What to eat today?

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Yaki udonStir-fried udon noodles

Yaki udon (焼うどん) was first made in Kitakyushu, in northern Kyushu, just after the war, when a café owner ran out of soba for yakisoba and fried udon instead. The thick, chewy noodles are tossed in a hot pan with cabbage, onion, mushrooms and carrot, then glazed with soy, mirin and a little vegetarian Worcestershire-style sauce. Meat is usual in Japan; this vegetarian version gets its richness from shiitake and a fried egg on top. A fast, filling weeknight supper. Chef's tip: get the pan really hot and leave the noodles alone for 30 seconds at a time, so they pick up slightly charred edges; that smoky 'koge' is what makes yaki udon taste like the street-stall version.

20 min

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Zaru sobaChilled buckwheat noodles

Zaru soba (ざるそば) is the simplest and most loved way to eat buckwheat noodles in Japan, served chilled on a bamboo tray (zaru) with a small cup of dipping sauce. You pick up a mouthful of noodles, dip them, and slurp. The usual tsuyu sauce is made with bonito; this one gets its savoury depth from kombu and dried shiitake. Refreshing on a hot day, with grated wasabi, spring onion and a little nori. Chef's tip: the ice-water rinse is not optional. It washes off the surface starch and tightens the noodles so they're slippery and firm; soba shops call this 'shime', the finishing chill.

20 min

Japanese Breakfast & Brunch

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TamagoyakiRolled omelette

Tamagoyaki (卵焼き) is a rolled omelette made in layers, found in breakfast trays and bento boxes all over Japan. Thin sheets of seasoned egg are cooked one at a time and rolled up around each other, giving soft, springy slices with pretty spiral lines. This is the gently sweet home style; a little soy keeps it savoury. A square tamagoyaki pan helps, but a small round frying pan works too. Chef's tip: keep the heat moderate and the pan well oiled between layers. If the egg browns, the heat is too high; a good tamagoyaki is evenly yellow with just a few golden patches.

15 min

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Dolsot bibimbapStone pot rice bowl with vegetables

Dolsot bibimbap (돌솥비빔밥) is bibimbap served in a heavy stone pot (dolsot) that is heated on the hob until the rice touching the stone turns into a crackling golden crust, called nurungji. It is eaten all over Korea and is still sizzling when it reaches the table. This vegetarian version tops the rice with seasoned spinach, bean sprouts, carrot, mushrooms and pan-fried tofu, and an egg that cooks gently in the heat of the pot. A small cast-iron pan works if you don't have stone bowls. Chef's tip: listen to the pot. A steady crackle with a toasty, nutty smell means the crust is forming; a sharp burnt smell means the heat is too high.

50 min

Korean Rice & Grains

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PajeonSpring onion pancake

Pajeon (파전) is a savoury pancake packed with whole spring onions held together by a thin batter. Dongnae, a district of Busan, is famous for its version, made with rice flour in the batter and finished with beaten egg poured over the top; Dongnae pajeon is usually loaded with seafood, which is left out here. Korean families often make it on rainy days and eat it with a soy and vinegar dip. Keep the batter ice cold and the pan hot for the crispest edges. Chef's tip: use just enough batter to glue the spring onions together. Dongnae cooks want you to taste spring onion first and batter second, so it should look lacy, not cakey.

25 min

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Sigeumchi namulSeasoned spinach

Sigeumchi namul (시금치나물) is a quick side dish of blanched spinach dressed with garlic, a little soy sauce and plenty of toasted sesame. It is one of the banchan found on tables all over Korea, and it is also one of the toppings in bibimbap. The spinach is blanched for just a few seconds so it stays bright green, then squeezed dry so it takes on the dressing. Serve at room temperature with rice and other banchan. Chef's tip: squeeze the spinach really hard before seasoning. Any water left in it dilutes the sesame dressing and makes the namul taste watery.

10 min

Korean Sides

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Matcha mochiGreen tea rice cakes

Mochi (もち) are soft, chewy rice cakes made from glutinous rice flour, and Kyoto's confectioners have long flavoured them with matcha from nearby Uji. This quick home version cooks the dough in the microwave rather than pounding steamed rice. Each little green ball is wrapped around a centre of sweet red bean paste and dusted with cornflour. They are best eaten the day they are made, while still soft. Chef's tip: work while the dough is still warm, and keep your hands and the tray well dusted with starch. Warm mochi stretches easily around the filling; once it cools it tears and won't seal.

26 min

Japanese Desserts

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OkonomiyakiSavoury cabbage pancake

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, 'grilled as you like it') is the pride of Osaka, where it's cooked on hot iron griddles in lively restaurants. Finely shredded cabbage is folded into a light batter with egg and spring onion, then fried into a thick, soft pancake with a crisp outside. It's painted with a fruity brown sauce and zigzagged with mayonnaise. Bonito flakes are usual on top; this vegetarian version uses seaweed flakes and pickled ginger instead. Chef's tip: don't press the pancake down with your spatula while it cooks. Osaka cooks leave it alone so the cabbage steams inside and stays light and fluffy; pressing squeezes out the air.

35 min

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DorayakiHoney pancakes with sweet bean filling

Dorayaki (どら焼き) are two small, golden honey pancakes pressed around a thick layer of sweet red bean paste (anko). They were first sold in their modern form by a Tokyo sweet shop in the early 1900s, and are now in every Japanese bakery and convenience store. The pancakes are soft, moist and slightly springy, with a deep brown, even surface. A good afternoon treat with green tea, and children love them. Chef's tip: wipe the pan almost dry of oil and keep the heat low. That's how Japanese sweet shops get the smooth, evenly brown 'gong' surface (dora means gong); too much oil gives a blotchy, spotted pancake.

40 min

Japanese Desserts

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Takikomi gohanRice cooked with mushrooms and carrot

Takikomi gohan (炊き込みご飯) is mixed rice cooked in one pot with seasonal vegetables and a savoury broth, made in homes across Japan, especially in autumn when mushrooms and chestnuts are in season. Every grain soaks up the soy, mirin and mushroom flavour, and the bottom forms a prized toasty crust (okoge). This vegetarian version uses a kombu and shiitake dashi. Serve it with miso soup and pickles, or pack it into onigiri the next day. Chef's tip: never stir once the vegetables are on top, and don't lift the lid while it cooks. The heavy vegetables would sink and the rice cook unevenly; leaving it alone also gives you the toasty okoge crust at the bottom.

50 min

Japanese Rice & Grains

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Vegetable onigiriRice balls with vegetables

Onigiri (おにぎり) are Japan's everyday lunchbox and picnic food, sold in every convenience store from Tokyo to Kyushu. Warm rice is pressed around a salty or savoury filling and wrapped in a strip of crisp nori. This recipe gives three vegetarian fillings: sour umeboshi (pickled plum), sweet-salty simmered kombu, and a soy-glazed mushroom and carrot mix. Children love helping to shape them, and they keep well for a packed lunch. Chef's tip: use freshly cooked, still-warm rice and salt your hands, not the rice. The grains stick together only while warm, and the salt on the outside seasons every bite the way a Japanese mother would.

30 min

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Doenjang jjigaeSoybean paste stew with tofu

Doenjang jjigae (된장찌개) is the stew Korean families all over the country eat most often: a bubbling pot of fermented soybean paste broth with tofu, potato, courgette, mushrooms and chilli, served with rice and banchan. Doenjang is deeper and funkier than Japanese miso, and it gives the broth a rich, earthy savouriness. It is usually made with anchovy stock; here a quick kelp and shiitake stock does the same job, so the stew is vegan. Serve it in the pot it was cooked in, still bubbling. Chef's tip: add the doenjang early and let it simmer. Its earthy depth comes out with a few minutes of bubbling, and it is better a little thick and salty than thin, as it is eaten with plenty of rice.

25 min

Korean Soups

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SunomonoCucumber and wakame salad

Sunomono (酢の物, 'vinegared things') are small, refreshing dishes served alongside rice and richer food in homes all over Japan. This one, kyūri to wakame no sunomono, is the most common: paper-thin salted cucumber and wakame seaweed in a sweet, gentle rice-vinegar dressing. It cuts through fried food like tempura or gyoza. Ready in ten minutes, and best eaten chilled. Chef's tip: salt the cucumber and squeeze it hard. It draws out the water so the slices turn pleasantly crunchy and drink up the dressing instead of diluting it.

10 min

Japanese Salads

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OmuriceOmelette-wrapped fried rice

Omurice (オムライス) is a yōshoku dish, Western-style Japanese food, said to have been invented at a Tokyo restaurant around 1900. Tangy ketchup fried rice is wrapped in a thin, soft omelette and topped with more ketchup. Chicken is usual inside; this vegetarian version uses mushrooms, sweetcorn, peas and onion. A favourite with children, and on the table in half an hour. Chef's tip: pull the pan off the heat while the top of the omelette is still a little runny; it finishes cooking from the heat of the rice, and stays soft and silky as in a Tokyo yōshoku diner.

30 min

Japanese Rice & Grains

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Edamame with sea salt

Edamame (枝豆) are young green soybeans cooked in their pods, the classic snack with a cold drink in izakaya and beer gardens all over Japan, especially in summer. You squeeze the beans straight from the salty pod into your mouth. Rubbing the pods with salt before boiling seasons them through and keeps them bright green. They're a good source of plant protein too. Chef's tip: rub the pods with salt before boiling, as izakaya cooks do. It scrubs off the fuzz, keeps the pods bright green and seasons the beans inside.

8 min

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Japanese cheesecake

Japanese soufflé cheesecake (スフレチーズケーキ) is soft, airy and barely sweet, somewhere between a cheesecake and a chiffon sponge, and it wobbles when it comes out of the oven. It became popular in Japanese bakeries in the 1960s and later spread from Osaka and Fukuoka shops around the world. Cream cheese is folded with stiffly whipped meringue and baked slowly in a water bath so it rises without cracking. It takes patience, but the result melts in the mouth. Chef's tip: whip the meringue only to soft-to-medium peaks and bake low and slow in the water bath. Over-whipped egg whites and a hot oven are the two reasons this cake cracks and then collapses.

100 min

Japanese Baking

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BindaetteokMung bean pancakes

Bindaetteok (빈대떡) are thick, crunchy pancakes made from soaked and ground mung beans mixed with kimchi, bean sprouts and spring onions, then fried in plenty of oil. They are the signature dish of Gwangjang market in Seoul, where stalls grind the beans in stone mills and fry the pancakes in front of you. Market versions often include pork; this one keeps the classic vegetables and is naturally gluten free and rich in protein. The outside turns deep golden and crisp while the inside stays soft. Serve hot with a soy and onion dip. Chef's tip: grind the beans coarse, not silky, and fry in more oil than feels right. The slight grit is what makes Gwangjang-style bindaetteok so crunchy outside and fluffy inside.

45 min

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Vegetable gyoza

Gyoza (餃子) came to Japan from China and became a passion in Utsunomiya, a city north of Tokyo that calls itself the gyoza capital, with a gyoza statue outside the station. These vegetarian dumplings are filled with salted cabbage, shiitake, tofu and garlic chives. They're pan-fried and then steamed, so the bottoms turn crisp and golden while the tops stay soft. Shape a big batch and freeze some for later. Chef's tip: squeeze the salted cabbage really hard. Watery filling makes soggy, torn gyoza; a dry filling keeps the wrappers sealed and the bottoms crisp.

60 min

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Japanese curry rice

Japanese curry rice (カレーライス) arrived in Japan from Britain via the navy in the late 1800s and is now a national comfort food, cooked in homes from Hokkaido to Okinawa. It is nothing like an Indian curry: the sauce is thick, glossy and mild, made with a roux of butter, flour and curry powder, and sweetened with grated apple. This vegetarian version is packed with potato, carrot, onion and mushrooms. It tastes even better the next day, and children love it. Chef's tip: take the onions all the way to a deep golden brown before anything else goes in. Japanese home cooks swear by this step, as the caramelised onion gives the curry its rounded sweetness.

50 min

Japanese Curries

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Tofu katsu curry

Katsu curry (カツカレー) is a favourite in canteens and curry houses across Japan, first served in Tokyo's Ginza in the 1940s. A crunchy breaded cutlet is sliced and laid over rice, then half of it is smothered in thick, mild curry sauce, so you get crisp and saucy bites. Here firm tofu replaces the pork. It is a little more work than plain curry rice, but children love it. Chef's tip: fry the katsu at the last minute and pour the curry over only half of it, so you always keep some crunch; Japanese curry houses serve it exactly this way.

45 min

Japanese Curries

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Matcha latte

Matcha (抹茶) is finely ground green tea from Uji, near Kyoto, the heart of Japanese tea-growing for centuries. A matcha latte (抹茶ラテ) is the café version: the powder is whisked to a smooth, frothy shot, then topped up with steamed milk and lightly sweetened. It tastes grassy, creamy and gently bitter. Use any milk you like; oat milk froths especially well. Chef's tip: keep the water at about 80°C. Boiling water scorches matcha and makes it bitter; let the kettle stand for 2–3 minutes after boiling before you pour.

7 min

Japanese Drinks

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Hiroshima okonomiyakiLayered cabbage and noodle pancake

Hiroshima okonomiyaki (広島風お好み焼き) is built in layers rather than mixed: a thin crêpe, a tall heap of cabbage and bean sprouts, a layer of fried noodles and a fried egg, all pressed together on the griddle. It's the city's signature dish, and Hiroshima has hundreds of small okonomiyaki counters. Pork belly is the usual layer; this vegetarian version leaves it out and adds mushrooms. Take your time with the layering; it's worth it. Chef's tip: shred the cabbage as finely as you can and pile it high; it looks far too much, but it steams down by half under the crêpe, and that sweet, soft cabbage is the heart of the Hiroshima style.

40 min

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Hiyashi chukaChilled ramen noodles with toppings

Hiyashi chuka (冷やし中華) is Japan's summer noodle dish: shops all over the country hang up a 'hiyashi chuka hajimemashita' (we've started serving it) sign when the hot weather arrives. Cold, springy ramen noodles are topped with neat strips of thin omelette, cucumber, tomato and other vegetables, then dressed with a tangy soy, vinegar and sesame sauce. This vegetarian version uses sweetcorn and seasoned tofu in place of the usual ham. Fresh, light and ready in under half an hour. Chef's tip: rinse the noodles until they squeak and are truly cold, then shake them dry; any warmth or water left on them makes the dressing taste flat.

25 min

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Hobak jeonPan-fried courgette rounds

Hobak jeon (호박전) are slices of Korean courgette dusted in flour, dipped in beaten egg and pan-fried until golden. They are one of the jeon that families all over Korea make for holiday tables, and they also make an easy side dish for an everyday meal. The courgette turns sweet and tender inside its soft egg coating. Korean aehobak is paler and sweeter than a regular courgette, but either works. Serve warm or at room temperature with a soy dipping sauce. Chef's tip: keep the heat gentle. Good hobak jeon is bright yellow with only light golden spots; a hot pan browns the egg before the courgette is tender.

20 min

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Vegetable tempura

Tempura (天ぷら) became a Tokyo street food in the Edo period, when stalls fried it to order by the city's riverbanks. The secret to the thin, lacy coating is an ice-cold, lumpy batter mixed at the last second and vegetables fried in small batches. Sweet potato, aubergine, pepper, shiitake and green beans all work well. Serve straight from the pan with a light dipping sauce and grated daikon. Chef's tip: keep everything cold. Use ice-cold water, mix the batter only seconds before frying, leave it lumpy, and stand the bowl in a larger bowl of ice. Cold batter hitting hot oil is what makes the lacy, crackly shell that Tokyo tempura masters prize.

35 min

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Gamja jorimSoy-braised baby potatoes

Gamja jorim (감자조림) are cubes or small potatoes simmered in soy sauce and sugar until the liquid reduces to a sticky, shiny glaze. They are a lunchbox and home-cooking favourite across Korea, loved by children for their sweet-salty taste. The potatoes turn soft inside but keep their shape, and they taste just as good cold the next day, so they are ideal to make ahead. Rice syrup gives the traditional shine; sugar alone works too. Chef's tip: add the syrup only at the end, when the potatoes are already tender. Added early it scorches and makes the potatoes tough on the outside.

30 min

Korean Sides

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Goya champuruBitter melon stir-fry

Goya champuru (ゴーヤーチャンプルー) is the best-known dish of Okinawa, Japan's southern islands, where bitter melon (goya) grows on vines in summer. Champuru means 'mixed up' in the Okinawan language: slices of goya are stir-fried with firm tofu and egg, and the bitterness is balanced by soy and the richness of the egg. Pork or Spam is usual; this vegetarian version relies on well-browned tofu. Serve with rice. Chef's tip: scrape out every bit of the white pith from inside the goya. That's where most of the harsh bitterness lives, so a clean scrape gives you the pleasant, refreshing bitterness Okinawans love.

20 min

Japanese Vegetarian

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Vegetable miso ramen

Miso ramen was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and is now eaten all over Japan. This vegetarian version builds a deep broth from kombu and dried shiitake instead of pork bones, then thickens it with miso and toasted sesame paste. A pile of quickly stir-fried cabbage, bean sprouts, carrot and sweetcorn goes on top with a soft-boiled egg. Slurp it while it's piping hot on a cold day. Chef's tip: fry the miso paste for a minute in the hot wok with the garlic and ginger before it meets the broth, as Sapporo shops do; the toasted miso gives the soup its deep, roasted flavour.

35 min

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Kongnamul muchimSeasoned soybean sprouts

Kongnamul muchim (콩나물무침) is one of the simplest and most common banchan, the small side dishes served with every Korean meal across the country. Soybean sprouts are steamed in a little salted water until tender but still crunchy, then tossed with garlic, sesame oil and spring onion. The nutty, clean flavour goes with almost anything. For a spicy version, add a teaspoon of chilli flakes when you season it. Chef's tip: decide at the start whether the lid is on or off, and don't change your mind while they cook. Lifting it halfway is what gives sprouts a raw, beany smell.

15 min

Korean Sides

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JapchaeGlass noodles with vegetables

Japchae (잡채) is a dish of chewy, translucent sweet potato starch noodles tossed with spinach, mushrooms and brightly coloured vegetables in a sweet soy and sesame dressing. It is made all over Korea for birthdays, holidays and big family meals, because it can be prepared ahead and is eaten warm or at room temperature. Each vegetable is cooked quickly on its own, then everything is mixed by hand so the noodles soak up the seasoning. Older recipes include beef; this one uses shiitake for the savoury depth. Chef's tip: dress the noodles while they are still hot and keep each vegetable crisp. Overcooked noodles clump and turn gluey, so pull them as soon as they are clear and chewy.

40 min

Korean Pasta & Noodles

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Horenso goma-aeSpinach with sesame dressing

Horenso no goma-ae (ほうれん草の胡麻和え) is one of the most common side dishes in Japanese home cooking and bento boxes. Spinach is blanched for a few seconds, squeezed dry and tossed in a nutty dressing of freshly toasted, crushed sesame seeds with soy and a little sugar. Toasting and grinding the seeds yourself makes all the difference. Serve as one of several small dishes with rice and miso soup. Chef's tip: toast and grind the sesame yourself just before mixing. Ready-ground sesame tastes flat; freshly ground seeds smell like roasted nuts and give the dish its rich flavour.

10 min

Japanese Sides

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HotteokFilled sweet fried pancakes

Hotteok (호떡) are chewy, yeasted pancakes filled with brown sugar and cinnamon that melt into a hot syrup as they fry. They are a winter street snack all over Korea, but Busan is known for ssiat hotteok (씨앗호떡), where the fried pancake is slit open and stuffed with a handful of toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Glutinous rice flour in the dough makes it soft and stretchy. Be careful with the first bite, as the filling is very hot. This dough uses milk, so it is vegetarian; use water instead for a dairy-free version. Chef's tip: rest the dough until it has properly doubled and is full of bubbles, and keep your hands oiled. A sticky, well-risen dough gives the chewy, stretchy texture.

60 min

Korean Desserts

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Miso soup

Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.

10 min

Japanese Soups

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KimchijeonKimchi pancakes

Kimchijeon (김치전) is a thin, crisp pancake made by stirring chopped sour kimchi and its juice into a simple flour batter. Cooks all over Korea make it to use up kimchi that has fermented a little too far, and it is a favourite rainy-day snack with a glass of makgeolli. The kimchi juice colours the batter red and seasons it, so you need little else. This version is egg-free; a spoonful of starch in the batter makes the edges extra crunchy. Use vegetarian kimchi made without fish sauce or shrimp. Chef's tip: be generous with oil and keep the pancake thin. The crisp, almost lacy edge is the best part, and a thick pancake steams instead of frying.

20 min

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Bibim guksuCold spicy noodles

Bibim guksu (비빔국수) is a bowl of chilled thin wheat noodles mixed with a sweet, tangy and fiery gochujang dressing and topped with crunchy cucumber, lettuce and kimchi. It is a summer favourite all over Korea, quick enough for lunch and refreshing on a hot day. The noodles are rinsed in cold water until springy, then tossed with the sauce just before eating. Many versions add half a boiled egg; this one is fully vegan. Chef's tip: rinse the noodles hard in cold water, rubbing them like laundry, then drain them really well. Leftover starch or water dulls the dressing and makes the noodles sticky.

20 min

Korean Pasta & Noodles

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Gimbap

Gimbap (김밥) are rolls of sesame-seasoned rice and colourful fillings wrapped in roasted seaweed, then sliced into rounds. They are the classic Korean picnic and lunchbox food, sold on almost every street corner nationwide. Unlike sushi rice, gimbap rice is seasoned with salt and sesame oil rather than vinegar, so it tastes nutty and savoury. This vegetarian version is filled with omelette strips, garlicky spinach, carrot, soy-glazed tofu, cucumber and the bright yellow pickled radish called danmuji. They keep well for a few hours, so they are good to make ahead for a trip. Chef's tip: season the rice while it is warm and spread it thin, no more than a few grains deep. Thick rice and wet fillings are the two reasons rolls burst or go soggy.

50 min

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Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls

Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.

30 min

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Agedashi tofuFried tofu in warm broth

Agedashi tofu (揚げ出し豆腐) is a classic izakaya dish eaten all over Japan: cubes of soft tofu dusted in potato starch, fried until they form a thin, crisp shell, then bathed in a hot, savoury broth. The coating turns silky as it soaks up the sauce while the tofu inside stays creamy. Usually topped with bonito flakes; here it's grated daikon, ginger and spring onion with a kombu-shiitake broth instead. Chef's tip: coat the tofu in starch right before it goes into the oil, not ahead of time; if it sits, the starch turns damp and the coating fries up gummy instead of crisp.

20 min