You might not have heard of these Japanese dishes but you can still cook them at home

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japanese food?

If you’re a foreigner who hasn’t been too adventurous when it comes to Japanese cuisine, chances are you would think of sushi, ramen or tonkatsu.

While these are delicious dishes that are commonly consumed in Japan, there’s more to Japanese cuisine.

Here are three simple Japanese dishes you can cook by yourself at home if you’re looking to expand your culinary horizon.

Ochazuke

Ochazuke, a dish that literally means “tea” and “submerge”, is made up of cooked rice steeped in green tea.

An extremely simple dish, it’s a great way to use leftover rice. Its toppings are also typically found in a Japanese household, such as seaweed and sesame seeds.

Often consumed as a quick meal or as comfort food when one is feeling under the weather, you can use tea like green tea, hojicha or genmaicha. If you prefer something savoury, however, you can use dashi broth instead.

While you can add any toppings you want, common toppings include salmon flakes, umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum), bubu arare (tiny balls of puffed rice crackers), and scallion.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• Japanese rice
• Hojicha
• Salmon
• Sesame seeds
• Shiso (perilla) leaves

I used hojicha for the tea, but you’re free to use any tea you want, like green tea and genmaicha. Floral teas and black teas, however, probably won’t go very well with rice.

After preparing your salmon, adding your toppings – I used sesame seeds and shredded shiso leaves – and brewing your hot tea, you’re good to go.

You can replace salmon with salmon flakes from a bottle as well if that’s more convenient for you.

Lastly, if you prefer a tinge of acidity to your food, you can add some kurozu, or black vinegar.

You can get this black vinegar, hojicha, sesame seeds and instant Japanese rice from online Japanese grocery store Groceries by umamill.

Shiraae

A healthy side dish made up of vegetables and tofu, shiraae (which roughly translates to “white” and “to dress vegetables”) is a typical Buddist cuisine, and is great as a vegan option.

It’s really easy to make too.

Simply prepare some greens, such as green beans or Japanese mustard spinach (komatsuna), tofu, white miso, sesame seeds and soy sauce.

You can get the soy sauce and miso here.

First, drain the tofu (I got silken tofu but firm tofu works better for this recipe) by wrapping it with some paper towels.

Let it sit for around 30 minutes. If you want, you can place something heavy on top of it, like a frying pan or tray with some cans for added weight, to speed up the process. Afterwards, you can squeeze out the excess water as well.

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the sesame seeds (I used my mum’s old set that I dug out from somewhere deep in the kitchen cabinets).

Add sugar, miso and tofu to the sesame seeds, which should have been reduced to a fine powder), to make some sort of paste.

For the exact measurements, you can refer to this recipe.

As for the green beans, boil them but don’t overcook them so they retain a crisp texture.

Then cut them diagonally.

Add some soy sauce to season the green beans, mix well and leave it aside for a few minutes.

Next, combine the paste and the green beans together.

Once you’re done, you can put it into the fridge to cool for 30 minutes first before serving, or you can serve immediately.

And there you have it, the shiraae dish is complete.

Tonjiru

Tonjiru is a warm, hearty soup which literally means “pork soup” in Japanese. While it’s a classic winter dish, it can be enjoyed all year round (yes, even in hot and humid Singapore).

Besides pork, you can add lots of root vegetables to the soup, such as radish, carrots, and burdock root. And like the other two dishes mentioned above, you can customise the dish by adding whatever ingredients you prefer, making it a great way to enjoy all your favourite vegetables in one dish.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• Pork belly
• Radish
• Chives
• Tofu
• Konnyaku
• Napa cabbage
• Fishcake
• Dashi

You can get the konnyaku, fishcake and dashi here.

First, cook the pork slices with some sesame oil, and add your root vegetables afterwards.

In the meantime, I’ve also seasoned the konnyaku slices with some salt and boiled it for around three minutes first to get rid of the fishy smell.

Next, add the rest of your ingredients into the pot, as well as the dashi broth.

After the ingredients are cooked, add some miso paste to taste and let the broth simmer on low heat. Be careful not to let it come to a boil as miso loses its taste and some of its nutrients when boiled.

The dish is then ready to be served!

If you want to try these dishes for yourself, or shop for some Japanese ingredients, you can check out Groceries by umamill, which brings ingredients direct to you from Japan.

From now till the end of March, get free delivery (applicable for next day delivery) and S$10 off your purchase if you spend a minimum of S$30 with the coupon code MOTH202202 (valid till the end of March).

Top image by Kayla Wong

This sponsored piece by Groceries by umamill inspires the writer to want to cook more.