Food of Japan

Ingredients

• 🍚2 cups (370 g)Sushi rice (short-grain)
• 💧2 1/2 cups (590 ml)Water
• 🍶3 tbsp (45 ml)Rice vinegar
• 🥄1 tbsp (12 g)Sugar
• 🧂1 tspSalt
• 🌿4 sheetsNori (seaweed sheets)
• 🥒1/2 cucumberCucumber, cut into thin sticks
• 🥑1 avocadoAvocado, sliced
• 🦀4 oz (115 g)Cooked crab or imitation crab

How to Make It

1. 1Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear, then drain it well.
2. 2Cook the rice with the water (a rice cooker or a covered pot both work) until soft and fluffy.
3. 3Stir the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together, then gently fold the mix into the warm rice and let it cool.
4. 4Lay a sheet of nori shiny-side down on a bamboo mat. Spread a thin layer of rice over it, leaving a bare strip at the top.
5. 5Place cucumber, avocado, and crab in a line near the bottom edge.
6. 6Using the mat, roll it up tightly away from you, then press gently to seal.
7. 7With a grown-up's help, slice each roll into 6 pieces using a wet knife.
8. 8Serve with soy sauce for dipping. Itadakimasu!

Ingredients

• 🍜2 servingsRamen noodles
• 🍲4 cups (950 ml)Chicken broth
• 🍶2 tbsp (30 ml)Soy sauce
• 🫙1 tsp (5 ml)Sesame oil
• 🍗1 cup (150 g)Cooked chicken, sliced
• 🥚2 eggsEggs, soft-boiled
• 🌽1 cup (70 g)Baby spinach or sweetcorn
• 🌿1 onionGreen onion, sliced
• 🌿1 sheetNori, halved

How to Make It

1. 1Ask a grown-up to gently boil the eggs for 7 minutes, then cool them in cold water and peel.
2. 2In a pot, warm the chicken broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil until hot.
3. 3Cook the ramen noodles in a separate pot of boiling water as the package says, then drain.
4. 4Divide the noodles between two bowls and pour the hot broth over them.
5. 5Top with sliced chicken, spinach or corn, and a halved soft-boiled egg.
6. 6Add a sprinkle of green onion and a piece of nori. Slurp while it's hot!

Ingredients

• 🦐8 shrimpLarge shrimp, peeled (or mixed veggies)
• 🌾1 cup (125 g)All-purpose flour
• 🥚1 eggEgg
• 🧊1 cup (240 ml)Ice-cold water
• 🍠1 potatoSweet potato, thinly sliced
• 🫛1 cup (90 g)Green beans
• 🛢️3 cups (700 ml)Vegetable oil, for frying
• 🍶to serveSoy sauce, for dipping

How to Make It

1. 1Pat the shrimp and vegetables dry so the batter will stick.
2. 2Whisk the egg with the ice-cold water, then lightly stir in the flour. Leave it lumpy — don't overmix.
3. 3Ask a grown-up to heat the oil in a deep pan to about 350°F (175°C).
4. 4Dip each piece into the batter and let the extra drip off.
5. 5A grown-up carefully lowers the pieces into the hot oil and fries them for 2–3 minutes until pale gold and crisp.
6. 6Lift them onto paper towels to drain.
7. 7Serve right away with soy sauce for dipping.

Ingredients

• 🍚2 cups (370 g)Cooked short-grain rice
• 🧂1/2 tspSalt
• 🌿1 sheetNori, cut into 4 strips
• 🐟1/4 cup (40 g)Cooked salmon or tuna, flaked
• 🍶1 tspSoy sauce

How to Make It

1. 1Let the cooked rice cool until it's warm but easy to touch.
2. 2Mix the flaked salmon or tuna with the soy sauce in a small bowl.
3. 3Wet your hands with water and rub a little salt on them so the rice won't stick.
4. 4Scoop about 1/2 cup of rice into your hand, press a little filling into the middle, and cover it with more rice.
5. 5Gently squeeze and shape the rice into a triangle, turning it as you press.
6. 6Wrap a strip of nori around the bottom. Enjoy as a snack or in a lunchbox!