Japanese food is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, so much so that even the supermarkets sell sushi in their snack and takeaway sections. But what does a typical Japanese meal consist of. It normally includes a bowl of rice (gohan), a bowl of miso soup (miso shiru), pickled vegetables (tsukemono) and fish or meat. Although rice is the staple food of Japan, several kinds of noodles (udon, soba and ramen) are also very popular for light meals.
As an island nation, the Japanese love seafood which includes a wide variety of fish, squid, octopus, eel. So, in Japan, shellfish is used in all kinds of dishes ranging from sushi to tempura.
Japanese Rice
Sticky, short-grained rice is the staple food in Japan and there are several thousand varieties grown across the country. Rice is also used to make rice cakes (mochi), rice crackers (senbei) rice crackers and rice wine (sake). Rice is also cooked with red beans (sekihan)or seafood and vegetables (Takikomi gohan). Onigiri are rice balls with seafood or vegetables in the middle, usually wrapped in a piece of dried seaweed (nori) and are ideal as for starters or snacks.
Noodles
Udon noodles are the most popular and are made from wheat flour. They are boiled and served in a hot broth and topped with ingredients such as a raw egg to make tsukimi udon, and deep-fried tofu to make kitsune udon.
Soba is another type of noodle which is made from buckwheat; these are thinner and a darker colour than the udon noodles. Soba is usually served cold with a dipping sauce, sliced green onions and wasabi. When served in a hot broth, it is known as kake soba.
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