Shishito to eringi, myoga no miso-itame / stir-fried shishito peppers, king oyster mushroom and Japanese ginger buds with miso sauce

Crispy shishito and myoga stand out in this small side dish, which offers the punch of red miso against the soft and chewy texture of eringi mushroom. To ensure crispiness of shishito and myoga, cook eringi on relatively high heat to prevent it from letting out moisture and making everything soggy.

1/2 of recipe:
36 calories; 2.0 g protein; 1.3 g fat; 5.7 g carbohydrate; 3.1 g net carbs; 81 mg sodium (with shoyukoji soy sauce rice malt made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.6 g fiber; 252 mg potassium

Gomadashi / fish sesame paste

I first encountered the expression gomadashi on a website introducing regional udon specialties. It is a paste made of grilled fish, sesame seeds, soy sauce and sweetener. The paste's name does not intuitively convey how tasty it is. It is typically served with udon wheat noodles. It is also good with rice and as an addition to a number of dips and dressings. When making the paste, grilling the fish takes the longest, and once it is done, the paste should keep in the fridge for a relatively long time -- 4 weeks when made with regular soy sauce is what people say, so probably 2+ weeks with the reduced sodium version below.

1 tbsp (20g):
56 calories; 3.8 g protein; 3.4 g fat; 2.8 g carbohydrate; 2.0 g net carbs; 190 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce & shoyukoji made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 5 mg cholesterol; 0.8 g fiber

Whole recipe (approx. 170g):
476 calories; 32.5 g protein; 28.8 g fat; 23.7 g carbohydrate; 16.7 g net carbs; 1,601 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce & shoyukoji made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 42 mg cholesterol; 7.0 g fiber

Sundupu-yo yannyomu / yangnyeom seasoning mix for soondupu jjigae Korean soft tofu stew

This seasoning mix lets you make tasty soondupu jjigae that is low in sodium!

Whole recipe:
295 calories; 5.0 g protein; 19.8 g fat; 19.9 g carbohydrate; 19.2 g net carbs; 464 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.7 g fiber

1 tsp (6 g):
21 calories; 0.4 g protein; 1.4 g fat; 1.4 g carbohydrate; 1.4 g net carbs; 33 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.1 g fiber

Daikon, ninjin, age no itameni / daikon radish, carrot and thin deep-fried tofu saute simmered in broth (reduced-sodium version)

Featuring daikon radish, carrot and thin deep-fried tofu, this is a reduced-sodium version of my kind of everyday dish. As making less is one way to cut back on sodium, the recipe below is for half of the original amount, which makes it ideal as a small side dish at the table or as a good portion for bento boxes. Rice vinegar does the trick of leaving a sharp tingling sensation, helping you to forget about there being little salty seasoning.

1/2 of recipe:
57 calories per serving; 1.8 g protein; 2.2 g fat; 6.1 g carbohydrate; 4.5 g net carbs; 98 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 174 mg with regular soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 1.6 g fiber

Atsuage to chingensai no kurozuan itame / deep-fried tofu and baby bok choy saute with thickened brown rice vinegar sauce

Kurozuan sauce, a variation of thickened sauce based on amazu sweetened rice vinegar, is made with kurozu brown rice vinegar. It has a rich aroma while offering a refreshing note, making this simple saute satisfying yet light.

Poo ob woon sen / steamed crab with mung bean noodles

A flavorful crab dish with the pungent punch of whiskey. Great with steamed rice or drinks!

1/2 of regular recipe:
309 calories per serving; 14.1 g protein; 13.9 g fat; 26.6 g carbohydrate; 25.4 g net carbs; 792 mg sodium; 24 mg cholesterol; 1.2 g fiber

1/2 of reduced-sodium version:
 278 calories per serving; 14.0 g protein; 10.9 g fat; 26.7 g carbohydrate; 25.5 g net carbs; 558 mg sodium; 24 mg cholesterol; 1.2 g fiber