If you’ve ever visited Japan in the summertime, you might’ve seen street vendors selling whole salt pickled cucumbers on sticks-like a giant cucumber pop. Crisp, cold, and hydrating, they’re the ultimate grab-and-go snack, but they are also the perfect accompaniment for a Japanese meal. Shiozuke (塩漬け, literally “salt pickle”) is one of the oldest and simplest forms of Japanese pickling. With just salt, water, a splash of sake, and a strip of kombu, you can transform fresh Japanese cucumbers into tsukemono that are crunchy, refreshing, and full of quiet umami....

Japanese potato salad, or “ポテトサラダ” ( poteto sarada ), is a beloved side dish that’s become a home cooking staple in Japan. It features creamy spuds mixed with a dressing made from tangy, sweet sushi vinegar and Japanese mayonnaise. A rainbow of mix-ins, including sweet carrots, pungent onions, crunchy cucumbers, and savory ham, sets it apart from its Western cousin. The best part is that it pairs beautifully with a wide variety of Japanese dishes, making it a popular item in teishoku lunch sets and a colorful addition to bento boxes....

Katsu Curry (カツカレー) Katsu Curry is a modern classic beloved by growing teenagers and adults in need of a bit of comfort alike. It involves two components: Tonkatsu and Curry Rice served on the same plate. The curry becomes a sauce for the cutlet, and the crispy spicy synergy is nothing short of magic. The only problem with the dish is that you need to prepare two meals to have one....

Matcha Crinkle Cookies Crinkle cookies offer a beautiful contrast of textures and tastes, but these Matcha Crinkle Cookies take the dramatic contrast to the next level with emerald green veins of matcha peeking out through the crisp snow-white crust. The festive color combination makes them a perfect addition to a holiday cookie box, and they’re also a fun holiday baking project to take on with the kids. Matcha Crinkle Cookies Why My Recipe Works Ingredients How to Make Matcha Crinkle Cookies More Matcha Recipe Ideas 📖 Recipe FAQ Comments Why My Recipe Works Rolling the cookies in granulated sugar before rolling them in powdered sugar gives the cookies a crisp crust that makes for a nice contrast to the soft, chewy interior, as well as providing a dramatic contrast in color....

Hokkaido, in the far north of Japan, is the birthplace of miso ramen, a dish crafted to fortify against the long, unforgiving winters. After moving back to Japan in 2011, I settled in Sapporo for a few years, and these steaming bowls of soul-warming comfort helped thaw me out on even the bleakest days. Unlike a simple miso soup , Sapporo miso ramen achieves its luscious texture and depth by layering rich tonkotsu broth (pork bone) with nutty umami-packed miso....

For my Ajitsuke Tamago, I usually like to use the braising liquid leftover from when I make Pork Belly Kakuni . While the liquid makes for an ultra-flavorful brine, it has one major drawback: you have to make kakuni before you can make the egg. That’s why most recipes use a broth made from soy sauce, sugar, and mirin, which gives the egg its trademark cafe latte hue. While a light brown egg may look great floating in a bowl of midnight brown shoyu ramen , they get lost in lighter color broths like miso ramen or shio ramen....

What is Chocolate Chia Pudding? Chocolate chia pudding is made with chia seeds as a thickener, instead of the usual starch and/or egg whites used in most puddings. Chia seeds thicken the pudding without cooking; you just let the mixture stand and the magic happens. Not only are chia seeds great for thickening liquids, they’re also healthy and nutrient dense, full of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. These wonder seeds allow you to make a chocolate pudding that’s vegan, uses your choice of plant-based milk, and you can add any sweetener that you prefer....

For this easy chicken recipe, I took inspiration from the Chinese classic Scallion Chicken (葱油鸡 - cōng yóu jī). In my version, I pan-fry the chicken like a steak, which renders the skin as crispy as a potato chip, while leaving the meat underneath both tender and juicy. The best part, though, is the fragrant ginger scallion sauce. It infuses the oil with fresh ginger and scallions, making an aromatic topping that creates a mouthwatering contrast to the savory chicken....

Eating more high-protein meals doesn’t have to mean settling for bland or boring foods. It’s the perfect excuse to play with bold seasonings and clever cooking techniques that keep every bite interesting-without piling on the carbs. My Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps are loaded with contrasting tastes, textures, and colors in little bite-sized parcels that are fun to eat. Chicken with Ginger Scallion Sauce turns the skin into a shatteringly crisp crust-no breadcrumbs needed....

Corn tortillas or tortillas de maíz are a type of Mexican flatbread eaten by themselves or used to make tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas. They are great for dipping, scooping and wrapping just about any kind of food and it’s easy to make tortillas at home. People always look at me like I have “m a s o c h i s t” tattooed on my forehead when I tell them I make my own tortillas....

Japanese Chicken Curry, also known as Curry Rice (カレーライス - karé raisu), is the ultimate comfort food in Japan. While loaded with a blend of over a dozen different spices, it tends to be milder than its Indian or Thai counterparts, and it has a rich texture and comforting sweetness that makes it a hit with all age groups. Although it has a history dating back over a century, in recent years, many people make it using instant curry cubes, or they buy it premade in vacuum-sealed retort pouches (レトルトカレー)....

Kabocha Squash Soup (かぼちゃスープ) Kabocha Soup, which is also known as Kabocha Potage (かぼちゃポタージュ) in Japan, is a thick creamy soup that’s made from Kabocha squash (a.k.a. Japanese pumpkins), aromatics, and stock. It’s such a popular soup in Japan, instant varieties are available all year round, and in fall, there are pumpkin soup flavored snack foods like potato chips and instant noodles. Although it’s pretty similar to a Western winter squash soup, the main difference is that Kabocha Squash Soup is often eaten for breakfast....

Taiyaki (たい焼き) Taiyaki is a classic Japanese street snack that looks like a sea bream but doesn’t contain any fish. Its easy-to-eat format and fun shape make it a popular traditional Japanese street food often found at matsuri (festivals) in Japan. My batter blends cake flour with shiratamako for crisp edges and a tender, slightly chewy bite. Although you need a Taiyaki pan to give it the shape, it’s not difficult to make....

Tofu Karaage (豆腐唐揚げ) With a light crispy exterior that’s wrapped around a juicy, flavorful protein, Karaage is easily one of my favorite foods of all time! Although it’s usually known as Japanese fried chicken, it can be made with other proteins as well. Today I want to show you transform tofu into a delicious vegetarian and vegan-friendly Karaage by using a few tricks to change its texture and infuse it with boatloads of flavor....

<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://norecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/vegan-french-onion-dip-9.jpg" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“This guilt-free french Onion dip is made from scratch and loaded with sweet caramelized onions in a tangy cashew “sour cream” #plantbased #dairyfree #dip. - 1”> Growing up I had a lot of guilty pleasures, but French Onion Dip, made with a packet of Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix powder, sour cream, and mayonnaise, was one of my favorites, and it was the kind of thing I could eat with a spoon....

What is Miso Paste? Miso paste is a fermented soybean paste that’s a pantry staple of Japanese cuisine. It’s typically made from soybeans, koji, and salt. Koji or Aspergillus Oryzae is a filamentous fungus propagated on grains such as rice or barley and is the microorganism that breaks down protein in the soybeans into amino acids which create the taste of umami . Varying the ratio of these three ingredients and the length of time the miso is fermented can result in vastly different flavors of miso....

Those of you that made a new year’s resolution to eat less fat should probably skip right past this post and go look at a nice healthy salad. You’ve been warned 😉 After making my Pasta Amatriciana I had a fair bit of guanciale left. I’d originally set it aside to make a more authentic pasta carbonara , but when I get a outrageous idea in my head, it’s like having a song glued inside your brain until you listen to it....

Kenchinjiru (けんちん汁) Japanese Vegetable Soup For many people, miso soup is the first Japanese soup to come to mind, but the harsh winter weather in Japan has created a culinary culture brimming with soul-warming soups and stews. Kenchinjiru (けんちん汁) is a plant-based hearty soup that’s loaded with root vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu, making it a healthy food for fighting off winter’s chill. Like most traditional Japanese dishes, there are a couple of creation myths behind this vegetarian soup....

When we think of omelettes, most of us probably imagine a savory breakfast. But what about a sweet omelette? This rich and decadent Japanese chocolate omelette recipe is a quick way to start or end your day with a touch of indulgence. With a luscious filling of melted dark chocolate oozing out from a fluffy and delicate bittersweet chocolate wrapper, this recipe is a testament to the power of simplicity....

The weather in New York is finally starting to warm up, and what better way to celebrate the warmer weather than to make Samgyetang. In Korea, it’s believed that the nutrients from the whole chicken, ginseng, garlic, chestnuts, and jujubes will protect you from illness and give you strength during the hot summer months. It might be counterintuitive to some, but as someone who loves sweating over a steamy bowl of ramen in the middle of summer, I get the appeal....