Hot pot or shabu shabu is easy to get in cities like San Francisco and Boston. There are Japanese, Korean or Mongolian restaurants who offer it for an okay price! Have you ever thought about doing it at home though? It's easier than you think :)

I bought a portable stove on Amazon (for only $15) and a Japanese pot (for only $10). After that, all you need are veggies, meat and good company (maybe some good beer and sake too).

What you need:

• Any veggie, how ever much you want. (I had lettuce, spinach, carrots, radish, zucchini)
• Mushrooms
• Meat (I had thin sliced pork, some people like beef too) 
• (Optional) Seafood
• Tofu
• (Optional) Noodles (e.g. udon)
• Sauce (I bought ponzu and sesame sauce, both available on Amazon or Japanese supermarkets)

Yup. That's it! 

For your broth, you can get creative (kimchi, soy milk, tomato sauce...); but since I was out of most ingredients, I just poured some sake in water, added a pinch of salt and some dashi.

You get to eat a lot of vegetables, and this dish warms you up. It's perfect for those chilly nights which make you want to feel cozy.

"Ni-tu-ke" (煮付け) is a way of cooking in Japan which involves boiling the ingredient in soy sauce and sugar. Fish is very expensive in the US compared to Japan but I've found that Trader Joe's sells cheap tilapia (around $6 for 3 generous pieces). It may not be the best fish but it's a wonderful alternative for those on a budget. 

Grilling or baking the fish in butter may sound easy but sometimes could end up being burnt and tough. This recipe involves boiling the fish in a simple savoury sauce. It's easy, takes only 10 minutes and you'll end up with a tasty traditional Japanese dish. Better than going to a Japanese restaurant!  Serve with white rice, miso soup and veggies, like always.

Here, I'll also be introducing a new technique called "otoshi-buta" (落とし蓋) which means to put a lid directly onto the food or deep into the pan. 

Ingredients:

• 3-4 pieces of fish (preferably with white meat. I used Trader Joe's tilapia)
  
  

Sauce (start with this, add more or less depending on how sweet/savoury you like your sauce)

• 3 - 4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 - 2 tbsp of sugar (depending on how sweet you like your fish)
• 1/4 cup Japanese sake 

Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and heat in a pan until it starts boiling. 
2. Once the sauce starts boiling, put the fish into the pan and turn the heat to LOW. Get some aluminum foil and cover the fish/broth directly. We call this technique "otoshi-buta" which means "fallen lid". We want the lid to be placed deeply inside the pot, directly on the food. This will help the sauce get soaked up easier. (Photograph below)
   
3. Cook the fish in the pan for 7 - 10 minutes on LOW. 
4. After 7-10 minutes, take off the lid and use a spoon to pour the sauce onto the surface of the fish which was not soaked in the sauce. Be careful not to cook the fish any longer as the sauce may get too thick and strong. 
5. Serve with rice and other side dishes. I often use the left over sauce to cook vegetables such as broccoli and zucchini!

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! 

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:  4 steps
Time taken: 15 - 20 minutes
Approximately 300kcal per serving

About This Dish:
I love fish, especially when it's cooked in soy sauce! This recipe cooks ahi tuna in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin and sake. It's very similar to teriyaki sauce and I can't tell you how great the fish and sauce goes with rice! The ahi tuna becomes a very Japanese dish. Additionally, you cook the fish and add the sauce until it gets thick so it's very simple to make on a busy night. My only advice is to put the lid on the pan once you throw in the sauce to make sure it seeps through. Enjoy!

What You Need:
(Makes 2 servings)

• 2 slices of ahi tuna (I bought mine at Trader Joes) approximately 12oz for 2 slices
• 1 - 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp oil (I used organic coconut oil from Trader Joes)
• Salt and pepper
• (Optional) Sprinkle of potato starch
• (Optional) Butter for taste

Sauce

• 4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp Japanese sake

Number of steps:  5 steps
Time taken: 10 to 15 minutes

About This Dish:
To begin, let me start by telling you that after making this dish and having it for dinner, I was surprised and very impressed about myself! It truly was a great accomplishment and I would like to share this recipe with you. Shrimp with chili sauce is a very popular dish in Chinatown (in Japan). This recipe aims to replicate that dish people eat in Yokohama's Chinatown. The garlic, ginger, sesame oil and ketchup are one of the main ingredients which come into play. It's simple (trust me) so I hope you try it out and enjoy it as much as I did. 

What You Need:
(Makes ~2 servings)

• ~20 shrimps (defrosted or fresh, up to you)
• Finely chopped garlic (approximately 1 tbsp)
• (Optional) Finely chopped green onion (as much as you like)
• 1 tbsp Japanese sake
• 1/2 tbsp regular oil
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  

Marinade

• 1 tbsp Japanese sake
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp grated garlic
• Pinch of salt

Chili Sauce

• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp each of sugar, starch (I used potato starch) and Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• Pinch of salt