jaPaN ruLeZ

Japanese rolled omelet is called tamagoyaki or dashimaki. It’s also known as a Japanese-style egg roll. Tamagoyaki is often served for Japanese-style breakfast. Also, it’s one of the most popular dishes in Japanese bento lunch boxes.

There are many types of tamagoyaki. Some are sweet and some are salty. Also, you can add fillings in tamagoyaki to make it colorful. Create your favorite tamagoyaki!

Tamagoyaki is usually cooked in a rectangular omelet pan. Rectangular omelet pans are commonly sold in Japan, but it might not be a common cookware in other countries. It’s OK to use a regular frying pan if a rectangular omelet pan is not available.

In that case, shape rolled omelet into a rectangule, using a bamboo mat. Japanese-style egg roll is slightly sweet, so it tends to get burn easily. Watch the heat carefully.

It’s a simple recipe to make Japanese rice crackers. You can use your favorite seasonings other than salt and pepper.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 blocks mochi (rice cakes)
• oil for frying
• salt and peppers to season

PREPARATION:

Cut mochi (rice cakes) into thin small pieces. Spread the mochi pieces on a flat tray. Dry them in a cool and dry place for a few days. Heat oil to 360F degree and fry the mochi pieces until browned. Remove rice crackers from the oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the rice crackers.

It’s a variation of teriyaki chicken. Negi and chicken are often cooked together in Japan.Chicken Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs
• 1 negi onion or leek
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp katakuriko starch / corn starch
• 2 tbsp water

PREPARATION:

Wash and cut negi or leek into small pieces. Cut chicken thighs into small chunks. Heat some oil in a frying pan. Fry chicken on medium heat for a couple of minutes.Turn the chicken over and add negi in the pan. Pour sake over the ingredients. Cover the fring pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Pour teriyaki sauce over the chicken and negi and bring to boil. Add mixture of katakuriko and water in the pan to thicken the sauce.

Chicken Tatsuta is a Japanese-style fried chicken. Tatsuta indicates a way of cooking, which is a type of deep frying. After marinating meat/fish, sprinkle the meat with Japanese katakuri-ko (dogtooth violet starch) before frying. You can use corn starch if you don’t have katakuriko. Tatsuta dishes are cooked with pork or mackerel as well.INGREDIENTS :

• 1 lb. chicken thigh
• 3 tbsps soy sauce
• 2 tbsps sake
• 3 tbsps mirin
• 2 tsps fresh ginger juice
• 1/3 cup corn starch/flour/Japanese katakuriko starch
• vegetable oil for frying

PREPARATION:

Cut chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Peel ginger and grate it, then squeeze it to take some juice. Mix saysauce, mirin, sake, and ginger juice in a bowl. Marinate chicken pieces in the sauce for 30min. Take out chicken from the sauce and pat lightly with paper towels. Preheat oil in 330 F in a deep pan. Lightly dust chicken with flour/corn starch and fry them. When chicken pieces are cooked well, remove from the pan and drain.

*Be careful not to fry in high temperature, since soy sauce tends to burn easily.*Makes 4 servings

1. Cut vegetables – Peel and cut potatoes and carrots into bite-sized pieces. Slice onions. At the same time, start cooking steamed rice.

2. Saute Meat – Cut meat into bite-size pieces. Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan and saute the meat.

3. Saute Vegetables – Add onion slices, carrots, and potatoes in the pan and saute together.

4. Add Water In The Pan – Add water in the pan and bring to a boil.

5. Simmer The Ingredients – Turn down the heat to low. Simmer the ingredients for 30-40 minutes, skimming off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface.

6. Add Curry Roux – Add curry roux in the soup.

7. Simmer The Curry – Simmer the curry for 10 minutes on low heat.

8. Serve Curry And Steamed Rice – Serve steamed rice on a plate. Pour some curry over the rice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups sushi rice
• 4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 2/3 cup canned tuna
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

PREPARATION:

Mix chopped onion, tuna, and mayonnaise in a bowl. *You can make tuna salad as you like. Put a nori sheet on top of a bamboo mat (makisu). Spread sushi rice on top of the nori sheet.Place the tuna salad lengthwise on the rice. Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder. *How to Make a Sushi Roll
Press the bamboo mat firmly and remove it from the sushi. Cut the sushi roll into bite-size pieces.
* If you prefer it to be spicy, you can add karashi mustard in the tuna salad.Makes 4 rolls.

Kaiseki-ryori is an artistic and gracious Japanese seasonal cuisine. In fact, it can be said that kaiseki ryori is the ultimate Japanese cuisine. In Japanese, ryori means dishes, so what does “kaiseki” mean? The meaning comes from the story that said Buddhist priests in strict Zen training used to keep a hot stone (seki) in their kimono pocket (kai) in order to make their fasting more bearable. The kaiseki-ryori was originally served during traditional tea ceremonies and is also called cha (tea) kaiseki. It was thought that the tea would taste better if the people weren’t starved. So the word “kaiseki” is used for the light meal served during the tea ceremony.

Kaiseki-ryori uses the fresh ingredients of the season and are cooked in ways that enhance the original taste of the ingredients.

Each dish is simply seasoned and presented beautifully in nice dinnerware. Often, things from nature, such as tree leaves and flowers, accompany the dish. Kaiseki-ryori was vegetarian in its origin, but nowadays, the modern kaiseki meal may include meat and seafood.

Japanese people go to a kaiseki restaurant during special occasions. If you need to entertain your special guests, kaiseki-ryori is a good choice. Kaiseki is a meal of courses, consisting of a number of small dishes: steamed dishes, simmered dishes, and grilled dishes. It often includes sliced raw fish (sashimi), tempura, grilled fish, soup, rice, and so on.

The basic cha kaiseki course served in a tea ceremony includes one kind of soup and three kinds of vegetable dishes. In addition, a cup of clear soup called hashiarai (which means washing chopsticks), a plate called hassun, which presents a few kinds of vegetables and seafood, and pickles called konomono.

Although each dish holds only a small serving, it’s good to take your time to eat, being sure to enjoy the presentation of the food and the atmosphere of the room. Most kaiseki restaurants are high class and very formal. Consequently, the kaiseki-ryori is usually expensive, since it takes time and skill to prepare. If you eat a course in a kaiseki restaurant, it can cost more than 20,000 yen ($150) per person. Some restaurants are even more expensive. But don’t worry, you can also order boxed meals called kaiseki-bento or mini-kaiseki in most of the kaiseki restaurants. These are more reasonably priced and are suitable for lunch. Mini-kaiseki can be under 5,000 yen ($40) per person. Each kaiseki restaurant’s prices vary, so you should be able to find a restaurant to match your budget. Just remember to make a reservation. Some Japanese inns serve kaiseki dinner for guests, especially in Kyoto. Outside of Japan, sushi restaurants tend to serve mini-kaiseki.