Looking for Japanese recipes? Want the best ramen? Try our ideas and twists here.
Create your own sushi spread, including temaki rolls and sashimi. Or tuck into comforting family dishes, from hearty ramen to plenty of Japanese curry ideas. We’ve even included a step-by-step guide to the perfect dashi and a sake cocktail or two. Pair with a bottle of Japanese rice wine – here’s everything you need to know about sake.
Try Japanese chef Luiz Hara’s Nikkei dishes. Nikkei is a Peruvian-Japanese fusion food. Read more about it in Luiz’s book Nikkei Cuisine: Japanese food the South American way.
Tuck into your Japanese food and escape through your earphones with our foodie Japanese travel podcast.
Not spotted your favourite Japanese dish? Do you know an awesome Japanese chef or food writer that you’d like to see featured here? Email us or contact us on social media at @olivemagazine to let us know!
Want to escape abroad through your kitchen? Try our top 10 travel-inspired dishes.
Easy Japanese recipes
Ingredients
- We use sushi rice, miso, yuzu and more
Zaru soba
This six-ingredient Japanese recipe comes from Masaki Sugisaki of Dinings SW3. You can buy dried soba noodles in some supermarkets, Japanese grocery stores and online.
Bone Daddies' spicy miso ramen
This spicy miso ramen is from the hip Japanese ramen restaurant Bone Daddies. It takes a little time but the result is worth it: rich pork broth with noodles and exotic ingredients. Prepare and marinade the eggs and the meat the night before for best results.
Celeriac katsu sando
Take your sandwiches up a notch with our impressive and crunchy celeriac katsu sando. This moreish Japanese-style sandwich may take a bit of effort but it's well worth the wait, plus it's veggie too.
Yakitori chicken skewers with miso
This Japanese-style glaze is ideal for grilled meat, poultry or fish. It is so easy to make – the mix of miso, sugar and mirin makes these healthy chicken skewers deliciously sticky.
Easy okonomiyaki
These trendy Japanese-style savoury pancakes are popping up everywhere and are a brilliant way to use summer cabbage. This is a super-simplified version.
Temaki (sushi rice hand rolls)
Packed with plenty of fresh and crunchy veg, these vegan hand rolls are an easy lunch time treat.
Grilled Little Gem lettuce with tosazu dressing
This recipe comes from Chinese chef Larkin Cen and is served at his Bristol restaurant Woky Ko: Kaiju. Lettuce is grilled and then dressed in a sauce of soy, mirin and rice vinegar. Try it as a fancy BBQ side or as part of an Asian-inspired feast.
King prawn yaki soba
Check out our take on the classic Japanese recipe, yaki soba. We've used king prawns, but you can easily change things up with chicken or strips of beef if you like. It’s the sauce that really makes this.
Quick Japanese-style rice salad
Use a pack of ready-cooked or left-over rice to put a super-fast (and low-calorie) king prawn salad together. Make it green with edamame beans, cucumber and avocado.
Marmite chicken
Check out Luiz Hara's crunchy marmite chicken with a quick cucumber pickle. This simple but moreish dish is packed with flavour for an easy flavour hit.
Dashi
Dashi is a Japanese stock that's quick and easy to make and adds an umami depth of flavour to many Japanese dishes.
Onigirazu (sushi sandwich)
Switch up your usual sarnie for our sushi sandwich with soft sashimi tuna, pickled fiery ginger and crunchy veg.
Japanese chicken, broccoli and mushroom curry
Add white miso and soy sauce to your curry for an umami-rich midweek meal, packed with chicken and veggies.
Yaki udon noodles
Stir-fries are the best quick meal. Get all your ingredients ready then the cooking takes minutes – this dish is ready in 20 minutes. Leave out the Worcestershire sauce for a vegetarian version.
Whole chicken shoyu ramen
They say good things come to those that wait and this chicken ramen recipe is no exception to the rule. This dish takes a few hours to make, but it's definitely worth the wait for a healthy, flavour-packed dinner.
Chicken katsu curry
If you always order the katsu curry when you eat out in Japanese restaurants, you’ll be surprised to learn how easy it is to make at home. This is a chicken and pea version to try as a twist.
Seared tuna tatakiÂ
This simple Japanese dish is super-healthy and will have your tastebuds singing. Ask your fishmonger for sashimi-grade tuna.
Miso mackerel with chilli brown rice
Try our quick Japanese-style recipe for mackerel. Grilling is an easy way to cook oily fish and the miso-mirin marinade takes minutes to make. Serve with brown rice.
Tsukune with Japanese-style quinoa
Peruvian-Japanese fusion food is called Nikkei and this recipe for tsukune with Japanese-style quinoa is a great, easy way to try it at home.
Spicy squid with Japanese BBQ sauce
This Japanese-style spicy squid is a great new way to serve squid in summer time.
Sake martini
Swap vermouth for sake in this Japanese-inspired take on the classic cocktail.
