Food

Snapshots of Japanese Food

Most Japanese food (tabemono or ryori) are easy to make, in a way, they do not need lots of spices or complicated methods or a long time to cook (that is, if they are cooked at all). In general, they are all healthy and colorful.

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of course, we have to start with sushi.

This is a running sushi restaurant on the corner of Teramachi (one of the main shopping centers in Kyoto). Most of the times, you will have to wait in line, mainly because it’s nice and affordable (100 yen a plate). But don’t worry, they have a display of some hellokitty stuffs, so you can shop while waiting for a table to be ready.

There is a large kitchen by the end of the room from where they send the sushi ‘running’ to your table. If you are a slow person and the sushi you want went pass you, they provide a speaker on each table for your special orders. Also on every table, there is a dispenser of Japanese tea (ocha) which is probably connected to a pipe all the way through into the kitchen. So, running sushi is a perfect place either for a quick bite or for a long dinner with all-you-can drink tea and the food keeps coming under your nose.

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Sakura (Cherry) Tea and Ice Cream

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Tonkatsu

Tonkatsu is made from pork, wrapped with bread crumbs and deep fried. Served with vegetables, white rice and miso soup.

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Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a traditional Japanese food which means “as you like”. The basic ingredient is flour, water, cabbage and eggs, and you can include any other ingredients ‘as you like’ into the mixture (beef, chicken, seafood, etc) and then fry it like a pancake. Find the complete recipe here.

A family friend invited us to make and dine okonomiyaki as he said it is his most memorable childhood food. When Japan (including his family) was very poor, they were already happy if they could add an egg into their okonomiyaki. Now, he is frying a beef okonomiyaki on his electric frying pan in his modern apartment in the middle of Kyoto.

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Mochi (Rice Cakes)


The professional mochi men (as i like to call them) are pounding on the mochi with great speed, you wouldn’t believe your eyes.

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Tofu

Before I came to Japan I have heard the stories about how delicious Japanese tofu is. But I thought, tofu doesn’t really have a taste, so how different a tofu could be, right?

Well, I am telling you, it is different.

Kyoto’s tofu is the most famous for its freshness, the quality of the soy bean, and the techniques that have been passed down for generations.

This is how the tofu is served in a traditional Japanese restaurant. Sometimes, the tofu is still liquid and when you are about to eat it, you heat it up until it becomes solid. This way you can eat the tofu as fresh as possible.

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Fukumame

Red bean soup with mochi- sweet and warm, perfect for the cold winter. served on the setsubun day.

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Nabe

Nabe ’s direct translation is pan. It implies any kind of food are thrown together into a pan. Started as the food for sumo wrestlers where they would sit together around the pan, continuously throwing in any (nutritious) food in a large amount .

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Ramen – Udon – Soba

toshikoshi soba

osaka udon

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Snacks

I know cakes do not exactly originated from Japan, but when it comes to cakes, I must admit I have never eaten a more delicate, well presented cakes as they have in Japan.

Omu Rice (read: omuraisu)

This pretty girl is selling omuraisu on a bazaar in the Tofukuji Temple, on the equinox day. Outside Japan, we are familiar with sushi, yakiniku, ramen and those sort, but omuraisu is not really known internationally, although apparently it is a very popular food in Japan. It is sort of an egg omelette with rice in it. Usually with chicken meat and lots of tomato ketchup on top of it. You can find a better recipe here.

Sweet Cassava

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Kit Kat

In Japanese, Kittokatsu means ‘good luck’ . This pronunciation is similar to kit kat chocolate bar,therefore kit kat bars are most popular during school examination periods.

Many special tastes of Kit Kat bars (from Nestle) are only available in Japan. Like these ones, Kit Kat Peach (Momo) and Green Tea (Macha).

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Chazuke (Tea Porridge)

Okay, so they will give you a bowl of white rice, with seaweed, small shrimp, plum (ume)and vegetables on top of it, and a side pickles (tsukemono) and radishes (daikon). They will give you a pot of green tea too. What are you suppose to do with the green tea? poor it over your rice.

Don’t get disgusted first, it’s delicious. Trust me…..

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Japan proudly presents…KOBE BEEF

250 grams of Kobe Beef (Wagyu).

Prepared in front of you in one of the most prestigious Kobe Beef restaurants in Kobe city.

A friend came to visit to see the beauty and mysteries of Japan. He has seen the best temples of Japan, the Geisha, the Tokyo life, the sakura trees, yet, he came back from a half-day trip to Kobe to eat the Kobe Beef Steak, with a wide smile, he rubbed his stomach and said “THAT was the highlight of my trip” ^ ^

I asked him, “how much did you pay?”

He said, “darling, you don’t want to know…..”

GIANT PARFAIT

Oh how Japanese love sweets…. 10,000 Yen (US $100)

Can be found in Kawaramachi Sanjo, Kyoto.

PICKLES (TSUKEMONO)

Japanese decorate your food with all kinds of pickles. Radish, plum, cabbage, turnip, cucumber, ginger, you name it. They can pickle anything. Once you get used to it, a hot white rice does not seem complete without pickles on the side.

Typical Japanese lunch meal set. Donburi (Rice topped with meat), Miso Soup and Pickles.