Humble Bean | Japanese Recipes for the Home Cook (2024)

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Gyoza is one of the most convenient foods to have around. I make this recipe and freeze what I don’t use right away (it makes a lot!). Since I always have a bag tucked in the freezer, when I’m feeling lazy or there’s nothing else to eat in the house, I can make an instant meal of of them. You can buy frozen gyoza at the store, but making your own is leaps and bounds better, in my opinion.

I’ve posted a gyoza recipe once before. That one is all meat, but this one incorporates napa cabbage and has a more Japanese, rather than Chinese, flavor. I’ve been making this version more often because the flavors are mild and I like that the cabbage makes the filling softer.

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Posted in Favorites, Meat, Traditional Recipes| Tagged garlic, ginger, green onion, gyoza, japan, japanese, miso, napa cabbage, pan fried, pork, potsticker, sesame oil| 5 Responses

I wish I could eat tofu so I could eat spinach prepared this way. I love the gentle flavor of the sesame and the richness of the miso combined with the tofu. I’m intolerant to soy, but I had a little bite and wished I could eat more. This would be a great addition to a bento or a small side for dinner. With the temperatures rising in Los Angeles, I’m even fantasizing packing this for a musubi picnic.

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Posted in Favorites, Tofu + Egg, Vegetables| Tagged miso, sesame, shoyu, spinach, sugar, tahini, tofu, vegetarian| 5 Responses

Ginger beef is good to have under your belt because it comes together super fast, it’s satisfying and delicious, and it only requires 4 ingredients. Pork is probably more commonly used in this dish, but I remember my mom making it with beef growing up. You could make a meal of it by pairing this with a steamed vegetable, rice, and miso soup. The beef marinates for only 5 mins, so you don’t have to plan this too far in advance.

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Posted in Meat, Traditional Recipes| Tagged beef, ginger, mirin, shoyu| 3 Responses

For today’s look back, I want to re/introduce you to Tuna + Avocado Donburi. This was one of those one-bowl meals that sprung out of necessity and surprised me when it turned out as good as it did. I love that the ingredients are few and the method is simple, and yet you get a satisfying meal. I think it would’ve been the perfect college food, had I thought of it sooner.

Here’s the recipe for Tuna + Avocado Donburi.

Posted in Contemporary Recipes, Favorites, Fish, Rice Dishes| Tagged avocado, nori, Rice Dishes, shoyu, sugar, tuna| Leave a comment

Korrokke are Japanese potato croquettes. They’re especially nostalgic for me because in junior high, my friends and I would stop by the butcher on the way home and order them as an after school snack. They were warm and crispy and felt like such a treat. If you’ve never come across korokke, they’re basically mashed potatoes mixed with ground beef and sauteed onions (typically), coated with panko, and fried. Doesn’t that sound delicious? The only thing better would be to make it with bacon, which is what I have for you here.

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Posted in Contemporary Recipes, Meat| Tagged bacon, cream, croquette, deep fry, potato| 4 Responses

I make this Chinese-influenced soup when serving a batch of gyoza or fried rice. I don’t know how it’s traditionally made, but here dashi is used as a base, which gives it a smooth, smokiness I like. If you have dashi on hand (I usually double a batch and freeze what I don’t use), this is simple and fast to make. When I have leftovers, I’ll heat some rice in the soup and eat it like a porridge.

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Posted in Contemporary Recipes, Favorites, Soups, Tofu + Egg| Tagged dashi, egg, ginger, nori, shoyu, soup| 8 Responses

Chicken soboro is ground chicken cooked in shoyu, mirin, and sugar. It’s layered on top of rice and sprinkled with sake-cooked scrambled egg on top. It’s great for bentos and you could also use it as a filling for musubi without the egg. I made this the other day and my stepdaughter loved it, so it goes without saying it’s officially approved as kid friendly!

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Posted in Contemporary Recipes, Favorites, Meat, Rice Dishes, Tofu + Egg| Tagged chicken, donburi, egg, mirin, Rice Dishes, sake, shoyu, sugar| 4 Responses

Hamburger steak is essentially Japanese meatloaf in patty form. Many of the ingredients are the same—softened onions, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, etc. The only difference is meatloaf takes an hour in the oven and this is cooked on a stovetop in minutes. I usually make a sauce that combines tonkatsu sauce, ketchup, and sake, but lately we’ve been eating it with daikon oroshi (grated daikon) and ponzu. It’s a refreshing spin and one of my husband’s favorites.

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Posted in Contemporary Recipes, Favorites, Meat| Tagged beef, egg, ground beef, onion, pan fry, panko| 5 Responses

I’m reserving Fridays of this month to spotlight a recipe from the archives. These are recipes that made a strong impression on me and ones that I’d like to incorporate into my regular repertoire more often. This week I’m taking another look at Sukiyaki Donburi.

Growing up, sukiyaki was a leisurely meal. We’d fill our individual bowls up with piping hot beef, vegetables, and tofu, then dip into another bowl with a beaten raw egg. I’d refill my bowl multiple times throughout the course of the meal. This eating ritual is similar to nabe in that way, eating and supplementing as you go, taking from a single bubbling pot in the center of the table.

There’s a specific iron pot used in making sukiyaki so I never thought to make it on my own until I came across this recipe. The ritual is different but the flavors and ingredients are the same. It’s less of a eating spectacle, but I find it manageable and relatively quick to make. And it’s one of the most delicious and satisfying meals. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I do.

Here’s the recipe for Sukiyaki Donburi.

Posted in Favorites, Meat, Rice Dishes| Tagged beef, japanese, sukiyaki, tofu| 2 Responses

Do you love sushi? Is it becoming an expensive habit? Making sushi at home doesn’t have to require any rolling technique or special equipment. Temaki zushi (which translates to hand rolled sushi) is DIY—you prepare all the ingredients and everyone makes their own hand rolls. It feels communal and the best part is creating your own rolls and finding tasty new combinations.

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Posted in Favorites, Fish, Rice Dishes, Traditional Recipes, Vegetables| Tagged ika, maguro, nori, sushi, temaki| 8 Responses

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