I love taro root (satoimo), and I love finding new ways to use it. This furry, starchy tuber has a wonderful texture when simmered.

This makes a good bento side, but is excellent served hot as well. Most of the recipes I’ve seen for this involve a lot of sugar, but my recipe is a bit more savory. Let’s make satoimo no nikorogashi!

Step 1 – Wash the taros well.

Step 2 – Peel taros, placing into a bowl of water to help rinse them off.

Step 3 – Place all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.

Step 4 – Turn down to simmer. Simmer taros until they absorb most of the liquid and serve hot. I cook snowpeas with mine, for color as much as flavor.

Variations

Simmered taro recipes are typically sweeter, but I like them this way a lot more. If you prefer a sweeter dish, decrease the sake to 1 Tbsp and add 2 Tbsp of sugar. Grated yuzu rind on the finished dish is also very good. If you prefer, you can use regular potatoes instead of the taro, but I prefer the taro for it’s awesome texture.

Let me know in the comments section below how you like to prepare taros, or if you’ve tried this recipe at all! I love to share Japanese cooking techniques with people, so let me know :)

So to continue with the kinpira theme, here is a konnyaku kinpira with shiitake and sesame.

Konnyaku, konjac, yam cake, devil’s tongue jelly… all names for a unique, yet versatile, Japanese ingredient. Konnyaku is a firm, gelatin substitute made from the corm of the konjac plant. It has very little flavor but a really cool texture. You can buy it in the tofu section of nearly any Asian grocery. (A word of warning; konnyaku can pose a choking hazard for young children and elderly, since it is very chewy, and does not break down like regular gelatin-based products.).
These kinpira keep well and are great for bentos. They also taste better the next day. Let’s make konnyaku kinpira!

Step 1 – Unwrap and rinse the konnyaku.

Step 2 – Carve out bite-sized chunks of konnyaku with a spoon, or tear into pieces with your fingers. I find a spoon works the best. Boil in a pot of water for 5 minutes; strain, rinse and cool.

Step 3 – Slice the shiitake and cut off the stems.

Step 4 – Heat the sesame oil in a sauté pan. When the oil is hot, slide the konnyaku and shiitake in from the side. The water in the konnyaku can cause the oil to sputter, so do this slow and carefully. Toss to coat everything with the oil. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes.

Step 5 – Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring constantly.

Step 6 – Continue to cook on high heat until the liquid is absorbed. The shoyu can burn, so keep an eye on it, remembering to stir and coat the ingredients. Turn off heat and transfer ingredients to a flat dish to cool. Serve with toasted black sesame seeds.

Variations

You may add a seeded dried red chili to spice the dish up a bit, or thin sliced carrots to give it more color. I’ve used the dark konnyaku, flavored with hijiki, but the white konnyaku works just as well. You can also use shirataki, which is the noodle version of konnyaku.

If you’ve tried this kinpira, or any variation of it, please share your experiences in the comments. Let me know how it goes! This one is quick and easy to make.

Happy Halloween! I know everybody loves the sweet, spicy, earthy kinpira gobo recipe I posted back in August, but I have another one to share with you. It is less sweet, more salty, quicker to make and perfect for the upcoming holiday season (erm, if you observe Japanese New Years traditions, that is).

I talked everybody’s eyes off(?) in my previous kinpira gobo recipe post, so I’m just going to get right to it. Kinpira Gobo Recipe Number Two Go!

Step 1 – Scrape the skin of the gobo off with the back of your knife, gently. We are just trying to get the brown layer off.

Step 2 – Shave the gobo like you are sharpening a pencil, into roughly one inch thin slices.

Step 3 – Soak gobo in water/vinegar solution to remove aku (harsh bitter taste). Wait until the solution turns brownish and drain and rinse.

Step 4 – Cut carrot into 1 1/2 inch matchstick slivers.

Step 5 – Heat the sesame oil. Squeeze excess water from the gobo and add to the hot oil. Add carrot and stir with chopsticks, sautéing for 3-4 minutes.

Step 6 – Add shoyu and mirin and stir and mix well. As the shoyu and mirin begin to thicken, turn off the heat and continue stirring. Transfer to a flat container or plate and let it cool. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and serve.

Additional notes

This gobo kinpira has a totally different flavor and texture then my previous recipe. It is salty, crunchy and much quicker to make. It also doesn’t incorporate any extra sugar, other than mirin, which I like. Try them both and see which one you like more! I’m sure this version will become part of my regular menu and bento.

If you have tried gobo kinpira, either of my recipes or elsewhere, let me know what you think of it. It is a totally unique Japanese food that a lot of Western culture doesn’t get to try, simply because it is not very popular. Let me know in the comments what you think, and also if you have any alternate recipes you would like to share. Enjoy!

I love shiitake dashi, and I use it all the time. Dried shiitake are very flavorful and full of umami. This dashi is 100% vegetarian/vegan and very flexible.

As with all dashi, there is no one established “right” way to make it. This is simply the base I use for a variety of dishes, especially sukiyaki and other nabemono. The kombu add richness and rounds out the earthy mushroom stock. This is very easy to prepare, so let’s make shiitake dashi!

Step 1 – Put the dried shiitake, kombu and water in a bowl and let it sit until the water darkens and the mushrooms become completely soft.

Step 2 – Strain the liquid into a pot and use immediately, or place in the refrigerator for up to a week. Some people boil the mushrooms, water and kombu first and then strain, but it’s up to you.

Step 3 – Use the shiitake and kombu in other dishes, like Sweet Simmered Shiitake.

Variations

You can use any number or variety of dried mushroom in your dashi. Wood ear fungus works very well (and it’s usually pretty cheap). I typically set it all out on the counter to soften up overnight and use it or refrigerate it the next morning. Give it a try and let me know in the comments below how it turns out!

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いただきます！

Okay, a really quick one! I love tsukemono (pickled things), especially fast recipes that I can throw together five minutes before bed and have delicious pickled veggies with my breakfast. Hakusai no sokuseki-zuke is just that. Slightly spicy, sweet and delicious cabbage pickles go great with steamed rice, grilled fish, and especially beer and sake :3

Of course, this makes a great bento item as well, and keeps for a long time in your fridge. Lets make some Japanese pickled cabbage!

Step 1 – Separate the cabbage leaves from the stems and chop both. I like to cut the stems into 3 inch sticks and the leaves into squares. Rub the cabbage with the 1/2 tsp of salt, lightly massaging it into the cabbage until it is tender.

Step 2 – Combine the chili pepper, vinegar, sugar, shoyu and sesame in a pot.

Step 3 – Bring ingredients to a boil. Turn off the heat when it begins to boil and pour over the cabbage. Mix well and chill in the fridge.

Variation

I’ve tried this pickled cabbage recipe with all different types of cabbage and other vegetables. It is very flexible and you may adjust the spiciness and sesame to taste. I also like sprinkling with toasted sesame seeds before serving.

If you have tried this, or a variation of it, let me know in the comments below. Have fun!

Ekiben, or “Railway bento” are a particular type of bento that I really hadn’t heard of until I went to Japan the first time. Ekiben are simply bento served at train stations and on trains.

When trains started to be a big deal in Japan, and a lot of people required them for long commutes, ekiben started springing up to feed hungry travelers. The coolest part is that each train station offered ekiben featuring a sampling of the local delicacies. You can see differences in ingredients as you move across the country from ocean to mountain and back to ocean. On our most recent trip we tried to purchase them as often as possible.

I’ve cobbled together a few photographs, in varying quality, of ekiben that we purchased while in Japan this year and in 2008. I apologize for the blurriness of some of the photos – those are my fault. My wifes pictures all came out nice and clear :3 Here’s her photoblog if you want to see more Japan pics.

And here are the ekiben. Enjoy! (Click for a larger image.)

Tsukune is so awesome and simple to make. Everybody loves these things. Tsukune is, simply enough, a Japanese-style chicken meatball usually served in izakaya and yakitori restaurants. I’ve seen them (and eaten them) made in so many different ways that there doesn’t seem to be one “correct” way to do it. There actually probably is, and I’m just missing it :)

Tsukune can either be meatballs (like you’ll see in today’s recipe, and in most Western recipe translations) or it can involve the meat mixture wrapped around a skewer and grilled. I personally like to bake or steam them – it’s quick, less messy and probably a little better for you then deep frying or pan frying them. Perfect for bentos, perfect additions to nabemono and they keep well, tsukune should become a standard in your Japanese kitchen.

I’ve adapted this recipe to use ground turkey instead of chicken, but it’s really up to you.

So let’s make some Japanese-style chicken meatballs already!

Step 1 – Beat the egg until just mixed. Fine dice the scallion and ginger. Mix all the ingredients together except the oil. Mix thoroughly until blended , adding more panko flakes if necessary (if the mixture is too wet).

Step 2 – Turn the oven on high. Rub the oil on your hands and start forming the meat into balls. Keep them loose so they retain their moisture. Line them up on a sheet pan with a sheet of aluminium foil on it. You may need to re-oil your hands as you go, so I like to pour a bit in a small dish.

Step 3 – Put the tsukune into the hot oven and bake until they start to get golden brown. Take them out and let them cool. Enjoy! They are great in bento and nabemono.

Variation

There are so many variations to this recipe. You can mix anything in the mixture – hijiki, shiitake, chilis. You can saute them in dashi and other seasonings, skewer and grill them over a flame, serve them in sukiyaki… the list goes on. I like them as-is, sometimes even cold from the fridge on my way out the door to work. They are also excellent with a splash of Worcestershire sauce or okonomiyaki sauce.

Try this recipe out and let me know how it goes! Serve them at your next party! Let me know in the comments section below if you have any other ways you like to prepare tsukune. いただきます！

Nikujaga is a simmered, sweet Japanese meat and potato stew. All my Japanese cookbooks proclaim “Men love this dish!”, but it really appeals to anyone who is a meat-and-potatoes lover.

You want to make sure to use starchy potatoes and fatty meat for this dish. I found some perfect fingerling potatoes and I bought a roast and thin-sliced it myself because it was cheaper. Everyone says to peel the potatoes but I don’t do this; I like the additional potato-skin texture. I also double this recipe when I make it, but I’ll provide the measurements for the normal recipe here. Let’s make some meat and potatoes!

Step 1 – Prep your potatoes, onion and beef before starting.

Step 2 – Heat the oil in a pan until hot, then remove from the heat to a wet dishtowel. Add the meat and stir to coat with oil. Return to moderate heat and stir beef to brown. This prevents the meat from getting stuck to the pan.

Step 3 – Add onions and potatoes when the meat browns. Stir it all with a wooden spatula to mix thoroughly.

Step 4 – Add dashi stock (or water) and seasonings in the following order: sake, sugar, mirin, shoyu. Always add sweet before salty. If you add shoyu first, the salt will repel the sugar and the flavors won’t meld as well. Wait about a minute between each addition and stir well. Skim the scum that foams up.

Step 5 – Lower the heat a bit more and place a drop lid (or small plate, or circle of aluminium foil) on top to ensure even immersion. Let the nikujaga simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/3. (Check out my filthy stove!)

Step 6 – Remove the drop lid and turn the ingredients by flipping them in the pan to coat with the juices. Boil the rest of the way over high heat, slanting pan if necessary, until nearly all the liquid is absorbed. Transfer nikujaga to a flat container and spread out to cool. Serve when it reaches room temperature.

Variations

Feel free to add carrots, turnip, konnyaku (devil’s tongue jelly) shirataki (konnyaku noodles), tofu or any number of root vegetables to this dish. Pick ingredients that absorb flavors well and there is no messing this up. Nikujaga is rick and flavorful, and typically a bit on the sweet side. I’ve adjusted this recipe to decrease the sweetness, so you may play around with that a bit as well.

If you’ve tried this recipe, please share in the comments! I look forward to your variants on this popular, Western-inspired Japanese dish.

Saba shioyaki time! Okay, so you’ve already learned how to make salmon shioyaki, and you’ve all learned how to clean and cut saba (mackerel), now we can combine those two techniques to make the incredibly easy and delicious dish. saba shioyaki.

This is a really simple recipe, so let’s get started. You can buy mackerel fresh and have the fishmonger clean it for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.

Step 1 – Turn your oven/broiler on high. Fold the edges up on a sheet of aluminium foil to prevent oil from running onto the baking sheet. Lay the foil on the baking sheet. You may lightly oil it if you wish, but I don’t for this recipe. Pat the mackerel fillets dry with a paper towel.

Step 2 – Cut your mackerel fillets into pieces if you wish. I do this so they will fit in my bentos for the week. Lay, skin side up, on the sheet of aluminium foil.

Step 3 – Salt the skin of the mackerel well and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Place baking sheet with the salted fish into the hot oven or about 4 inches from the broiler.

Step 4 – Check it after 5 minutes, then every two minutes. I like to wait for the salt to brown and the edges of the fish to crisp slightly. Broil/bake until desired and pull out of the oven to cool. Serve with steamed rice and ponzu or lime.

Some things of note…

Saba is very bony. If I am serving guests, I try to remove the bones during the cleaning process. It has a very intense fishy flavor, so it only needs light seasoning. Citrus works best for saba shioyaki in my opinion.

If you have tried making this recipe or are already a longtime fan of it, please share in the comments section! Also, if you like this website, check out EatingJapan! on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @EatingJapan. いただきます！

Black cod kasuzuke very delicious, very popular in the U.S. and surprisingly easy to prepare. Black cod can be a bit pricey, but I assure you; it’s worth it. I had this dish for the first time at Maneki in Seattle’s International District years ago and I fell in love with it.

We are going to need some of that kasuzuke I showed you guys how to make a week or so ago, and a couple other ingredients. This is actually a very minimal recipe, check it out;

Step 1 – Start with a fillet or steak of black cod. I like using the steaks for this recipe.

Step 2 – Mix your sakekasu, miso, shoyu and sugar in a bowl.

Step 3 – Completely cover your black cod in the kasuzuke, making sure none of the fish is exposed. Place in a seal-able container and stick it in the fridge for anywhere from three to eight days. I think three days is perfect – eight days is a more traditional method and ends up practically curing the meat. You may wrap it in cheesecloth before marinating, which makes it easier to deal with. I never do.

Step 4 – Uncover your marinated black cod. If you wrapped it in cheesecloth, please unwrap it now. If not, you will need to rinse the kasuzuke off under running water and pat dry. Reserve the rest of the kasuzuke and re-use for up to a week.

Step 5 – Place your black cod on a piece of aluminium foil, on a sheetpan, and into the broiler. Broil about 5 minutes on each side. Or throw it into the oven and bake at high heat until the edges of the fish char a bit, about 10 minutes. (I’m bad about timing and temp – just cook it until it’s done)

Step 6 – Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving plate. This dish needs no accompaniment, but some grated daikon on the side might be a good idea.

Variation

You can use the kasuzuke on tuna, shark, snapper, salmon, flounder, squid, vegetables, chicken – whatever you like! It s awesome and just makes awesome food taste even better. The rich, boozy sake and miso pairs with the meat so well and has the lasting, highly desirable umami to round it out.

Please try this recipe out – you will not be disappointed! I DARE you to not like this ;) Let me know in the comments section below if you’ve tried this recipe.

Oh, and if you are of the Twittering persuasion, make sure you are following @EatingJapan on Twitter to discuss Japanese food, cooking techniques and share pictures, as well as receive alerts when the site is updated. Check us out!