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Feb 26, 2023 · Onigiri. Onigiri, also known as omusubi or rice ball, is a traditional Japanese food that is made from steamed white rice that is formed into a triangular or cylindrical shape and is wrapped in nori (dried seaweed). Onigiri can have ingredients like meat, fish, and veggies inside and can be served sweet or savory!
- Sushi (すし) Sushi is definitely the most famous Japanese meal outside of Japan. It was once referred to as pickled fish preserved in vinegar, but nowadays, it can be defined as any dish containing vinegared rice and raw fish.
- Ramen (ラーメン) Technically originating in Southern China, ramen is a Japanese word which is derived from the Chinese word lamian (拉麵), meaning “pulled noodles”.
- Tempura (天ぷら) It is said that tempura was brought to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th century, but it has since become one of the most recognized Japanese dishes around the world.
- Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) A savoury pancake that is extremely popular amongst foreigners and tourists in Japan. Often referred to as Japanese pizza, okonomiyaki is made from wheat flour and shredded cabbage and is topped with various ingredients like meat or seafood.
- Soup-Based Dishes & Hotpots
- Noodles
- Street Food
- Chicken Dishes
- Pork Dishes
- Beef
- Lamb
- Seafood
- Sushi
- Home Cooking Style Dishes
1. Miso Soup
Miso Soup is made using miso paste made from fermented soybeans. It is popularly used in Japanese cuisine and can be found on menus everywhere from sushi restaurants to grocery stores. It's usually mixed with dashi, vegetables, tofu cubes, and sometimes noodles or meat to give it more flavor or texture. Miso soup is typically served hot with accompanying rice or noodle dishes to provide more sustenance. A classic miso soup recipe includes miso, dashi stock, wakamame seaweed, tofu, and green o...
2. Oden
Oden is a popular home-cooked dish in Japan during the wintertime is a simple simmered recipe containing vegetables and nerimono– fish or meat that has been ground, seasoned, and kneaded into a cake. Throughout Japan you can find many regional variations of oden, but there are some common ingredients among all the dishes. Items such as tofu, daikon, konjac, and eggs can usually be found in oden, but depending on the region, the flavor of the soup and other ingredients can vary greatly.
3. Chanko Nabe
This is a popular hotpot meal traditionally eaten by sumo wrestlers to help them to gain weight and is rich in protein. The soup is usually made with dashi stock, or a chicken broth, and common ingredients include chicken meat, fish, pork belly, tofu, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, and long green onions. If you ever visit Tokyo’s Ryogoku area, you can find specialist chankonabe restaurants with some even staging live sumo performances!
6. Soba Noodles
In Japanese, soba means “buckwheat”, referring to the main ingredient used to make these noodles. Soba noodles are also traditionally eaten in Japan on New Year’s Eve in a dish called Toshikoshi Sobawhich consists of soba noodles served in a hot dashi soup with finely chopped spring onions. Soba noodles contain high levels of protein and carbohydrates which make them taste delicious without any sauces or toppings. They can be eaten hot or cold depending on your preference and are generally se...
7. Ramen Noodles
As one of Japan’s most popular, affordable, and widely available dishes, you can find ramen restaurants in almost every town. Many ramen restaurants use a vending machine system to place and pay for orders. You choose what kind of ramen dish you want by pushing the corresponding button before making payment. Once the payment has been made you will receive a ticket which you should then hand to the staff inside who can place your order and show you to a seat. Ramen noodles are often categorise...
8. Udon Noodles
Udon noodles are a traditional Japanese dish made from wheat flour and water. They are said to have first been introduced to the Japanese island of Shikoku during the Heian period (794-1192) by a famous Buddhist priest called Kūkai and grew quickly in popularity as they are easy and inexpensive to make. Today the small prefecture of Kagawa is considered the home of udon, although they are widely eaten throughout Japan with many cities having created their own variations of udon dishes. Some o...
11. Yakisoba
Similar to Chinese style noodles, yakisoba is a stir fry style dish, usually served with slices of pork or seafood and vegetables such as cabbage, onions, and beansprouts, and seasoned with a sauce that resembles Worcestershire sauce. Yakisoba is a particularly popular street food at Japanese festivals where you’ll see vendors cooking them up on teppan iron plates. You can also find yakisoba pan in convenience stores;these are yakisoba noodles served in a hot dog bun.
12. Takoyaki
Takoyaki is a popular and delicious Japanese street-food that originated in Japan’s Osaka region. Traditional takoyaki is essentially a ball-shaped dumpling filled with small pieces of tender octopus, but nowadays you can also make takoyaki using a variety of fillings to better suit your dietary requirements and tastes. The octopus and other ingredients like green onion are cooked inside a flour-batter and topped with a Worcestershire-style sauce, Japanese mayo, and dried bonito flakes to fin...
13. Kushikatsu
Another cheap meal option (although perhaps not the healthiest) is kushikatsu, a dish originating in Osaka consisting of deep-fried skewers containing meats and vegetables. There are thousands of independent kushikatsu restaurants and stalls around Japan and it’s a perfect fast-food option or for sharing with friends.
14. Chicken Nanban
This succulent chicken dish originated in Miyazaki Prefecture and features crunchy fried chicken smothered in a creamy tartare sauce. Perfect for serving with potatoes or fries.
15. Karaage
Karaage is Japanese fried chicken (typically made with boneless chicken thighs). It’s crispy, juicy, and delicious! The chicken is coated in a flour-based batter then deep-fried in oil. It’s a popular snack by itself at festivals, in convenience stores, and izakaya, or it is often served as part of a main meal in restaurants with rice, miso soup, and salad.
16. Yakitori
Yakitori is a kind of Japanese skewered chicken. Typically, the chicken is grilled on bamboo skewers over a charcoal grill and covered in a marinade made from soy sauce or seasoned with salt. Yakitori often includes vegetables such as green onion or mushrooms, and various parts of the chicken can be used to make yakitori. For example, momo refers to the thigh meat, reba is liver, torikawa are fatty and crispy strips of chicken skin, and tebasaki are chicken wings.
19.Tonkatsu
This dish consists of breaded pork cutlets (usually fillet or loin) that have been deep fried and coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs to form a golden coating. Typically, tonkatsu is served on a bed of shredded cabbage and with rice. Tonkatsu originated in Tokyo during the late 19thcentury and is modelled on European style breaded and fried meat cutlets.
20. Shogayaki
Shogayaki is a classic Japanese home-cooking recipe consisting of thin and tender slices of pork served in a sweet ginger sauce. There are many variations of this dish but generally the sauce is made from soy sauce, sake, mirin, and ginger.
21. Yakiniku
If you love eating beef, then you must try eating yakiniku. The word "yakiniku" means "grilled meat” in Japanese. It's a type of barbecue that is popular in Japan, which influenced by Korean BBQ, where it originated from. Wagyu (Japanese beef) is usually quite expensive to buy in supermarkets, so yakiniku is a good opportunity to eat a lot of meat at a reasonable price with many yakiniku restaurants offering ‘all you can eat’ menus. Some of the most popular cuts of beef at yakiniku include sh...
22. Gyudon
Gyudon is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a mild, sweet sauce flavored with dashi, soy sauce and mirin. Sometimes it is also served with other toppings such as raw or soft poached eggs, cheese, or kimchi.
23. Kobe Beef
The secret behind the incredible tasting Kobe beef is due to strict breeding regulations and the particularly soft grass the cows graze on. Kobe beef comes from Japanese Tajimablack cattle raised in Hyogo Prefecture, and is known for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty, marbled texture. Kobe beef is referred to as “Shimofuri” in Japanese, the official term for the marbled cuts that contain just enough fat to create that juicy taste that melts in the mouth. According to the official Kobe Beef As...
26. Genghis Khan
Mutton or lamb is not commonly eaten in most of Japan – with one exception, in the northernmost island of Hokkaido where you’ll find a popular regional dish known locally as “Genghis Khan” (ジンギスカン). This Hokkaido local dish consists of grilling mutton or lamb and vegetables on a special grill that has a raised mound in the center. If you ever visit this part of Japan, it’s a must-try dish!
27. Sashimi
Sashimi is probably one of the foods most associated with Japan, so it goes without saying that it’s a must-try food! In fact, once you eat sashimi in Japan, it will be difficult to find anything as near as good in your home country. Sashimi consists of thin slices of raw fish often served with a dipping sauce and is a Japanese delicacy.
28. Oysters
Known as ‘kaki’ in Japanese, Hiroshima is the largest oyster producing region in Japan, supplying around two-thirds of the country’s total quantity each year. There are five popular ways of eating oysters in Japan including fried in a tempura batter, grilled, raw with a citrus soy sauce called ponzu, steamed, and in an oyster and miso hotpot called “kaki-no-dotenabe.”
29. Unagi
Freshwater eel, or unagi as it’s known in Japanese, is a popular dish that’s mostly eaten grilled and served with white rice. It’s a particularly well-known dish in the Tokyo and surrounding areas and is very popular during the summertime.
33. Chirashizushi
Chirashizushi consists of a bowl of vinegared sushi rice with a variety of ingredients scattered on top such as ikura, salmon, squid, shrimp, crab and noodle-like thin omelette strips (also called kinshi tamago).
34. Inarizushi
Inarizushi is a simple dish consisting of sushi rice stuffed inside fried tofu pouches called aburaage. The tofu is cooked in a dashi broth seasoned with sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. It can be found in Japanese supermarkets and is also easy to make at home providing you can purchase the aburaage in your home country.
35. Nigiri
Nigiri is probably what most people think of when we picture traditional sushi. The sushi rice is shaped by hand and topped with raw fish or other ingredients. Popular examples of nigiri include tuna, salmon, and yellowtail.
37. Japanese Curry
Japanese curry is one of Japan’s most popular dishes, more commonly eaten than sushi and found everywhere from school lunch menus to chain restaurants. Distinctive from its Asian counterparts for its mild yet slightly sweet taste, Japanese curry is bursting with umami flavor despite the lack of spice. Curry blocks or roux as they are officially called, are one of the most popular types of Japanese curry that can be found on virtually every supermarket shelf in Japan. Curry roux comes in a ran...
38. Gyoza
Gyoza are Japanese style dumplings which usually contain ground meat (such as pork) and vegetables. They are usually pan fried in water to create a delicious crispy base on the dumplings and served with gyoza dipping sauce, a sauce made from soy sauce and vinegar with a small amount of chili oil added to it.
39. Tempura
Tempura is a Japanese dish that refers to seafood, meat, or vegetables that has been deep-fried in a light batter made from flour, egg, and water. Tempura is commonly served with a dipping sauce and can also form part of other dishes such as a topping for soba or udon noodles. The most popular kind of tempura is ebi – shrimp. Popular vegetable tempura variations include sweet potato, pumpkin, mushrooms, and bell peppers.
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Feb 19, 2024 · 1. Sushi. Sushi is now one of the most iconic Japanese dishes, but it actually originated in China in the 1st or second century BC and was known as narezushi. Contrary to popular belief, Sushi does not mean raw fish, it actually means sour rice. Sushi refers to any dish made with sushi rice (sour rice) accompanied with egg, vegetables, or fish.
May 29, 2020 · Onigiri is a white rice ball/bundle that’s usually wrapped in seaweed. It can be filled with a lot of different foods, like salted salmon, dried tuna, kelp, and pollock roe. It’s a popular to-go food, and can be eaten anywhere. We loved snacking this while walking through the streets of Tokyo.
Aug 21, 2023 · Here are some popular components in Japanese meals. Rice: Rice is a staple of the Japanese diet. People use it in a wide range of dishes, namely sushi, donburi bowls, and onigiri (rice balls). Seafood: Japan is surrounded by water and has a long history of fishing, so seafood is a major part of natives’ meals.
Brief Overview of Japanese Cuisine. Japanese food is now spread to the world and eaten in many countries. You may have heard some of the Japanese food such as “Sushi”, “Teriyaki, "Kobe Beef Steak (or "Wagyu" Beef Steak)", “Tempura”, “Yakitori”, “Teppan-yaki”, “Yakiniku” (Japanese style BBQ), or “Ramen”, which are most ...
