high protein, great nutrition and is delicious! It is great for diet and also good for helping to build muscle. In Japan there are many kinds of chicken roll dishes. The fillings are, for example, pickled plum and basil, cheese, asparagus and so on. This recipe doesn’t take much time to cook because chicken tenderloin can cook quickly. So we can also enjoy the ingredient’s flavor. Please check the recipe PDF. I introduce chicken tenderloin preparation in great detail. Enjoy your new healthy chicken r ..read more

This traditional Japanese side dish comes from Buddhist cuisine. The ingredients are tofu and some simmered tender vegetables, and the dish is seasoned with sugar and soy sauce. I have loved it since I was a child because the taste is good and sweet, and the texture is amazingly smooth. My book Bento for Beginners: 60 Recipes for Easy Bento Box Lunches is now available!! Tofu is always great protein for us, has no strong taste or flavor, and has a soft texture so it doesn’t interfere with any dish’s flavors or textures. Therefore, in regard to nutrition and digestion it is good for people who ..read more

Stuffed cabbage is not a traditional Japanese dish. It came to Japan from Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It has a very soft texture and amazing flavor.  Japanese like to have it in chicken soup style or tomato sauce style. Cabbage is high in vitamin C and U. Vitamin U is officially called S-methylmethionine which is a good ingredient for stomach problems such as digestion, upper stomachache and so on. Japanese have the highest incidence of stomach issues in the world, despite having lower rates of most other health problems, because of our stomach/gut shape. Therefore, we often eat ..read more

Today I will teach you how to make “Homemade Mochi Ice Cream”. The mochi wrapper is made of glutinous rice flour (mochiko), sugar and water. The dish can become vegan, vegetarian, and/or non-dairy depending on the kind of ice cream you choose. This impressively easy recipe may get you out of shopping for overpriced mochi ice cream products. Ingredients (about 6 mochi wrappers) 1.4 oz. (40 g) Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour (glutinous rice flour) 2.8 oz. (80 g) sugar 2.7 fl oz. (80 ml) water Cornstarch Your favorite ice cream Here are some tips.  1. You may consider reducing the amount of sug ..read more

Today I introduce you to “Mochi stuffed Fried Tofu Abura-Age in Dashi Soup”. The abura-age is juicy from soaking in delicious dashi soup and the mochi has a nice and soft texture. Abura-age is a common food in Japan, deep-fried thin sliced tofu. You can find it in many Asian grocery stores. Mochi is a traditional Japanese food. It is a soft rice cake made from steamed sticky rice. There are some products called MOCHI ice cream which is ice cream wrapped with a thin pieces of mochi. This sometimes makes people think all mochi is ice cream related. Therefore, please be aware that in Japan when ..read more