Kobe Jones Blog

In terms of variety, Japanese cuisine offers plenty for vegetarians. It has a rich tradition of cooking with vegetables and there are hundreds of dishes to suit even the fussiest of eaters.

But you do need to know what to look for.

Tokyo is arguably the gastronomic capital of the world and has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city, but in terms of serving vegetarian food, some believe it’s lagging behind.

The use of seafood is deeply ingrained in Japanese cuisine, as seafood is recognised as the key to survival historically. If a dish doesn’t feature fish as a main ingredient, it will most certainly feature fish stock or dashi in some way. If you’re cooking at home, this can simply be left out, but if you’re eating out you may need to be watchful. You may like to practice the phrase “Watashi wa bejitarian desu” (I’m vegetarian)or “watashi wa niku toh sakana wo taberarimasen”, which means “I don’t eat meat or fish”.

Despite this, the variety is there once you’ve removed some ingredients. Japanese dishes are full of flavour and for vegetarians, the food is nothing short of delicious.

Popular vegetarian dishes include:

• Nama Tofu – Fresh tofu served with grated ginger and shoyu (soy sauce).
• Zaru Soba – Cold buckwheat noodles served with a dipping sauce, negi (spring onion), sesame seeds and shredded nori.
• Ochazuke – Green tea over cooked rice and served with vegetables.
• Edamame – A great side dish, edamame is simply young soybeans tossed in salt.
• Miso Soup – A Japanese staple, miso soup made on konbu and vegetable stock (vegetarian dashi) is delicious when combined with spring onions, mushrooms and tofu.
• Kabocha – Another yummy side dish, kabocha is sweetened pumpkin.
• Natto – Traditionally served at breakfast, natto are fermented soybeans. They smell bad and taste slimy, but are considered very healthy. It can also be included in sushi.
• Atsuage – Twiced fried tofu.
• Kenpi – Sugar-coated deep-fried sweet potato.
• Zosui – A thick Japanese soup featuring vegetables and a water broth.
• Daikon Salad – A slightly spicy giant white radish that’s commonly used in Japanese cooking. Traditionally served with thinly sliced nori, shoyu and sesame seeds.
• Vegetable gyoza – Delicious dumplings made with mushrooms and cabbage. For a fuller meal, team with ramen noodles.
• Okonomiyaki – Designed to use up leftovers, these Japanese vegetable pancakes are delicious served with a spicy mayo.
• Vegetable Tempura – Lightly crisped fried vegetables.
• Eggplant Curry – Flavoursome curry using vegetables or tofu.
• Kabocha Soup – Japan’s second most popular soup after miso, kabocha soup is made with pumpkin, fennel and ginger.
• Wakame Salad – An assortment of seaweeds tossed in a light dressing. Can also be used in soup or served with cucumber and radish.
• Zoni – A samurai soup traditionally eaten in battle.

You can also transform many dishes traditionally served with meat or fish into vegetarian options. For example:

• Sushi – Fillings include cucumber and avocado, oshinko (pickled daikon radish) and marinated mushrooms.
• Bento Box – Ideas include fried polenta cakes, spinach tamagoyaki, cubed tofu and broccoli with miso and gochujang.
• Shabu Shabu (Hotpot) – Things to serve include napa cabbage, shungiku, mushrooms, firm tofu, negi, grated daikon and udon noodles.

Try this at Home: Teriyaki Tofu Patties

Serves 2

This delicious Japanese hamburger recipe is light, healthy and tastes similar to potatoes. You can choose to serve the patties in toasted buns as you would an American burger, however, they are delicious served alongside rice and wakame salad.

Ingredients

• 450g soft tofu
• ½ small onion, chopped
• 200g panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• ⅓ cup spring onion
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sake

Method

1. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and sauté onion for 3 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
2. Wrap tofu in paper towel and microwave for 1 minute. (This will remove excess water.)
3. In a medium bowl, mix tofu, onion, panko, egg, spring onion and ginger. Season to taste, knead for 1 minute and then divide into four patties.
4. In a small bowl, mix together soy, sugar, mirin and sake.
5. Shallow fry patties over medium heat for 2-3 minutes each side.
6. Reduce heat and add sauce. Allow the patties to absorb sauce before serving.