Breaded in panko and deep fried, this tender menchi katsu recipe uses a combination of beef and pork and is super crunchy on the outside.

Menchi katsu is very similar to Japanese hambagu, also known as hamburger steak.  Both recipes use a mixture of beef, pork and other ingredients that are formed into round cutlets.

The difference with menchi katsu is that it’s then breaded and deep fried.  

So menchi katsu is essentially a breaded and deep fried burger.  And what could be better than that?

What is menchi katsu?

Menchi katsu is a Japanese dish consisting of ground beef and pork cutlets that have been breaded and deep-fried. 

Besides meat, the cutlets typically contain eggs, panko, and flavorings like nutmeg, ketchup, and worcestershire sauce. 

The meat cutlets are breaded in a three step process. First they’re dipped in flour, then in eggs, and then in crispy panko.

Menchi katsu, like all other katsus, is a yōshoku (Western-inspired Japanese food) recipe.  For other classic yōshoku recipes, check out this Spaghetti Napolitan, this creamy Corn Soup, or this Omurice recipe. 

The word “menchi” comes from the English word “mince” in a reference to the minced meat used to form the cutlets.  And the word “katsu” comes from the English word “cutlet”. 

Ingredients in menchi katsu

Oil.  A neutral oil such as canola is used for deep frying the cutlets. 

Mixture for the meat cutlets

Ground beef.  Beef gives the katsu a strong, hamburger-like flavor. 

Ground pork.  This recipe uses a mixture of half pork and half beef.  The pork helps keep the katsu super moist. 

Onion.  Onion is sautéed before being added to the patties.  It adds depth to the katsu. 

Butter.  We’ll sauté the onion in butter to make the dish even more rich and give it a luxurious feel. 

Panko.  Panko is added to the meat mixture.  It helps prevent the katsus from becoming dry by absorbing some of the juice from the meat and keeping it inside the cutlet during the deep frying process. 

Milk. Two tablespoons of milk is used to rehydrate the panko before it’s mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. 

Egg.  Egg is used to bind the meat together. 

Ketchup.  Ketchup is mixed in with the meat to add a bit of sweetness and umami to the mix. 

Worcestershire sauce.  Worcestershire is added to the meat mixture to bring more depth and a bit of funkiness to the katsu. 

Nutmeg.  Really betraying its western roots, a bit of nutmeg adds a tiny bit of warmth to the flavor profile. 

Salt & black pepper.  Adequately seasoning the meat mixture before frying it is important.  Use one full teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of ground black pepper. 

Breading

Flour – Egg – Panko.  A three step breading of flour, egg, and then panko creates a shattering crunch on the outside of the katsus.  Good quality Japanese panko will really make a difference in achieving a great crunch. 

Why do you use a mixture of ground beef and pork?

Ground pork typically has a higher fat content than ground beef.  The higher fat content in the pork helps to prevent the katsu from drying out white it’s deep frying, keeping it super moist.

What kind of panko do I need?

Many American brands of panko aren’t actually panko and are more similar to traditional breadcrumbs.  These American brands won’t give you the crunch you’re looking for in a katsu.

If you can find a Japanese brand of panko, it’s definitely worth it.  Seek out Japanese brands of panko have jagged pieces of breadcrumbs that aren’t uniform in shape.  They’ll look a bit more spiky and irregular than other types of breadcrumbs.

How to make menchi katsu

Prep onions and panko

1. Prepare the onions. Chop the onions and sauté them in butter on medium heat for 3-5 minutes until starting to brown.  Then remove the onions from the pan and let them cool to room temperature. 
2. Prepare the panko. Soak the panko bread crumbs in milk for a few minutes.

Make the katsu cutlets

1. Mix the ingredients.  In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, pork, onions, panko in milk, egg, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper.  Mix the ingredients with your hand very thoroughly until fully combined.  Separate the meat into six equal-sized portions.  
2. Form the cutlets.  First oil your hands with about a half tablespoon of oil to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands while you make the cutlets.  Take a single portion of the meat in one of your hands and gently toss it to your other hand.  And then toss it back to your first hand, and then the other.  Repeat this process about 15-20 times until you form an oval-shaped cutlet.  Now place the cutlet on a plate that’s been lined with slightly oiled parchment paper.  Repeat for the other five cutlets.  This process removes air bubbles from the meat to prevent the katsus from breaking apart while deep frying.  Rest the cutlets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that they meld together.

Bread the cutlet & deep fry

1. Bread the cutlets.  Once the cutlets have finished resting, begin the breading process.  Place the flour in one plate, the beaten egg in a medium bowl, and the panko in another plate.  Dip each cutlet in the flour first and coat the outside of the cutlet with the flour.  Tap off the excess flour.  Now dip the cutlet in the egg and let the excess egg drain off.  Finally, dip the cutlet in the panko.  Gently press the panko into the cutlet and get a good amount of the breadcrumbs to stick.  Don’t worry if you break or crush some of the panko while you’re pressing it into the cutlet.  Repeat for all cutlets.

1.  Deep fry the katsu.  Heat 3 inches of oil in a pan to 350°.  Once the oil is hot, place the cutlets in the oil and fry for three minutes on each side, for a total of six minutes.  Fry the cutlets in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan.  When the katsu are finished frying, place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain some of the oil.  Let them rest for 3-5 minutes and then enjoy.

How to reheat menchi katsu

Remove the menchi katsu from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. 

Now bake the katsu for 10-15 minutes at 400°.  The katsu won’t be quite as crispy as when they’re fresh, but the oven is still your best bet to maintain some crunch.

What to serve with menchi katsu

Cabbage salad.  A simple salad of thinly sliced cabbage is an absolute must for any katsu.  The fresh, crisp cabbage balances out the heaviness of the fried katsu really well.  It also helps aid the digestion process of the oily katsu.  

Top the cabbage with Kewpie mayo or sesame dressing and some kernels of corn, if you have them.

Japanese-style potato salad.  Potato salad is another classic side dish for katsu.  Try out this super creamy recipe with carrots and cucumbers.

Tonkatsu sauce, mayonnaise, karashi for dipping.  Dip the katsu in either (or a combination of) tonkatsu sauce, Kewpie mayo, or karashi (Japanese mustard).

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Menchi Katsu

Breaded in panko and deep fried, this tender menchi katsu recipe uses a combination of beef and pork and is super crunchy on the outside.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Beef, Katsu, Panko, Pork

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Rest in fridge time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 cutlets

Ingredients

• neutral oil such as canola, for deep frying

For the cutlets

• ½ onion minced
• 1½ tbsp butter unsalted
• ½ lb ground beef
• ½ lb ground pork
• ¼ cup panko
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp ketchup
• 1 tsp worcestershire
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper

For the breading

• ¾ cup flour
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1½ cup panko

For serving

• tonkatsu sauce, Kewpie mayo, and/or karashi for dipping the katsu

Instructions

Make the cutlets

• Heat the butter in a saute pan on medium heat. Once the butter is hot, add the onions, and cook them for 3-5 minutes until just starting to brown, stirring frequently. Once the onions are finished, remove them from the heat and let them come to room temperature.
  
• Add ¼ cup panko and 2 tbsp milk to a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Let the panko sit for five minutes to absorb the milk.
• Add the cooked onions, the soaked panko, the beef, pork, one egg, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper to a medium bowl.
  
• Mix thoroughly with your hands until the mixture becomes sticky and turns to a lighter pink color.
  
• Now form the cutlets. First oil your hands with about ½ tbsp of oil to prevent the mixture from sticking and separate the mixture into six equal portions.
• Take a single portion of the meat in one of your hands and gently toss it to your other hand.  And then toss it back to your first hand, and then the other.  Repeat this process about 15-20 times until you form an oval-shaped cutlet.  Now place the cutlet on a plate that’s been lined with slightly oiled parchment paper.  Repeat for the other five cutlets. 

  This process removes air bubbles from the meat to prevent the katsus from breaking apart while deep frying.  Rest the cutlets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that they meld together.
  

Bread the cutlets and deep fry them

• Once the cutlets have finished resting, begin the breading process.  Place the flour in one plate, the beaten eggs in a medium bowl, and the panko in another plate. 

  Dip each cutlet in the flour first and coat the outside of the cutlet with the flour.  Tap off the excess flour. 

  Now dip the cutlet in the egg and let the excess egg drain off. 

  Finally, dip the cutlet in the panko.  Gently press the panko into the cutlet and get a good amount of the breadcrumbs to stick.  Don’t worry if you break or crush some of the panko while you’re pressing it into the cutlet.  Repeat for all cutlets.
  
• Heat 3 inches of oil in a pan to 350°.
• Once the oil is hot, place the cutlets in the oil and fry for three minutes on each side, for a total of six minutes. You should fry the cutlets in batches of 2 to 3 at a time.

  When the katsu are finished frying, place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain some of the oil.  Let them rest for 3-5 minutes.
  

Serve

• Serve the menchi katsu while they're still hot with tonkatsu sauce, Kewpie mayo, and/or karashi mustard for dipping.

The post Menchi Katsu appeared first on Eats All Day.

Shio kombu is a secret weapon in the Japanese pantry.  Not only does it taste great, but it can also be used as the ONLY picking agent necessary to pickle vegetables. 

Yes, you heard that right.  To make this pickle, you’ll just combine cabbage and shio kombu in a bag, massage, and let it rest for 25 minutes.  No other ingredients are needed as pickling agents.  No vinegar, no sugar, no salt. Just shio kombu. 

This recipe is optionally topped with crushed nori seaweed snacks to add some more texture and flavor, but feel free to skip the nori if you want to make this recipe even easier than it already is. 

What is Japanese pickled cabbage with shio kombu?

Japanese pickled cabbage with shio kombu is a simple quick pickle consisting of chopped green cabbage and shio kombu.  Shio kombu is mixed with the cabbage and the saltiness of the shio kombu pickles the cabbage.

Optionally, the pickles can be topped with crushed nori or other toppings, such as shiso, yuzu peel, or bonito flakes.

These pickles are a type of asazuke, which is a Japanese method for pickling vegetables that’s characterized by a quick and short pickling time.  Since the vegetables aren’t pickled for too long, they maintain a fresh flavor and crunchy texture. Besides cabbage, other vegetables such as cucumbers, daikon, or celery are often prepared using the asazuke method.

Ingredients

Cabbage.  Run-of-the-mill green cabbage takes on the umami flavors of shio kombu and remains crisp through the pickling process.

Shio kombu.  This Japanese super ingredient is all you need to make pickles.  As you massage the shio kombu into the cabbage, it begins to pickle the cabbage and release moisture.

Nori seaweed snacks.  The cabbage pickles are topped with crushed nori seaweed snacks to add even more umami and a different texture.  This is an optional ingredient, but really adds to the final pickle and makes them feel special.

What is shio kombu?

Shio kombu is a Japanese ingredient that consists of kelp cooked in soy sauce and other ingredients, and then dried to concentrate its flavor.  After the drying process, shio kombu is usually cut into thin strips.  In Japanese, shio means salted and kombu means kelp.

Its flavor is intense.  It’s salty, sweet, and has a deep quality of umami that you get from the dried and concentrated seaweed.  Shio kombu has a bit of an ocean taste to it, but isn’t quite as briny as normal kombu.  A lot of the briny taste is lost during the drying process and replaced with a deeper, more umami flavor.

What else can I use shio kombu for?

Since shio kombu has such an intense flavor, it’s often used as an ingredient in plain dishes to add a pop of flavor.  

For example, onigiri are often rolled in shio kombu to add more flavor.  Ochazuke (white rice soaked in tea) is also often topped with shio kombu.  Or shio kombu is simply sprinkled over plain white rice.  

Another use for shio kombu is to make quick pickles, or asazuke.  When using shio kombu to make pickles, you don’t need any other pickling agents.  There’s no vinegar, no salt, and no sugar necessary.  The saltiness of the shio kombu is all that’s needed to pickle the vegetable.

Where can I buy shio kombu?

Shio kombu is starting to become a bit more popular in the US, but it still might be difficult to find.  Japanese grocery stores will definitely carry it, and some generally Asian grocery stores may also have it.  

For the most convenience, you can find shio kombu on Amazon.

How to make quick pickled cabbage with shio kombu

Using shio kombu to make quick pickled cabbage couldn’t be easier.

First cut 100 grams of cabbage into irregular 1-inch pieces.  This should yield about 1½ to 2 cups of cabbage.

Next add the cabbage to a ziploc bag, along with 1 heaping tablespoon of shio kombu.  Zip the bag closed, but leave a good amount of air in the bag.  

Shake the bag to distribute the shio kombu across all of the cabbage and start to massage the shio kombu into the cabbage.  Continue shaking and massaging for three to five minutes.  As you massage the cabbage, the shio kombu will start to become moist and some liquid will begin to release from the cabbage.  The cabbage will also begin to darken a bit and take on some brown color.  Once you see moisture and the cabbage starts to darken, you’re finished with this step.

Now remove the air from the ziploc bag and reseal the bag with the cabbage still inside.  Put the cabbage in the refrigerator for around 30 minutes to finish the pickling process.  After this time, the pickles are finished and you’re ready to enjoy them.

How does the shio kombu pickle the cabbage?

Vegetables are often pickled in some combination of salt, vinegar or sugar. This recipe instead uses just shio kombu. 

Shio kombu works to pickle the cabbage because the kombu contains a high amount of salt. As you rub the shio kombu into the cabbage, the salt mixes against the cabbage and begins the pickling process.

Pickled cabbage variations

Japanese quick pickles are super casual and flexible, so feel free to experiment with ingredients and try different flavors.  Here are some ideas to add to your pickles.

Herbs.  Add thinly sliced shiso, parsley or basil after the pickling process as a garnish.

Citrus.  Top the pickles with thinly sliced yuzu peel, finely chopped orange segments, or a spritz of fresh grapefruit juice.

Bonito flakes.  Add the smoked and fermented fish flakes on top of the pickles for a pop of even more umami.

Aromatics.  Top the pickles with julienned, matchstick size ginger.  Or top with scallions sliced into rings.

Spicy.  Add yuzu kosho into the ziploc bag at the same time as the shio kombu, and let the spicy citrus flavors marinate into the cabbage.  Or top the finished pickles with a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi.

What to serve with Japanese pickled cabbage with shio kombu

A side of pickles is such an easy way to make any meal feel special.  These pickles are really versatile and can be eaten with just about anything.  But they go especially well with other Japanese dishes.  

Try them with something spicy, like this ebi chili (shrimp in a spicy sauce), or with a spaghetti, like this mentaiko pasta with salty cod roe.

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Japanese Pickled Cabbage with Shio Kombu

Ready in just thirty minutes, this pickle combines cabbage with shio kombu, the salted and dried Japanese kelp.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Cabbage, Pickle

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Rest in fridge time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 100 g green cabbage or about 1½-2 cups chopped
• 1 heaping tbsp shio kombu
• 2 small nori seaweed snacks crumbled

Instructions

• Chop the cabbage into irregular 1-inch pieces.
  
• Add the cabbage and the shio kombu to a ziploc bag. Zip the bag closed, but leave a good amount of air in the bag. 
  
• Shake the bag to distribute the shio kombu across all of the cabbage and massage the cabbage.  Continue shaking and massaging for three to five minutes. 

  Once the cabbage begins to release some moisture and starts to darken in color, you're finished with this step.
  
• Remove excess air from the ziploc bag, but keep the cabbage in the bag. Store the cabbage in the fridge for 25 minutes.
• To serve, place the cabbage on a serving plate and top with crumbled nori.

The post Japanese Pickled Cabbage with Shio Kombu appeared first on Eats All Day.

Ebi Chili is all about the flavorful sauce.  This sauce is fragrant from the ginger and garlic.  It’s spicy from the Sichuanese doubanjiang.  The ketchup takes the sauce over the top by adding layers of umami and sweetness. 

And the best thing about this recipe is that it’s a quick, weeknight friendly meal that’s ready in just 20 minutes.

What is Ebi Chili

Ebi Chili is a Chinese-style Japanese dish of crispy pan-fried shrimp in a spicy sauce of ginger, garlic, doubanjiang, ketchup, and other seasonings.   

The sauce’s flavor is fragrant and slightly spicy.  Since ketchup is a primary ingredient, the sauce has a sweet and acidic tomato flavor.

Ebi Chili is a traditional chuka (Japanese-Chinese) recipe.  Chuka cuisine is Japan’s version of Chinese food, adapted by Chinese restaurants in Japan to match the Japanese palette.

Ebi Chili is based on a Sichuanese shrimp recipe. It was first created in the 1950s by Chen Kenmin, an emigrant from Sichuan, who’s regarded as the grandfather of Sichuan cuisine in Japan.  He introduced the dish in his Yokohama-based restaurant, Shisen Hanten. 

Ingredients

Shrimp.  Tender shrimp are marinated in a mixture of sake and cornstarch, and then lightly pan-fried until crisp.

Ginger.  A healthy amount of ginger gives the dish a strong fragrance.

Garlic.  We’ll use two whole cloves of garlic, giving the sauce a strong garlicky kick.

Scallion.  Scallions are fried along with the ginger and garlic to give the sauce an oniony kick.

Ketchup.  Ketchup is the primary ingredient of the sauce, giving it a sweet, acidic taste of tomato.

Doubanjiang.  The fermented chili bean paste from Sichuan gives the sauce spiciness and depth.

Sugar.  Sugar works to tame the heat and round out the flavor with some sweetness.

Sesame oil.  Sesame oil gives the sauce a nutty fragrance.

Chicken broth.  A half cup of chicken broth gives the sauce more volume.

Sake.  Sake has two uses.  First, for marinating the shrimp to enhance their flavor and to allow the other ingredients to work their way into the shrimp.  Second, we’ll add it directly to the sauce for some additional sweetness and umami.

Cornstarch.  We’ll use cornstarch in three ways.  First, we’ll use it along with water to wash the shrimp and firm up their texture. Second, it’s used in the marinade to coat the shrimp and help them crisp up when fried.  And third, we’ll add it at the end of the stir frying process to thicken up the sauce.

What is doubanjiang?

Doubanjiang is a Chinese condiment from Sichuan province made of fermented broad beans, chilis, soybeans, salt, and flour.  Doubanjiang goes by other names such as toban-djan, tobanjiang, or others.

It has a complex flavor profile that’s entirely unique.  It’s spicy, slightly sweet, and has a very strong depth of umami.  

This ingredient is an absolutely essential part of the Sichuanese pantry, and perhaps the one most important ingredient in Sichuan cooking.  It’s what makes Sichuanese food taste Sichuanese.

An important thing to realize about doubanjiang is that there are different levels of quality that highly affect its taste. 

A cheap, lower quality doubanjiang won’t taste great and it won’t impact your meal too much.  But a higher quality doubanjiang is a thing of beauty.  The best doubanjiang comes from Pixian, China.  Pixian doubanjiang is a geographical indication protected product, just like Champagne is protected in Champagne, France.

It’s really worth seeking out a high quality doubanjiang and spending a bit more money on it.  I promise that the high quality stuff will make a huge difference in your recipes, including in this Ebi Chili. 

Ketchup in Japanese food

Ebi Chili, like many other Japanese recipes, uses ketchup. 

While ketchup has a bit of a stigma in the West and is seen as just a low quality condiment used to dip your fries, it’s considered a legitimate ingredient in Japan. 

Many Japanese recipes incorporate ketchup, and especially recipes from yōshoku cuisine (Western-inspired Japanese food).  Spaghetti Napolitan is an example of a Japanese-style pasta that uses a ketchup sauce.  Other classics like omurice, tonkatsu sauce, and more also use ketchup.

How to make Ebi Chili

1. Prepare the shrimp.  Remove the tails from the shrimp and devein them if necessary.  Next rub the shrimp in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and then rinse them under cool water to remove all of the cornstarch.  This washing process helps improve the texture of the shrimp, firming them up.
2. Marinate the shrimp.  Marinate the shrimp for 10 minutes in a mixture of salt, white pepper, sake, and cornstarch.
3. Fry the shrimp.  Heat oil in a wok or frying pan on medium-high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side (for a total of 2-4 minutes) until the outsides of the shrimp begin to brown and crisp. Once finished, remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.  The insides of the shrimp do not need to be fully cooked through at this point. 
4. Make the stir fry.  Clean the same wok or pan, return it to medium-high heat, and add fresh oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, and white parts of the scallion and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned.  Lower the heat to medium and add the ketchup and doubanjiang.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the ketchup and doubanjiang become fragrant.  Add the chicken broth, sake, and sugar, and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Now add the shrimp and the green parts of the scallions, and simmer until the shrimp cook through, about 1-2 minutes. Now add the cornstarch slurry and stir.  Cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Now add the sesame oil, stir, and remove from the heat.
5. Serve. Once finished, place the shrimp and sauce on a serving plate and serve. 

Tips for making the shrimp

Measure and set aside all the ingredients before you start cooking.  Stir frying moves really quickly.  You’ll need to add a few ingredients, stir them for a minute, and some more ingredients, stir again, and then add some more, and so on.  The cooking process will run much more smoothly if you have all the ingredients measured out and set aside before cooking them.

Wash the shrimp with cornstarch.  This step is important because it helps to firm up the shrimp and give them a great texture.  It takes just a minute of time but does make a difference.  You might have noticed that shrimp in Chinese restaurants sometimes have a different, firmer texture than you’re used to.  This firmer texture that they’re able to achieve is due to the washing process.

What to serve with Ebi Chili

Serve Ebi Chili with white rice to soak up the extra sauce and a side vegetable or two, such as these sweet and salty Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes. 

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Ebi Chili – Shrimp in Spicy Sauce

A fragrant sauce with ginger, garlic, ketchup and spicy doubanjiang coats crispy pan-fried shrimp in this Ebi Chili recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Doubanjiang, Ketchup, Shrimp

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 12-15 shrimp shells and tails removed, deveined
• 1 tbsp cornstarch for washing the shrimp

For the marinade

• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

For the cornstarch slurry

• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water

For the stir fry

• 2 tbsp neutral oil such as canola
• 1 inch piece ginger skin removed, minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 scallion minced, white and green parts separated
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp doubanjiang
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

Prepare the shrimp

• Remove the tails from the shrimp and devein them if necessary.
• Next wash the shrimp. Rub the shrimp in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and then rinse them under cool water to remove all of the cornstarch.

  Washing the shrimp in cornstarch helps improve their texture and firm them up.

Marinate the shrimp

• Mix all ingredients for the marinade (salt, white pepper, sake, and cornstarch) in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp and massage the marinade into the shrimp. Set the shrimp aside, in the fridge, for 10 minutes to marinate.
  

Fry the shrimp

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or frying pan on medium-high heat. 
• Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side (for a total of 2-4 minutes) until the outsides of the shrimp are browned and crisp.
  
• Once finished, remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. 

  The insides of the shrimp do not need to be fully cooked through at this point.

Make the cornstarch slurry

• Mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water and set aside.

Make the stir fry

• Clean the same wok or pan, return it to medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of fresh oil. 
• Once the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, and white parts of the scallion and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. 
  
• Lower the heat to medium and add the ketchup and doubanjiang.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the ketchup and doubanjiang become fragrant.
  
• Add the chicken broth, sake, and sugar, and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  
• Add the partially-cooked shrimp and the green parts of the scallions, and simmer until the shrimp are cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. 
  
• The cornstarch slurry may have separated, so use a spoon to stir it again. Then add the cornstarch slurry to the pan and stir.  Cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thickened, stirring constantly.
  
• Add the sesame oil and stir. Remove the pan from the heat.

Serve

• Once finished, place the shrimp and sauce on a serving plate and enjoy.

The post Ebi Chili – Shrimp in Spicy Sauce appeared first on Eats All Day.

This is a hamburger like you haven’t had before. The juicy beef and pork hamburger steaks are pan fried until crisp and then doused in a sweet, spicy, citrusy ponzu sauce with a ton of flavor. 

They’re topped off with oroshi, a Japanese condiment of grated daikon, giving the final dish a nice peppery bite. 

This dish is hearty and filling. But it’s also surprisingly refreshing because of the bright, citrusy ponzu sauce. 

What is wafu hambagu?

Wafu hambagu is a Japanese-style hamburger steak made from ground beef and pork and topped with daikon oroshi and ponzu sauce.

It’s a typical yōshoku (Japanese-style western food) dish popular throughout Japan.  For other classic yōshoku recipes, check out this Spaghetti Napolitan or this creamy Corn Soup. 

The ground beef and pork are mixed with panko, eggs, onions, garlic and other seasonings like worcestershire, sesame oil and nutmeg.  The meat is made into hamburger size steaks and then pan-fried until crisped on the outside.  A ponzu sauce is added to the burgers while they cook, letting the meat soak up the sweet and spicy flavors of the sauce. 

To finish the dish, the hambagu is topped with daikon oroshi, a simple condiment of grated daikon.

Wafu hambagu is typically served with a green salad and sometimes other roasted vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, or green beans.

What does wafu mean?

“Wafu” means Japanese-style and it often refers to “wafu” salad dressing.  There are all different kinds of wafu dressings, but they all use some combination of traditionally Japanese ingredients such as soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame or ponzu.  

Since this recipe has a ponzu sauce resembling wafu dressing and is often served with a side of green salad, it’s referred to as “wafu hambagu”.

How to make wafu hambagu

Prepare the onions & panko

1. Prepare the onions.  Chop the onions and sauté them in butter on medium heat for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned.  Once finished, set them aside and let them cool to room temperature. 
2. Prepare the panko. Soak the panko bread crumbs in milk for a few minutes.

Make the hambagu steaks

1. Mix the ingredients.  In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, pork, onions, panko in milk, egg, sesame oil, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, black pepper, and salt.  Mix and knead the ingredients very thoroughly until fully combined.  Separate the meat into four equal-sized portions.  
2. Form the hambagu steaks.  First oil your hands with about a half tablespoon of oil so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands while forming the steaks. To form the hambagu steaks, take one portion of the meat in one of your hands.  Now gently, but firmly, toss it to your other hand.  And then toss it back to your first hand.  And now toss it again.  Toss the meat from hand-to-hand about 15-20 times until you form an oval-shaped steak.  Repeat for the other three steaks.  This process removes air bubbles from the meat to prevent the steaks from cracking into pieces while cooking.  Place the hambagu steaks on a parchment paper lined plate and let them rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Make the oroshi

1. Make the oroshi.  Meanwhile, as the hambagu steaks are resting in the fridge, make the oroshi.  Peel the daikon and grate it with a fine cheese grater.  In Japan they use special graters to get the perfect texture.  I didn’t have one, so I just used a normal cheese grater and it turned out great.  Once grated, squeeze out the liquid from the daikon and set the oroshi aside.

Make the ponzu sauce

1. Make the ponzu sauce.  Combine the ponzu, sugar, and yuzu kosho in a small bowl.  Mix thoroughly until the sugar and yuzu kosho dissolve.

Cook the hambagu

1. Cook the hambagu.  Once the hamburger steaks are done resting, heat oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan.  Once the oil is hot, gently place the hamburger steaks in the pan.  Use your thumb to make an indentation in the middle of each steak.  Cook for four minutes until browned.  Flip the hambagus, cover the pan with a lid, and cook for five minutes.  Now remove the cover and add the ponzu sauce.  Cook for two more minutes, spooning the ponzu sauce over the steaks while they cook.  When fully cooked, remove the hamburger steaks from the pan.  Continue to cook the sauce for 1-2 minutes to slightly reduce it.  Remove from the heat once reduced.
2. Top with oroshi and ponzu sauce.  Place the hamburger steaks on a serving plate and top each with 2-3 tablespoons of the daikon oroshi.  Pour the ponzu sauce over the hamburger steaks.  
3. Serve. Enjoy wafu hambagu with a side of green salad and roasted vegetables.  Use the ponzu sauce for dressing for the salad.

Tips for making wafu hambagu

1. Use beef and pork. American burgers usually use just beef. But Japanese hambagu uses a combination of beef and pork, which adds flavor and keeps the steaks juicy. 
2. Remove trapped air from the hamburger steaks.  When forming the steaks, make sure to remove all the air bubbles from them. To do this, gently but firmly toss each steak from one hand to your other hand 15-20 times until the steaks are formed and all air bubbles are removed. 
3. Indent the center of each hambagu when cooking. When you place the hamburger steaks in the sauté pan to cook them, use your thumb to gently make an indentation of about a half inch in the center of each steak. When the steaks are cooking, the centers will rise, and this indentation will keep them flat and from turning into round balls. 

How to make daikon oroshi

Daikon oroshi is a super simple Japanese condiment of peppery shredded radish.  It’s used to give bite to various Japanese dishes such as grilled meats, fish and this wafu hambagu.

To make oroshi, peel the daikon and grate it.  Once grated, use a cheesecloth or your hands to squeeze out most of the liquid.  And that’s it, your oroshi is done.

What if I don’t have a Japanese grater (oroshigane)

In Japan, a special grater called oroshigane is used to grate the daikon.  I didn’t have an oroshigane, and so I just used the finest cheese grater that I had.  The texture was slightly different than oroshi made with an oroshigane but the taste was exactly the same.

How to serve wafu hambagu

Serve wafu hambagu with a side of green salad and roasted vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, or green beans.  Use the ponzu sauce as a dressing for the salad.  Enjoy with a glass of red wine such as cabernet.

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Wafu Hambagu with Oroshi

Japan takes on the hamburger with this juicy Wafu Hambagu topped with grated daikon and a sweet, spicy ponzu sauce. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Beef, Hamburger Steak, Oroshi, Pork

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Rest in fridge time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the hambagu

• ½ onion chopped
• 1½ tbsp butter
• ½ lb ground beef
• ½ lb ground pork
• ¼ cup panko
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1½ tbsp neutral oil such as canola

For the ponzu sauce

• ½ cup ponzu
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp yuzu kosho

For the oroshi

• 4 inch piece of daikon skin peeled with a vegetable peeler

Instructions

Prepare the onions and panko

• Heat the butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook them for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.  Once finished, set them aside and let them cool to room temperature.
  
• Soak the panko bread crumbs in milk for a few minutes.

Make the hambagu steaks

• In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the hambagu (the ground beef, pork, cooked onions, panko in milk, egg, sesame oil, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, black pepper, and salt.
  
• Mix and knead the ingredients very thoroughly until fully combined.
  
• Separate the mixture into four equal-sized portions.
• To form the hamburger steaks, first oil your hands with about a half tablespoon of oil so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands while forming the steaks. Take one portion of the meat in one of your hands.  Now gently, but firmly, toss it to your other hand.  And then toss it back to your first hand.  And now toss it again.  Toss the meat from hand-to-hand about 15-20 times until you form an oval-shaped steak.  Repeat for the other three steaks. 

  This process removes air bubbles from the meat to prevent the steaks from cracking into pieces while cooking.
• Place the hambagu steaks on a parchment paper lined plate and let them rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  

Make the oroshi

• Meanwhile, as the hambagu steaks are resting in the fridge, make the oroshi. Grate the daikon with a fine cheese grater.  In Japan they use special graters to get the perfect texture.  I didn’t have one, so I just used a normal cheese grater and it turned out great. 
  
• Once grated, squeeze out the liquid from the daikon and set the oroshi aside. You can use your hands to squeeze out the liquid or a cheesecloth.
  

Make the ponzu sauce

• Combine the ponzu, sugar, and yuzu kosho in a small bowl.  Mix thoroughly until the sugar and yuzu kosho dissolve.

Cook the hambagu

• Once the hamburger steaks are done resting, heat the oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. 
• Once the oil is hot, gently place the hamburger steaks in the pan.  Use your thumb to make an indentation of about ½ inch deep in the middle of each steak. 
  
• Cook for four minutes until browned. Do not move or disturb the steaks so that they form a nice crust.
• Flip the hamburger steaks, cover the pan with a lid, and cook for five minutes. 
• Now remove the cover and add the ponzu sauce directly on top of the steaks.  Cook for two more minutes, spooning the sauce over the steaks while they cook. 
• When fully cooked, remove the hamburger steaks from the pan. 
• Continue to cook the sauce for 1-2 minutes to slightly reduce it.  Remove from the heat once reduced.

Serve

• Place the wafu hambagu on a serving plate and top each hambagu with 2-3 tablespoons of the daikon oroshi.  Pour the ponzu sauce over the hamburger steaks. 
  
• Serve with a side of green salad and roasted vegetables.  Use the ponzu sauce for dressing for the salad.

The post Wafu Hambagu with Oroshi appeared first on Eats All Day.

The sweet sauce is brushed on top of roasted Japanese sweet potatoes and then broiled in the oven, resulting in a caramelized crust on top of the fluffy, fork tender sweet potatoes. It’s a really nice combination of textures. 

And even though these potatoes are a side dish, they’re so packed with flavor that they can easily be eaten with some rice as a main course. 

What are Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes?

Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes are a side dish of Japanese sweet potatoes topped with a sweet miso butter glaze.

This recipe uses Japanese sweet potatoes, the sweeter, fluffier alternative to the regular orange variety.  Although you could easily substitute orange sweet potatoes in this recipe if that’s all you can find.

The potatoes are first roasted in the oven without the sauce.  After they’re done roasting, the potatoes are topped with the miso butter sauce and then broiled to caramelize the sauce.

Although this dish is simple to make, it packs a ton of flavor.

How are Japanese sweet potatoes different?

Japanese sweet potatoes have purple skin and an off-white flesh that turns a darker shade of yellow once cooked.

The Japanese variety of sweet potato is much sweeter than other orange flesh sweet potatoes or yams typically found in the US.  The flavor has a nutty quality that’s reminiscent of chestnuts. Since it’s so sweet, it’s used often to make desserts like this traditional sweet potato dessert.  

Their texture is a bit more dry and starchier than orange sweet potatoes.  The consistency is actually more similar to white Russet baking potatoes than orange sweet potatoes.  This means that your Japanese sweet potatoes will be a bit fluffier and lighter-feeling than the orange ones.

Japanese sweet potatoes are becoming more and more available in the US.  Whole Foods carries them and so does Trader Joe’s (under the name “Murasaki sweet potato”).  

If you can’t find the Japanese variety, the orange sweet potatoes can be used for a substitute in certain cases, such as in this recipe. 

Ingredients

Japanese sweet potatoes.  These uber sweet, fluffy potatoes pair perfectly with the sweet and salty miso glaze.

Miso.  Miso is the base for the sauce, providing complex flavors of umami, saltiness, funkiness and some sweetness. I prefer red miso in this recipe because it has a deep, strong flavor that stands up to the sweetness. Though any other kind of miso, such as a milder white, would work fine.

Sake.  Sake is the secret ingredient to so many Japanese recipes, enhancing the overall flavor of the dish and adding some umami and sweetness.  

Mirin.  Mirin is often used with sake in Japanese sauces, and we’ll use it here.  It adds more subtle sweetness to the sauce and compliments the sake.

Sugar.  A bit of sugar provides even more sweetness.

Butter.  Butter rounds out the sauce, providing richness and creaminess.

Scallions.  A pop of scallions garnish the dish, giving it some oniony bite.

Sesame seeds.  Sesame seeds also garnish the dish, providing just a bit of nuttiness that compliments the sweet potatoes.

Can I substitute orange sweet potatoes for the Japanese ones?

The orange-fleshed sweet potatoes or yams that are more accessible in the US can easily be used as a substitute in this recipe. 

The potatoes won’t be as sweet and their texture won’t be as fluffy, but they’ll still taste great. 

What kind of miso should I use?

Red miso is preferable for this recipe, since it has a deep, rich flavor that stands up to the sweetness of the sauce and the potatoes.

Though you can use any kind of miso paste, such as the milder white miso, and the potatoes will still taste great. They’ll just have a less strong miso flavor.

How to make Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes

1. Bake the potatoes.  Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and rub two tablespoons of a neutral oil on both sides of the potatoes.  Place the potatoes on a foil-lined sheet tray, cut side down, and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.
2. Make the sauce.  While the potatoes are roasting, mix the miso paste, sake, mirin and sugar in a small bowl until combined.  Cook the sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring very frequently to prevent scorching.  Next add the butter, and continue cooking for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Glaze and broil the potatoes.  Once the potatoes are finished baking, remove them from the oven and turn your oven’s broiler to high heat.  Flip the potatoes over on the sheet pan so that they’re cut side up.  Use a pastry brush to apply the sauce on top of the potato flesh.  Now broil them in the oven for 1-3 minutes until the glaze is beginning to caramelize.  Check the potatoes frequently to avoid burning them.

Tips for making Kyoto style sweet potatoes

1. Cut the potatoes in even halves.  When you slice the potatoes lengthwise, make sure that they’re cut right down the middle into two equal portions.  This ensures that both sides of the potato require the same amount of time for roasting and they’ll all be finished at the same time.
2. Stir the sauce very often while cooking.  Since this sauce has a high sugar content, it can burn very quickly.  So while you’re cooking it on the stove top, make sure to stir it very frequently.  And while you’re stirring it, ensure that you scrape the sauce from the bottom of the pan so that it doesn’t burn. 
3. Keep a close eye while broiling.  The broiling process caramelizes the sauce on top of the potatoes, bringing out the sweetness and giving the potatoes a nice, lightly crispy crust.  But since the sauce has such a high sugar content, it can burn very quickly.  So keep a very close eye on your potatoes when you do the broiling.  Depending on the strength of your oven’s broiler, it could take only one minute to caramelize and could begin burning right after that.

What to serve Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes

These sweet potatoes are a pretty versatile side dish that can be served with many different types of main courses.

They would obviously go great with other Japanese-inspired dishes (like this sushi bake), but are flexible enough to be served with other types of foods like Korean or even American food.

Since the potatoes are so sweet, they would go extremely well with something spicy and acidic, like these loaded kimchi fries topped with spicy mayo, jalapenos, and fresh lime.

And since these potatoes are so good, I’ve eaten them as a main course with rice on the side.

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Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes

If sweet and salty is your thing, then these Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes glazed in a sweet miso butter sauce are sure to hit the spot. 

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Miso, Sweet Potato

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 2 Japanese sweet potatoes or substitute regular orange sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp neutral oil such as canola
• 3 tbsp miso preferably red miso, but any miso will do
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp butter unsalted
• 2-3 scallions sliced into rings, for garnish
• 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the sweet potatoes

• Preheat your oven to 350°.
• Rub all sides of the sweet potatoes (flesh and skin) with 2 tbsp of the neutral oil.
  
• Place the potatoes flesh side down on an aluminum-lined sheet tray and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the flesh is fully cooked and is easily pierced with a fork.

Make the miso butter sauce

• While the potatoes are roasting, mix the miso, sake, mirin, and granulated sugar in a small bowl until combined.
• Add the sauce to a small saucepan and cook on the stove over medium-low heat for five minutes, stirring very frequently. Make sure that you scrape the bottom of the pan often to move the sauce around and prevent scorching.
• Add the butter to the sauce and cook for an additional three minutes, stirring very frequently.

Broil the potatoes and serve

• Once the potatoes are finished baking, remove them from the oven and turn your oven’s broiler to high heat.
• Flip the potatoes over on the sheet pan so that they’re cut side up and use a pastry brush to apply the sauce on top of the potato flesh. 
  
• Broil the potatoes in the oven for 1-3 minutes until the glaze is beginning to caramelize.  Check the potatoes frequently to avoid burning them.
• Once the potatoes are done broiling, place them on a serving plate and garnish them with the sliced scallions and sesame seeds, and serve.

The post Kyoto Style Sweet Potatoes appeared first on Eats All Day.

These simple pantry ingredients create a sauce that has surprising depth and a ton of umami.  The sauce is combined with hot dogs and vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions. It’s then tossed with Italian-style spaghetti and served with parmesan cheese and tabasco sauce.

This dish is one of Japan’s original riffs on Italian food and has evolved over time to become a uniquely Japanese recipe celebrated across the country.  

Ketchup in spaghetti?!

I’ll admit something. 

I love ketchup.  Like, a lot. 

Ketchup gets a bad rap.  It’s considered unrefined and uncultured. As just a low quality condiment to dip your fries in.   Most chefs wouldn’t even consider using ketchup as an ingredient in a recipe.

Well I disagree.  Over the years I’ve had many, many different kinds of food.  Truffles?  Caviar?  Iberian ham?  Yeah, those are pretty good.  But honestly, so is ketchup.  And that’s why I always come back to it.

Japan also loves ketchup.  Ketchup doesn’t have the same stigma in Japan that it does here in the US.  It’s a legitimate ingredient there that’s used in a number of recipes, like this Spaghetti Napolitan.  Other classics like omurice, tonkatsu sauce, ebi chili, and more also use ketchup.

To make this sauce, you’ll cook down ketchup with worcestershire, onions, and other vegetables, revealing an addicting sauce that has deep flavors of umami.  Don’t knock this sauce before you try it.  You’ll be surprised.

What is Spaghetti Napolitan?

Spaghetti Napolitan is a popular yōshoku (Western-inspired Japanese food) pasta dish.  It has a ketchup-based sauce that’s typically mixed with other ingredients such as button mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and some kind of cured meat (this recipe uses hot dogs).  The whole thing is topped off with shaved parmesan and tabasco sauce.

The dish was first created by the head chef at the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama during the 1950s. He took his inspiration from the tomato sauce pasta that the American military was serving for troops stationed there.  At the time, tomato sauce was an expensive ingredient, so the chef experimented with using ketchup for a sauce instead.  He named the dish “Napolitan” in a nod to the Italian city of Naples.  

Spaghetti Napolitan has since become a Japanese classic and is today the most popular yōshoku pasta in Japan.  Other yōshoku pastas, like mentaiko pasta and meat-sauce pasta, are also popular.

Ingredients

Spaghetti.  Italian-style dried spaghetti is traditional for this recipe.

Ketchup.  Ketchup is the defining ingredient of this recipe.  Any substitutions like tomato sauce or paste would probably make a great pasta, but it wouldn’t be Napolitan.  I’m sticking with the classic for this recipe and using Heinz.

Worcestershire sauce.  A full 2 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce adds a punch of umami, saltiness, and tanginess to the sauce.

Hot dogs.  The type of meat used in Spaghetti Napolitan is flexible.  This recipe uses sliced hot dogs.  But bacon, Japanese-style sausage, or Italian-style sausage are also great choices.

Green bell pepper.  Sliced green bell peppers give some vegetal freshness to the dish.

Button mushrooms.  Sliced button mushrooms add earthiness and even more umami to an already umami-packed sauce.

Onions.  Like many Western sauces, onions provide the backbone to the dish.

Garlic.  This is an Italian-inspired dish after all, and so garlic is a must.

Milk.  Just a bit of milk adds a subtle creaminess to the sauce.

Olive oil and butter.  Sauté the vegetables and brown the hot dogs in a combination of olive oil and butter.

Parsley.  A bit of the fresh herb is a typical garnish to the final dish.

Grated parmesan cheese.  Like many Italian-style pastas, you’ll add parmesan cheese on top.

Tabasco sauce.  Unlike many Italian-style pastas, tabasco is used to give a bit of spice and acidity.

What kind of spaghetti do I need?

Any kind of dried Italian spaghetti works well in this pasta.  Fettuccine would also be fine.  I’m using the Japanese brand “Mama” in this spaghetti, but you can use any Italian-style brand you find in your grocery store.

How to make Spaghetti Napolitan

Prepare the ingredients.  The cooking process moves quickly once you start, so it’s best to have all of your ingredients prepared and set aside beforehand.  Slice the onions, bell peppers, button mushrooms, and hot dogs.  Mince the garlic.

Boil the spaghetti.  Boil a large pot of thoroughly salted water.  Once boiling, add the spaghetti.  Cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than the package states, to get to an al dente texture.  Once finished, strain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta-cooking water.

Sauté the ingredients.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Next add the sliced hot dogs and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.  And now add the bell pepper and mushrooms and cook for 4 more minutes, still stirring occasionally.  Add the minced garlic, stir, and cook for 30 seconds.  Now add the ketchup and worcestershire and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.  Now add ⅔ cup of the pasta-cooking water and the milk and stir.

Toss the spaghetti with the sauce.  With the saucepan still on medium heat, add the cooked pasta to the saucepan, and toss the pasta with the sauce to combine.  Cook it for 1 minute, tossing constantly.

Serve.  Place the pasta on a serving dish and garnish with shaved parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and tabasco sauce.

What to serve with Spaghetti Napolitan

Serve Spaghetti Napolitan with other yōshoku dishes for an authentic Western-inspired Japanese meal.

Western-style soup.  Napolitan and corn potage, the creamy corn soup that’s so popular in Japan that you’ll find it in vending machines, is a classic combination in Japan.

Green salad.  Make a simple green salad with a sesame salad dressing.

Bread and butter.  Use some Italian bread to dunk in the corn potage.

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Spaghetti Napolitan

Spaghetti Napolitan, Japan's favorite yōshoku pasta dish, throws caution to the wind and uses ketchup, worcestershire and tabasco for its sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Ketchup, Noodle

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 7 oz spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ onion sliced
• 2 hot dogs sliced at an angle
• 1 green bell pepper sliced
• 4 button mushrooms sliced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 5 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• parsley chopped, for garnish
• grated parmesan for serving
• tabasco sauce for serving

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

• Slice the bell peppers, button mushrooms, and hot dogs. Mince the garlic.
  

Make the spaghetti

• Boil a large pot of thoroughly salted water.  Once boiling, add the spaghetti.  Cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than the package states to get to an al dente texture.  Once finished, strain the pasta and save one cup of the pasta-cooking water.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. 
• Once the oil and butter are hot, add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the sliced hot dogs and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often, until the hot dogs are slightly browned. 
• Add the bell pepper and mushrooms and cook for 4 more minutes, still stirring occasionally. 
• Add the minced garlic, stir, and cook for 30 seconds. 
• Add the ketchup and worcestershire and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. 
• Add ⅔ cup of the pasta-cooking water and the milk and stir.
• With the saucepan still on medium heat, add the cooked spaghetti to the saucepan, and toss the pasta with the sauce to combine.  Cook it for 1 minute, tossing constantly.

Serve

• Place the pasta on a serving dish and garnish with shaved parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and tabasco sauce.

The post Spaghetti Napolitan (Japanese Ketchup Pasta) appeared first on Eats All Day.

This is the most popular yōshoku (Western-inspired Japanese food) soup in Japan.  It’s based on a French soup and has a super smooth, silky consistency and quite a sweet taste from the fresh corn.  

I love this recipe because it’s so simple and just uses a few ingredients, which really lets the corn take center stage.  Corn is so important to this recipe that it’s used in two ways.  First we’ll use the corn cobs to make a corn stock.  Second, we’ll blend that stock up with freshly sauteed corn kernels (and other tasty things like onions, heavy cream and milk).

What is corn potage?

Corn potage is a corn and cream based soup that’s part of Japan’s yōshoku style food tradition.  

Corn was first introduced to Japan in the 1500s from the Portuguese.  But this wasn’t the typical sweet corn that’s eaten today.  Instead it was a type of flint corn, which have hard, large kernels and are usually ground into a meal or used for feeding animals.  

It wasn’t until hundreds of years later, in the early 1900s, that sweet corn was first grown in Japan on the northern island of Hokkaido.  By the 1950s and 60s, corn started to gain steam and was being added to the popular diet. 

Hokkaido is still the chief producer of corn in Japan and corn is heavily associated with the island.  Tourists visiting Hokkaido will find all kinds of corn-based snacks in the city, like Hokkaido-Style Corn on the Cob or even corn chocolate.

Today, corn has become pretty popular across all of Japan and is used in many recipes throughout the cuisine, such as tempuras, stir frys, and in ramens.

But corn potage happens to be the most popular recipe that uses corn in Japan.  

Since this soup has a subtly sweet flavor, kids absolutely love it and drink it often.  And because of that, it’s developed a nostalgic feel to it that reminds many Japanese of their childhoods. 

It’s also served out of vending machines, which is an indication of just how popular it is.

Corn Potage vs. Corn Soup

The terms “Corn potage” and “corn soup” are used in Japan to describe two different ways of preparing Western-style corn soups.  

“Potage” has a consistency that’s completely silky and smooth, without any chunks of corn.  “Corn soup” has a chunkier texture with pieces of corn left in the soup.

The word “potage” has medieval roots and comes from the French language, describing any kind of thick soup, and especially those with cream.  This term has fallen out of favor in English and we don’t really use it anymore.  

But potage is alive and well in Japan, with this corn potage being the most popular Western-style soup in Japan.

How to make creamy corn potage

1. Sauté the vegetables.  First sauté onions with olive oil and butter on medium heat until translucent.  Then add the corn kernels and cook for five minutes until the corn starts to smell toasty and just as it’s starting to slightly brown.  Now add the paprika, stir, and cook for a quick 30 seconds.  Don’t cook it too long, or you’ll scorch the paprika and give it a bitter taste.
2. Add the liquids and cobs.  Add 1 cup of water, along with the cream, milk, the bare corn cobs and a half teaspoon of kosher salt.
3. Cook the potage.  Turn the heat to high and bring the potage to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Blend.  Once finished cooking, discard the corn cobs and add the potage to a blender.  Blend on high speed until thoroughly blended and smooth.
5. Strain.  Put a fine meshed strainer over a large bowl and pour the liquid over the strainer into the bowl.  Use a rubber spatula to push against the mixture to release all of the liquid.  Once finished, discard the solids.  The potage is finished and ready to serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Three tips for creating deep corn flavor

There are three key steps to imparting a deep corn flavor into your potage. 

1. Sauté the corn first. Sautéing the corn in olive oil and butter, before adding any liquid, begins to roast the corn and brings out a sweet aroma.  We’ll sauté it just a bit, very slightly browning the kernels. 
2. Use plain old water instead of any flavored broth.  Vegetable and chicken stocks don’t taste like corn, so we’ll skip them.  Simple water is best for absorbing the flavors of the corn. 
3. Boil the cobs directly in the soup.  We’ll use the bare corn cobs to flavor the soup. Just add the cobs directly into the liquids and boil everything together. Corn cobs are great for making stock and give the potage an amazingly deep corn flavor. 

Ingredients

Corn on the cob.  Use sweet, fresh corn over frozen or canned.  And don’t throw away the cobs!  We’ll use them to create a deeply corn flavored broth. 

Heavy cream.  This recipe is probably so popular in Japan because cream and corn is such a perfect combination. The rich, fatty dairy plays right off of the sweet, light corn to create a soup that has heft but keeps it bright from the corn. 

Milk.  To keep the soup from getting too heavy, we’ll add milk alongside the cream. You can also use half-and-half instead of the milk and cream.  Just omit those two and use two cups of half-and-half instead. 

Onions.  Aromatics provide the base of almost any good Western-style soup and give the soup depth and backbone.

Butter and olive oil.  Use a combination of butter and olive oil to sauté and brown the onions and corn. 

Paprika. A bit of paprika for a slight hint of the spice.

Fresh parsley.  For a bit of garnish.  Totally optional.

What to serve with corn potage?

Since corn potage is a yōshoku-style dish, it’s best served alongside other Western foods.  

Spaghetti.  Serving corn potage with Spaghetti Napolitan, the Japanese ketchup-based pasta, is an absolute classic.  You can also try it with other Italian-inspired pastas like mentaiko pasta.

Green salad.  Try a green salad of lettuce with a simple wafu salad dressing.  This recipe from Iamafoodblog.com uses soy sauce, rice vinegar and a few other pantry ingredients.

Bread and butter.  Add some crusty French bread to dunk into the corn potage.

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Corn Potage (Creamy Japanese Corn Soup)

Corn potage, the creamy corn soup so popular in Japan that you can find it in vending machines, is easy to make in your own kitchen. 

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Corn, Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Equipment

• Fine meshed strainer
• Blender

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn
• ½ onion diced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 1¼ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup milk
• parsley chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the corn

• Slice the kernels from the corn cobs. Save the corn cobs as you'll use them in a later step.
  

Cook the soup

• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onions and sauté for three minutes until the onions become translucent.
• Add the corn kernels and sauté for five minutes, stirring frequently, until the corn develops a toasty aroma and is just starting to brown.
• Add the paprika, stir, and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the heavy cream, milk, 1 cup water, bare corn cobs, and a half teaspoon of salt.
• Turn the heat to high and bring the potage to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Blend, strain and serve

• Once finished cooking, discard the corn cobs and add the potage to a blender.  Blend on high speed until thoroughly blended and smooth.
• Put a fine meshed strainer over a large bowl and pour the liquid over the strainer into the bowl.  Use a rubber spatula to push against the mixture to release all of the liquid. Once finished, discard the solids left in the strainer. 
  
• The potage is now finished and ready to serve garnished with fresh parsley.
  

The post Corn Potage (Creamy Japanese Corn Soup) appeared first on Eats All Day.

This is the recipe that will finally make you love brussel sprouts.  

I know, those are strong words.  But hear me out.

First you’ll smother brussel sprouts in a spicy and sweet sriracha maple syrup sauce.  Then you’ll char them in the air fryer until they’re super crispy.  

And after that, you’ll top them off with a mix of Japanese condiments similar to the ones used for takoyaki.  Think tangy Kewpie mayo, umami-packed furikake and bonito flakes, and biting scallions.

Yep, there’s a lot going on.  But it all works together so well that it’s one of the best ways to eat brussel sprouts that I’ve ever tried.

An explosion of flavors

Every now and then, there’s a recipe that I get really excited about.  And this is one of those recipes.

Each ingredient in this recipe has its purpose and they all come together to provide an amazing balance of flavors.  You’ll find sweetness, spiciness, smokiness, tanginess, creaminess, savoriness, umami, and oniony flavors all in one bite.

These brussel sprouts are so flavorful, and so indulgent, that they’d even make a good party food.  When’s the last time you saw brussel sprouts at a party?

Are these brussel sprouts really Asian?

This is not a traditionally Asian or Japanese recipe at all, though it uses some Japanese ingredients.

The condiments used to top these brussel sprouts are loosely inspired by takoyaki, the wheat-battered octopus balls from Japan.  And because they’re round, the brussel sprouts also look similar to the Japanese street food classic.

Even though this recipe is not traditional, it tastes amazing.  I’ve made it a bunch of times and it’s definitely one of those recipes that I keep going back to.

Ingredients

Brussel sprouts.  The miniature cabbages get the star treatment by being doused in sauce, charred in the air fryer, and topped with an explosion of flavors.

Sriracha.  Spicy sriracha is used in both the sauce and as a topping for the final cooked brussel sprouts.

Maple syrup.  While not an Asian ingredient, sweet maple syrup works so well in this recipe to balance out the spicy sriracha.

Kewpie mayo.  Drizzling a lot of Kewpie mayo on top is a must for this recipe.  The mayo helps tame the spiciness of the sriracha and adds a creamy richness to the final dish.

Furikake.  Furikake is typically a mixture of sesame seeds, seaweed, herbs, fish flakes, and salt.  It adds deeper flavors of saltiness and umami to the brussels sprouts.  It’s become popular in the United States and can be found in the Asian section of many grocery stores.  Trader Joe’s also has it.

Bonito flakes.  The smoked, fermented fish shavings add even more umami to the brussel sprouts.  These flakes are used to top many Japanese dishes like takoyaki (wheat-battered octopus balls), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes with cabbage), and agedashi tofu (fried tofu with a simple dashi-soy-mirin sauce).  

Scallion.  Thinly sliced scallions aren’t just for looks.  They help to round out the final dish with a fresh, oniony bite.

What kind of bonito flakes do I need?

There are many types of bonito flakes and so it could be confusing to choose the right one.  The flakes vary in their color, their thickness, and their overall size.  

This recipe uses thin, pale pink bonito flakes.  Other flakes that are thicker or more brown in color are typically better used for making dashi or for braising.  

This guide on bonito flakes is helpful to better understand all the different types and their uses.

How to make Asian brussel sprouts

1. Make the sauce.  Mix sriracha, maple syrup, canola oil and a pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl.
2. Roast the brussel sprouts.  Place the brussel sprouts in a large bowl and add the sauce.  Toss the brussel sprouts well to evenly distribute all of the sauce.  Roast the brussel sprouts in an air fryer at 390° for a total of 14 minutes.  Shake the brussel sprouts halfway through the air frying process, at the seven minute mark, to move them around and ensure even crisping.
3. Add toppings and serve.  Top the brussel sprouts with more sriracha, Kewpie mayo, furikake, bonito flakes, and scallions.  Serve them right away.

Air fryer tips

1. Don’t be afraid to char the brussel sprouts.  Cooking the brussel sprouts for the full 14 minutes will result in some charring.  This ensures that they’re super crispy and also gives a nice smoky flavor to the dish.
2. Don’t forget to shake the brussel sprouts while cooking.  You should shake the brussel sprouts halfway through the cooking process so that different parts of the vegetables get exposed to heat and are able to crisp up.

What if I don’t have an air fryer?

This recipe can easily be made in your oven if you don’t have an air fryer.

Just add the sriracha maple sauce to your brussel sprouts and roast them on a sheet pan in a 400° oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  

Stir the brussel sprouts twice during the roasting process to ensure that different parts of the sprouts come into contact with the sheet pan and become crispy.

What to serve with Asian brussel sprouts

These sprouts are spicy and packed with flavor. They pair well with other rich, flavorful foods.

Main course:  Set these sprouts down next to spicy, cheesy Korean dishes such as Rose Tteokbokki or Army Stew, and you’ll have a super indulgent and satisfying meal.

More Vegetables:  Moochae, the Korean radish salad, pairs perfectly with these brussel sprouts.  The refreshing, spicy radishes stand up against the flavorful sprouts.

Soju:  This meal screams out for some sweet peach soju to cut through all of the spiciness and heaviness.

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Asian Brussel Sprouts – Crispy Air Fryer Version

Inspired by takoyaki, these Asian brussel sprouts are crisped in the air fryer and loaded with spicy sriracha, sweet maple syrup, and more.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword brussel sprouts, Kewpie Mayo

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• Air fryer

Ingredients

For cooking the brussel sprouts

• 1 lb brussel sprouts
• 1 ½ tbsp sriracha
• 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp neutral oil such as canola

For topping the cooked brussel sprouts

• Kewpie mayo for drizzling on top
• sriracha for drizzling on top
• 2 tbsp furikake
• ¼ cup bonito flakes
• 2 scallions thinly sliced into rounds

Instructions

Make the sauce

• Mix sriracha, maple syrup, canola oil and a pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl.

Roast the brussel sprouts

• Place the brussel sprouts in a large bowl and add the sauce.  Toss the brussel sprouts well to evenly distribute all of the sauce.
• Roast the brussel sprouts in an air fryer at 390° for a total of 14 minutes. 

  Shake the brussel sprouts at the 7 minute mark to move them around and ensure even crisping.
  

Add toppings and serve

• Once the brussel sprouts are finished cooking, remove them from the air fryer and add them directly to a serving dish.
• Drizzle Kewpie mayo and sriracha on the brussel sprouts in a zigzag pattern.
• Scatter the furikake all over the sprouts.
• Place the bonito flakes on top.
• Place the scallions on top of the bonito flakes.
• Serve right away.

The post Asian Brussel Sprouts – Crispy Air Fryer Version appeared first on Eats All Day.

Mentaiko pasta is one of the most popular ways to enjoy wafu pasta, the legendary Japanese-style Western pasta dishes that originated in Japan during the 1940s.  

If you’re not familiar with wafu pastas, then mentaiko pasta is a good place to start.

And as a bonus, it’s so easy to make that it’ll be done in just about the time it takes to boil spaghetti.

What is mentaiko pasta?

Mentaiko pasta is a type of wafu pasta (Japanese-style Western pasta dishes) that uses Japanese ingredients like salted cod roe, soy sauce, shiso, and nori with Western ingredients like spaghetti, heavy cream, milk and butter.

This dish was invented in Shibuya, Tokyo during the 1960s.  Since then, it’s become quite popular throughout Japan and is one of the defining recipes of the wafu pasta tradition.

Though the dish uses salted cod roe, it doesn’t have a very fishy taste.  The tiny fish eggs add more of a salty, slightly spicy flavor to the dish.  Because of their salty flavor and slightly crunchy texture, they’re reminiscent of the grated parmesan you’ll find in traditional Italian recipes.

And where Italian pastas are garnished with herbs like basil and parsley, you’ll find wafu pastas usually topped with shiso and shredded nori.  Shiso adds an aromatic, peppery flavor to the pasta that’s similar to basil.  Nori adds a whole new dimension of deep, umami-laden ocean flavor.

Mentaiko pasta is just one of the many types of wafu pasta. Ketchup-based Spaghetti Napolitan, and fungi-packed wafu mushroom pasta are other popular choices.

Mentaiko FAQs

The salty, spiced cod roe isn’t used very often outside of Japan and you may not be very familiar with this ingredient.  Here are some of the popular questions people have about these tiny fish eggs.

What is mentaiko?

Mentaiko is a type of cod roe that’s marinated in salt, chili flakes, and other spices.  You’ll find it in Japanese grocery stores in either the fresh seafood section or in the freezer aisle.  

The roe are sealed in small membrane sacs, which are totally edible, but I’ll admit don’t sound very appetizing.  In this recipe, you’ll use just the eggs and discard the sacs.

The taste is salty, slightly spicy, and packed with umami.  It’s not very fishy tasting at all.

Is mentaiko different from tarako?

Mentaiko is similar to another Japanese seafood ingredient called tarako.  

Both mentaiko and tarako are salted cod roes.  The only difference is that mentaiko has added chili flakes and spices, while tarako is just plainly salted.  Because of the chili flakes, mentaiko has a red color.  And since tarako has just salt, it’ll be a more plain, beige color.

If you can only find tarako, you can use the tarako as a substitute for mentaiko in this recipe. Your end dish won’t have quite as much flavor or spice, but it’ll still taste fine.

Do you eat mentaiko raw?

You can safely eat Mentaiko raw, like in this pasta dish.  

The raw version is used throughout Japanese cuisine.  Onigiri, temaki, and rice bowls are just a few of the ways to enjoy the raw fish eggs.

Mentaiko is also cooked and eaten alone as a side dish or even used as a topping for pizza.

Where can I buy mentaiko?

Mentaiko is a bit difficult to find if you don’t have access to any Japanese grocery stores, and I haven’t seen it sold elsewhere.  

If you don’t have a local Japanese grocery store, you can purchase frozen mentaiko online.

How long does mentaiko last?

Once thawed, mentaiko can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 14 days if packed well enough.

Can you freeze mentaiko?

Mentaiko freezes well.  Pack the mentaiko tightly in plastic wrap and then a freezer bag before storing in your freezer.

How to defrost mentaiko?

Because of its delicate texture, mentaiko should not be thawed in the microwave.  Thaw mentaiko overnight in the fridge.

How to make mentaiko pasta

1. Boil the pasta.  Cook the spaghetti according to the package’s instructions.
2. Make the sauce.  While the spaghetti is boiling, add the mentaiko, heavy cream, milk, melted butter, light soy sauce, pepper and a pinch of salt to a large bowl and mix well.  The sauce doesn’t need to be cooked and will warm up once tossed with the spaghetti.
3. Toss the pasta with the sauce.  Drain the spaghetti once it’s done and add it directly to the large bowl with the sauce.  Toss the spaghetti with the sauce to evenly distribute.
4. Garnish and serve.  Place the pasta in individual serving dishes and garnish with shredded nori and shiso.  Serve right away.

Ingredients

Spaghetti.  Mentaiko pasta is traditionally made with Italian-style spaghetti.  I used the Japanese brand called “Mama”, but any type of spaghetti would work perfectly.

Mentaiko.  The Japanese salted cod roe provides this recipe’s trademark salty, slightly spicy flavor.  If you can’t find mentaiko, you can use tarako, which is another type of salted cod roe that’s identical to mentaiko except without the chili flakes and spices.  Your dish will have a bit less flavor and spice, but will still turn out fine.  Besides tarako, there’s no other good substitute for this recipe.

Heavy cream, milk and butter.  Three different types of dairy make up the foundation of this sauce.

Light soy sauce.  I prefer to use a light soy sauce rather than regular soy sauce, to help keep the sauce light and balanced.  It’ll prevent the final dish from having too much of a salty, soy flavor.  If you don’t have light soy sauce, regular soy sauce would totally work.

Shiso.  Aromatic shiso subs in for the Italian basil, providing a peppery bite to your pasta.

Nori.  Deep, umami-laden nori adds more flavors of the sea to this dish.  Don’t skip the nori.  Without it, this dish will lack real wafu flavor.

What to serve with mentaiko pasta

Round out your mentaiko pasta with other Western-inspired dishes for a true wafu style meal.

Japanese corn potage (creamy corn soup).  Mentaiko pasta is often eaten with Japanese corn potage.  Both corn potage and mentaiko pasta are seen as nostalgic dishes in Japan and combine together to make a classic, comforting meal.

Bread.  A nice, crusty Italian bread or baguette is a classic with pasta.  Serve the bread with butter.  And if you want to go all out, make a nori compound butter.  Just soften the butter slightly and mix it with crushed nori and a pinch of salt.

Pickles.  Add some acid to cut through the salty, buttery pasta with this quick pickled celery or this pickled cabbage with shio kombu.

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Easy Mentaiko Pasta

This easy mentaiko pasta adds bursts of salty cod roe and pops of aromatic shiso to typically Western ingredients like spaghetti, cream and butter.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Noodle

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 8 oz spaghetti
• 2 sacs mentaiko
• 3 T heavy cream
• 2 T whole milk
• 2 T butter melted
• 1 T light soy sauce substitute regular soy sauce if needed
• 8 turns black pepper

Instructions

Boil the pasta

• Cook the spaghetti in thoroughly salted water according to the package’s instructions.

Make the sauce

• While the spaghetti is boiling, gently slice open the mentaiko membrane and scrape out the eggs. Discard the membrane.
• Add the mentaiko along with the heavy cream, milk, melted butter, light soy sauce, pepper, and a pinch of kosher salt to a large bowl and mix well.

Assemble the pasta

• Once it's done cooking, drain the spaghetti.
• While still hot, add the spaghetti to the large bowl with the sauce. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce to evenly distribute.

Garnish and serve

• Place the pasta in individual serving dishes and garnish with shredded nori and shiso.  Serve right away.

The post Easy Mentaiko Pasta appeared first on Eats All Day.

And not only is it pretty.  It’s also super easy to make, taking just ten minutes of active time.  

You’ll need just three ingredients for this sandwich: fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and milk bread.  Simply layer the strawberries and cream between two slices of bread, cut, and your sando’s ready to instagram eat. 

What is a strawberry sando?

Well, it’s a sandwich with strawberries.  And for dessert!

Putting fruit into a sandwich may seem odd, but it’s actually quite popular in Japan.  And if you think about it, it’s a lot like the American strawberry shortcake which combines strawberries and cream with a biscuit.

The strawberry sando is part of Japan’s epic yōshoku cuisine that combines Western and Japanese flavors.  This type of food originated back in the 1870s during the Meiji Restoration when Western influence started to enter Japan.  Think sandwiches, katsus, curries, spaghettis (such as mentaiko and napolitan), potato salad, and more.   

You can eat strawberry sando on its own its own as a quick snack, or better yet serve it with a fruity drink like a strawberry milk or this homemade Korean banana milk.

How to make strawberry sando

1. Trim the crusts.  Trimming the crusts before you fill the sandwich is much easier than waiting until later.  So trim those crusts as a first step. 
2. Assemble the sandwich.  Add a layer of whipped cream to one slice of bread.  Then arrange the strawberries on top.  And then add another layer of whipped cream on top of the strawberries.  Finally, place the other slice of bread on top.
3. Chill.  Wrap the sando in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.  The chilling process firms up the cream and makes the sandwich cutting process easier.
4. Cut and serve.  Once chilled, remove from the plastic wrap, cut, and serve right away.

Tips for making strawberry sando

1. Carefully arrange the strawberries.  Plan where you’ll make the cut in the sandwich before you lay down any strawberries.  Once you do make the cut, you’ll want to slice directly through the strawberries to end up with a nice, instagrammable pattern.
2. Chill the sandwich before cutting.  The resting process let’s the whipped cream firm up a bit, so that it’s less likely to be squeezed out of the sandwich while you’re cutting it. 
3. Cut the sandwich quickly, with a sharp knife.  You’ll want to cut the sandwich with one fast cutting movement, rather than sawing motions.  A quick cut prevents the cream from smudging up the strawberries and reveals that beautiful, clean strawberry pattern you want.  Use the sharpest knife you have.  

Ingredients

Strawberries.  The star of the show.  Simple, sweet strawberries shine through.

Lightly sweetened whipped cream.  Strawberries and cream is a classic combination all over the world, including in this sandwich.

Milk bread.  Fluffy, pillowy milk bread is the best kind of bread to use for this recipe.  Milk bread loaves are rectangular in shape and can be found in Japanese and Chinese bakeries and grocery stores.

Substitutions for milk bread

Pillowy milk bread perfectly hugs the cream and strawberries and is your best bet for this sandwich.

But if you can’t find milk bread, feel free to use some white sandwich bread.  Your sandwich won’t be as light and fluffy, but it’ll still taste great.  

Avoid other breads such as whole wheat and so on.

What else can I put in a fruit sandwich?

The sky’s the limit.  Oranges, kiwi and mango are popular.  Other fruits like bananas, peaches, grapes, and blueberries would also work.  

Go ahead and use combinations of fruits together in one sandwich.  And if you want to get really artistic with it, try out making some fruit designs like tulips or marigolds.

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Strawberry Sando (Japanese Fruit Sandwich)

Strawberry sando is the sweet, fluffy Japanese fruit sandwich that calls out to your Instagram feed. You’ll need just three ingredients for this sandwich: fresh strawberries, whipped cream and milk bread.   

Course Dessert

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword sandwich

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Rest in fridge time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 1 sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 slices milk bread
• 9 strawberries
• ¾ cup lightly sweetened whipped cream

Instructions

Prepare the strawberries

• Wash the strawberries and trim their tops.

Assemble the sandwich

• Cut and remove the crusts from both slices of bread.
• Add a layer of whipped cream to one slice of bread. 
  
• Then arrange the strawberries on top. 
  
• And then add the rest of the whipped cream on top of the strawberries.
  
• Finally, place the other slice of bread on top.
  

Chill the sandwich

• Wrap the sando in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.  The chilling process firms up the cream and makes the sandwich cutting process easier.

Cut and serve

• Remove the sandwich from the plastic wrap.

  Use the sharpest knife you have to slice through the center of the sandwich, ensuring that you slice directly through the strawberries. Make the slice with one fast cutting movement, rather than sawing motions.  A quick cut prevents the cream from smudging up the strawberries and reveals a clean strawberry pattern. 
  
• Serve right away.

The post Strawberry Sando (Japanese Fruit Sandwich) appeared first on Eats All Day.