🇯🇵 Japanese Home Cooking | 10 Family Favorites I Make Again and Again

This time, I spent the day cooking 10 of our family’s favorite Japanese home-cooked dishes—recipes I’ve made over and over again. 🍳
From nikujaga and karaage to potato salad, these are comforting family favorites that I know I’ll continue making for years to come. 🌿

⏰ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Opening

1:02 ① Nikujaga (Japanese Beef & Potato Stew)

4:06 ② Ninjin Shirishiri (Okinawan Stir-Fried Carrots & Egg)
6:09 ③ Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
9:44 ④ Niku Dofu (Simmered Beef & Tofu)
13:10 ⑤ Chikuwa Isobe-age (Seaweed-Battered Fried Fish Cake)
15:14 ⑥ Our Family-Style Bolognese
20:00 ⑦ Kinpira with Lotus Root, Carrot & Burdock Root
22:56 ⑧ Daikon & Scallop Mayo Salad
24:57 ⑨ Japanese Potato Salad
29:22 ⑩ Fried Flounder with Sweet & Sour Vegetable Sauce

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🍳 RECIPES

【① Nikujaga – Japanese Beef & Potato Stew】

Thinly sliced beef　250g
Potatoes (May Queen)　3 large
Onion　1
Carrot　1
Ginger　1 small piece
Rice bran oil　2 tbsp

Water　300ml
Sake　3 tbsp
Sugar　2 tbsp
Mirin　2 tbsp
Soy sauce　3 tbsp
Dashi packet　1

【② Ninjin Shirishiri – Okinawan Stir-Fried Carrots & Egg】

Carrots　2
Tarako or mentaiko　1 sac
Eggs　2
Rice bran oil　1 tbsp
Sake　1 tbsp
Mirin　1 tbsp
Shiro dashi　1/2 tbsp

【③ Karaage – Japanese Fried Chicken】

Chicken thighs　600g
Soy sauce　2 tbsp
Sake　2 tbsp
Sugar　2 tsp
Shiro dashi　2 tsp
Salt　1/2 tsp
Ginger　1 piece

Potato starch　as needed
Oil for deep-frying　as needed

【④ Niku Dofu – Simmered Beef & Tofu】

Thinly sliced beef　250g
Grilled tofu (yaki-dofu)　1 block (300–350g)
Onion　1–1 1/2
Japanese long onion (naganegi)　1
Rice bran oil　about 1 tbsp

Water　250ml
Dashi packet　1
Soy sauce　3 tbsp
Mirin　3 tbsp
Sake　3 tbsp
Sugar　1 1/2 tbsp

【⑤ Chikuwa Isobe-age – Seaweed-Battered Fried Fish Cake】

Thick chikuwa　1
Cake flour　2 tbsp
Potato starch　1 tbsp
Aonori (green seaweed flakes)　1 tsp
Cold sparkling water　60–70ml
Oil for deep-frying　as needed

【⑥ Our Family-Style Bolognese】

Ground beef and pork mixture　300g
Onion　1
Carrot　1/2
Celery stalk　1/2
Garlic　1 clove
Canned tomatoes　1 can (400g)
Heavy cream　50ml
Worcestershire sauce　2 tsp
Consommé powder　1 tsp
Sugar　2 tsp
Butter　10g
Salt　a pinch
Olive oil　as needed

Pasta　as needed
Parmesan cheese　as needed

【⑦ Kinpira with Lotus Root, Carrot & Burdock Root】

Lotus root　200g
Burdock root　1/2
Carrot　1/2
Rice bran oil　1 tbsp

Sake　2 tbsp
Mirin　2 tbsp
Soy sauce　2 tbsp
Sugar　1 1/2 tsp

White sesame seeds　as needed

【⑧ Daikon & Scallop Mayo Salad】

Daikon radish　1/3
Kaiware daikon sprouts　1 pack
Canned scallops　1 can
Salt　as needed (for drawing out moisture from the daikon)

Mayonnaise　3 tbsp
Soy sauce　1 tsp
Sugar　1/2 tsp

【⑨ Japanese Potato Salad】

Potatoes　500g (about 4–5 May Queen potatoes)
Carrot　1/2
Eggs　3
Bacon　80g

Consommé powder　1 tsp
Sugar　1 tbsp
Mayonnaise　5 tbsp

【⑩ Fried Flounder with Sweet & Sour Vegetable Sauce】

Flounder fillets　4
Potato starch　as needed
Oil for deep-frying　as needed

Onion　1/2
Carrot　1/2
Green bell pepper　1
Red bell pepper　1/2
Yellow bell pepper　1/2
Oil for stir-frying　as needed

【Sweet & Sour Sauce】

Water　200ml
Soy sauce　2 tbsp
Rice vinegar　2 tbsp
Sugar　1 tbsp
Mirin　2 tbsp

【Potato Starch Slurry】

Potato starch　1 tbsp
Water　2 tbsp