Japanese - Tag - vo.rs

Weeknight Miso Ramen with a Soy-Marinated Egg

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

A proper bowl of miso ramen tastes like it simmered all day, but this weeknight version delivers deep, nutty, savoury broth in well under an hour. The secret weapons are a quick miso-tahini base and a soy-marinated egg, the glossy ajitama that makes any bowl feel restaurant-worthy. Slurpable noodles, a rich golden yolk and a warming broth: this is comfort food at its very finest.

1 Ingredients

Serves 2.

2 eggs
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp red or brown miso paste
1 tbsp tahini or sesame paste
800ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 nests ramen or egg noodles
2 spring onions, sliced
100g sweetcorn
1 sheet nori, halved
Chilli oil, to serve

2 Method

Make the eggs first. Lower them into boiling water and cook for exactly 6 and a half minutes, then plunge into iced water and peel carefully.
Mix the soy sauce and mirin with 4 tbsp water in a small bowl or bag, add the peeled eggs and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
For the broth, heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the garlic and ginger for a minute until fragrant.
Stir in the miso and tahini and cook for 30 seconds to draw out their flavour.
Pour in the stock, whisking to dissolve the miso, and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not let it boil hard, as miso turns harsh.
Add a splash of the egg marinade and the sesame oil, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Cook the noodles separately according to the packet, then drain.
Divide the noodles between two deep bowls and ladle the hot broth over.
Halve the marinated eggs and arrange on top with the sweetcorn, spring onions and nori.
Finish each bowl with a drizzle of chilli oil and serve immediately.

3 The Story

Ramen has travelled a remarkable distance from its origins as a Chinese-influenced wheat-noodle soup to become one of Japan’s most cherished and creative dishes. Every region and almost every shop has its own house style, distinguished by the broth, the tare seasoning base, the noodles and the toppings. Among the great families of ramen, miso ramen holds a special place. It is widely associated with Hokkaido in Japan’s cold north, where a hearty, warming bowl makes perfect sense, and it is prized for its rich, savoury body.

Chicken Katsu Curry with a Quick Fruity Sauce

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Katsu curry pairs shatteringly crisp panko cutlets with a mellow, golden curry sauce, and it is one of the most comforting plates around. The twist here is in the sauce: grated apple melts down for natural sweetness and a hint of mango chutney adds a fruity, glossy edge. It tastes like the version from your favourite Japanese chain, but made fresh in your own kitchen.

1 Ingredients

Serves 4.

4 boneless chicken breasts
100g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
150g panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp plain flour (for the sauce)
500ml chicken stock
1 apple, grated
1 tbsp mango chutney
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
Steamed rice, to serve

2 Method

Start the sauce. Soften the onion in a little oil over medium heat for 8 minutes until golden, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute.
Stir in the curry powder, garam masala and the tablespoon of flour, and cook for a minute to toast the spices.
Gradually pour in the stock, stirring, then add the grated apple, mango chutney, soy sauce and honey.
Simmer gently for 12-15 minutes until thickened and smooth, then blend for a silkier finish if you like. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, lay the chicken breasts between cling film and bat out to an even thickness with a rolling pin.
Set up three bowls: flour, beaten egg and panko. Coat each breast in flour, then egg, then press firmly into the panko.
Heat about 1cm of oil in a wide pan to 170C. Fry the cutlets for 3-4 minutes each side until deep golden and cooked through.
Drain on kitchen paper, then slice each cutlet into thick strips.
Spoon rice onto plates, lay the sliced katsu alongside, and pour the warm curry sauce generously over the top.
Serve at once, with extra sauce on the side.

3 The Story

Katsu curry is a star of yoshoku, the genre of Western-influenced Japanese cooking that took shape over the past century or so. Each part of the name tells part of the story. Katsu is short for katsuretsu, a Japanese rendering of cutlet, describing meat that is breaded and fried in the European manner. Curry, meanwhile, arrived in Japan by a roundabout route, introduced through British naval cooking rather than directly from India, which is why Japanese curry tends to be thicker, milder and a little sweeter than its South Asian cousins.

Miso-Honey Teriyaki Salmon

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Teriyaki salmon is the dependable weeknight winner, but white miso and honey lift the glaze from good to glorious. The miso adds savoury, almost caramel depth while the honey helps it lacquer the fish into a glossy, sticky finish. It needs barely fifteen minutes and a single pan, yet tastes special enough for guests, with a salty-sweet glaze you will want to spoon over everything.

1 Ingredients

Serves 4.

4 salmon fillets, skin on (about 130g each)
2 tbsp white miso paste
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 spring onions, finely sliced
Steamed rice and greens, to serve

2 Method

Whisk together the miso, honey, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic until smooth.
Pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper; this helps them colour rather than steam.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.
Lay the salmon skin-side down and cook for 4-5 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden.
Turn the fillets and cook the flesh side for 2 minutes.
Pour the glaze into the pan and let it bubble around the fish, spooning it over the fillets as it thickens.
Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, basting often, until the glaze is sticky and the salmon is just cooked through.
Lift the salmon out and reduce any remaining glaze for another minute until syrupy.
Spoon the glaze over the fish, then scatter with sesame seeds and spring onions.
Serve with steamed rice and greens, with extra glaze drizzled over.

3 The Story

Teriyaki is one of Japan’s best-known cooking styles, and the name itself describes the method rather than a fixed recipe. Teri refers to the lustrous shine of the finished glaze, while yaki means grilled or pan-fried. Put together, it describes food cooked with a glossy sauce traditionally built from soy sauce, mirin and sake, simmered until it lacquers whatever it coats. The technique works beautifully with chicken, beef and, as here, oily fish.

Crispy-Bottomed Vegetable Gyoza

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Gyoza are all about contrast: a lacy, crisp-fried base giving way to a soft, juicy steamed top and a savoury vegetable filling. The twist is technique, the classic crisp-steam method that fries the bottoms golden, then steams the parcels through under a lid in one pan. A sharp chilli-soy dip, bright with vinegar and a slick of chilli oil, cuts the richness. They take a little folding patience, but the reward is a proper plate of potstickers.

Crispy Pork Katsu Sando

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 09:00:00 +0000

The katsu sando is proof that a sandwich can be a destination dish. A crisp panko-crumbed pork cutlet, brushed with fruity-sweet tonkatsu sauce, is pressed between pillowy slices of Japanese milk bread. The twist is a quick tonkatsu slaw tucked alongside the cutlet, adding cool crunch and freshness so each bite balances rich and light. Crusts trimmed, cut neatly in two, it is as satisfying to look at as it is to eat.