Japanese – Kazuko's Recipes

Dorayaki

Doyayaki is one of the most popular traditional Japanese sweets, and I always bring some back home when I visit Japan. It’s a hamburger-looking pancake with sweet redbean paste (“anko”) inside. (And yes, this is Doraemon’s favorite food if you know the cartoon!) The most difficult part for making one is probably to find anko,Continue reading “Dorayaki”

Red Bean Paste “Anko”

Anko, or sweet read bean paste, is the equivalent of chocolate in the western world and is used in many Japanese traditional sweets. In Japan, many people just buy ready-made paste, rather than making one from scratch. But if you live outside Japan like me, you may find it difficult to find one or theContinue reading “Red Bean Paste “Anko””

Edamame

Everyone likes edamame, even my son who is determined not to eat anything green! Besides being so delicious, edamame is a good source of protein and contains various vitamins and minerals. It is also one of the most traditional and typical snack to be served with alcoholic beverages. This is hardly a recipe, because allContinue reading “Edamame”

Salmon Avocado Roll

I will show you here how to make salmon avocado rolls, but feel free to substitute the ingredients. For example, you can replace salmon with tuna and make tuna avocado rolls, which are equally delicious. And of course, if you are vegetarian or don’t dare eat raw fish, just skip the fish and make avocadoContinue reading “Salmon Avocado Roll”

Salmon Nigiri

“Nigiri” is a type of sushi, undoubtedly the most popular one. It means “hand grip” and is so called because sushi chefs use their palm to make a small ball of rice, on which the fish or seafood will be mounted. In Japan we usually leave this type of sushi up to the professional chefsContinue reading “Salmon Nigiri”

California Roll

California Rolls are so called because they were created in California (supposedly by a Japanese chef). I love them and they are wildly popular even among those who wouldn’t dare eat raw fish! California rolls are great also because they use ingredients that are generally available anywhere in the world! They are a bit moreContinue reading “California Roll”

How to Prepare Sushi Rice

In order to make sushi, we first need to prepare Sushi Rice by adding vinegar, sugar and salt to cooked rice. The recipe for this vinegar mix varies depending on the region or the chef, so you don’t need to be precise when measuring the ingredients, just use your pallets to find the right combination for yourContinue reading “How to Prepare Sushi Rice”

Karaage

Karaage is Japanese fried chicken. The recipe may not seem very different from the western version, except that we use soy sauce, which is the real game changer! Just like with Teriyaki Chicken, as long as you have soy sauce, you can prepare this dish anywhere in the world, which makes this delicious and wildly popularContinue reading “Karaage”

Udon

Udon is a thick noodle made of flour. It is one of the most popular noodles in Japan, and there are many restaurants specializing in it. Just like soba, udon can be eaten cold or hot, in a soup or with dipping sauce. Here, I will show you how to make udon in a hotContinue reading “Udon”

Soba

Soba, or buckwheat noodle, is Japan’s most traditional noodle and is far healthier than flour-based noodles like udon or ramen. It can be eaten cold or hot, in a soup or with dipping sauce (“tsuyu“). Here I will show you how to make cold soba with tsuyu (“zarusoba“) If you want to cook soba inContinue reading “Soba”