Stock up on miso paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar and mirin to master recipes packed with umami flavour. Discover how to make Japanese gems such as teriyaki chicken and miso-glazed aubergine in your own kitchen.
Here’s our top 12 Japanese recipes to make at home.
Chicken Katsu Curry
Wagamama
The ultimate Japanese comfort food, katsu curries warrant taking centre stage. Coat the crispy fried cutlet of chicken with flaky Japanese panko and douse in an onion, ginger, turmeric, coconut sauce. Cook it.
Sukiyaki
The Kitchn
Warm the cockles with Sukiyaki, a one-pot dish that contains beef, negi (a Japanese leek), konnyaku noodles, soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Cooked and served in a shallow cast-iron pot, this sweet and savoury broth is comforting. Cook it.
Japanese Pancakes
The Kitchn
Impossibly fluffy, these soufflé-like Japanese pancakes flood social media. Typically served at breakfast spots in Japan, the extra-light, vanilla-scented pancakes are cooked in ring moulds to increase their ‘fluff’. Cook it.
Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup
BBC Good Food
Craving something comforting yet light? This nourishing Japanese noodle soup uses chicken, noodles, spinach sweetcorn and eggs. Top it all off with sugar or soy sauce to make it as sweet or salty as you like. Cook it.
Quick Sushi Bowl
BBC Good Food
Hard-pressed for time? This speedy sushi bowl contains salmon, sushi rice, carrot cut into ribbons, sliced radish and pickled red cabbage. Drizzle with soy sauce and sesame seeds. Cook it.
Goma-Ae Japanese Greens
BBC Good Food
Perfect the art of Japanese greens by tossing spinach and green beans in a dressing of soy, miso, mirin and sesame seeds. Top with gomashio (salted sesame seeds) which you can buy online. Cook it.
Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
The Heirloom Pantry
Think rich, sticky, sweet and savoury Teriyaki chicken. It’s always a crowd pleaser and this recipe takes ten minutes to prepare, half an hour to cook the rice and chicken and a few minutes to put together. Salivating? Cook it.
Miso-Glazed Aubergine
Waitrose
Halve the aubergines and score in a criss-cross pattern, then fry. Put the white miso in a bowl with the mirin, sugar, sake and ginger to later spoon over the cooked aubergine. Grill and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions. Cook it.
Five-minute Itsu Gyoza Miso Soup
Itsu
Too easy, you may say. This is our kind of cheat recipe. Stock up on Itsu frozen gyoza and miso’easy traditional soups. Cook the gyoza, steam the pak choi and throw in the miso sachet and boiling water to the bowl. Couldn’t be simpler. Cook it.
Prawn Edamame And Spring Onion Omelette
Sainsbury’s
A speedy supper for one, this Japanese-style king prawn omelette is fried in sesame oil, with a splash of soy sauce and a handful of edamame beans. Beats ham and cheese. Cook it.
Ant and Dec’s Japanese Feast
Jamie Oliver
Special mention must go to these three simple sashimi recipes that make a great introduction to preparing Japanese cuisine at home. Cook it.
Chicken Yakitori
Wagamama
Yakitori means grilled, skewered and shared as a snack on the streets of Japan. Treat these barbequed chicken thigh kebabs, drizzled with the sugary and soy yakitori sauce as a starter, casual snack or served with rice as a main course. Cook it.
By Annabel Jack
June 2023
