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Japanese Food for Kids : 2
Menu:
– Tuna Mayo Onigiri/Roll [Recipe]
– Veggie miso soup with cabbage, tofu and wakame
– Cucumber and bean sprouts salad with yukari
– Japanese omelette [Recipe]
– Kimpira gobo [Recipe]
– Yogurt with marmalade and blueberry jam
Behind the scenes:
This time, I created a menu themed around a traditional Japanese breakfast. For the soup, I chose miso soup, which provides plenty of dietary fiber and protein. By scooping the top layer, it helps reduce the salt content. For the rice dish, I made tuna mayo seaweed rolls and cut them into bite-sized pieces for easier eating by children. The side dishes include a protein-rich tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette), a yukari seasoning mix with bean sprouts and cucumber to help them gradually get accustomed to new ingredients and textures, and the classic kinpira gobo (sautéed burdock root and carrots). For dessert, I focused on providing calcium and vitamins with yogurt, topped with colorful apricot and blueberry fruit jam for added flavor and appeal.
Note : This recipe was first submitted on February 9, 2021, and resubmitted on April 3, 2025, to reflect additional information.
Japanese Home Meals : 1
Menu:
– Miso soup with komatsuna, fried-tofu and silken tofu [Recipe]
– Japanese rice [Recipe]
– Nikujaga [Recipe]
– Onsen tamago
– Natto *fermented soybeans
– Pickled plum
Paired tea:
– YUCa’s Tea : Genmai-cha
Recipe : Miso Soup
Miso soup is an essential part of Japanese cuisine. It is usually made by simmering various ingredients in a base of dashi (Japanese soup stock) and miso (soybean paste). This time, I will make miso soup using my family’s favorite ingredients : wakame seaweed, tofu, and Fu (wheat gluten).
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Japanese Food for Kids : 1
🍱 Menu
– Rice balls with various toppings
– Miso Mayo Chicken [Recipe]
– Potato Croquette
– Tofu salad
– Nori seaweed
– Miso soup with wakame and fried tofu [Recipe]
– Yogurt with strawberry jam
🎬 Behind the scenes
This menu was created when my child was still very young. I chose onigiri—mixing various ingredients with the rice so they can be easily eaten by hand—and opted for chicken to provide a good source of protein. Since my child doesn’t eat much soup, I served it in a small bowl. I also included seaweed, rich in dietary fiber and minerals, as a snack-like side. Finally, yogurt topped with strawberry jam was added to help supply calcium and vitamins.
Note : This recipe was first submitted on January 12, 2021, and resubmitted on March 21, 2025, to reflect additional information.
Recipe : Yuzu syrup
Yuzu is a citrus fruit native to East Asia, particularly Japan, Korea, and China. It has a unique flavor that is a cross between lemon and lime, with a tart and aromatic taste. The fruit is often used in Japanese cuisine, both for its zest and juice. Yuzu is popular in dishes like sauces, dressings, and marinades, and it’s also used in sweets, teas, and cocktails. The zest is highly valued for its fragrant, zesty aroma. Recently, yuzu has gained international popularity and can be found in many food products worldwide. I bought a lot of small yuzu fruits and decided to make a simple yuzu syrup to preserve them and enjoy the flavor for a long time.
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Recipe : Sakura Mochi
Sakura Mochi (桜餅) is a Japanese confectionery associated with cherry blossoms and is made by wrapping rice cake sweets in cherry leaves. This wagashi is made with a special flour called domyoji flour and steamed to give it a unique texture.
There are two types of what are called “sakura mochi,” one invented in the Kanto region and spread mainly in eastern Japan, and the other invented in the Kansai region and spread throughout Japan.
Although it is a confectionary eaten year-round, today it has become one of the essential sweets for the Dolls’ Festival, partly because it is colored pink to resemble cherry blossoms with food red, as the name implies.
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Recipe : How to prepare Matcha
Matcha is a type of powdered green tea, and it is especially used in Japanese tea ceremonies. Matcha is made by steaming tea leaves, drying them, and then carefully grinding them into a fine powder using a stone mill. Unlike regular green tea, matcha involves drinking the tea leaves themselves.
Matcha is loved not only for its use in tea ceremonies but also as an everyday beverage. In recent years, it has become widely used in sweets, drinks, and cooking. In this article, we will introduce the basic way to make matcha.
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Recipe : Nikujaga
Nikujaga is known as an important Japanese home meal. “Niku” means meat (and it’s usually Japanese beef for this dish) and “Jaga(-imo)” means potato. Other than Japanese beef and potato, there are carrot and onion. As for color and texture, you can add green beans and Shirataki to add volume. It’s a bit funny but it is said that if young women she can cook this dish very well, she is ready for getting married. What an interesting and important dish!
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Recipe : Anmitsu
Anmitsu (あんみつ) is considered as a summer dessert but we can buy it all year around here in Japan. This Japanese style parfait is made of small cubes of agar agar jelly, red bean paste called anko, mochi, various fruits, ice cream (either vanilla or matcha flavor) and boiled red beans. It’s usually served with brown sugar syrup called Kuromitsu that you pour over the Anmitsu before enjoying this sweets.
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Recipe : Burdock & Hijiki Salad
Hijiki (dried seaweed) and gobo (Japanese burdock root) are ingredients rich in dietary fiber and packed with nutrients. They also have a great texture, providing a satisfying bite and a sense of fullness. In this recipe, in addition to hijiki and gobo, I also use corn and string beans. This salad allows you to get a combination of iron, vitamins, minerals, and calcium all at once. It’s perfect as a side dish for a bento box or as a make-ahead dish for meal prepping.
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