I must make it clear up front that I am not a foodie. I will generally enjoy all kinds of food, but won’t go out of my way (and empty my wallet) for a world famous meal. So sadly I won’t be taking you to Jiro’s sushi on my trip, but I still managed to have a bit of all my favorite Japanese foods!
{ Ramen }
My first official meal in Japan was Ippudo ramen. Unlike the New York restaurant, I didn’t have to wait in line for 2 hours, and the ramen was delish! However, since there is a New York version, the meal didn’t seem as authentically Japanese. I even forgot to take a picture! 🙁 But maybe this picture of my friend Dru enjoying his ramen will suffice:
Ramen is originally a Chinese dish that began its popular ascend in Japanese culture in the early 1900s, and especially after World War II when the Japanese soldiers returned home. There’s some interesting history behind its origin and name for the history buffs, but for most of us, it’s just hearty delicious food that’s especially good after a night out. My favorite ramen will have the following:
- Thick noodles that are just a bit chewy.
- Rich broth that’s not too salty. The most popular flavors are miso, shoyu (soy), shio (salt) and my personal favorite, tonkotsu.
- Toppings cooked just right, including chashu (pork), kombu (kelp), seaweed, menma (bamboo shoots), and finally a soft boiled egg melty at the core.
{ Yakitori }
I didn’t go to a specialized yakitori place (like the one pictured below) this time, but did get to have some as part of my izakaya experience (to be shared later). Yakitori literally translates into grilled chicken, but has been used to refer to grilled skewers in general.
I still remember the first time I ever stepped foot in a yakitori restaurant 9 years ago. It was my second month in Japan and I was traveling with a couple of other foreigners. We randomly walked into a crowded restaurant only to discover they didn’t have any menus with English or photos. Fortunately our waiter turned out to be Chinese, and I was able to order some regular skewers and skipped over some of the more experimental ones (at the time). For those who are less adventurous, just a word of warning, grilled chicken means grilling many parts of the chicken, including heart, gizzard, liver, and skin, among other things. So don’t just point at random things on the menu!
A few of my favorites now that I am much more open to experimental chicken parts (list courtesy of wikipedia):
- sunagimo (砂肝), or zuri (ずり) chicken gizzard
- (tori)kawa ((とり)かわ) chicken skin, grilled until crispy
- tebasaki (手羽先), chicken wing
- nankotsu (なんこつ), chicken cartilage
- gyūtan (牛タン), beef tongue, sliced thinly
- enoki maki (エノキ巻き), enoki mushrooms wrapped in slices of soft bacon
- shishito (しし唐), green pepper
- asuparabēkon (アスパラベーコン), asparagus wrapped in bacon
- tsukune (つくね), chicken meatballs
- hotate (ほたて）
The skewers are pretty small, and usually contains 2-6 pieces depending on what you order. It’s best to share between a few people so you can try everything on the menu. You are in Japan, be adventurous! 🙂
{ Okonomiyaki }
I feel like Korean pancakes are much more famous than Japanese ones, but okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is so much fun to cook and eat! The batter is made of flour, yam, eggs, and cabbage, and you can add any additional ingredient you want to it (which is why the name of the dish literally means “whatever you like”). In traditional Japanese restaurants, you cook it yourself on a hot plate, which is probably why it’s less popular outside of Japan given the unique setup required.
Dru and I found this tiny little place on our way home from the Ghibli museum and I’m not even sure if it had a name. The place was run by an elderly Japanese couple and okonomiyaki was their specialty. We ordered a seafood set, and the nice Japanese lady smiled and encouraged us to cook it ourselves, so we did! Here’s how it works:
Sprinkle some okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes on it, and you are done! There’s nothing more satisfying than learning how to make your own foreign dish in a foreign country 🙂
{ Yakisoba }
Yakisoba is one of those easy dishes that I sometimes just crave. It’s simply throwing ramen noodles into a frying pan with some veggies and pork, but the combination is irresistible! It’s also available at most Japanese restaurants as a side dish, so we added it to our okonomiyaki order. Remember to eat it with the shredded ginger, which adds the tangy sweet kick!
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