Sekihan / steamed sweet rice with azuki beans (microwave version)

No steamer or rice cooker? No problem. Here is sekihan in the microwave.

Gindara no yuanyaki / grilled yuan-marinated black cod

Black cod with a sweet and pleasant citrusy taste from yuan marinade (soy sauce, mirin and sake with yuzu citrus). A good alternative to grilled saikyozuke black cod marinated in sweet Saikyo miso.

Surenkon / subasu / lotus root marinated in sweetened rice vinegar

A lotus root pickle that can be eaten as is or used as a garnish for grilled fish.

Hanarenkon / flower-cut lotus root

Lotus root rounds are transformed into flowers. A simple and popular decorative cut.

Horenso to kani no shogazu-ae / spinach and crab in ginger vinegar dressing

A sunomono dish with spinach and crab. Ginger adds a faintly spicy bite.

Umeninjin no nimono, shoga-aji / plum-blossom cut carrot simmered in light ginger-flavored broth

A part of takiawase -- assorted vegetables and tofu separately cooked in broth -- for New Year's osechi food. The slightly sweet ginger-flavored broth is one of my favorites for takiawase carrots.

Buta no kakuni / stewed pork

Among the wide range of variations -- from somewhat firm to heavenly soft, as well as light to heavy -- this kakuni is at the soft, light and non-greasy end. While extra fatty pork belly is the cut of choice for a supremely soft texture, country-style rib, which is more commonly available in the US, is used here.  Okara soybean pulp is the secret to removing extra fat and tenderizing pork at the same time in prep-cooking.