Tis the season of winter once again and it’s time to cuddle up or sit beneath on a kotatsu, bring out winter clothes and get warm sake. And what better pair than a perfect, hot Japanese dish on the table? So after your nice onsen bath, follow these steps for a perfect snowfall night.
Winter Foods in Japan to Warm You Up
Winter dishes for this season? No problem. In this article, try all these Japanese foods whether you’re at home cooking or outside in a restaurant. They are simply the best in the list considering the weather we have now for you and your family. Excited with these dishes? Give yourself a treat!
1. Nabe
A classic Japanese hot pot dish will surely fill your belly and warm you up. Nabe consists of broth filled with seafood or meat and a variety of vegetables. Placed on an earthenware pot and served while steaming, nabe is simply on the top winter food list. The hearty dish varies by region and is uniquely cooked with local ingredients depending on its availability. Kani nabe or crab hotpot is a famous variety that is perfect for winter. Highly recommended.
2. Oden
For cold winter nights, the perfect dish would be oden. What’s more, it has been available in street foods since the Edo era until this age. Inside the oden are some of the popular street food dishes. Oden usually has hot broth with fish balls, squid balls, fish cakes, konnyaku, skewered octopus and daikon. The dish has a fishy smell due to the seafood on it, of course, but if you love seafood, this is a heavenly pot for you. But why not? It’s an acquired taste and you’ll soon eventually love it.
3. Sukiyaki
How about something with beef? Sukiyaki is a hot pot dish which features vegetables, beef, broth with sweet soy sauce served nabemono style. What’s special about this dish is that the beef is fried first then ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, green leek onions, tofu, and shirataki noodles are added. Sukiyaki can be served with high grade meat such as the wagyu beef down to the affordable ones. Also, sukiyaki has a raw egg as a sauce as a dip for the meat and vegetables which creates a unique, creamy and even more deeper taste.
4. Okayu
Would you rather have a simple but filling porridge? Kayu/Okayu or “rice porridge” is a Japanese porridge with rice, broth, scallions, pickled umeboshi as garnish and soy sauce. Often, you can also add fish like salmon on it or raw egg to make the runny porridge thicker than watery. Another Japanese porridge is Zosui which is served with hot pot. The difference is that zosui can be incorporated with the nabe dish and added with raw beaten egg creating an even rich, succulent flavor. Okayu and zosui are common during winter.
Conclusion
Considering that Japan has four seasons and thus winter always comes, there are several dishes that you could try, not only these four winter foods in this list. Which one would you like to try first? Do you have similar dishes in this list from your home country? Leave us a comment below and tell us what you think.
References:
https://www.hisgo.com/us/destination-japan/blog/japanese_winter_foods.html
https://blog.japanwondertravel.com/winter-food-you-should-try-in-japan-21434
https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0001748/
https://tokyocheapo.com/food-and-drink/japanese-winter-foods/