CONTENTS

6 Introduction
10 About
12 About this book
15 Locations (+ overview recipes)
15 Tokyo
16 Osaka
18 Fukuoka
19 ...and beyond!

TOM'S STORY
21 Mission ramen
44 Izakaya in Kyoto
62 Team-building Japan
75 Fukuoka – The home of tonkotsu
84 Ramen noodle bar
114 On the road
137 Eat ’till you drop
180 Tokyo food crawl
192 A chef’s table

TOMOKO AND MIHO

24 Good food and lots of laughter
33 Miso
100 Bento
107 Sake and shochu
133 Okonomiyaki: Hiroshima-Yaki and Osaka-Yaki
142 The shopping street Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai
164 Izakaya and tachinomiya

THE BASICS
196 Dashi
198 Cooked rice
199 Sushi rice and katsuobushi salt
200 Chicken stock and vegetarian ramen stock
202 Eggs in soy sauce, marinated bamboo shoots and gyoza dipping sauce
203 Marinated braised pork, shiitake-seaweed butter
and tonkatsu sauce
204 Shiodare, Misodare, Basildare and Tantandare
206 Sweetened adzuki beans

208 The Japanese language

210 Addresses
214 Index

5
INTRODUCTION

Street food in Japan: you don’t immediately Ask any chef in the world about his favourite
think of streets and squares full of food carts country for eating out and nine times out of ten
or pavements decked with tables and chairs... the answer will be “Japan”. Japanese cuisine has
The country with the most Michelin stars in the its own unique identity as well as many external
world is associated mainly with sushi and sashimi influences. The most significant influence, as is
and seldom, if ever, with street food. But this is the case in the rest of Asia, comes from Chinese
wrong because sushi used to be street food; it cuisine: ramen noodles are originally Chinese.
was sold in yatai or mobile food stalls. Rice and soy sauce became part of everyday fare
via Korea. English sailors introduced (Madras)
Nowadays, you can still find those yatai at reli- curry from India, their former colony. Then the
gious festivals – the main religions are Buddhism French familiarised the Japanese with croquettes
and Shinto – and other events where lots of (korokke) and, in turn, the Portuguese also made
people gather. They are still a popular attraction. their mark: they introduced tempura, as well as
But there’s much more to it than that, except bread (pan) and many types of sweets. Japan has
that street food is not always as visible in Japa- four large islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku
nese public life. It’s almost as if it’s not done to and Kyushu. The country has different climate
be seen eating on the street, so people do their zones, ranging from very cold in the north (Hok-
utmost to hide it away. Often, you have to look kaido) to subtropical in the south (Kyushu). Of
in alleys or under railway bridges, very often course, the climate influences the various re-
close to stations. But once you know where to gional types of cuisine.
look, you’ll discover a laid-back and cheaper way
of eating that really brings you into contact with Washoku or traditional Japanese cuisine, is on
Japanese people, which also means a little bit UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage,
closer to Japanese culture. and with good reason. Restaurants in Japan of-
ten specialise in one thing, which therefore be-
I only have to think about Japan and automat- comes their strength. A true master specialises
ically I smell the typical odour of dashi, a stock in one trade, in some cases for his whole life. A
made from roasted, finely-ground slivers of bo- craftsman, or shokunin, is a highly prized person
nito – a type of tuna (katsuobushi). If I had to in Japan.
name one type of food preparation that char-
acterises Japanese cooking, it would be dashi, Restaurants are literally stacked one on top of
much more so than sushi or sashimi. You can another, often without English signs, and are
find these bonito flakes at any supermarket and therefore not always easily accessible or easy
dashi forms the base for many soups and dip- to find. A five-storey building can contain ten
ping sauces. That characteristic smell can’t be different restaurants, each only the size of two
found anywhere else in the world. Dashi is the snooker tables, with room for about a dozen
absolute key to Japanese cooking. people. Space is scarce in Japan. But this makes
it more convenient for the shokunin: with only
twelve seats rather than twenty-four, he can
really indulge his customers’ tastes and serve
up pure quality.

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The Japanese have a special feel for cleanliness such as 7-Eleven, Lawson’s or FamilyMart, of-
and style – it’s as if everyone comes out of a fer even more accessible solutions to bridge the
box. Their desire for balance and their unpar- hunger gap at any time of day. No other coun-
alleled yearning for perfection also explain the try in the world has 24-hour shops that provide
abundance of starred restaurants. But what such high-quality snacks.
makes Japanese cuisine so special is the deep
desire for detail – and cooking is all about the Japan amazes and continues to amaze. Forget
detail. Presentation, experience, that little bit all the clichés about light and healthy because
extra: these all make a difference. Often, a link Japanese street food cuisine breathes rock ‘n’
also exists between the presentation of dishes roll and a hearty dose of fat. Let yourself go
and the changing seasons. with the mayonnaise topping, a steaming bowl
of ramen noodles or a portion of okonomiyaki,
In addition to a gourmet meal in a restaurant the true cholesterol explosions! These dishes
– the most chic restaurants often don’t even emerged after the Second World War, at a time
have a sign outside – you can also choose to eat of great scarcity, when a crafty America sold
in a more casual or relaxed manner. Tradition- grain to Japan to feed its needy population.
al yatai or food carts may have somewhat lost
their significance in high- end, futuristic cit- What I still miss about Japan, as well as the
ies like Tokyo, but they are still just numerous food, is the courtesy and the politeness of
enough to play an important role. Cheap lunch its people. Wherever you go, you are greeted
concepts such as donburi, udon, soba, tori or with a cheery “konnichi wa” (hello), “ohayo go-
tonkatsu eateries are well-represented all over zaimasu” (good morning), “komban wa” (good
Japan. But there is so much more: tachinomiya evening), or you are thanked with a friendly
or standing bars make Japan unique; here you “arigato”. That is incredibly infectious: I really
you can eat the most incredible things while miss the etiquette each time I come back to
standing up. Izakaya is a fantastic, low-thresh- the West. There’s a good chance that a visit to
old food and drink concept that bears a striking Japan will make the same impression on you;
resemblance to tapas bars. As if that were not what is certain is that it will be one of the best
enough, train stations and transport hubs serve culinary experiences of your life. Itadakimasu!
up a feast for any traveller on a culinary voy-
age of discovery: the colourful ekiben boxes at
stations look almost psychedelic. If you’re feel-
ing a little adventurous, the market street or
shopping arcade offers an incredible variety of
street food, from delis to croquette bars, tofu
shops and funky bakeries. Convenience stores,

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LO C AT I O N S (+ OV E R V I E W R E C I P E S)

In contrast to our previous books, we explored more than one city. That means that we did
not confine ourselves to Tokyo alone, but also branched out to Osaka and Fukuoka – and
justifiably so. These cities offer genuine added value in terms of street food in Japan. The
recipes on these pages are listed by location. You can find them listed alphabetically in the
index at the back of the book.

TOKYO
With 37 million inhabitants, Tokyo is the futur- 27 Breaded chicken Chicken Katsu
istic, super-modern capital of the future. Tokyo 28 Ice-cold soba noodles with dipping sauce
is not really one city, but a collection of 23 Zaru soba
special districts (central Tokyo), surrounded by 31 Octopus balls Takoyaki
conurbations. In 1923, Tokyo was hit by one of 34 Cucumber with spicy miso dip Morokyu
the strongest earthquakes in Japan’s history. 37 Japanese curry with vegetables Yasai curry
Over 140,000 people lost their lives and many 38 Miso soup with clams
traditional neighbourhoods were flattened. Asari no misoshiru
Initially, the city’s name was Edo. In 1869, it be- 41 Fishcake with corn
came the capital of Japan, where the emperor Tomorokoshi no satsuma-age
resided. Alongside London and New York, Tokyo 42 Sushi balls topped with fish Nigiri sushi
is now one of the world’s largest financial cen- 183 Green soy bean shake Edamame shake
tres. It offers science fiction street scenes, 184 Scampi burger Ebikatsu burger
neon lights, a pop culture mecca, a night life 187 Rice with sea bream sashimi
like no other, etc. and hot dashi Tai chazuke
189 Hand-rolled rice balls with salmon
The renowned Tsukiji market, located on Tokyo Sake no onigiri
Bay, is a microcosm in itself and one of the 190 Grilled mackerel with sea salt
city’s major attractions. Rumours have been Saba no shioyaki
circulating for some time that the market could 195 Karaage-don (rice bowl) with salsa
move to a new location. Tokyo has one of the Salsa sosu no karaage don
highest concentrations of restaurants in the
world with infinite variety; in Tokyo you can or-
der absolutely any dish you can imagine. Cen-
tral Tokyo, and Ginza in particular, is the sushi
centre of the world. It is one big food-fest. The
city with the most Michelin stars in the world
serves up the best fish you’ll ever taste.

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OSAKA
Osaka is the third largest city in Japan and, like 65 Triangular breaded chicken sandwich
Tokyo, is located on the island of Honshu. Osa- Chicken katsu sando
ka was very briefly the capital of Japan, shortly 140 Thinly sliced beef with egg
before neighbouring Nara acquired that title. Gyuniku no tamago-toji
It was then known as Naniwa, a name that is 145 Steak with Japanese savoury sauce
still regularly used. Osaka was heavily bombed Gyu steeki wafu-sosu
during the Second World War, which led Lone- 146 Cold green tea Tsumetai ryokucha
ly Planet to describe it has having little real 149 Shaved ice with green tea syrup
charm. However, its charm lies in its people. Matcha kakigori
Osaka receives nowhere near the same number 150 Monaka with mascarpone
of visitors as Tokyo. Over the centuries, it has Mascarpone no monaka
always been a centre of trade and definitely of 151 Japanese green tea latte Matcha latte
food too. Precisely as a result of its “underdog” 153 Smoked eggs Kunsei tamago
reputation, the people of Osaka are perhaps 154 Japanese-style croquettes with
more open or more welcoming than those in minced meat Niku korokke
Tokyo. In Osaka, people are less punctual than 157 Soy milk pudding Tonyu purin
in other cities in Japan, you have the feeling 158 Okra and chicken salad
that there are greater possibilities there. Flashy Okura to toriniku no salada
skyscrapers, chic neighbourhoods right next 161 European/Dutch-style aubergines
to ghetto-like neighbourhoods, rich and poor (eggplant) Nasu no orandani
side-by-side, it just feels more free and easy. 162 Japanese omelette Dashimaki tamago
167 Rice with hijiki seaweed
Local street food dishes such as okonomyaki, Hijiki gohan
takoyaki and kushikatsu have their roots here. 169 Miso-marinated and baked salmon
The counterbalance to the lively street food Sake no saikyo yaki
culture is found in the kappa food concept, 170 Pork and kimchi stir-fry
up-market dining at a restaurant counter. Buta kimchi
Osaka has more Michelin stars than Paris, for 173 Fried rice and noodles
example. By day, its population doubles as a Sobameshi
result of people coming to work in Osaka and 174 Sweet and sour pork Subuta
it becomes the second largest city in Japan. 177 Savoury Japanese pancakes with cabbage
But Osaka really comes to life at night, when (Osaka-style) Okonomiyaki (Osaka-style)
the locals come out to eat, drink and be merry. 178 Crab and scallops with ponzu
“Kuidaore”: eat until you drop, is a frequent- Kani to hotate no ponzu gake
ly-heard saying in the city.

Osaka is also very well-known for its come-

dians, who often move to Tokyo and its major
TV studios once they become successful. Osaka
(and, by extension, the entire Kansai region to
which the city belongs) has a very special feel
for humour and an immediately recognisable
intonation. Once they have made a break-
through and moved to Tokyo, these comedians
do not modify their dialect at all, instead they
make it even more obvious.

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FUKUOKA
This bustling and eminently liveable city is
sometimes referred to as Tokyo’s little broth-
er and is Japan’s sixth city. Fukuoka grew out
of two cities: Fukuoka and Hakata. The oldest
part of the city still bears the original name of
Hakata.

Fukuoka is the city where the largest number of

yatai, or food carts, roll out every day to feed
the appetites of hungry visitors. In most Japa-
nese cities, yatai have completely disappeared
from street life. Fukuoka is the exception and
the last trace of a lively and traditional street
food culture. Until ten years ago there were
still three hundred yatai; now there are only
one hundred and fifty. The number of yatai
falls every year. Since they are supposedly
a nuisance, they are now resisted. I can only
hope that they will survive. You have to be in
the districts of Tenjin or Nagahama to really get
to know the amazing yatai street food culture.

This bustling city is located on the island of

Kyushu and enjoys a mild climate. It is the home 99 Meatballs in sweet sauce
base of the famous Softbank Hawks baseball Nikudango no ankake
team and apparently the most beautiful Japa- 103 Potato salad Poteto salada
nese women come from Fukuoka. In culinary 104 Cod roe tempura with perilla leaves
terms, it is the source of tonkotsu ramen stock, Mentaiko to shiso no tempura
motsunabe, a local speciality made from pork or 111 Pesto ramen Basil ramen
beef tripe and mentaiko (marinated pollock roe), 113 Dipping noodles Tsukemen
a commonly-used ingredient. 120 Fried and steamed dumplings
Gyoza
123 Japanese sponge cake Kasutera
79 Deep-fried skewered meat and 124 Curry bread with beef Curry pan
vegetables Kushikatsu
80 Fried skewered chicken
Yakitori (negima)
83 Daikon, egg and fishcake in stock Oden
88 Ramen with pork stock Tonkotsu ramen
91 Omelette on fried rice Omuraisu
92 Sashimi on rice bowl Kaisen-don
95 Sardines with ginger
Iwashi no nitsuke
96 Spinach with sesame sauce
Horenso no gomaae

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...AND BEYOND!

OKAYAMA
66 Vegetables with “broken” tofu Yasai no shiraae
69 Don (rice bowl) with yuba and thick dashi sauce Yuba no donburi
70 Cold tofu with various types of garnish Hiyayakko
73 Udon noodles with oysters Kaki udon

KYOTO
48 Ramen with spicy minced meat Tantanmen
51 Pickled Chinese cabbage Hakusai no tsukemono
52 Thick pancakes with sweetened adzuki beans Dorayaki
55 Marinated and fried chicken Tori no karaage
56 Grilled scallops with soy sauce and butter Hotate no grill
59 Tofu balls with thick dashi sauce Tofu-dango no ankake
60 Grilled aubergine with bonito flakes Yaki nasu

HIROSHIMA
126 Steamed bun Nikuman
129 Cake with sweetened adzuki beans Taiyaki
130 Japanese-style grilled eel / conger eel Unagi / anago no kabayaki
134 Savoury Japanese pancakes with cabbage (Hiroshima-style) Okonomiyaki (Hiroshima-yaki)

GHENT
87 Vegetarian ramen Vege ramen

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 TT
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O

MISO 味噌

My grandparents’ house in Hiroshima had a It is a known fact that miso is made from soy
huge store room with wooden sliding doors. beans but in the West it is perhaps not as well
Inside the store room there was always a large known that there are different varieties. To
porcelain pitcher of miso that my grandmother start with, there are three types of koji fungus
had made. (yeast): rice koji, wheat koji and soy koji. They
also vary in taste, from salty to sweet. The taste
The house was originally built as a tea house, is determined primarily by the amount of salt,
so it had two rooms that were intended for the but also by the amount of koji fungus. The more
tea ceremony, one on the ground floor and koji is added, the sweeter the flavour. Previous-
another on the first floor, both with a rodan ly, miso was also used inland – where there was
(sunken hearth) and a low shoji (sliding door no sea – as a means of storing salt. Then there
with wooden frame, across which white paper is are also different shades of colour. When the
stretched). The garden was also very Japanese, amino acid in soy beans reacts with sugar, the
with large ornamental stones and beautifully colour becomes darker.
trimmed trees. In order to go to the toilet, I
had to use an exterior corridor, which bordered Miso originally came from China, about thirteen
the garden with its lovely view. In the evenings, hundred years ago, so it has a long history in
it was very scary. When it was dark, I did not Japan. Today, miso soup is well-known all over
dare look into the garden. My grandmother the world but miso only became popular as a
taught ikebana (flower arranging) at home and soup from the twelfth century onwards, as part
my grandfather’s hobby was growing bonsai and of a plain but healthy meal. Nowadays, miso can
vegetables. be prepared in many ways, including as a mari-
nade for fish and meat, tare (dipping sauce) or
When I think about the taste and smell of my vinaigrette. It is used every day in Japanese cui-
grandmother’s miso, all these things merge in sine and increasingly in Western cooking.
my mind and make me quite nostalgic. When I
was a child, I was amazed at how the colour of
the miso changed from pale to dark over the
month-long process. Now I know that the miso
was in fact “alive”.

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 ASARI NO MISOSHIRU
あさりの味噌汁
MISO SOUP WITH CLAMS

During spring and summer in Japan, “hunting” for clams is a popular activity.
Japanese people head for the coast at this time and, at low tide, they scoop
clams out of the sand and collect them. Back at home, the first meal that Mi-
ho’s father always made was miso soup with the freshly-collected clams. So,
for her, the strong, pure taste of that miso soup with fresh clams is still one of
the best meals ever.

500 g (1 pound) clams To remove sand, place the clams in salt water for 3 hours (500
ml (1 pint) water with 1 tablespoon salt). The shells will then
800 ml (4 cups) dashi
open and expel the sand. Then rinse the clams another 3 times
(see p. 196)
in salt water.
2 to 4 tablespoons miso
Bring the dashi to the boil. Put the miso in a deep ladle and
a handful of
place it just into the soup. Stirring constantly with chop-
spring onions, finely
sticks, dissolve the miso in the spoon. Stir the dissolved miso
chopped in rings
gradually into the soup so as not to create any lumps.

Drain the clams and add to the boiling stock. Turn off the heat
when the shells open. Distribute them among the serving
dishes and garnish with spring onion.

If clams are not available, other shellfish can be used, such as

cockles or scallops, etc.

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 T O M O R O KO S H I N O
S AT S U M A-A G E
とうもろこしのさつま揚げ
FISHCAKE WITH CORN

A basic fishcake is traditionally eaten just with soy sauce, but you can also
stir-fry it in a wok or boil it in stock. In this dish, the basic fishcake is combined
with corn. Not only does this make it more attractive in terms of colour and
shape, but it also combines sweet and sour to create a more complex flavour.
This is Tomoko’s favourite dish!

300 g (10 ounces) cod, Place all the ingredients except the corn niblets into the
skinless and boneless blender and blend into a smooth fish paste. Shape the paste
into a disc 1 cm (½ inch) thick and 4 cm (1 ½ inches) in
1 egg
diameter. Cover the disc entirely with corn niblets. Heat the
½ teaspoon salt frying oil to 160 °C (320 °F) and fry it for 4 to 5 minutes.
Drain on paper towel and serve with soy sauce, if desired.
a pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon sake To make a basic fishcake, just omit the corn from this recipe.
It will be just as delicious!
2 tablespoons potato starch
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
300 g (10 ounces)
corn niblets

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 NIGIRI SUSHI にぎり寿司

SUSHI BALLS TOPPED WITH FISH

You need years of experience to make good sushi. A true sushi master is akin
to an artist. We all love watching as he makes a rice ball in one swift movement
and immediately tops it with fish. This recipe is an easy version in which you
make the rice balls first and then place the fish on top. Try not to make the
rice balls or the fish too big, so that the pieces can be eaten in one bite.

500 g (1 pound) Cut the fish fillet into slices approximately 5 mm (¼ inch)
fresh fish fillet (salmon, thick, 3 cm x 5 cm (1 x 2 inches). Store them in the refriger-
tuna, scallops, ator. Wet your hands and shape the rice into oval balls, ap-
bass, etc.) proximately 2 cm x 3 cm (1 x 1.5 inches) and 1.5 cm (¾ inch)
high. Take a rice ball in your left hand and place a slice of fish
6 small bowls sushi
on it. Push down on the fish with the index and middle fingers
rice (see p. 199)
of your right hand. Place the sushi on a plate and serve with
soy sauce soy sauce and wasabi.
wasabi
Sushi rolls wrapped in nori leaves are known as gunkan-sushi.
You can fill these with small pieces of fish, salmon roe, cu-
cumber, etc..

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