Wakatakejiru, tara iri / clear soup with wakame seaweed and bamboo shoot, with grilled cod

Bamboo shoot and wakame seaweed are a traditional pair. Fresh cod in season is grilled for its toasty aroma and added to make an outstanding trio.

1/2 of recipe:
51 calories; 9.9 g protein; 0.3 g fat; 2.4 g carbohydrate; 1.1 g net carbs; 270 mg sodium; 26 mg cholesterol; 1.3 g fiber

Sake to hijiki no itameni / salmon saute with hijiki seaweed

A rich dish that combines the deep flavors of salmon and hijiki. A small amount is very satisfying due to the strong flavoring and sauteed salmon. Great with rice and drinks. Also makes a delicious bento item.

1/3 of recipe:
134 calories; 15.3 g protein; 4.0 g fat; 5.6 g carbohydrate; 4.9 g net carbs; 208 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 284 mg with regular soy sauce); 37 mg cholesterol; 0.7 g fiber

Hijiki no irini, chikuwa-iri / saute-simmered hijiki seaweed with chikuwa fishcakes

A small side dish with mineral-rich hijiki seaweed. This is relatively sweet and strongly flavored without being overly salty.

1/3 of recipe:
49 calories; 3.3 g protein; 0.9 g fat; 6.7 g carbohydrate; 4.7 g net carbs; 134 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 185 mg with regular soy sauce); 5 mg cholesterol; 2.0 g fiber

Nagaimo to okura no ume-ae / Chinese yam and okra with pickled plum

A little summer dish for your good health. Nagaimo and okra, both loaded with mucin to protect your immune system, are paired with umeboshi, yet another traditional health food.

Mentaiko no takikomi-gohan / steamed rice with spicy salted pollock roe

Pale pink colored rice with a mild spicy kick.

Sakechazuke (dashi) / rice with grilled salted salmon in broth

A dashi version of ochazuke with grilled salted salmon. Light and warm, and gentle on your stomach.

Rice vinegar with kombu kelp

Kombu magic!

For a long time, I didn't especially like simple sunomono dishes in rice vinegar-based dressing. I did not appreciate that edgy, sharp sourness on my tongue and the almost piercing aroma in my nostrils, even if only for a moment – and both of these really stand out when vinegar is not heated with other dressing ingredients such as sugar and soy sauce.

Onigiri / rice balls

Also called omusubi, onigiri is a portable meal like sandwiches, and there is an endless variety of fillings, sizes, shapes, and wrapper choices (nori or other types of seaweed, cooked/pickled leafy vegetables), as well as coverage of wrappers. Here is an example with soramage gohan [steamed rice with fava beans], umeboshi pickled plum and nori seaweed.