WHAT IS THAT DISH?

Food Dictionary

Your essential guide to identifying and understanding Japanese food.

✨For the Bold

Uzaku — grilled eel and cucumber in a sweet vinegar dressing, a refined izakaya starter.

Grilled Eel and Cucumber in Sweet Vinegar Dressing

Udon — thick, chewy noodles served in a gentle dashi broth.

Thick Wheat Noodles Hot or Cold

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Oden — daikon, egg, and fish cake simmered slowly in a light dashi broth.

Japanese Winter Hot Pot with Simmered Assorted Ingredients

Doria — Japanese-style rice gratin baked in a cream sauce with chicken and mushrooms, topped with golden melted cheese

Baked Rice Gratin with Creamy Sauce and Cheese

Onigiri — triangular rice balls wrapped in nori, arranged in a row.

Japanese Rice Ball with Fillings

Kake Soba — buckwheat noodles served in a warm dashi broth.

Buckwheat Noodles in Hot Dashi Broth

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Karaage — juicy fried chicken marinated in soy sauce and garlic.

Juicy Japanese-Style Fried Chicken

✨For the Bold

Somen — very thin white noodles served chilled with a light dipping sauce, a Japanese summer dish.

Ultra-Thin Cold Wheat Noodles for Summer

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Tonkatsu — thick panko-fried pork cutlet with a crispy golden crust, served with shredded cabbage and cherry tomatoes, with tonkatsu sauce being poured over it

Crispy Deep-Fried Breaded Pork Cutlet

✨For the Bold

Namerō — fresh fish minced with miso and aromatics, a classic fisherman's dish.

Minced Raw Fish with Miso and Herbs

Mori Soba — chilled buckwheat noodles served with a tsuyu dipping sauce.

Chilled Buckwheat Noodles with Dipping Broth

Ebi Chili — plump prawns in a sweet and spicy chili sauce, served on shredded lettuce

Stir-Fried Shrimp in Spicy Chili Sauce

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Ebi Mayo — plump fried prawns coated in a creamy mayonnaise sauce, served with bok choy and tomato

Fried Shrimp Tossed in Creamy Mayo Sauce

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Korokke — a crispy fried croquette of mashed potato and ground meat.

Japanese Potato and Meat Croquette

Steak — wagyu beef seared on a hot iron plate.

Steak (Japanese Style)

Premium Japanese Beef Steak with Soy-Based Sauce

Shumai — steamed pork dumplings wrapped in a thin dough, served with soy sauce.

しゅうまい

Steamed Pork Dumplings Japanese Style

Steamed & Simmered

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Champon — a hearty noodle dish from Nagasaki, loaded with pork, seafood, and vegetables.

ちゃんぽん

Nagasaki-Style Noodle Soup Loaded with Seafood and Vegetables

Moro Kyu — fresh cucumber sticks served with a dollop of savory moromi miso dipping paste

もろきゅう

Cucumber Sticks with Miso Dip

Aji Fry — panko-fried horse mackerel served with shredded cabbage, cherry tomatoes, and tartar sauce

アジフライ

Panko-Fried Horse Mackerel

Ebi Fry — large prawns coated in crispy breadcrumbs and deep-fried.

エビフライ

Japanese Panko-Breaded Deep-Fried Shrimp

✨For the Bold

Omurice — ketchup fried rice wrapped in a soft fluffy omelette, a Japanese Western-style classic.

オムライス

Fluffy Omelette Wrapped Around Ketchup Fried Rice

Kaki Fry — panko-fried oysters served with tartar sauce, lettuce, and a wedge of lemon

カキフライ

Panko-Fried Oysters

Katsu Curry — Japanese curry rice topped with a crispy panko-fried pork cutlet, served with pickled ginger

カツカレー

Fried Pork Cutlet over Japanese Curry Rice

✨For the Bold

Chahan — fried rice stir-fried until each grain is separate and lightly fragrant.

チャーハン

Japanese-Style Wok Fried Rice

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Napolitan — Japanese ketchup-based spaghetti stir-fried with sausage and green pepper, topped with grated cheese

ナポリタン

Spaghetti Napolitan

Ketchup-Based Japanese Spaghetti

Hambagu — a Japanese-style hamburger steak made from beef and pork, served with sauce.

ハンバーグ

Japanese-Style Juicy Meat Patty with Sauce

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Menchi Katsu — a crispy deep-fried patty of ground meat and onion.

メンチカツ

Deep-Fried Minced Meat Cutlet

✨For the Bold

Shabu-shabu — thinly sliced meat briefly swished through hot broth and eaten with dipping sauce.

しゃぶしゃぶ

Thinly Sliced Meat Cooked in Light Broth

Jaga Butter — a whole baked potato split open and topped with a melting pat of butter, with golden fluffy flesh spilling out

じゃがバター

Steamed Potato Topped with Butter

✨For the Bold

Nameko Oroshi — nameko mushrooms with grated daikon, served as a side dish.

なめこおろし

Silky Nameko Mushrooms with Grated Daikon and Ponzu

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Curry Udon — thick udon noodles in a rich, spicy curry broth with vegetables and chicken, topped with green onion

カレーうどん

Thick Udon Noodles in Japanese Curry Broth

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Japanese-Style Curry Rice — a hearty curry with chunky ingredients, Japan's most iconic home-cooked dish.

カレーライス

Japanese Curry Rice

Rich and Mild Japanese Curry over Steamed Rice

✨For the Bold

Corn Soup — a sweet and creamy corn potage.

コーンスープ

Corn Soup (Japanese Style)

Sweet and Creamy Japanese Corn Potage

Potato Salad — creamy mashed potato with cucumber and carrot, dressed in Japanese mayo.

ポテトサラダ

Potato Salad (Japanese Style)

Creamy Japanese-Style Mashed Potato Salad

Meat Sauce Spaghetti — Japanese-style spaghetti topped with a rich ground beef and tomato meat sauce, garnished with parsley

ミートソース

Meat Sauce Spaghetti

Japanese-Style Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

✨For the Bold

Kinpira Gobo — burdock root and carrot stir-fried in a sweet-savory glaze.

きんぴらごぼう

Sweet and Savory Stir-Fried Burdock Root

Beef Stew — Japanese-style beef stew with tender chunks of beef, potato, onion, tomato, and broccoli in a rich dark demi-glace sauce, served in a cast iron dish

ビーフシチュー

Japanese-Style Beef and Vegetable Stew

Tonkotsu Ramen — thin noodles in a rich, milky pork bone broth, topped with chashu pork.

とんこつラーメン

Rich and Creamy Pork Bone Broth Noodles

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Cream Korokke — a crispy fried croquette with a melting béchamel filling inside.

クリームコロッケ

Crispy Croquette with Creamy Béchamel Filling

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Iburigakko with Cream Cheese — smoky pickled daikon served with cream cheese.

いぶりがっこチーズ

Iburigakko with Cream Cheese

Smoky Pickled Daikon with Cream Cheese

✨For the Bold

Goya Champuru — Okinawan stir-fry of bitter melon, tofu, pork, and egg.

ゴーヤチャンプルー

Okinawan Bitter Melon Stir-Fry with Tofu and Egg

Kitsune Udon — udon noodles in a clear dashi broth topped with a large piece of seasoned aburaage (sweet fried tofu), narutomaki, and green onion

きつねうどん（そば）

Kitsune Udon (or Soba)

Noodles Topped with Sweet Fried Tofu

Tanuki Udon — udon noodles in a light dashi broth topped with crispy tenkasu (tempura scraps) and green onion

たぬきうどん（そば）

Tanuki Udon (or Soba)

Noodles Topped with Crispy Tempura Bits

✨For the Bold

French Onion Soup — caramelized onion soup topped with bread and melted cheese, baked until golden.

オニオングラタンスープ

Japanese French onion soup

Caramelized Onion Soup with Melted Cheese on Top

Hashed Beef — Japanese-style hashed beef stew with tender beef and onions in a rich demi-glace sauce, served over white rice

ハヤシライス・ハッシュドビーフ

Japanese Hashed Beef and Rice in Demi-Glace Sauce

✨For the Bold

Chuka Don — seafood and vegetables in a savory, glossy sauce piled over a generous bowl of rice.

Chinese-Style Stir-Fried Seafood and Vegetables over Rice

Kushikatsu — skewered meat and vegetables, battered and deep-fried, an Osaka specialty.

Deep-Fried Skewered Meat and Vegetables

✨For the Bold

Katsudon — freshly fried pork cutlet simmered with egg and served over rice.

Crispy Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl

Happosai — stir-fried mixed vegetables with seafood and mushrooms in a light savory sauce

Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables and Seafood in Thick Sauce

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Hiyashi Chuka — chilled ramen noodles with ham, vegetables, and egg in a soy-sesame dressing.

冷やし中華

Chilled Ramen Noodles with Colorful Toppings

✨For the Bold

Hiyayakko — chilled tofu with condiments and soy sauce, simply served.

冷奴（豆腐）

Hiyayakko（Tofu）

Chilled Silken Tofu with Toppings

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Kiriboshi Daikon — dried shredded daikon, rehydrated and simmered in a sweet-savory broth.

切り干し大根

Kiriboshi Daikon

Simmered Dried Shredded Daikon with Vegetables

Steamed & Simmered

Sashimi — a colorful assortment of fresh raw fish including tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and white fish, served with wasabi

Sliced Fresh Raw Fish

Chicken Nanban — fried chicken pieces topped with a generous serving of creamy tartar sauce

チキン南蛮

Fried Chicken in Sweet Vinegar Sauce with Tartar

Aji no Nanbanzuke — fried horse mackerel marinated in sweet vinegar with julienned vegetables

あじの南蛮漬け

Aji no Nanbanzuke

Fried Horse Mackerel Marinated in Sweet Vinegar

✨For the Bold

Tamago Soup — a gentle soup with soft, fluffy egg ribbons swirled through the broth.

Silky Egg Drop Soup Japanese Style

❤️ Kaa-chan's Pick

Tamago Kake Gohan — a raw egg mixed with soy sauce and poured over hot steamed rice.

卵かけご飯

Tamago Kake Gohan (TKG)

Hot Rice with Raw Egg and Soy Sauce

✨For the Bold

Osuimono — a clear, refined dashi soup with delicate garnishes.

Delicate Japanese Clear Soup

Miso Ramen — ramen in a rich, hearty miso-based broth, topped with chashu pork and toppings.

味噌ラーメン

Hearty Miso-Based Broth Noodles

Miso Shiru — a classic miso soup generously topped with green onion.

Japan's Everyday Miso Soup