Easy Bean Sprout (moyashi) Omlete Recipe

Japanese bean sprouts (moyashi) are an extremely inexpensive and nutritious vegetable used in many Japanese recipes. Here's a simple omlete you can make.

Ingredients: 

• 1-2 slices of sandwich ham
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 onion
• handful of bean sprouts
• milk
• salt
• soy sauce

Directions:

1. Dice the onion and ham. 
2. Saute onion and ham in a pan on medium heat with a little cooking oil. Add salt
3. When onion is tender add the bean sprouts with about 1/4 cup water. and steam.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, add a little milk and a dash of soy sauce.
5. Add mixture to the pan cook everything into an omlete, turning occasionally until done.
6. Serve with rice and ketchup if desired.

Simmered Hakusai (Chinese cabbage) and egg Recipe

Here's an easy way to enjoy Chinese cabbage with egg as a side dish. It's hot and great in winter.

Ingredients:

• about 5 large Chinese cabbage leaves
• 1 leek(long green onion)
• 3 eggs

Broth:

• 1 cup of water
• 5 grams hondashi
• 5 Tblsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tblsp. mirin(cooking sake)
• 2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Wash and cut the Chinese cabbage leaves in half lengthwise and again into short lengths. Cut the green onion into short lengths.
2. Add the water and seasonings to a pot and bring to a boil.
3. Add the vegetables and simmer until cooked.
4. Beat three eggs with a pinch of salt and add the mixture to the pot and mix gently.
5. Cook another minute or two.

Daikon(Japanese White Radish) and Carrot Tuna Salad

Daikon, Japanese white radish is often used in soups or hot pot dishes, stewed in a broth for a long time, but here's a simple recipe to enjoy this winter vegetable raw in a salad. The daikon and carrot are usually cut into thin slices with a knife, but to save time, I just used a peeler. It just takes  few minutes to make and tastes delicious.

Ingredients:

• about 3 inch length or 1/4 large daikon(Japanese white radish)
• 1 carrot
• 1 can of tuna
• salt 
• mayonnaise
• ground  or whole white sesame (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel the daikon and carrot into thin slices with a peeler. Discard the outside skin. Daikon tends to be a wet vegetable, so squeeze out any excess water.
2. In a bowl, combine daikon, carrot, tuna, a couple pinches of salt, and enough mayonnaise so everything is well covered. 
3. Mix well and serve with white sesame on top.

Hakusai and Pork Nabe(Chinese Cabbage Hot Pot Dish) Recipe

In Japan in winter, the quintessential Japanese meal is nabe. Nabe is a hot pot dish traditionally cooked in an earthenware pot. It is often done at parties and cooked on a gas burner at the table. Various vegetable and meat ingredients are cooked in a broth. Guests take what they like and eat and more ingredients are added. There are infinite variations and recipes. Nothing warms a body better on a cold winter's day that a steaming bowl of nabe. This is a really simple and delicious recipe using Chinese cabbage and pork. Serves 1-2 people.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 large leaves Chinese cabbage
• 300 grams thinly sliced pork
• 1 half large onion
• 1 cup of water
• 5 grams or so of granulated fish stock-hondashi
• 1 Tblsp. salt
• 6 Tblsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tblsp. mirin(cooking sake)

Directions:

1. Wash and cut the Chinese cabbage leaves in half lengthwise.

2. Stack alternating layers of Chinese cabbage and sliced pork. Change the direction of the cabbage leaves each time. Stack until about 5 leaves thick.

3. Cut the stack into 5 cm/ about 2 inch lengths. 

4. Fill the nabe pot with the cut leaves standing up. Repeat with all the leaves and pork. Make a spiral pattern in the pot until no more fits. 

5. Cut half an onion into small pieces and stick into any empty spaces. 

6. Add the water, fish stock, and salt, cover and bring to a boil.

7. Once boils, reduce heat and add soy sauce generously. Replace lid and simmer until cooked. 

The pork and Chinese cabbage cooked in the broth makes a great combination. So tasty and hot!

Shaved potatoes and cheese Galeto(Cheesy hash-browns) Recipe

Here was an experiment that didn't look great, but tasted great. It's a kind of Japanese potato omelette called (galeto)  inspired from a french dish gallette . It's basically a hash-browns pancake with cheese and ham. The potatoes are supposed to be julienned like hash-browns, bu I was in a hurry, so I just used the potato peeler. I also didn't have pizza cheese, so I cut up some sliced cheese. It eventually formed a pancake. It didn't look like the recipe I saw, but it tasted great as reported by my friends.

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes
• 1 Tblsp. parmesean cheese
• 1 Tblsp. pizza cheese(I used 2 cut up pieces of sliced cheese)
• 1 Tblsp. flour
• 2 slices sandwich ham or 1 slice of lean bacon
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tblsp. of butter

Directions:

1. Cut the ham or bacon into small pieces.
2. Use a peeler and slice the potatoes into thin slices.
3. Mix potatoes, meat, cheese, flour, and salt in a bowl.
4. Heat a frying pan and add the butter.
5. Add the potato mixture and fry, turning and pressing down with a spatula into a pancake.

Easy Okonomiyaki(Japanese Savor Pancake) Recipe

Before

After

Okonomiyaki is probably my favorite Japanese food. It's like a pancake, but for dinner. It's also one of the most versatile and easy to cook. It's a balanced meal all in one. It has flour, meat, and vegetables. Okonomiyaki traditionally uses cabbage and thin strips of pork. My okonomiyaki is simple and tends to be dryer and thicker than you usually get at a restaurant. I usually use ground beef or tuna and just like my fried rice recipe, I keep to my rule of three different vegetables, three colors. It's great and anyone can make it. This recipe makes about 3 pancakes and serves 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour (about)
• 1 1/2 cups water (about)
• 1 egg
• 150 grams ground beef
• 3-4 cabbage leaves
• 1 carrot
• 1 leek(large green onion) or use regular onion
• 5 grams hondashi fish stock powder(bouillon)

Topping:

• okonomiyaki sauce(like worcester sauce)
• mayonnaise
• katsuo-bushi(bonito fish flakes)
• ao-nori power(blue seaweed). I really like this, but was out this time.

Directions:

1. Finely dice the cabbage and cut other vegetables into small pieces. 
2. Brown the ground beef in a frying pan, then add the vegetables and cook lightly together. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, water, egg, and fish stock powder.
4. Add the stir fry to the batter and mix everything well.
5. Use a ladle to spoon the batter on the frying pan one large pancake a a time. Fry and flip.
6. Serve with sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes and seaweed powder. Sometimes the fish flakes will dance on top because of the steam. Enjoy.

Goya Tsukudani(Salty-Sweet Bitter Melon)

Goya(bitter melon) is infamous in Japanese cuisine for its health benefits. It is widely grown and used in the tropical island of Okinawa. Although very healthy, it's quite bitter. However, one very palatable way to eat it is Goya Tsukudani. It's quite sweet with a hint of bitterness. This is a great side dish with rice. The Chimen jakko(small dried anchovies are a good source of calcium and widely used in Japanese cooking.


Ingredients:

• Goya(bitter melon).....300 grams
• soy sauce....50 ml
• sugar....100 grams
• katsuo-bushi(bonito flakes...10 grams
• vinegar...30 ml
• Chirimen Jakko(small dried anchovies)....10 grams
• roasted white sesame...2 tsp.

Directions:

1. Cut and wash the goya. Scrape out the seeds.
2. Cut into thin slices and lanch in boiling water.
3. Remove from water and squeeze out excess water.
4. Combine soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar and bring to boil.
5. Add goya and simmer over medium heat.
6. Add bonito flakes and anchovies and simmer out the liquid.
7. Sevre with sprinkled sesame seeds.

After cooling, the mixture can be frozen. Thaw and serve with rice anytime.