Cuisines from the Land of the Rising Sun

            Sukiyaki, Ebi Tempura, Gyoza, or rice, which among them is the tastiest? It's a hard choice! I must say that they are all inexplicably delicious.

                

              The Japanese love RICE! They call rice in Japan as Gohan. Whenever I eat at a Japanese restaurant, I always check the consistency of the rice. It seems I have inherited their being finicky towards the rice they eat. This started when I first tasted real Japanese rice. The fluffy  texture made it seem like it would melt in my mouth. The consistency of the rice was heavenly. It was sticky and easy to chew, making it less trouble to eat. Rice isn't the only food that the Japanese can be proud of.

                 

              Sukiyaki is yet another scrumptious dish by the Japanese. This is a nabe dish or a hot pot dish. Sukiyaki is usually prepared in a hot pot on the table. This is usually eaten during winter to soothe the Japanese from the icy cold weather. This particular nabe is prepared with thinly sliced meat, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and shirataki (konyaku noodles). The best Sukiyaki I have ever tasted, so far, is from Teriyaki Boy. Every  element of this dish complemented each other. The noodles are perfect and bouncy. It has great elasticity and is fun to eat. The soup is simple. It doesn't overpower any of the other ingredients. It only makes them more delicious. 

         The next dish, perhaps, is one of the most well-known Japanese dishes among the Filipinos. Yes, It's Ebi Tempura! This is a shrimp coated with tempura batter and is deep fried. There are different types of tempura but the most notorious one is Ebi Tempura. I love the crunchy exterior that makes it such a delectable dish. The element that makes the greatest impression for me from this dish is the sauce. It's a mixture of sweet and salty flavor at the same time. 

          Don't forget the Gyoza! Gyoza are dumplings with a filling usually made of minced vegetables and ground meat. Gyoza were introduced to Japan from China. In Japan, Gyoza are usually prepared by frying. The filling inside isn't the only element that makes this dish distinct from other dumplings. It also depends greatly on the wrapper. It can't be too thick or too thin. When it's too thick, the dumplings would taste floury and it will overpower the filling. When the wrapper is too thin, it would easily break. 

           Japanese cuisine is one of my favorite food. I love the balance and subtlety of the flavors and I love how their culture can be seen in their food. There are a lot of Japanese restaurants in the Philippines, but only some can really produce the taste of genuine Japanese food. Japanese food may not be the most popular dish in our country right now, but those who have tasted it will definitely crave for more. There are a lot more Japanese dishes I have yet to discover. I don't know which dish that I mentioned above would be the tastiest, but maybe I have yet to discover the tastiest Japanese dish.