Oden is a very popular stewed dish in Japan. People eat Oden especially in Winter. There are a variety of stews in Japan like Nikujaga, Pumpkin stew, and so on.

Oden is a Japanese comfort food. When I was in Japan, I had Oden a lot with my family on the Kotatsu (A heated Japanese table).
You can also buy Oden at convenience stores in Winter in Japan.

Why do people call this dish “Oden”? The history of “Oden” goes back to the Muromachi period and from “Dengaku” which is a skewered and fried Tofu. At that time, people put “O” in front of “Dengaku” as a polite way to say in Japanese. Then, people started calling this dish “Oden” as an abbreviation of “Odengaku”.

I will introduce Oden to bring family and friends together in Winter and cook it at home easily.

Ingredients (About 4 bowls):

• 226.8g (8 oz) sausage
• 4 eggs
• 1 package Satsuma Age (3 - 4 pcs of Fish cake)
• 1 Konnyaku (255g, 2oz, Taro potato cake)
• 1/4 Japanese daikon (Daikon radish)
• 2 small packages Oden soup base (Powdered Japanese seasoning and soup mix)
• Chikuwa (Fish cake)
• 2000ml (8.45 US cups) water
• Rice for 4 people
• Mustard (as you like)

-> See picture A.

Cooking equipment: Electric skillet or pot with lid. -> See picture B.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 30 - 40 minutes.

1. Cook rice. Meanwhile, boil eggs in a small pot. -> See picture C.

2. Put Japanese Oden soup base and water in the electric skillet and mix thoroughly in medium heat. -> See pictures D and E.

3.  Cut Daikon into small-medium pieces and simmer them in the skillet with low heat -> See pictures F and G.

4.  Slice Konnyaku into thin and cut center diagonally as shown in the pictures. -> See pictures H & I.

5.  Put a sliced Konnyaku on hand and put the top of Konnyaku into the center cut hole and pull as shown in the pictures. -> See pictures J, K, L & M.

6.  Add Konnyaku into the skillet and simmer for 1-2 minutes. -> See picture N.

7.  After the eggs from step 1 are boiled, turn off the heat, put them in a strainer basket and water, and remove the skin. Add boiled eggs in the skillet. -> See pictures O & P.

8.  Make cut sausages diagonally as shown in the picture and add them in the skillet. -> See pictures Q & R.

9.  Cut Chikuwa in half and diagonally as shown in the picture and add them in the skillet. -> See pictures S & T.

10.  Cut Satsuma Age in half and diagonally as shown in the picture and add them in the skillet. Simmer with lid on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. -> See pictures U, V, and W. (*Cooking tips: You can check the taste and add water or soup base powder as you like before simmering.)

11.  Serve Oden on plates, pour soup over it, add Japanese Karashi (mustard) or any mustard on the side if you like and serve cooked rice.

Stir-Fried Eggplant Pork Miso Don is a fulfilling dish.
Pork and eggplant are tender. The combination of Eggplant, Pork and Miso is great.
Also I added Taberu Rayu which is fried garlic flakes with chili oil to this dish in order to have a stronger taste.

“Eggplant” in English means “Nasu” in Japanese.
Apparently, the eggplant is originally from India and there are about 1000 kinds of eggplants in the world.

A lot of Japanese eggplants are usually longer and thinner than the American eggplants. The color of common Japanese eggplant is dark purple. Surprisingly, I saw some white eggplants in the U.S.A.

Eggplants are eaten in summer or fall in Japan. The eggplants which I cooked this time are from my garden. It's easy to grow and cook eggplants.

Enjoy eating this unique Japanese food at home!

Ingredients (2 bowls):

• 2 small eggplants
• 300g (0.7lbs) pork shoulder roast
• 1 onion
• 1 small green onion
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons Miso
• 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Mirin
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons Taberu Rayu (Fried garlic flakes with chili oil)
• White sesame (as you like)
• Rice for 2 people

-> See picture A.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 25 - 35 minutes.

1. Cook rice.  Meanwhile, cut eggplants into bite size chunks and put them into a small-medium bowl with water for 3-5 minutes. Remove water thoroughly. Slice an onion. -> See pictures B and C.

2. Preheat sesame oil in a frying pan with medium heat. -> See picture D.

3. Meanwhile, cut pork shoulder roast into bite size chunks and green onions into small pieces. -> See pictures E and F.

4. Put the onion into the frying pan and stir for 1 minute. -> See picture G.

5. Add the eggplants into the frying pan and stir for 1-2 minutes. -> See picture H.

6. Add the pork and stir for 3-5 minutes with lid or until the pork is fully cooked. -> See pictures I and J.

7. Meanwhile, put Miso, Soy sauce, Mirin and sugar into a small bowl and mix thoroughly. -> See picture K.

8. After pork is fully cooked, add the mixture from step 7. into the frying pan. -> See pictures L and M.

9. Add Taberu rayu into the frying pan and mix thoroughly. Remove from the heat. -> See pictures N and O.

10. Put rice into bowls and stir-fried eggplants and pork on top of the rice. Add white sesame and green onions on top.

Takikomi Gohan is a very popular food, and especially eaten in fall in Japan.
You can add and/or substitute fall ingredients like Kuri (Chestnuts) and/or Satsumaimo (Japanese purple sweet potato) instead.

Some of you may be wondering what Takikomi Gohan is. Takikomi Gohan is Japanese seasoned rice with a variety of ingredients such as vegetables, mushrooms, potatoes, and so on.

Apparently, Takikomi Gohan appeared in the Nara Period in Japan. People mixed grains, vegetables, potatoes, and so on in order to save the rice.

Actually, Takikomi Gohan is very easy to make at home. Since we just put all the ingredients in a rice cooker and the rice cooker does most of the work for us.

It's very tasty seasoned rice. I normally eat it with Miso Soup. It is a very typical Japanese meal and the combination of Takikomi Gohan and Miso Soup is wonderful.

Enjoy cooking and eating this authentic Japanese food at home!

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 1 chicken thigh
• 1/4 carrot
• 1.5 US cups rice (12 fl oz, about 355ml, about 2 gou)
• 3 dried Shiitake mushrooms
• 1 small green onion
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Hondashi (Bonito soup base powder)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Water for 2 gou line of your rice cooker

-> See picture A.  (All ingredients except rice and water.)

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 30 - 40 minutes (Depending on your rice cooker).

1. Soak the dried Shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 5-10minutes or until the shiitake mushrooms become soft. Remove water thoroughly. -> See picture B.

2. Meanwhile, cut the carrot into 2 inches (5cm) length and thinly. -> See picture C.

3. Cut the chicken thigh into small bite size chunks as shown in the picture. -> See picture D.

4. Cut the Shiitake mushrooms from step1. thinly as shown in the picture. -> See picture E.

5. Put soy sauce, Mirin, Sake, sugar in a rice cooker bowl and mix thoroughly. -> See picture F.

6. Rinse rice with water a couple of times, remove water and add the rice into the rice cooker bowl. -> See picture G.

7. Add water into the rice cooker bowl until 2 gou line as shown in the picture. See picture H.

8. Add pieces of the chicken, carrot and Shiitake into the bowl. -> See picture I.

9. Add the sesame oil and Hondashi into the bowl. -> See picture J.

10. Start your rice cooker. -> See picture K.

11. Meanwhile, cut the green onions into small pieces. -> See picture L.

12. After the rice is fully cooked, open the lid and mix the rice thoroughly. -> See picture M.

13. Serve the Takikomi Gohan in the rice bowls and sprinkle the green onions on top. Put Miso soup on the side (optional). If you would like the stronger taste, try adding a little soy sauce or a little hot sauce on top of the Takikomi Gohan.

Salad Udon is considered as a healthy summer dish in Japan. You can add any vegetables you like. This dish is super easy to make at home.

When I was in Japan, I went to a restaurant to have a similar dish in Summer. However, I can’t go to the same restaurant in the U.S.A.
I thought I should try to make a similar dish at home. It turned out to be this dish.

If you would like to eat something cold for the hot weather, I highly recommend trying this dish.
The combination of Udon noodles, Tuna, Corn, Salad, and Deep-Roasted Sesame Dressing is so good.

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 2 packages *Udon noodles
• 2 x 50ml (0.21 US cup) *Hon Tsuyu (Noodle Soup Base)
• 2 x 1 teaspoon *Japanese Mayonnaise (As you like)
• 2 x 1 tablespoon *Japanese deep-roasted sesame dressing (As you like)
• 1 package chunk Tuna (70g, 2.5oz)
• 1/2 can whole corn (124g, 4.37oz)
• 1 small package *Katsuobushi (Bonito flakes)
• 1/4 tomato
• 2 small *Nori (Seaweed)
• 1/2 English or Japanese cucumber
• 1000ml (4 US cups) water (for boiling)

-> See picture A.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 15 - 25 minutes.

1. Put 1000ml (4 US cups) of water in a medium - large pot with medium heat. Bring to a boil. -> See picture B.

2. Meanwhile, cut the cucumber thin and diagonally. Cut the tomato into bite size chunks as shown in the pictures.  -> See pictures C & D.

3. Put the Udon noodles into the pot from step 1. and simmer for about 2 minutes. Loosen the noodles with chopsticks occasionally. Remove from heat. -> See pictures E and F.

4. Put noodles into a strainer basket and rinse with cold water for about 1 minute. Remove water well. -> See pictures G and H.

5. Cut *Nori into thin and small pieces with scissors as shown in the picture. -> See picture I.

6. Put noodles, cucumbers and tomatoes into large bowls. -> See picture J.

7. Add Tuna and corn into the bowls as shown in the picture. -> See picture K.

8. Pour *Hontsuyu on top of the salad noodles. -> See picture L.

9. Pour *Sesame dressing on top of the salad noodles as shown in the picture. -> See picture M.

10. Add *Katsuobushi and *Nori on top of the Tuna and put *Japanese mayonnaise on the side.

Spicy Cod Roe Pasta is very popular in Japan. Spicy Cod Roe is originally from Korea. “Mentaiko” in Japanese means “The Child Of Cod Roe” in English. “Mentaiko” came from Korean word “Myeongtae” and combined with “Ko (A child in Japanese)”.

Toshio Kawahara is a founder of “Fukuya (Spicy Cod Roe company)” and he invented “Karashi Mentaiko (Spicy Cod Roe)" in Japan. He popularized Spicy Cod Roe in Japan.

I will introduce Spicy Cod Roe Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes And Avocados to make it easily at home. It matches very well with a glass of wine. I had this pasta with the glass of the peach wine. You would enjoy eating a unique Japanese pasta with your family and/or friends!

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 2 small packages *spicy cod roe sauce
• 2 small packages dried chives (toppings, these are included in the big spicy cod roe sauce packages)
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 avocado
• 1 small can sliced mushrooms (113g, 4oz)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons *Hontsuyu (noodle soup base)
• A half package spaghetti (227g, 8oz)
• About 3 quarts (2840ml) water
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

-> See pictures A & B.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 15 - 20 minutes.

1. Put water in a large pot, bring to a boil. Add salt. After boiling, add spaghetti and simmer for about 9-11 minutes or some minutes on the spaghetti package. Stir it occasionally. -> See pictures C & D.

2.  In the meantime, cut cherry tomatoes and avocados into bite size chunks. Cut the garlic into small pieces and heat the olive oil in a frying pan with medium heat. Add the garlic. -> See picture E.

3. Add the mushroom into the frying pan and stir for 1-2 minutes. -> See picture F.

4. Add avocados into the frying pan and stir for 1 minute. -> See picture G.

5. Add cherry tomatoes into the frying pan and stir for 1-2 minutes. -> See picture H.

6. Add *Hontsuyu into the frying pan and mix thoroughly. -> See picture I.

7. Taste the spaghetti and if it’s soft enough, drain, add it into the flying pan and stir together for 1-2 minutes. -> See pictures J & K.

8. Add *Spicy cod roe sauce in the flying pan and mix thoroughly. -> See pictures L & M.

9. Put Spicy cod roe pasta onto plates and add the dried chives on top.

Would you like to cook a super easy and tasty dish at home? If so, spicy stir-fried pork is for you.

Pork has a tender texture. You can enjoy eating this dish with rice.

This dish looks like a Chinese dish. However, I used a Yakiniku no tare (Japanese BBQ sauce) to cook it at home easily.

This dish is very quick to make and is a good dish to make if you are busy. Also, if you like spicy food, try cooking this dish!

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 300g (0.7lbs) pork shoulder roast or thin pork
• 1/4 cabbage
• 1 onion
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons of *Yakiniku no tare (Japanese BBQ sauce) -> See picture A.
• 2 teaspoons of *Tobanjan (Chili bean sauce) -> See picture B.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 20 - 25 minutes.

1. Cut pork shoulder roast and cabbage into bite size chunks. Slice an onion.
2. Preheat sesame oil in a frying pan with medium heat. Add onions, pork and cabbage. Stir-fry all and simmer with a lid for about 10 minutes or until the pork is fully cooked. -> See picture C.

3. Remove the lid. Add *Yakiniku no tare and stir another 3-5 minutes. -> See picture D.

4. Add Tobanjan and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. -> See picture E.

5. Pour the stir-fried pork with sauce on plates.

Hiyashi Chuka is an easy summer dish in Japan. We can add a lot of summer vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers into this dish. The sauce has sweet and sour flavors, and cold noodles are very popular to eat in hot weather.

Hiyashi Chuka began appearing in the Showa period in Japan.
There are a lot of theories about who invented Hiyashi Chuka.
The most likely theory is that it is from the restaurants called “Yosukosaikan” in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo and “Ryutei” in Sendai, Miyagi.

I will introduce the Hiyashi Chuka with ham, salad and sesame sauce made easily at home. You would enjoy these unique Japanese summer noodles with family and/or friends to overcome the high heat!

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 2 packages *cold ramen noodles (Sesame liquid sauce and mustard are included in the package)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 2 sliced ham
• 1/4 English or Japanese cucumber
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 1000ml (4 US cups) water (for boiling)

-> See picture A and B.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 20 - 30 minutes.

1. Boil 1000ml (4 US cups) of water in a large pot with medium heat. -> See picture C.

2. Meanwhile, beat 2 eggs in a small bowl. Add sugar, and salt & pepper. -> See picture D.

3. Preheat oil in a frying pan with medium heat. Pour the beaten eggs from step 2. thinly into the frying pan. -> See pictures E and F.

4. Fry until eggs are almost cooked. Flip over the eggs with a turner and fry until eggs are fully cooked. Remove from heat and set aside. -> See pictures G and H.

5. Cut the cucumber into 7.6 cm (about 3 inches) length and very thinly as shown in the picture. Cut the cherry tomatoes into wedges. -> See pictures I and J.

6. Cut the omelette from step 4 in half. Then, flip one side over the other side. Cut in half. Flip one side over the other side again like a quarter moon shape and slice all into very thinly as shown in the picture. -> See pictures K, L, M and N.

7. Cut ham in half and slice very thinly as shown in the pictures. -> See pictures O and P.

8. After water from step 1 is boiled, add noodles and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir the noodles occasionally. Remove from heat. -> See pictures Q, R and S.

9. Put noodles into a strainer basket and rinse with cold water for about 1 minute. Remove water well. -> See pictures T, U and V.

10. Place noodles on plates, add the cucumbers, hams, thin egg omelettes and cherry tomatoes as shown in the picture. Add the sesame sauce on top and mustard on the side.

Doria is a Western style Japanese dish which usually consists of white sauce and rice. Doria looked like a European dish, however it was invented by a Swiss chef in Japan.

Apparently, the dish “Doria” was named after the Genoese statesman “Andrea Doria” from the noble class family in Genoa, Italy.

I will introduce the unique Meat Sauce Eggplant Doria instead of using white sauce to make it at home easily. You would enjoy eating this dish with your family and/or friends!

Ingredients (3 - 4 plates):

• Rice for 3 - 4 people
• 1/2 eggplant
• Ground beef (1/2 lbs, 0.23kgs)
• 1 small can of sliced mushrooms (113g, 4oz)
• 1/2 bin tomato pasta sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 5 or more small leaves parsley
• 1 cube *Japanese consomme
• 1 teaspoon salt & pepper
• 6 sliced cheese (I used sliced cheddar cheese)
• Spray butter or spray olive oil

*Japanese consomme is made of vegetable extract, beef extract, chicken extract, yeast extract, soy sauce, salt, sugar and so on. It is similar to vegetable, chicken and beef stock.

-> See pictures A, B & C.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 40 minutes - 50 minutes.

1. Cook rice. Meanwhile, cut garlic into small pieces. Cut an eggplant into bite size chunks.
2. Preheat olive oil in a frying pan with medium heat. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. -> See picture D.

3. Add ground beef in the frying pan with medium heat and stir for 3 - 5 minutes or until ground beef is fully cooked. -> See picture E.

4. Add the eggplant and stir for about 3 - 5 minutes. -> See picture F.

5. Add mushrooms and stir until the eggplant and mushrooms are fully cooked. -> See picture G.

6. Add tomato pasta sauce and stir for 1 minute. Mix occasionally. -> See picture H.

7. Add Japanese consomme and salt & pepper, and stir for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. -> See pictures I & J.

8. Spray oil or butter on a small - medium size glass tray as shown in the picture. -> See picture K.

9. Put the cooked rice on the glass tray as shown in the picture. -> See picture L.

10. Add meat sauce from step 7. on top of the rice as shown in the picture. -> See picture M.

11. Add sliced cheese on top of the meat sauce. -> See picture N.

12. Heat oven up to 400 °F (205 °C) without preheating. Put the meat sauce doria into the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. (Heating time may vary and depending on the oven which you use.) Remove from the heat.

13. Add parsley leaves on top.

Agedashi Tofu is a comfort food as well as a very popular food on the Izakaya (Japanese Pub) menu in Japan. I remembered that my mother made this dish a lot at home when I was in Japan.

Agedashi Tofu is a tofu coated by Katakuriko (Potato Starch), deep-fried and poured with Tsuyu sauce (Japanese soup base) or Dashi sauce (Japanese soup stock). I used a grated small Daikon radish which was from my garden as a garnish of Agedashi Tofu.

Apparently, the name of “Agedashi Tofu” came from the restaurant called “Agedashi” in Tokyo. This restaurant has existed since the Edo period. Surprisingly, customers could eat “Agedashi Tofu” early in the morning and take a bath at the restaurant.

I will introduce Agedashi Tofu using with Hontsuyu (Noodle soup base) to cook it at home easily. If you would like a stronger taste, you could add Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese chili flakes) and/or Oroshi Shoga (Grated ginger).

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 1 package firm Tofu (16oz, 453g)
• 6 tablespoons Katakuriko (Potato starch)
• Hontsuyu (Noodle soup base, 50ml, 0.2 US cup)
• Water (150ml, 0.63 US cup)
• 1 small green onion
• 1 small Daikon (Japanese radish)
• 1 small package Katsuobushi (Bonito flakes)
• 5 tablespoons oil

-> See picture A.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 25 - 35 minutes.

1. Cut tofu into 6 pieces as shown in a picture. -> See picture B.

2. Pat the tofu with kitchen paper towels thoroughly to remove water. -> See picture C.

3. Cut green onion into small pieces. Grate Daikon radish (Daikon-oroshi in Japanese). -> See pictures D & E.

4. Put Katakuriko into a baking tray. -> See picture F.

5. Put tofu into the baking tray and sprinkle Katakuriko all over it. repeat this step for all 6 pieces of tofu. -> See pictures G & H.

6. Preheat the oil in a frying pan with medium heat until the oil temperature reaches 338°F (170℃). -> See picture I.

7. Meanwhile, heat Hontsuyu and water in a small pan on medium heat. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat before serving. -> See picture J.

8. After the oil temperature is warm enough, add the tofu from step 5. into the frying pan. -> See picture K.

9. Flip over all sides of the tofu occasionally until these become golden brown. Remove from heat. -> See picture L.

10. Put the tofu on a flat bottom container with kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil. -> See picture M.

11. Put Agedashi Tofu on plates. Add Katsuobushi, grated Daikon radish, and green onion on top. Pour the Tsuyu sauce on top.

Sake Nori Bento is one of the traditional bentos in Japan. You would see it at convenience stores, Bento shops, grocery stores, department stores and so on.

Bento is a meal which we can take-out and carry. Japanese people bring Bento as a lunch to schools, workplaces and so on.

A lot of Japanese people make Sake Nori Bento at home. Each ingredient would be different. Depending on the people and the family.

You can use a fresh salmon and grill or bake it, however I used a frozen hot smoked salmon to make the bento easily and save time for the busy morning.

Apparently, bento first appeared back in the Heian period in Japan.
People in the Heian period used “Onigiri (Rice ball in English)” which was called “Tonjiki” in Japanese. Apparently, Japanese word “弁当(Bento in English)” originally came from the word “便當(Bento)” in Chinese and Song dynasty in China.

Bento culture was established among Japanese people rapidly due to the fact that Japonica rice could keep the taste even though it cooled down.

Ingredients (2 bento boxes):

• 1 Frozen smoked salmon (4oz, 113.4g, I used a frozen hot smoked salmon)
• 1/2 big Nori sheet (seaweed)
• 4 small bacon asparagus rolls (Please see how to make Bacon asparagus rolls HERE)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tablespoons *Hondashi
• 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 8 very small parts of broccoli
• 8 small cherry tomatoes
• rice for 2 people
• 2 US cups (473ml) water

-> See pictures A & B.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 25 - 35 minutes.

1. Cook rice. Thaw the frozen smoked salmon using cold tap water and put it in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes as shown in a picture. -> See picture C.

2. Meanwhile, put 2 US cups (473ml) of water in a small pot. Bring to a boil. -> See picture D.

3. Add the broccoli into the small pot from step 2. and boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. -> See picture E.

4. Put the broccoli into a small strainer basket and remove hot water. Set them aside. -> See pictures F & G.

5. Put eggs into a bowl. Add *Hondashi into the bowl. Mix thoroughly. -> See pictures H & I.

6. Preheat 1 teaspoon of oil in a small square frying pan with low heat. -> See picture J.

7. Pour ½ of the mixture from step 5. into the frying pan and heat for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture becomes half hard as shown in the pictures. (Cooking tip: Please do not overheat. Otherwise, you would not be able to roll the mixture.) -> See pictures K & L.

8. Roll the mixture using a turner from the back side to the front as shown in the pictures. -> See pictures M, N & O.

9. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and pour the rest of the mixture into the frying pan and heat for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture becomes half hard as shown in the pictures. -> See pictures P & Q.

10. Roll the mixture from the front to the back and move to the front as shown in the pictures. -> See pictures R & S.

11. Set the Japanese omelette aside and cool it down. -> See picture T.

12. After the frozen smoked salmon was thawed, microwave the salmon for 3 minutes with 1100W and cut it in half as shown in the picture. -> See picture U.

13. Put cooked rice into a bento box, cut Nori into the cooked rice shape and add it on top of the cooked rice as shown in the pictures. -> See pictures V & W.

14. Add the smoked salmon on top of the Nori, put broccoli and cherry tomatoes into the bento box. Cut Japanese omelette into 4 pieces and cut off the edges. -> See pictures X, Y & Z.

15. Put Japanese omelette and Bacon asparagus rolls into the bento box.

Ichigo Daifuku is one of the most popular Japanese sweets (Wagashi, 和菓子 in Japanese) in Japan. The combination of Ichigo (Strawberry), Anko (Sweet red bean paste) and Daifuku (A small round Mochi) is so good. Sweet and a little sour flavors from Ichigo Daifuku would melt in your mouth.

We also have some Ichigo Daifuku Ice Creams with custard creams instead of smooth red bean paste which are very famous in Japan.

The history of eating Ichigo Daifuku dates back to the Showa period in Japan.
However, there are a lot of theories as to who invented Ichigo Daifuku.
It is certain that Ichigo Daifuku is relatively new.

When I made Ichigo Daifuku, I made some mistakes. I highly recommend using small strawberries instead of big ones. In this way, you can wrap the strawberries easily with Koshian and Mochi dough. Also the Mochi dough is very sticky. It is better to heat and knead the Mochi dough completely. I added other notes in the procedure below.

Making Ichigo Daifuku is actually easy except for the sticky and shaping Ichigo Daifuku parts. You would enjoy making it with your family and/or friends.

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 4 big strawberries (about 6-8 small strawberries)
• 6 tablespoons Koshian (Smooth red bean paste)
• 6 tablespoons Shiratamako (Glutinous rice flour)
• 8 tablespoons water (120ml, about 1/2 US cup)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons Katakuriko (potato starch, as you like)
• Some strawberries for decorations (If you like)

-> See picture A.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 20 - 30 minutes.

1. Divide Koshian into 4 pieces and roll them into balls as shown in a picture. -> See picture B.

2. Flatten Koshian with your palm as shown in the picture. -> See picture C.

3. Wrap strawberries by Koshian one by one as shown in the picture. Set them aside. -> See pictures D & E.

4. Put Shiratamako in a bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of water and mix thoroughly. Then, add sugar and 2 tablespoons of water, and mix thoroughly. -> See pictures F, G, H & I.

5. Put a plastic wrap on top of the bowl and microwave for a minute with 1100W (*Heating time may vary and depending on your microwave). -> See pictures J & K.

6. Meanwhile, put Katakuriko in a rectangular baking tray. -> See picture L.

7. Put mochi dough in the baking tray from step 6 and put Katakuriko on mochi dough. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. -> See pictures M & N.

8. Put a lot of Katakriko on your hands and Mochi dough. Knead the dough by hand and roll the dough into balls. Flatten them with your palm one by one as shown in the picture. (*Please note that the mochi dough is very sticky. I recommend putting Katakuriko on your hands and the mochi dough a lot and occasionally.) -> See picture O.

9. Wrap strawberries from step 3. by mochi dough one by one as shown in the picture. -> See picture P.

10. Cut Ichigo Daifuku into half and put on the plates.

Japanese people cook stir-fried meat and vegetables a lot. You can substitute ham or bacon for sausage. Also you can use any leftover vegetables in your refrigerator. This dish is very easy to make. You can eat it with cooked rice and/or miso soup for breakfast or lunch as well as dinner. I remembered that my mother made this dish as breakfast when I was small. You can eat a lot of vegetables on the dish.

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 200g (7oz) smoked or polish sausage
• 100g (0.2 lbs) bean sprouts
• 1 onion
• 1/2 carrot
• broccoli (as you like)
• 2-3 leaves of cabbage
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt & pepper
• 1 teaspoon *Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese chili flakes)
• *Hot sauce (if you like)

-> See picture A, B & C.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 15 - 20 minutes.

1. Cut carrot, broccoli and cabbage into bite size chunks and thinly. Slice an onion.
2. Preheat sesame oil in a frying pan with medium heat. Add the onion. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add broccoli and carrot. Stir for about 2-3 minutes. -> See picture D.

4. Add cabbage and stir for about 1-2 minutes. -> See picture E.

5. Add bean sprouts, salt & pepper, and stir for about 1 minute. -> See picture F.

6. Add sausage and stir for 1-2 minutes. -> See picture G.

7. Add beaten egg and stir for 1 minutes. Then, add soy sauce and stir for another 1 minute. -> See picture H.

8. Put stir-fried sausage and vegetables on plates. Add *Shichimi Togarashi and/or *hot sauce on top (if you like).

“Chasoba” is a kind of soba noodle, usually made of Matcha green tea, soba powder, bread flour and water. It is a very famous local noodle in Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. Shizuoka prefecture is well known as the capital of green tea in Japan.

You can simply eat Chasoba with only cold or hot noodle soup. However, I will introduce Chasoba noodles with spicy meat and hot noodle soup to enjoy eating the unique noodles at home.

Ingredients (2 bowls):

• 2 bundles of *Chasoba (green tea) noodles
• 150ml (5floz) of *Hontsuyu
• 600ml (20 floz) of water (for noodle soup)
• 1500ml (50.7 floz) of water (for boiling)
• 100g (0.2lbs) ground pork
• 2 x 1 teaspoon *sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons *Yakiniku no tare (Japanese BBQ sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon *Tobanjan (Chili bean paste)
• 1/2 green onion
• 1 small sheet of *Nori
• 1 teaspoon white sesame (as you like)
• 1 teaspoon *Rayu (Crunchy garlic in a chili oil)

*Nori is an edible seaweed. Japanese people use Nori for Sushi, Onigiri (rice ball), topping of cooked rice and so on.
*Hontsuyu is a soup base for noodles. It is basically fish extract, bonito extract, kelp extract, sugar, salt and mixed with soy sauce.
-> See pictures A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 25 - 35 minutes.

1. Heat 1500ml (50.7 floz) of water in a large pot with medium heat. Bring to a boil.  -> See picture H.

2. Meanwhile, chop green onion into small pieces. Cut *Nori into 4cm (1.6inches) long, 5mm (0.2inches) wide by scissors. Set aside.

3. Preheat a sesame oil in a frying pan with medium heat. Add the ground pork and stir until the pork is fully cooked. Add *Yakiniku no tare & *Tobanjan,  and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. -> See pictures I, J, & K.

4. Meanwhile, put *Hontsuyu and 600ml (20 floz) of water in a small or medium pot with medium heat. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. -> See picture L.

5. Put *Chasoba noodles into the large pot from step 1. and simmer with a lid for 5 minutes. Loosen the noodles with chopsticks occasionally. Remove from heat. -> See pictures M & N.

6. Put the noodles in a strainer basket (and bottom is a large bowl) and in cold water for 1 minute or until all noodles are cold to tighten noodles. Right before eating Soba noodles, put Soba noodles into hot water. -> See pictures O & P.

7. Put the Chasoba noodles in bowls and pour hot noodle soup from step 4. over them. Add the pork from step3., add little sesame oil, green onions & *Nori from step2., sprinkle white sesame and put *Rayu on top.

“Harumaki” in Japanese means “spring roll” in English. Spring roll is very popular in Japan. Spring roll is originally from China. Egg roll is a Chinese American dish. Apparently, egg roll is similar to spring roll but these are different dishes. I thought I made spring rolls filled with shrimp and cheese, but I actually used egg roll wraps instead of spring roll wraps. I’m not sure the exact difference between egg rolls and spring rolls. However, this shrimp cheese egg roll dish is delicious and super easy to make at home.

Ingredients (For 2 plates):

• 113g (4 oz) of cooked shrimp
• 3 long sticks of cheese
• 6 egg roll wraps -> See picture A & B
• 1/3 height vegetable oil of your frying pan
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 bag of salad mix
• Soy sauce

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 20 - 25 minutes.

1. Preheat the vegetable oil in a frying pan with medium heart.
2. Meanwhile, remove the tails of shrimp and pat the shrimp with kitchen paper towels to remove water. -> See picture C.

3. Cut the cheese sticks into half size length. -> See picture D.

4. Place an egg roll wrap on a cutting board. Put the cheese and 2 shrimp on top of the egg roll wrap as shown in the picture. -> See picture E.

5. Fold both sides of the egg roll wrap and roll it as shown in the pictures. -> See picture F & G.

6. After the vegetable oil temperature is high enough, put Shrimp cheese Harumaki into the frying pan and deep-fry until these are golden brown. Flip over them occasionally. -> See picture H.

7. Remove from heat and put Harumaki into the bottom flat container with kitchen paper towel on top. Pat and remove excess oils from Harumaki. -> See picture I.

8. Put cherry tomatoes, salad mix and Harumaki on plates. When you eat Harumaki, pour soy sauce on top or dip it in the soy sauce.

Some of you may have never heard of a burdock root before. “Gobo” in Japanese means “Burdock root” in English. Burdock root is a plant and native to Northern Asia and Europe. Japanese people often use the burdock root as food. Burdock root has been used as a medicine and a tea in China. “Kinpira'' is a dish which normally consists of stir-fried vegetables with soy sauce and sugar. Apparently, “Kinpira” was named after the son of “Kintaro” (He is in the very famous Japanese fairy tale). Kinpira Gobo is a common home-made dish in Japan. This dish has a lot of fibers and a crispy texture. I highly recommend eating this amazing dish as a side dish while you enjoy eating dinner and/or drinking!

Ingredients (2 plates):

• 1 *burdock root
• 1/2 carrot
• 1 tablespoon *sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons *Hontsuyu
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds (As you like)
• 1 teaspoon *Shichimi Togarashi (As you like)

-> See pictures A, B, C & D.

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 15 - 20 minutes.

1. Peel, and cut the burdock root into 2 inches long and very thinly. Put them into a small bowl with water. Soak for about 3 minutes in order to remove bitterness and color change from the burdock root. -> See picture E.

2. Meanwhile, cut the carrot into 2 inches long and very thinly. -> See picture F.

3. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan with medium heat. -> See picture G.

4. Add drained burdock root from step 1. and the carrot. Stir for 1 minute.  -> See picture H.

5. Add sugar and stir for 1-2 minutes. -> See picture I.

6. Add *Hontsuyu and soy sauce, and stir for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is almost evaporated. (Cooking tip: Please don’t overcook.) -> See picture J.

7. Add sesame seeds and stir for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. -> See pictures K & L.

8. Put Kinpira Gobo into small plates. Sprinkle *Shichimi Togarashi on top.