Japanese food is very popular in England, a melting pot of cultural cuisines. But rather than always eat out (too expensive) or buy plastic-wrapped ready meals, why not just learn to make your favourite meals?
Never eat rice after 24 hours (a good poison hazard). Keep these recipes away from young children and pets due to unsafe ingredients like onion, garlic and strong spices. Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets.
Vegan JapanEasy offers bold and salty sweet and rich umami recipes of modern Japanese food, that is also super-simple to make. The author taps into this rich culture of cooking to offer recipes like:
- Vegetable tempura
- Onigiri
- Mushroom gyoza
- Cauliflower katsu curry
- French onion ramen
- Soy sauce butterscotch brownies
Also read Vegan Recipes from Japan. More than a cookbook this takes notes from Zen philosophy to offer simple recipes that are prepared with the seasons, using just a few ingredients. Using local produce and other Japanese staples like miso, soy sauce, sake and dashi, find simple recipes with entertaining stories, from the land of the rising sun. Vegetables are prepared according to the seasons from the garden or market (with few ingredients). The book’s recipes combine local produce and rice with Japanese ingredients to open up a new perspective, for those who like Japanese food.
Look in stores for Miso Tasty, a lovely range of quality miso pastes and soups. One of the few foods with umami (all 5 tastes), it’s delicious in soups and stews, and good for your tummy! If you’re visiting, read The Vegan Guide to Tokyo (2023).
a book of Japanese macrobiotic recipes
Japanese-Style Plant-Based Cooking is by one of Japan’s best-known food writers and shares 80 delicious recipes including:
- Sweet potatoes in spicy Sichuan sauce
- Miso-stuffed baked tomatoes
- Herb-roasted daikon radish
- Mini broccoli burgers with spicy tomato sauce
- Traditional Kyoto-style aubergine pickles
- Yoghurt soup with fermented cucumber pickles
Learn to turn everyday vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, cabbage, courgette and potatoes) into culinary delights using fermenting ingredients like soy sauce, miso, sake and mirin. There’s also a chapter on pickling and fermenting vegetables, with 20 easy-to-make pickling recipes.