Shirunashi tantan men / dan dan mian noodles

Yummy dan dan noodles featuring okara-konnyaku bits and Chinese-flavored green olives. The numbing spiciness of hua jiao Sichuan peppercorns is intriguing in this dish. One of the big hits in our kitchen this year.
Use fewer noodles if adding more vegetables or other unflavored goodies, as the amount of sauce is on the low end below.

1/2 of recipe:
523 calories; 14.2 g protein; 16.2 g fat; 81.6 g carbohydrate; 75.6 g net carbs; 497 mg sodium (with lower sodium seasonings); 0.2 mg cholesterol; 6.0 g fiber

1/2 of recipe without noodles:
177 calories; 4.2 g protein; 14.2 g fat; 9.6 g carbohydrate; 5.6 g net carbs; 439 mg sodium (with lower sodium seasonings); 0.2 mg cholesterol; 4.0 g fiber 

Okara-konnyaku no nikumiso-fu / sweet and salty fried ground soybean pulp yam cakes

A meaty meat-less topping for noodles, rice and more. This is the latest popular creation using okara soybeans at our house. It also features gobo burdock root and dried shiitake mushrooms for deeper taste, aroma and variation in texture. Its strong flavor translates into keeping longer in the fridge. One major disadvantage is that Tom wants to eat more than he should. This is made to fit a sodium savvy diet, but take care with how much you eat.

Whole recipe (with okara-konnyaku made with nagaimo Chinese yam):
311 calories; 12.4 g protein; 13.1 g fat; 43.8 g carbohydrate; 21.0 g net carbs; 972 mg sodium; ０ mg cholesterol; 22.8 g fiber

1 heaping tablespoon (4 tsp/20 g; 1/10 of recipe):
28 calories; 1.1 g protein; 1.2 g fat; 4.0 g carbohydrate; 1.9 g net carbs; 88 mg sodium; ０ mg cholesterol; 2.1 g fiber

Fubaagu no shisomaki / small gluten cake burgers wrapped with perilla leaves

Tasty small burgers made with fu gluten cakes, an important source of protein in temple vegan dishes for more than a century! Gobo burdock root and eringi king oyster mushroom add a nice depth to the taste and some crunchiness to the texture, helping to create a mild and light yet quite substantial dish. Make extra or save some for bento lunch the next day. 

1/2 of recipe:
181 calories; 11.6 g protein; 5.9 g fat; 19.6g carbohydrate; 16.5 g net carbs; 204 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 321 mg with regular soy sauce); 107 mg cholesterol; 3.1 g fiber

1/3 of recipe:
121 calories; 7.3 g protein; 3.9 g fat; 15.7 g carbohydrate; 13.6 g net carbs; 136 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 214 mg with regular soy sauce); 71 mg cholesterol; 2.1 g fiber

Itokoni / root vegetables and azuki beans simmered in broth

While itokoni is not very different from my usual root vegetables miso soup, it does offer something new -- azuki beans. Itokoni made with root vegetables, konnyaku yam cake and usuage thin deep-fried tofu or atsuage deep-fried tofu is a regional dish from Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata prefectures. My aunt who lives in Namerikawa in Toyama brought us a pot of itokoni one day in late fall, and that was when I first discovered the magic of azuki beans, which make an ordinary soup slightly starchy and subtly mellow. As a young child, I did not really like soy sauce- or miso-tinted brownish simmered dishes; they all looked so unappealing and almost discouraging to eat, but Auntie Namerikawa's itokoni really grabbed my heart, and I begged her to bring us itokoni again and again. The recipe below tastes just like her itokoni.

1/2 of recipe:
141 calories; 7.7 g protein; 2.7 g fat; 21.6 g carbohydrate; 12.9 g net carbs; 238 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso; 300+ mg with regular miso); 0 mg cholesterol; 8.7 g fiber

Nasu no yanagawa-fu / simmered eggplant and burdock root with egg

Very satisfying! The creamy eggplant is a huge plus. As the eggplant is deep-fried, this is substantial enough to be served as a main dish. Good as is, and it can also be served on top of steamed rice as a donburi dish.

1/2 of recipe:
258 calories; 6.3 g protein; 19.3 g fat; 12.7 g carbohydrate; 8.1 g net carbs; 302 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 537 mg with regular soy sauce); 109 mg cholesterol; 4.6 g fiber

Gobo to satsumaage, shimeji no donburi / burdock root, deep-fried fishcake and shimeji mushrooms over steamed rice

This is a reduced-sodium version of my standard gobo donburi. By desalinating satsumage fishcake and replacing part of soy sauce with rice vinegar, you can enjoy a tasty donburi without worrying about getting too much sodium!

1/2 of recipe (when served with 150 g steamed rice):
353 calories; 11.2 g protein; 3.6g fat; 65.5 g carbohydrate; 62.8 g net carbs; 320 mg sodium (with 50% reduced sodium; 548 mg with regular soy sauce); 107 mg cholesterol; 2.7 g fiber

Iridori / chikuzen-ni / braised chicken with root vegetables

A classic chicken and root vegetable dish. The softly sweet and salty taste makes it a great companion for plain rice and drinks. It is also a popular osechi dish for the New Year, and is great for bento and picnics.

1/2 of recipe:
213 calories; 12.8 g protein; 11.0 g fat; 14.7 g carbohydrate; 10.8 g net carbs; 243 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce & shoyukoji made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce, 429 mg with regular soy sauce and shoyukoji made with regular soy sauce); 62 mg cholesterol; 3.9 g fiber

Konsai no sakekasu misoshiru / miso soup with root vegetables and sake lees

Hearty, satisfying and warming – and all you have to do is add sakekasu to your everyday miso soup. Aromatic and flavorful, sakekasu also lets you use even less miso than my recent low-sodium recipe for miso soup with yogurt.

1/2 of recipe:
50 calories; 2.3 g protein; 0.4 g fat; 9.0 g carbohydrate; 6.4 g net carbs; 189 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso; 234 mg with regular miso); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.6 g fiber

Gobo to shungiku no misoshiru / miso soup with burdock root and garland chrysanthemum

The distinctive nutty taste of shungiku together with its hint of bitterness and refreshing note match the deep flavor and aroma of gobo burdock root amazingly well. A very satisfying miso soup.

1/2 of recipe:
28 calories; 2.5 g protein; 0.6g fat; 6.2 g carbohydrate; 3.8 g net carbs; 250 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso, 310 mg with regular miso); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.4g  fiber

Satsumaimo no tenpura, shungiku to gobo, ebi no kakiage / deep-fried Japanese sweet potato & mixed tempura with garland chrysanthemum, burdock root and prawns

The sweetness of satsumaimo sweet potato is striking, making it a good companion to the distinctive flavor of shungiku garland chrysanthemum and deep flavor of gobo burdock root. Prawns added to kakiage also have a sweet note, linking everything together. In the recipe below, tempura pieces are served over rice, a dish known as tendon.

For tendon with 150 g steamed rice, 1 satsumaimo tempura & 1 kakiage mixed tempura, and 2 1/2 tbsp tentsuyu dipping sauce per serving:
510 calories; 11.3 g protein; 12.8 g fat; 82.6 g carbohydrate; 80.8 g net carbs; 252mg sodium (tentsuyu made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 442 mg with regular soy sauce); 51 mg cholesterol; 1.8 g fiber

Ebi-shinjo to yasai ribon no nabe / hot pot with prawn-fish dumplings and vegetable ribbons

Vegetable ribbons and fluffy prawn-fish dumplings turn regular nabe hot pot into something special. Put prawn-fish dumplings in the nabe first, as they taste richer as they cook with other ingredients.

1/2 of recipe:
525 calories; 32.5 g protein; 14.8 g fat; 61.5 g carbohydrate; 59.9 g net carbs; 502 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce for both broth and ponzujoyu; 743 mg with regular soy sauce); 179 mg cholesterol; 7.6 g fiber

Gobo no surinagashi, tonyu-jitate / soy milk miso soup with pureed burdock root

A gobo potage soup! The aromatic, earthy flavor of gobo is softened by soy milk and nagaimo. A small amount of yogurt provides just enough hidden complexity, making this simple soup very satisfying.

1/2 of recipe:
110 calories; 6.1 g protein; 2.4 g fat; 16.4 g carbohydrate; 13.8 g net carbs; 305 mg sodium (with 50% reduced sodium soy sauce; 315 mg with regular soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.6 g fiber

Konsai no yooguruto misoshiru / root vegetable miso soup with yogurt

A tasty miso soup without dashi! Miso and yogurt, both fermented food, go hand in hand to make a flavorful broth with lingering umami. Here is an example with daikon radish, gobo burdock root and carrot.

Ohyo to gobo no misoshiru / miso soup with halibut and burdock root

This very simple combination of white-flesh fish and burdock root tastes so good in miso soup made with kobu-dashi kelp stock. The recipe originally is for tarajiru pollock soup, a regional specialty of Asahimachi at the east end of Toyama Prefecture.

Karei no nitsuke / sole simmered in reduced broth

A typical dish for many families, and perhaps the top dish in my mom's fish repertoire. Great as part of a meal and with sake.

174 calories (1/2 of recipe); 23.5 g protein; 1.4 g fat; 13.2 g carbohydrate; 10.0 g net carbs; 444 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 786 mg with regular soy sauce); 52 mg cholesterol; 3.2 g fiber (see Notes on sodium figures)

Ozoni / New Year's Day soup with rice cakes

Ozoni or zoni varies by region and family. Soup ingredients reflect regional specialties. Mochi rice cakes can be grilled squares (more common in Eastern Japan) or boiled rounds (more common in Western Japan). The ozoni I grew up with in Uozu in Toyama Prefecture consists of gobo burdock root, carrot, konnyaku yam cake, kamaboko fishcake, yakidofu broiled tofu and grilled fukuragi young yellowtail. My mom also added iwashi no surimi, or ground sardines. The rice cakes were round when we got them from my grandmother in nearby Unazuki (she also made miso and umeboshi pickled plums for all her kids and grandkids until her health deteriorated), then changed to squares after we started to buy mochi from shops, and they were boiled with a large sheet of kombu kelp.

Yellowtail is one of shusseuo [lit. "fish that moves up through the ranks"] which change (Japanese) names as they grow; shusseuo are thought to bring good luck. The Japanese names for yellowtail at different stages vary by region, except for the name of the fully grown fish, buri.

Tataki gobo / burdock root in sesame soy sauce vinegar dressing

A crunchy addition to everyday meals. The combination of relatively strong soy sauce flavor, rich sesame taste and mild sourness of rice vinegar gives this small dish a punch. Also a common item found among New Year's osechi dishes.

Gobo to toriniku no amakarani / salty-sweet simmered burdock root and chicken

The satisfying deep flavor of burdock root meets tender chicken. This tastes great with plain rice.

Gobo to konnyaku no pirikara irini / spicy saute-simmered burdock root and konnyaku yam cake

A chunky kinpira-type dish full of fiber.  The contrast between firm gobo and chewy konnyaku makes this dish quite satisfying.  A great companion for plain rice or drinks!

Gobo to ninjin, enoki no misoshiru / miso soup with burdock root, carrot and enoki mushrooms

Burdock root gives lots of deep flavor while enoki mushrooms add a faint sourness. Thinly sliced vegetables liven up this hearty miso soup.