Kawara Soba- Teppanyaki Green Tea Soba Noodles with 3 Colour-Toppings

During Japanese civil war, there was a story that soldiers cooked food on a heated roofing tiles. Someone tried it now days, and got popular. It's called roofing tile noodles.

When I visited my friend's house, she made it for dinner. It was quite tasty and got me surprised that it can be homemade.

What can you make with seasoned meat: Bibimbap (Korean Beef Bowl)
What can you make with a thin omelet: Vegetable Sushi Wrapped

Ready in: 20 minutes

Ingredients for two:
2 bunches of green tea soba noodles
Some frying oil
One green onions
Shredded Nori paper
Grated daikon radish, optional
Minced meat, pork/beef/chicken
[Seasons for Meat: Prepare in a bowl]
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of Miso
1 tablespoon of Sake
[Omlet: Prepare in a bowl]
1 egg
1 teaspoons of starch
2 tablespoons of water
[Dipping Sauce: Prepare in a pot]
500ml water
2 teaspoons of Daishi powder
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of Mirin
2 tablespoons of Sake


Step 1: Cook meat with seasons, chop green onions, make paper thin omelet

Step 2: Heat up the dipping sauce

Step 3: Cook noodles in boiling water, rinse it under running water, and drain water

 Step 4: In a pan, fry noodles until you see crispy burn

Step 5: Place crispy noodles on a plate, and put toppings on them

 Step 6: Serve with a dipping sauce

Bibinba- Bibimbap, Korean Beef Bowl with Vegeis

Despite a long cold history between Japan and Korea, we have many similarities in food and taste.
Some Japanese foods have already became Korean food such as Oden and Kimpa (Sushi), and vice versa in Japan such as Yakiniku (Korean style BBQ).

I love Korean food!

Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients for two:
1 carrot, shaved
1/2 bunch of spinach cut in 2 inch long pieces
2 handfuls of bean sprouts
1/2 pound of minced beef
2 eggs
Some roasted sesame
Some gochujang, if you like things spicy
2 cups of cooked white rice

<For veggies, prepare the following in a cup>
1 clove of garlic, grind
3 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of salt

<For meat, prepare the following in a cup>
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of sake
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoons of honey

For cooking rice, see How to Cook Sushi Rice on Stove

Step 1: In a pan, cook carrots lightly with a bit of sesame oil, and then place it in a bowl.
Repeat the same for spinich and bean sprouts.



Step 2: Devid the garlic sauce into 3, and mix it with vegeis separatly.

Step 3: In a pan, cook meat and add the sauce. Place it in a plate.

Step 4: In a pan, cook the egg sunny side up.

Step 5: Place one cup of rice in each bowl.

Step 6: Place the egg sunny side up on the top of rice, and put veggies around it.

Korokke- Potato Croquettes

In Japan, we have Yoshoku culture. We arrange western food in Japanese style and call it Yoshoku-literally it's western food. It's quite popular!

Ready in: 45 minutes

Ingredients for four:

1/2 chopped onions

A half pound of minced beef or pork

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 potatoes

1 tablespoon of butter

1 cup of milk

1 egg + 1/3 cup of water

Panko (Bread crumbs)

Flour

Salt and pepper

1 cup of vegetable oil

Step 1: Place onions and garlic in the pan and cook it till it gets brown.

Step 2: Add meat and continue to cook.

Step 3: Cook potatoes in a microwave, and peel them. Place them in a bowl with butter and mash them.

 Step 4: Add "Step 2" in the bowl and mix them up. Add milk.

Add salt and pepper

Step 5:  Form them into oval and flat shape.

Make sure they cool down before frying to avoid explosion

Step 6:  Crack egg and add water. In other bowls or plates, put some flour and panko separately.

Step 7: Take a potato ball, put some flour first, dip it in egg mixture, and put some panko.

Step 8: Fry them.

Rohru Kyabetsu- Cabbage Rolled Hamburg

This is one of my mom's "the 18th" recipes.

Every time she cooks it, she uses the same soup bowls, and it tastes the same all the time. 

The meaning of "the 18th" is something you are very good at or something that is of high value to you. We write"the 18th" Jyu-hachiban, but read as "a box" O-Hako. Some say that in the Japanese play Kabuki, popular performers used to play 18 favorite episodes in a show.  Others say Samuraies have 18 martial arts that they need to train. There is also another theory that during the Edo period, people put real valued arts, such as potteries or drawings, in a box with an identifier's signature on.

The base of this recipe has been saved in my mom's "box" for a long time, and I added a modern twist to it.

Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients for two:
4 Korean cabbage leaves

100g of cooked spaghettis

Black pepper

<Prepare the following in a bowl>

200g of ground beef and pork mix
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
1/4 of onion chopped 
<Prepare the following in a pan>
1 tablespoon of ketchup

1 tablespoon of chicken stock

200ml water

4 sliced carrots

Korean cabbage/ Flat cabbage

Step 1: Cut the side of the core, and then slowly peel leaves .

Step 2: Cut off the hard part.

Step 3: Steam or cook leaves.

Step 4: Mix meat and make hamburg balls.

Step 5: Wrap a meat ball in a cooked leaf. Fold one side to the centre, and the other side to the centre. Roll it to the end.

Step 6: Place wraps in the pan and cook till you are sure that the middle of the meat balls are ready.

Gyoza- Pork Dumpling/ Potsticker

Now I know this is the most popular "Chinese" food in Canada. The difference between Chinese dumpling and that of Japanese is how we cook them. We fry them, and Chinese people steam them or make soup with them.

Ready in: 45 minutes

Ingredients for two:
200g of ground pork
3 green onions
3 dried mushrooms
5 Nappa cabbage leaves
2 teaspoons of minced ginger
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of oyster flavored sauce
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 pack of dumpling paper, if you want it homemade, see below for ingredients and steps
Salt and black pepper

<Important> Your dumpling will be hard if you use less Nappa cabbage. 

Dumpling paper

Step 1: In a bowl, put some water and mushrooms to make them soft.

Step 2: Chop cabbages, green onions and mushrooms.

Step 3: In a bowl, place all the ingredients, and mix them well.

Step 4: Place 1/2 full of mixture on dumpling paper.

Step 5: Using your finger, put some water around the edge of the paper.

Step 6: Using a fork, close the dumplings firmly.

Step 7: Boil water. Meanwhile, without adding oil, place Gyozas in a pan, and then turn the stove maximum temperature.

Step 8: Add boiling water into the pan to cover half of Gyozas. Leave the stove maximum temperature, and let the water evaporate.

Cover it when water is almost gone.

Step 9: When water is gone, add some oil from the edge. Now your dumpling is crunchy outside, and juicy inside!

Ingredients for 60 papers:

300g flour

60g tapioca flour

170ml warm water

Step 1: Mix all ingredients well for 15 minutes. High speed prefered.

Step 2: Wrap the dough and sit it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

Step 3: Divide the dough into 60 mini balls, and flatten each ball.