Japanese cuisine is rich and diverse, offering a wide range of flavours, textures, and culinary techniques. Sashimi graded fish is the best.
- Sushi
- Description: Sushi is perhaps the most well-known Japanese dish globally. It consists of vinegared rice paired with various ingredients, most commonly seafood like raw fish (sashimi), but also vegetables and occasionally tropical fruits. It can be served in various forms, such as nigiri (rice with topping), maki (rolled sushi), and sashimi (just slices of raw fish).
- Key Ingredients: Sushi rice, raw fish (like tuna or salmon), seaweed (nori), and various condiments such as soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.
- Ramen
- Description: Ramen is a noodle soup dish that has gained massive popularity worldwide. It typically consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a rich, flavourful broth. The broth can vary widely, from soy sauce or miso-based to pork bone (tonkotsu) or seafood. Ramen is usually topped with slices of pork (chashu), green onions, seaweed, and sometimes a boiled egg.
- Key Ingredients: Wheat noodles, broth (pork, chicken, or soy sauce-based), chashu (pork), nori (seaweed), green onions, and soft-boiled egg.
- Tempura
- Description: Tempura consists of lightly battered and deep-fried seafood, vegetables, and sometimes even other ingredients like mushrooms or sweet potatoes. The batter is usually very light and crispy, and tempura is often served with a dipping sauce and grated daikon (radish).
- Key Ingredients: Shrimp, vegetables (like sweet potato, eggplant, and mushrooms), tempura batter (flour, egg, water), and dipping sauce (often a mix of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi).
- Sukiyaki
- Description: Sukiyaki is a hot pot dish typically enjoyed in the colder months. It consists of thinly sliced beef cooked at the table in a shallow iron pot, along with vegetables, tofu, and shirataki noodles. The ingredients are simmered in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin, giving the dish a sweet-savoury flavour. The cooked ingredients are often dipped in raw beaten egg before eating.
- Key Ingredients: Thinly sliced tuna, tofu, vegetables (like mushrooms, onions, and leafy greens), shirataki noodles, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and raw egg.
- Takoyaki
- Description: Takoyaki are ball-shaped snacks made from a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special moulded pan. They are typically filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onions. Takoyaki is often topped with Takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce), mayonnaise, green laver (aonori), and dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi).
- Key Ingredients: Wheat flour batter, octopus, green onions, pickled ginger, takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise, aonori, and bonito flakes.
These dishes represent just a glimpse into the wide array of flavours and experiences Japanese cuisine has to offer.