In Japan, "Donburi" is what we call a bowl of rice with goodies on top, it could be shortened to "-Don" too.

If it's Chicken on a bed of rice, we could say "Chicken-Don".

With just 4 ingredients, here's what I whipped up for dinner. It took less than 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

• Pork (thin sliced)
  
• Seaweed 
• Rice (I used frozen)
• Chinese Chives
• (Optional) Add veggies & condiments of your choice (I used soy sauce, sesame oil)

Steps:

• Simply stir fry the pork with the Chinese chives. I added salt, pepper, soy sauce and some sesame oil to taste. 
• In a bowl, create a bed of rice and place seaweed on top for saltiness.
• On top of the seaweed place the pork stir fry.

I promise - it's going to turn out delicious!


有り合わせで作るどんぶりって
最高ですよね♥︎

I made these Japanese potstickers "Gyoza" for a dinner potluck on Friday. They were a hit! Great for a casual appetizer. They are savoury, easy to eat and will open up your guests' appetite for the upcoming meal.

I've posted a recipe here in the past but the ingredients I used this time are much simpler & easy.
Vegetarians! Keep in mind you can also make these without meat.

Ingredients (makes around 25-30 potstickers):

• Gyoza wrappers (you can buy them at a Japanese supermarket or an asian one. I've seen them in Wholefoods here in SF)
• 1/3 minced meat (I used turkey, I also recommend chicken or pork)
• Chinese Chives (I bought these also at the Japanese supermarket), if you don't have them, use spring onions
• (optional) Any other greens you like, like cabbage
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp grated garlic
• 1 tbsp each of Japanese soy sauce, sake, sesame oil

Steps: 
Please follow the steps on this recipe, I've provided step by step photos! 
Just make sure to pan fry them right before you are ready to eat them!

San Francisco's Japan Town's Nijiya has a special 20%-off-all-meat-day on the 29th of every month a.k.a. Meat day. "2-9" can also be read "ni-ku" which means "meat" in Japanese. 

On this day last month, I went a little crazy purchasing thin sliced pork and beef. Enough to last us a month. Today's dish uses thin sliced pork and any of your favourite vegetables. I used Japanese daikon, zucchini and onions since it's been in season at SF's farmers markets. 

This dish is a "ita-me-ni" (炒め煮) which means to stir fry and boil in liquid. In this case, we boil the ingredients in Japanese soy sauce, ginger, sugar, mirin and sake; a typical teriyaki type sauce. A typical Japanese dish which goes perfectly with rice and miso soup. With every bite, I was reminded of home. 

A similar dish I've posted earlier is the "Shoga-yaki"; pork ginger stir fry. Also a must try if you have thin sliced pork in your fridge. 


Ingredients:

• 0.5 lb thin sliced pork (200g)
• 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 - 2 tsp grated ginger

Steps:

1. On a heated pan with oil, toss in the meat (MEDIUM-HIGH heat)
2. Once the meat is mostly cooked, add the vegetables and stir fry them until cooked through.
3. Mix the ginger, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar together and add into the pan. Put a lid on the pan and the heat down to LOW or MEDIUM. 
4. Boil until the sauce is absorbed by the ingredients. This helps the ingredients to suck up all the goodness. Once the liquid has disappeared, enjoy! 

P.S. Heart of the City Farmers Market


I just wanted to add a note about the wonderful experiences I've been having at one of San Francisco's Farmer's Markets. I go to Heart of the City Farmers Market in Civic Center every Sunday to get fresh vegetables and fruits. Today, I got 2 eggplants, 4 apricots, a bag of cucumbers, a bag of large green peppers, kabocha, strawberries, black berries and mini tomatoes for just......$10! 

Not only can you get fresh vegetables and fruits from farmers markets. You can also speak with the people who are responsible for the products and get advice from them; how to pick the best kinds and such. Highly recommended! 

Little food stands and trucks can be hidden gems as well. 

Time taken: 5 - 10 minutes
Approximately 300 kcal per serving

About This Dish:
I head over to my freezer when I find myself hungry and in need of a substantial and healthy Japanese meal at home. Why? Because I usually have a stash of udon hidden in my freezer! Yaki-Udon (Fried Udon) is one of Japan's most popular noodles, udon, stir fried with a bunch of vegetables and optionally meat. This recipe adds a delicious taste to the dish by adding a little bit of sesame oil and Japanese soy sauce! Be creative in your additions and you might end up with an amazing dish for lunch! My mom actually used to make this for me for breakfast. Good old days :) 


While you're at it, why not check out my other udon recipe as well? 

What You Need:
(Makes 2 servings)

• 1 package of udon noodles (I use frozen ones)
• (Optional) Vegetables of your choice (I use onion, cabbage, red pepper, mushrooms, carrots...)
• (Optional) Meat of your choice (I often use thin sliced pork)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 - 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Cook the udon noodles as instructed on package (I usually throw in the vegetables in the last few minute or so to boil together with the noodles)
2. Heat a pan on MEDIUM heat and throw in the noodles, vegetables and meat (if you have it). Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. 
3. At the end, season with sesame oil and serve! 

Shoga-Yaki, a dish with grilled pork (thin sliced) mixed with a savoury sauce made of soy sauce, Japanese sake and mirin. It's a very easy dish to make and despite its simplicity, it tastes absolutely delicious! My boyfriend loved this dish tonight and mentioned that it's better than any Japanese dish served at a typical Japanese restaurant in Boston. Yay! 

I posted a recipe for this dish earlier so click here to access it. Most of all, ENJOY! 

For those of you who haven't tried this popular recipe on my blog, YOU MUST! 

Chicken or pork katsu (essentially Japanese style fried chicken or pork) is a very popular dish in Japan and in the US. This recipe provides a healthy alternative; it uses absolutely no oil. It's as crunchy, delightful and satisfying as the deep fried version, I promise. I also must mention that it is much less of a hassle to make since you don't have to clean up the oily mess on your counters.  Instead, you pop it in the oven to bake! 

Last night, I topped one of the katsus with some mexican cheese. It simply melted in my mouth! 

Why did I decide to make katsu last night? Not only because it's delicious; but also because it signifies good luck! Many students applying for schools/jobs eat katsu dishes to wish for a good result; to win ("katsu" (勝つ) in Japanese) ! 

Number of steps:  6 steps
Approximately 100 kcal per serving

About This Dish:
Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake containing various ingredients varying by region. Osaka has different types, Hiroshima has different types and Tokyo has different types! Some areas like to put in meat, some areas like seafood. Some put a layer of noodles underneath and top it with a cracked egg. Some mix rice into the mix! Basically, you can throw in whatever you like into these pancakes. In Japan, "Okonomiyaki Parties" are very popular. People basically set up a hot plate at home and make okonomiyakis! There are many restaurants serving gourmet to casual okonomiyakis as well. The best thing about this dish is that you can throw in the craziest ingredients of your preference whether it be natto, cheese or pickles! 

The main ingredients for an okonomiyaki is cabbage, flour and the toppings (sauce, mayo). The toppings are usually the same where ever you go. You can buy the sauces on Amazon.com or at any asian supermarket; I saw it at Shaws recently too.  

This recipe is the simplest of them all. Minimal ingredients. I even had to use whole wheat flour since I had run out of the regular kind. It still worked!

What You Need:
(Makes 4 servings/pancakes)

• A lot of shredded cabbage, as much as you like (I probably used 3, 4 cups)
• 1 egg
• 120g all purpose flour (I used all purpose whole wheat flour!)
• 1 tbsp potato starch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp Japanese shoyu (soy sauce)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp Hondashi soup stock (Link: Amazon)
• Salt
• 160 - 200 cc water (depending on your preference of consistency)
• (Optional) Any other ingredients you may wish to add such as meat (usually thin sliced pork), vegetables, seafood, green onion, cheese, mochi....etc! I decided to add frozen shrimp! 

Topping (Consistent among regions)

• Katsu sauce, worcestorshire sauce, okonomiyaki sauce  (Links: Amazon)
• Japanese kewpie mayo! (or regular mayo of course)
• Dried shaved bonito flakes (a.k.a. Katsuobushi) 
• Aonori flakes (seaweed)

Steps:
Since the recipe is so simple, I'm going to go with just text! 

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and potato starch together in a bowl.
2. Add the egg, soy sauce, sugar, dashi and salt. Mix further.
3. Add the water, not all at once.
4. Once the mixture becomes smooth, add the cabbage and other ingredients you decide to use.
5. Heat a pan with oil on MEDIUM heat and cook the pancakes until crispy and brown. After making one side crispy, I highly recommend you cover the pan to let the pancakes steam for a couple of minutes.
6. Top the pancakes with sauce, mayo, etc and enjoy! 

Number of steps:  5 steps
Time taken: 15 - 20 minutes
Approximately 130kcal per serving (using ground turkey)

About This Dish:
Japanese hamburg steaks are basically burger patties eaten without buns. It's a very popular dish in Japan, served in many restaurants/cafes/fast food chains and for dinner at home. Beef or pork is usually picked as the choice of ground meat, however I've picked turkey just for a more lean option. For an even healthier option, check out the tofu hamburg recipe or the chicken patty recipe I've posted. Various sauces are used; demi glace, ponzu, teriyaki, ketchup, etc. I've posted a super easy demi glace recipe so check that one out if you've got the time! People of various ages are seen eating this dish in Japan, whether it be children or a senior. You could even make a Hawaiian dish, locomoco with leftovers!

One important tip I have is to make sure the onion is cold upon mixing with the ground meat. If the meat is warm or hot, it causes the juicy fat of the meat to run away, making the patties soggy! :[

Serve with Japanese rice and plenty of veggies! 

What You Need:
(Makes 4 servings)

• 300g or 10oz of ground meat (I used ground turkey here)
• 1/2 - 1 onion
• 1 egg
• 5 tbsp panko bread crumbs
• 5 tbsp milk
• Salt and pepper
• Oil (I use organic coconut oil from Trader Joes)

Number of steps:  5 steps
Time taken: 10 min to prepare, 25 min in the oven

About This Dish:
I love pork or chicken katsu but we all know that it can be unhealthy since it's deep deep fried. So since I love the crunchiness of the bread crumbs that is the result of deep frying, is there a way to replicate that? The answer is Yes! I found a bunch of recipes out there which made chicken/pork katsu WITHOUT deep frying. 

We will pop it in the oven instead. Absolutely no oil used in this recipe! You can also use this recipe for chicken or pork katsu. If you are using thicker meat, adjust the time in the oven appropriately.

What You Need:
(4 chicken katsu fillets)

• 4 thin chicken fillets
• Bread crumbs/Panko
• All purpose flour
• 1 egg (Use as much as needed)
• Salt & pepper

Number of steps:  7
Time taken: Approx. 30 - 40 min
Approx. 250kcal per serving (this recipe makes approximately 2 servings)

About This Dish:
Today I was stuck at home because of Sandy the hurricane, so I ended up making this Japanese homemade winter dish! This is also a type of comfort dish where every family has a distinct taste; some families might make it a strong taste using more soy sauce where some might make it more light. It's eaten with rice and miso soup (and other veggies like salad of course). Yes, I guess we love carbs. This plate is more potatoes than anything else so don't kill it with too much meat! 

What You Need:
(Makes 2 servings)

• 1/3 pound of thin sliced beef or pork (I used beef and put of it, around 15 slices maybe?)
• 1 large potato
• 1/2 onion (I used red onion but it's usually regular onions)
• 7 baby carrots 
• 1/2 - 1 pack of shirataki noodles (They sell these at wholefoods or shaws, click here to see what the packaging looks like) 
• 2 cup water
• 1 tbsp Japanese sake
• 1/2 tsp of hondashi 
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp mirin (adjust to your taste, I ended up putting in 1 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (adjust to your taste, I ended up putting in 1.5 tbsp)

Number of steps:  6
Time taken: Approx. 10 minutes

About This Dish:
Here is another comfort dish for many Japanese people. Every Japanese family has their own distinct recipe for this dish. Depending on which area the family is originally from this dish may taste very strong, or some families may keep it simple. Either way, I can confidently say that every family cherishes this dish! It's simple to make, but so fulfilling and delicious! This recipe is one which is simple, easy to make and has a strong taste. Feel free to experiment!

What You Need:
(Serves 3-4 people)

• 300-400g or a little less than 1 pound of thin sliced pork (You could also use pork cut into small cubes, it's all your preference. Most families use thin sliced pork)
• 1/2 large onion 
• A tiny bit of all-purpose flour
  

For the sauce

• 1 slice of ginger or 2 tbsp of grated ginger
• 4 tbsp of soy sauce (preferably Japanese soy sauce of course)
• 4 tbsp of Japanese sake or regular white wine
• 2 tbsp of Japanese mirin