Beef Recipes

Beef recipes are rare in traditional Japanese recipes. Being "americanized", our family consumes beef on a regular basis, probably 3 or 4 times a week. One of our favorites is Beef sukiyaki. Its very light, filling, and easy to make. As with all recipes, there are different variations on ingredients and how it's prepared. Here's the way my family prepares it.

Beef Sukiyaki

What you need:
1 pound of beef, thinly sliced (you could slice it thick, but meat becomes more dry if well done)
2 bunches of shirataki noodles or cellophane noodles
shitake mushrooms, sliced (the amount varies pending on personal preference)
1 small napa cabbage, cut into pieces (napa shrinks when cooked)
about 1/3 cup of soy sauce
about 3/4 cup of water
4 tablespoons of rice wine (sake)
5 tablespoons of sugar/sweetener

Preparation:
1) Heat the pan with a little oil on low/medium heat
2) Place sliced beef in pan, allow to cook for 3-4 min (thicker slices need to be cooked longer)
3) Pour in soy sauce, water, rice wine, and sweeter in pan
4) When sauce begins to simmer/boil, add vegetables
5) While beef and vegetables are cooking, soak shirataki/cellophane noodles in hot water for 2 min
6) Strain noodles and add to beef and vegetables pan
7) Cover and simmer for 5-8 min
8) Turn off heat and uncover

Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

Chicken Recipes - Chicken Teriyaki

Chicken Teriyaki is one on the most common chicken recipes in Japanese cuisine. There are many different variations to the teriyaki sauce and how its prepared, but the following recipe is a family recipe and how we prepare it. If you decide to grill the chicken, make a note that grilling at a high heat will cause the chicken to dry out if left on too long. Stovetop cooking creates a more tender, juicier piece of meat.

What you need:
1 pound of chicken breasts or things (bone in or boneless)
8 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 whole garlic clove, peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar or sweetener
4 potatoes (peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick) <---optional
1 big bowl to hold ingredients
1 pan with lid

Preparation:
1) Place chicken in bowl
2) Add soy sauce, garlic, and sweetener in bowl
3) Mix all ingredients together, coating the chicken completely
4) Cover and allow to marinade for at least an hour (the longer it marinates, the more flavor it has)

Stovetop Cooking:
1) Get a big enough pan to cook chicken in
2) Turn the heat to low/medium
3) Place chicken and marinade in pan
4) Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes (NOTE: If marinade begins to caramelize, heat is too high)
5) Remove lid and turn chicken
6) Place potatoes in pan and cover
7) Allow to simmer for additional 15-20 minutes
8) When potatoes are soft, cooking is done

Grilling:
1) Turn heat on grill to low/medium heat and allow grill to "heat up" for 5-10 min
2) Place desired pieces on grill rack (discard leftover marinade)
3) Allow each piece to cook for 5-7 min on one side
4) Turn pieces and repeat step 3
5) Make small cut in middle of chicken to see if it's done (If not fully cooked, repeat step 4)
6) Remove cooked pieces from grill

Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

Rice

Rice itself comes in many varieties. There is the long, hard grained Basmati rice used in Indian and Arabic cooking or the short grained rice you've had while eating a Chinese meal. Well, Japanese rice differs in many ways. First of all, Japanese rice is usually short grained. Traditional Japanese rice is steamed, short grained white rice. It's cooked in a way to make it more stuck together as opposed to fluffy rice. The steamed rice (called "gohan", pronounced "go-HAN") is healthier in the sense that it isn't fried, which would add fat and cholesterol. Japanese rice contains carbohydrates, which the body uses for energy. The key is to not overconsume, but eat in moderation.

Rice preparation

What you need:
2 cups of Japanese rice (either Nishiki, Hikari, or Botan brands)
2 1/2 cups of water
a deep saucepot (at least 5-6 inches deep) with a lid or a rice cooker

How to cook rice:
1) Put the rice in the pot and rinse with cold water
2) Repeat the rinsing until the water in the pot becomes clear
3) Add the measured amount of water
4) If you're cooking in a pot, cover the pot with the lid and bring water to a boil over high heat
5) Once the water is boiling, reduce to a very low heat and continue cooking for 15-20 min until the water is gone.
6) Turn off the heat and let rice steam for another 10-15 min before removing lid

Note: If using a rice cooker, skip steps 4 and 5 since the rice cooker is usually automatic.

Once the rice has steamed (step 6), use a rice spoon (called a shamoji, pronounced "Sha-MOE-GEE") to go around the pot to prevent rice from sticking to sides and enjoy!

Welcome to my homepage!

Is your dinner menus getting boring and repetitive? Wednesday is hamburger night and Friday is Spaghetti? Well, it's time for a change. Wouldn't you like to eat healthier with some variety? Wouldn't you like to try to create an elegant and satisfying meal that's different from the norm? If the answer is yes, then you've come to the right place! I'm going to give you my personal recipes from my family to yours. Each of these meals are inexpensive and easy to create. Most meals can be made in one pan and in as little as a half an hour!

What to expect

Well, simply put, you can expect an information overload on Japanese foods. I'll tell you what foods are traditional, which are not, what are the nutritional benefits to eating these foods and much more. You can also expect to learn and enjoy many of my family recipes, how to prepare them, and the nutritional contents of each recipe. My goal is to inform you of all the benefits of a Japanese influenced diet.

What is a Japanese Influenced Diet?

A Japanese influenced diet is a diet influenced by Japanese food and traditions. Not a clear definition, huh? Well, let me explain. The most common food consumed by Japanese people is rice. Rice is a staple in the Japanese diet. It is eaten at every meal (the usual three) and usually accompanied by either a variety of vegetables and a meat source (fish, chicken, pork, beef) along with a soup. The diet itself is very filling yet light. There usually isn't a lot of fried foods in the Japanese cuisine and most dishes usually contain ginger or garlic, (or maybe even both). Garlic is an antioxidant that boosts the immune system, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, and clears fat from blood vessels. Ginger is a natural decongestant and antihistamine. Both give the Japanese meals a wonderful smell when cooked with the other ingredients and spices, as well as a great taste to the completed entree.

Health Benefits of a Japanese Influenced Diet

It has been said that Japanese people are the healthiest. They usually have long life spans (average life expectancy in Japan is 83yrs) along with minimal diseases. Japanese people have one of the lowest heart disease rates in the world, primarily due to their diet. Because of the quality of food consumed in Japan, most Japanese people have low cholesterol, low risks of strokes, cancer, heart disease, and obesity. Many Japanese people are active and fit because of what they eat.

With that said, thank you for stopping by and enjoy these Japanese recipes that I've provided.






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