Cooking Japanese food can seem like a daunting task at first with all the special ingredients, complex gadgets, and sophisticated cooking techniques but don’t worry! It’s not as hard as it seems and there are many dishes in Japanese cuisine that are very simple. Everyday home-cooking in Japan is often easy and basic. Whether you’re skilled in the kitchen or a complete beginner, these recipes are a great introduction to Japanese cuisine and are perfect for anyone wanting a simple but delicious dish.
1. Renkon Chips
Renkon chips are a popular appetiser at Japanese restaurants because of their light and crispy crunch and the tasty sauce coated on top. They’re very easy and quick to make especially if you use pre-sliced frozen renkon which you can find from Japanese/asian supermarkets.
2. Yaki Onigiri
Yaki onigiri are Japanese rice balls that are grilled and coated with a tasty sauce rather than wrapped with seaweed. These are incredibly simple to make but have a delicious flavour and crispy crust.
3. Japanese Curry Rice
Japanese curry is a well-known dish that you may often find served with fried chicken or pork cutlet; however, it’s surprisingly easy to make at home. Forgo frying the meat and instead opt for adding it directly into the curry to make it quicker and more simple to make. You’ll have a flavourful and tasty bowl of curry in no time.
4. Salted Salmon
I can’t stress enough how easy this is to make. You just need to salt salmon and then grill it. It’s so simple but is a classic thing that Japanese people eat for any meal and add to onigiri as well as bento boxes.
5. Yakitori
Yakitori are easy grilled chicken skewers coated in an irresistible teriyaki sauce. Just grill the chicken skewers, coat with sauce, and you’ve got delicious Japanese street food right on your plate.
6. Hamburg
Japanese Hamburg are similar to rissoles but better. They’re tasty, packed with protein, and feature a special ingredient that keeps the hamburg so soft and juicy. Serve them with a flavourful mushroom sauce for a quick and easy Japanese weeknight dinner.
7. Miso Glazed Salmon
Glazing salmon with miso really elevates the fish and brings out such a delicious flavour. It’s so simple and makes a sophisticated but quick meal! Plus it’s healthy, so there’s really no downsides.
8. Easy Asian Slaw Salad
You can whip up this easy asian slaw salad in 15 minutes or less and have a fresh and healthy meal ready to go! You can add a protein of your choice and enjoy the slaw with a tasty and zesty sesame dressing.
9. Gyudon Beef Bowl
Gyudon is a popular fast food meal in Japan because it’s healthy but easy to eat quickly. It’s so easy to make at home as well. The thinly sliced and seasoned beef goes so well with plain steamed Japanese rice.
10. Yakimeshi Japanese Fried Rice
Japanese fried rice, or “yakimeshi”, is so easy to make and doesn’t require any fancy Japanese ingredients. It’s perfect for beginners and a great thing to cook when you feel like you have no food at home because you can use whatever filling ingredients you have on hand.
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I am grateful for your recipes. I’m Indian and live in London. I was very ill and I feel much better after doing research. I read about fermented soya beans and rice. I managed to get capsules from Amazone called Nattokinase and it helped me to recover from illness. I also take organic umeboshi paste.
I am vegetarian. My partner and I are going on a Cruise to Japan towards the end of Match this year.
We are in Toktya for a couple of days.
Can you please do a line text ” that we are vegetarian and don’t eat meat, fish and egg” to show if people do not understand English.
Kind Regards,
Great article! One of my favorite Japanese dishes to cook at home is okonomiyaki and I didn’t realize how easy it was to make until I tried it one day! I think most of the ingredients you can find outside of Japan but if you want to make it really authentic you can order all the final touches like the sauce and bonito flakes online.