With its unique combination of tastes and playful presentation, it is unsurprising that over the past few decades, Japanese food has become increasingly popular in the UK. Japanese people apply the same precision to food as they do to their engineering. When you extend an invitation to a Japanese meal, you might sometimes receive a response like: “I don't like sushi”. While in fact, Japanese food is not all about raw fish or sushi. We love to write about eating, and this is our take on some of the amazing Japanese food we’ve come to love (which you can also find on our menu!).
1. Curry Rice
Rice is indisputably the staple in Japan’s culinary traditions. For a typical rice bowl, you get a bowl of quality steamed rice with various toppings such as meat and vegetables in one meal. A classic Japanese curry dish differs from curries from other nations in that it is generally sweeter in flavour, with stewed vegetables mixed into the curry.
2. Katsu
Katsu refers to a crispy breadcrumbed cut of meat, prawn, or tofu, and fried to golden perfection (the name itself is derived from the sound of biting into these crispy bits - “katsu, katsu”). It is often enjoyed as a part of a rice or noodle bowl, in a curry, or as a sandwich filling. We use boneless chicken breasts at Buy & Bite and tofu for the vegan option. It is a perfect meal for a balanced diet and a great source of protein.
3. Noodles
Ramen noodles are made with flour, salt, and water. They are chewy and springy and can be served with various shredded vegetables and meats with sauce, or in a soup broth. We also serve soba noodles as the vegan option. There is 21g of carbs in 100g of cooked soba noodles and they are a lower carb alternative to pasta that has in average 31g carbs per 100g serving.
4. Tofu
Tofu, made from soybeans, is a famous health food of Japan. Our Katsu Tofu is deep fried to golden crispy pieces after being coated with breadcrumbs and added to the bowl of your choice. Make sure you try it with our green coconut curry sauce, which is a lovely fusion of Japanese and Thai cuisine that you cannot find elsewhere in London.
5. Gyoza
Gyozas are dumplings filled with minced chicken or pork and cabbage, and wrapped in a thin dough. Generally they can either be pan-fried or deep-fried. We serve deep-dried chicken with cabbage gyozas at our store. As you bite through the crispy layer of gyoza skin, the juice from the filling will burst in your mouth, tantalising your taste buds. Savoury and delicious!
6. Takoyaki
Also known as octopus balls or dumplings, Takoyaki is an iconic street snack hailing from Osaka. Takoyaki balls are made with a batter mixture containing chopped octopus and they are typically brushed with a sweet and savoury sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and topped with mayonnaise and seaweed. It is thinly crispy on the outside and very tender and tasty on the inside.
7. Edamame
Edamame is the Japanese name for immature green soy beans. Once cooked, the beans can be popped out easily out of the pods, and normally they are tossed into salads and rice dishes, or served as a light snack with salt and some chilli as it helps bring out the flavour. It is very heathy, and serve as a good source of proteins and fibre.
