Mix Your Miso

As miso soup served at a restaurant tends to contain only orthodox items such as tofu and seaweed, making it at home guarantees more variety in its content and thereby a noticeable increase in nutritious value. A typical bowl of miso soup at my place would include at least four types of vegetables as well as lean pork slices, combined with a soup base made of multiple miso blends. Having a busy week at work? Keep a pot of mouthwatering miso soup in your fridge and dinner will be set for a good few days.

Steam Your Hamburg

No, I'm not joking: we actually steam our hamburg (a.k.a. a Salisbury steak dish in Japan, often a family staple) in a fry pan while cooking. This method ensures that no meat juice can escape before serving and is especially effective when making soy sauce based hamburg.

Today's lunch: hamburg with mushrooms and green onions, cucumber topped by self-made meat sauce, tomato egg drop soup

The Power of Brown

 

One advice from Japanese grandmothers: brown is the color of health and should be present in at least one meal per day.

Today's lunch: radish in self-made teriyaki sauce, honey and black pepper chicken, chikuzenni (a traditional dish originated from the Kyushu region in Japan) with brown rice

Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelet)

Tamagoyaki, or Japanese Omelet, is a staple dish every Japanese family makes to go with their breakfast, packed lunches or dinner sides.

I typically like to rearrange the traditional recipe a little to make the omelet more flavorful. Tuna, fish soup and green onions are some of my favorite items to mix with the egg before cooking with a fry pan or steam in a special silicone case.