In Japan, there are plenty of delicious foods that you should try. Some of the dishes are traditional Japanese, while others are based on foreign cuisines.
Udon is a popular dish that can be found in many restaurants. This noodle is thicker than Ramen and Soba noodles. It is usually served with a vegetable, egg and meat.
1. Tempura
Tempura is one of the most popular elements of Japanese cuisine. It is a style of battered and deep-fried food that comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and ingredients. It is distinguished from other types of battered and fried foods by its light batter that requires less grease than other frying methods.
The batter for tempura is mixed very briefly to avoid clumping and allows the batter to quickly take on the flavors of whatever it is coated with. It is then dipped into a neutral cooking oil that is heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (use an instant-read thermometer!).
Tempura can be found throughout the country, from hole-in-the-wall restaurants to Michelin-starred spots. It is usually served with a dipping sauce such as tentsuyu, soy sauce, or ponzu sauce.
2. Unagi
This delicious eel dish is grilled and served with a sweet basting sauce, different restaurants have their own secret recipes. The sauce is a key element to this dish as it covers up the fishy taste of anchovy (the unagi’s natural flavor).
This mellow, comforting noodle soup is made with a combination of noodles, cabbage, pork, and vegetables. It is often topped with steamed eel liver, known as ankimo or anko.
Hida beef is a Japanese wagyu brand that comes from black-haired cows raised in Gifu Prefecture. This meat is incredibly juicy and tender. You can find it in many restaurants throughout Japan. It also makes a great addition to soups and yakitori dishes.
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3. Takoyaki
Takoyaki is another iconic Osaka food, similar to its cousin okonomiyaki but shaped into round balls and filled with cooked octopus. The batter is made from wheat flour and egg and topped with tenkasu (tempura scraps), pickled ginger, green onion and shavings of aonori (green laver) or katsuobushi (dried bonito fish flakes).
You need a special pan to make these but the process isn’t hard – just use chopsticks to flip each sphere as it cooks to ensure they retain their spherical shape. They’re usually served with takoyaki sauce or ponzu citrus flavored soy sauce and aonori, though you can experiment with other toppings. The perfect snack or light meal.
4. Monjayaki
Though a lot of people know Kansai’s okonomiyaki, Tokyo has its own version called monjayaki. Its thin batter and myriad topping combinations make it delicious. It also has a very runny appearance, so it looks kind of like melted cheese. It’s so popular that there’s even a street (Tsukishima Monjadori) in the city dedicated to it!
Basically, the dish is a savory pancake but instead of using dough-like batter it uses liquid ingredients including water or dashi (a simple broth made from kelp and bonito fish flakes in water). The most common menu items include fish based monjayaki or vegetable and seafood filled monjayaki. Other popular options are gyoza (dumplings) and chicken karaage, deep-fried pieces of chicken. Monjayaki restaurants provide guests with a teppan grill, monjayaki batter and their chosen ingredients so they can assemble and cook the food themselves.
5. Mochi
Mochi is a very versatile food that can take on a variety of sweet and savory forms. It is a dense, stretchy dough made of glutinous rice and can be found in both traditional Japanese desserts as well as in many other dishes.
The traditional way of making mochi is a labor-intensive process called mochitsuki. This involves pounding steamed, mashed mochigome with a heavy wooden mallet and requires at least two people. The pounder, or mochi-wetter, uses a special wet cloth to prevent the mochi from sticking to the mallet.
More modern versions of mochi do not require pounding. The most common example is mochi ice cream, which is also available at Trader Joe’s and other supermarkets in the frozen dessert section. Other mochi-based desserts include oshiruko, which is a soup of sweet azuki red bean paste with stretchy pieces of mochi dropped in the center, and chikara udon, which is a dish of toasted udon noodles served with slices of toasted mochi.
6. Miso Soup
Another one of the best Japanese foods to try, miso soup is a traditional dish that’s served all over Japan. Made from a simple dashi stock (kombu and bonito flakes) combined with miso paste, it has a deep umami flavor that’s perfect with any food.
Dashi is a simple soup stock made from simmering kombu (dried seaweed) and bonito flakes. For a shortcut, you can also use instant dashi powder that can be found in many Asian grocery stores.
Miso is a fermented soybean paste that can be made in various ways depending on the region. In Nagoya, for example, they make it with Hatcho miso that’s loaded with umami. You can buy a variety of miso at specialty stores or the supermarkets. To make your own miso soup, add a pinch of miso to the dashi, stir until smooth, and then simmer with cubes of tofu and wakame.
7. Teishoku
The Japanese are known for loving salty foods and a number of dishes showcase this perfectly. Edamame, for instance, is a common snack at izakaya pubs – they are young soybeans (soybeans are very high in protein) that are served lightly salted. They are a natural source of umami and mellow flavours.
Another Japanese food that is a natural source of umami and full of health benefits is hatcho miso, the red type of miso found in Nagoya cuisine. This type of miso is also known for having an abundance of nutrients and antioxidants.
In Fukuoka you must try the local version of ramen which is known as hakata ramen and is made with pork bones, fat, and collagen resulting in a creamy broth. This is often topped with scallions, wood ear mushrooms, chashu pork and a ramen egg.