Japanese food
Easy Japanese recipes (onigiri, miso soup, gyoza, curry), an ingredient guide and where to find them in France.
Recettes et guides
Onigiri: Japanese rice balls
The quintessential Japanese snack: warm rice shaped into a triangle, filled with salmon, tuna mayonnaise or salted plum, and wrapped in nori.
Japanese rice: perfect results in a saucepan
The foundation of every Japanese meal. Glossy, slightly sticky short-grain rice, cooked without a rice cooker, in a simple pan with a lid.
Miso soup with homemade dashi
The everyday broth of Japan: a dashi of kombu seaweed and dried bonito, dissolved miso, tofu and wakame seaweed. Ready in 15 minutes.
Tamagoyaki: the rolled Japanese omelette
A lightly sweet omelette flavoured with dashi and rolled in layers. A classic of lunch boxes and breakfasts.
Gyoza: Japanese pan-fried dumplings
Crisp underneath, tender on top, and filled with pork and cabbage. A dish that is fun to make together and freezes very well.
Karaage: Japanese fried chicken
Chicken pieces marinated in soy sauce and ginger, coated in starch and fried twice: crisp outside, juicy inside.
Homemade dango: mitarashi, kinako and grilled (made with glutinous rice flour)
Glutinous rice flour, sugar and warm water: mix, boil, and they are ready. Soft dango to make at home, in three flavours (mitarashi, kinako, grilled)
Shio-koji karaage: tender and juicy
A shio-koji marinade is enough to make chicken tender and full of umami: a gentle karaage with no soy sauce.
Jūsan’ya (23 October 2026): moon viewing, with thanks for chestnuts and beans
The 13th day of the 9th lunar month, which falls on Friday 23 October 2026: moon dango, chestnuts and beans. Its origin, decorations, how to celebrate
Moon-viewing dango (tsukimi dango) with shiratamako
Soft dango made from shiratamako and water. 13 balls arranged 9 + 4 for Jūsan’ya; enjoy with mitarashi sauce or red bean paste.
Chestnut rice (kuri gohan)
An autumn rice scented with tender chestnuts, with salt, sake and kombu. It works very well with French chestnuts.
Salted edamame (for the “bean moon”)
The simplest bean dish for the “bean moon”: just salted water. Frozen edamame work very well.
Shinmai: enjoying this year’s new-crop rice
The season to taste freshly harvested rice. What shinmai is, the history of rice growing and the Niinamesai, cooking it with the right amount of water
Cooking new-crop rice (pan, rice cooker, water ratio)
New-crop rice holds more water. Water ratio, soaking and resting: the method for soft rice, in a pan or a rice cooker.
Japanese curry (kare raisu)
A mild, thick, comforting curry made with block roux. One of the Japanese people’s favourite dishes, served over rice.
Teriyaki chicken
Chicken glazed in a pan in a glossy, sweet-and-salty sauce. Three basic ingredients and ten minutes of cooking.
Japanese cooking: the basics to know
Washoku, umami, the structure of a meal and table manners. Everything to know before cooking or tasting.
Essential ingredients and their equivalents in France
The staples of Japanese cooking, what they are used for, where to find them in France and what to substitute in a pinch.
Norimaki: sushi rolls
Homemade maki with cucumber, omelette and cooked salmon: prepare the vinegared rice, roll and slice.