A Simple Japanese Dinner at Home

For dinner last night. I went with a Japanese theme. I wanted to make something simple, light and yet filling. I bought some edamame from a Japanese store last week and I cooked that in lieu of a cucumber salad which is typical in a Japanese meal. Edamame is a Japanese term for soybeans. It's quite simple to cook.



1. Drop the edamame in boiling water.
2. Wait for the water to start bubbling again to remove the edamame and drain.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt.

The skins are not meant to be eaten. The beans inside are what's edible. My brother tried to eat the whole pod one time and he spent 3 minutes chewing the thing!

I also purchased frozen Tuna Sashimi which hubby loves. After defrosting it, I sliced it in bite-sized pieces. Always serve it with a Kikkoman and Wasabi paste dipping sauce. Both available in most grocery stores under the condiment section.



For our main dish. I made Chicken Tonkatsu. "Katsu" is a Japanese term for breaded fried meat, normally pork. I already had chicken on hand so I used that instead. Here's how simple it is to make:




Chicken Tonkatsu
5-6 chicken breasts, pounded thinly
Flour for dredging
Salt and Pepper
1 egg, beaten
Japanese Breadcrumbs (Panko) for dredging
Catsup
Worcestershire sauce

1. Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken breasts in flour, then egg then the Japanese breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown.
2. Drain in paper towels to remove excess oil.
3. For dipping sauce: mix catsup and Worcestershire sauce.

If you get confused with the order of dredging always remember F-E-B (like the month of FEBruary) for Flour, Egg and Breadcrumbs.



For dessert, we just had Red Lady Papaya to wash down everything. We've had this type of papaya in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and hubby and I kinda miss its sweet and succulent taste. I've seen some in the grocery store and bought some. Unfortunately, Malaysia's variety is much better.