The
Trillionare Life
Explore Best Japanese Foods
Take a look at these typical Japanese dining options to get the belly rumbling.
1. Teishoku - a set meal
Set meals are very popular, particularly at lunch time, and most restaurants offer set meals of some kind. Typically, a set meal includes rice, pickles, soup and a main dish of fish, seafood, vegetables or meat. With lots of food and cheap prices the teishoku dining option is a great introduction to everyday Japanese food.
Some of the better restaurants offer kaiseki – a traditional Japanese tasting menu. The preparation of kaiseki is considered an art form requiring a careful balance of taste, texture, appearance and colour, using only fresh seasonal ingredients. Expect exquisite presentation, and higher than average prices.
2. Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is a fun, interactive way of dining, perfect for groups. Basically, okonomiyaki is a batter that is mixed with all your favourite ingredients then fried like a pancake on the grill right in front of you. Okonomiyaki translates as ‘grill your favourite’ and as such there is great variety in terms of ingredients available – from seafood, beef, chicken and bacon, to tofu, cheese, corn, onion and other vegetables.
Once the batter has cooked, the okonomiyaki is topped with a rich brown sauce, mayonnaise and dried bonito flakes. Typically each person in the group orders their own okonomiyaki preference and many restaurants allow you to cook your own, which is a fun addition to the meal.
3. Tempura
Tempura is a popular Japanese dish of vegetables and seafood coated in a very light and airy batter and fried to perfection. It's served at Japanese restaurants worldwide, but it's also fun and easy to make from scratch at home. This is a quick recipe that's best when fried as soon as the batter is mixed and then eaten right away. Plan and prepare your dinner before you begin.
A basic Japanese tempura batter is made of flour, egg, and ice water. While simple, there are some tricks to producing crispy tempura. Ice water, sifted flour, and hot oil are just a few of the key factors that will produce restaurant-style results.
​
Nearly anything you can deep-fry is a candidate for tempura batter. Shrimp tempura is the best known, and chicken tenders or fish fillets work, too. For vegetables, try bell peppers, broccoli, eggplant, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes. The batter can even be used to make onion rings. Serve the tempura with your favorite dipping sauces and enjoy as an appetizer or light meal.
4. Noodles: soba, udon and ramen
Noodles are a delicious and cheap alternative to a rice-based meal. Made from buckwheat flour, soba noodles have a greyish colour and are served hot with broth or cold with a dipping sauce. Udon are thick wheat noodles that are served hot or cold with soy or fish soup.
With more than 10,000 specialty shops around the country, Ramen is perhaps the cheapest and most popular type of noodle in Japan (although originally from China). Available in thin or thick varieties, ramen is most often served with a hot broth made from fish, pork, miso or soy and is topped with tempura, crumbed pork fillet, or slices of meat.
Many noodle shops operate a vending machine system. Simply buy a ticket at the vending machine when you enter. Choose your noodle preference; hot or cold, thick or thin, choose the serving size and your preferred topping. Hand the receipt to the chef or staff who will prepare it on the spot. Find a place to sit or stand and enjoy slurping your noodles along with everyone else.
5. Teppanyaki
Teppanyaki brings entertainment to the dinner table. You're seated around the chef and his large grill plate and watch the chef skillfully prepare your food right in front of you. This theatrical demonstration of the chef's culinary skills is part of the beauty of teppan. In many of the larger hotels the teppan chefs actually perform amazing stunts, juggling with their razor-sharp knives, catching tiny morsels with chopsticks and generally wowing their audience of diners.
Teppan menus are typically course-based with some kind of beef, ranging from the extremely popular and expensive Kobe beef to lesser grades. Vegetables, rice and pickles are also usually included.
6. Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki
Shabu shabu is another fun dining option for groups and families. After ordering plates of thinly sliced meat and vegetables, a pot filled with boiling soup is placed on the table. Using chopsticks each diner picks up a slice of meat and swishes it around in the soup until it cooks. The meat is then dipped into a salty shabu shabu sauce and enjoyed before swishing the next piece. Predominately beef based, shabu shabu can also include seafood and pork.
Similarly, sukiyaki presents meat, seafood and vegetables in a sweet-salty soy-based soup. The difference is that ingredients bubble away in the pot continuously and diners fish out the slices they want, perhaps dip it in raw egg, and enjoy.