Japanese food: discover traditional cuisine

UDON – thick wheat noodles served in hot soup or cold with dipping sauce. Kake udon: simple soup with broth. Tempura udon: served with tempura toppings.

SOBA – buckwheat noodles, served hot in soup or cold with dipping sauce.

RAMEN – wheat noodles served in a flavorful broth, with toppings like pork, egg, and seaweed. Variations include shoyu (soy sauce-based), tonkotsu (pork bone-based), miso (fermented soybean paste-based).

YAKISOBA – stir-fried wheat noodles with vegetables and meat.

OKONOMIYAKI – a savory pancake made with wheat flour, cabbage, and various toppings.

TAKOYAKI – ball-shaped snacks made from a wheat-based batter filled with octopus, topped with sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes.

SENBEI – rice crackers in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. Senbei are often eaten as a snack with green tea.

SUSHI – a dish made with vinegared rice (shari), often paired with seafood, vegetables, or egg. Variants include nigiri, hand-pressed rice with a topping, maki, rolled sushi, chirashi, a bed of sushi rice and ingredients scattered on top.

ONIGIRI – rice patties filled with ingredients like pickled plum (umeboshi), salmon, or tuna, wrapped in seaweed.

DONBURI – a bowl of rice topped with various ingredients, such as beef (gyudon), tempura (tendon), or raw fish (kaisendon).

MOCHI – sticky rice pounded into a glutinous paste, molded into shapes, and used in sweets or savory dishes.

OCHAZUKE – rice topped with tea, dashi broth, or hot water, often garnished with seaweed, salmon, or pickles.

EDAMAME – boiled or steamed young soybeans, lightly salted and served as a snack or appetizer.

MISO SOUP – soup made with fermented soybean paste (miso), dashi broth, and ingredients like tofu, seaweed, and green onions.

HIYAYAKKO – chilled silken tofu served with toppings like soy sauce, ginger, green onions, and bonito flakes.

NATTO – fermented soybeans, known for their strong flavor and sticky texture, served with rice and soy sauce.

TSUKEMONO – pickled vegetables such as cucumbers, radishes, and eggplants seasoned with salt, vinegar, or rice bran.

OHITASHI – boiled greens, like spinach, seasoned with soy sauce and garnished with bonito flakes.

TEMPURA VEGETABLES – lightly battered and deep-fried sweet potatoes, eggplants, and mushrooms.

KABOCHA NO NIMONO – simmered Japanese pumpkin (kabocha) in a sweet soy-based broth.

NABE (HOT POT) – communal hot pot dish featuring seasonal vegetables like napa cabbage, mushrooms, and leeks, along with tofu and proteins.

SHIRAAE – a salad made with spinach or carrots, mixed with a tofu-based dressing.

YAKITORI – skewered and grilled chicken pieces, often seasoned with salt (shio) or a soy-based sauce (tare). Includes various parts of the chicken, like thighs, wings, liver, and even cartilage. Popular street food and izakaya (Japanese pub) dish.

TONKATSU – breaded with panko crumbs, deep-fried, and sliced pork cutlet. The two main types are fillet and loin. Tonkatsu is also the basis of other dishes such as katsukarē and katsudon.

SUKIYAKI – thinly sliced beef cooked with vegetables, tofu, and shirataki noodles in a sweet and savory soy-based broth. A winter favorite, often cooked at the table and shared among family or friends.

SHABU-SHABU – a hot pot dish where thinly sliced beef or pork is swished in boiling broth, then dipped in sauces like ponzu or sesame.

GYUDON – a rice bowl topped with thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in a sweet soy sauce-based broth. A quick and affordable comfort food often served in casual eateries.

NIKUJAGA – a homestyle dish of stewed beef or pork with potatoes, onions, and carrots, simmered in soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. A classic example of yoshoku (Western-influenced Japanese cuisine) adapted to local tastes.

KARAAGE – bite-sized pieces of marinated chicken, coated in potato starch and deep-fried until crispy. Enjoyed as a snack, appetizer, or meal, often paired with rice and lemon.

YAKINIKU – grilled beef, often the premium wagyu cooked at the table on a grill. It’s served with dipping sauces.

GYOZA – steamed, boiled or pan fried dumplings filled with minced pork, garlic, and vegetables like cabbage and green onions.

TEPPANYAKI – beef, cooked on a flat iron griddle, seasoned lightly, and served with dipping sauces. A performance-based dining experience focusing on high-quality ingredients.

WAGYU STEAK – premium amrbled, tender and rich in flavor Japanese beef steak.

SASHIMI – thinly sliced raw fish or seafood, served with soy sauce, wasabi, and garnishes like shredded daikon. Tuna (maguro), salmon (sake), yellowtail (hamachi), and octopus (tako) are popular.

UNI – sea urchin roe, often served as sashimi, sushi topping, or in rice bowls.

HIMONO – traditional method of preparing dried fish. Whole or sliced fish is soaked in brine and dried overnight. Its often mackerel or horse mackerel.

UNAGI KABAYAKI – grilled freshwater eel, glazed with a sweet soy-based sauce and served over rice (unadon).

SHIOYAKI – salt grilled fish. First fish is salted, left to chill overnight and then grilled in the morning. A common breakfast dish.

TATAKI – lightly seared fish, typically bonito (katsuo), served with ginger, garlic, and ponzu sauce.

NITSUKE – mackerel, cod or other fish simmered in a sweet soy-based broth with ginger and mirin.

TAI MESHI – rice cooked with whole sea bream (tai), flavored with soy sauce and dashi.

CHIRI-NABE – a seafood hot pot with white fish, tofu, and vegetables, cooked in a light dashi broth and served with ponzu dipping sauce. A warming dish during winter.

DOBIN MUSHI – a light seafood broth steamed in a small teapot, containing ingredients like shrimp, fish, and mushrooms. A refined dish is often served as part of a kaiseki, which is a multi-course meal.

KAKI FURAI – panko breaded and deep-fried oysters.

TAMAGOYAKI – a sweet rolled Japanese omelette, a breakfast, a side dish in a bento, or atop sushi.

OYAKODON – chicken and egg rice bowl, ‘parent-and-child’ donburi. The name of the dish is a reflection of both chicken and egg being used in the dish.

CHAWANMUSHI – savory egg custard steamed in a cup. Made from eggs mixed with dashi, soy sauce, and mirin, filled with ingredients like shrimp, chicken, mushrooms, and ginkgo nuts.

AJITSUKE TAMAGO – soft-boiled eggs marinated in soy sauce, mirin, and dashi, commonly used as a ramen topping.

YOKAN – a jellied dessert made from red bean paste (anko), red seaweed gelatin (agar), and sugar, sometimes flavored with chestnuts or yuzu.

KAKI NO TANE – small crescent-shaped fragments of senbei (soy-flavored rice crackers), and peanuts. They are often consumed with beer and are sometimes a bar snack.

ANMITSU – a dessert featuring agar jelly cubes, sweet red bean paste, seasonal fruits, and syrup.

 

MOCHI – chewy rice cakes made from pounded glutinous rice.

DORAYAKI – two fluffy pancake-like cakes sandwiched with sweet red bean paste.

TAIYAKI – fish-shaped pastries filled with sweet red bean paste, custard, or chocolate. Popular street food.

DANGO – a sweet rice flour, round dumpling skewered and glazed with sugar, syrup, or red bean paste.

KAKIGŌRI – shaved ice topped with flavored syrups, sweetened condensed milk, and various toppings like red beans or mochi.

CASTELLA – a light sponge cake introduced by Portuguese traders, now a Japanese specialty.

PURIN – Japanese custard pudding similar to crème caramel, known for its silky texture and caramel sauce.