Month: June 2010

RECIPE: Yakitori

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YAKITORI

If you have ever visited Japan, you may have seen a selection of small stands floating around train stations which emanate a delicious aroma of gently grilled chicken. These stands specialise in yakitori, traditionally made from tender pieces of chicken on a wooden skewer, barbecued over an open flame with a slightly sweet, soy based sauce and washed down with an ice cold Japanese beer.

With this barbecue weather set to continue and Sundays now designated “official bbq days”, now is a great time to try this tasty Japanese finger food by grilling authentically over charcoal. Check the recipe below to find out how you can impress your friends this weekend!

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RECIPE: Hiyashi Chuka Ramen

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HIYASHI CHUKA RAMEN

Noodles in soup are great in winter as they are a perfect food to warm you up when you are cold. But what if you fancy noodles in the summer when you need something light and cool? Well, this is where Hiyashi Chuka Ramen comes in! This dish is made from chilled ramen noodles with a colourful decoration of shredded toppings such as egg, ham, cucumber and ginger, all served in a tasty Japanese soy or sesame sauce.

This dish is really simple to make and because there are so many different toppings you can use, it can be a very flexible dish which is suitable for everyone! Read on for Japan Centre‘s Hiyashi Chuka Chilled Ramen recipe.

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New Japan Centre in North Acton

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BRAND NEW NORTH ACTON STORE

A new large Japan Centre store is opening Monday 28th June 2010 in Acton. There’ll be all the usual great Japanese food items available as well as fresh vegetables, Japanese bakery, quality sake, Daiso homeware and our Online Collection service. It is just 3 minutes walk from North Acton station and has space for 30 car parking spaces outside. Check our website for more information and a map.

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RECIPE: Omurice

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OMURICE

Have you ever heard of a tasty Japanese dish called omurice? Like many modern Japanese words which are a contraction of two English words, omurice is a combination of omelette and rice. This comforting food is made with chicken flavoured fried rice wrapped up in an omelette and decorated with lashings of tomato ketchup.

You often see this classic dish at western style family restaurants in Japan, but now you can make it at home with our easy to follow recipe.

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RECIPE: Takoyaki

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TAKOYAKI

Takoyaki is a very popular Japanese fast food snack which is made from grilled balls of batter with a small piece of octopus inside. Admittedly, “octopus balls” doesn’t sound amazingly appetizing, but once you try these, you will finally found what has been missing in your life… they really taste that good!

Originating from Osaka, takoyaki is one of the most common foods you will see there, as well as at festivals and special events all over the Japan.

Now you don’t have to wander down the backstreets of Osaka next time you fancy some authentic takoyaki, simply follow our recipe and make yourself this delicious snack at any time.

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RECIPE: Shirataki Noodle Ideas

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SHIRATAKI

Shirataki noodles, or miracle noodles as you may have seen them called have become a recent food sensation as they contain almost no calories or carbohydrates, making them an ideal substitution for normal noodles or rice in Japanese dishes. If you are on a low calorie diet or just want a healthy dish, these Japanese konnyaku noodles are a perfect option.

So, anything which is this good for us must have a bad side too right? Well sort of… because shirataki contains so little of anything, it doesn’t really taste of very much. However, these noodles soak up the flavours of anything they are cooked in so today we are going to look at some ways to make these noodles taste delicious.

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