Top 10 Japanese Dishes

RAMEN

Ramen is a great comfort food, particularly in cold weather. Thick noodles in a steaming broth make a hearty and pleasant meal. As with many dishes, there are now several varieties to suit your every mood and satisfy every craving.

SASHIMI

Traditionally, sashimi is served as the first course as it is believed to have a light flavor and eaten raw. Seafood such as tuna, salmon, prawns, mackerel and even octopus, is served thinly sliced and accompanied by soya sauce and wasabi. While it may be an acquired taste for some, there is no denying the benefits of raw foods.

SUSHI

Similar to the sashimi, sushi is also served with soya sauce and wasabi. The main difference is that the ingredients are also encased in seaweed with cooked vinegar rice, making it a fulfilling main course. Several enjoy it with another Japanese favourite – miso soup.

Loosely translated, Yakisoba mean fried noodles, and is a dish that is usually served during festivals. Stir-fried noodles with meat and vegetables, Yakisoba is full of flavor and aroma, making it a hot favourite with many.

TEMPURA

Yet another great comfort food, tempura is prepared by deep frying seafood or vegetables coated in a batter, till it reaches its golden brown perfection. Best-served hot and eaten straight away to enjoy crispiness. It is also normally accompanied with a light, semi-sweet soy or mayonnaise dipping sauce.

This is the dish goes well with anything. The idea behind miso is to open up the appetite and prepare one for more delicious food. Its distinct flavor comes from dashi, a type of Japanese soup stock, mixed with miso paste. To add more flavour, ingredients like diced vegetables and tofu are sometimes added.

Not all Japanese dishes are seafood based. Sukiyaki – thinly sliced pork or beef with vegetables – are simmered at the table and again, best eaten hot and fresh.

This dish is very similar to sukiyaki in the sense that it is meat based. However, Shabu Shabu is mixed with various other ingredients and cooked together in one hot pot. It is the Japanese version of the Chinese steamboat.

Yakitori is like the Japanese version of our very own satay. This dish consists of skewered ingredients – such as meat and seafood – on a stick which is normally marinated, then grilled over a charcoal heat. Smokey flavors and crispy ingredients are hard to resist, thus making it a hot snack among food lovers.

Probably considered one of the “newer” dishes, Tonkatsu is breaded pork that is deep fried to perfection – crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Eaten with rice and miso soup, it is a complete meal in itself and sure to satisfy the hungriest of us.