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＜Yield> 2 servings 10 minutes 8 minutes 2-3 slices salmon filet (300g) 1 tbsp salted butter ¼ tsp salt & pepper Sauce 1½ tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp-1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar 2 tbsp mirin 1 tsp lemon juice 1. Sprinkle the salmon filets with salt and pepper. Make sure to do it on both sides. Let it sit for 10 mins. Wipe off the moisture seeping out from the salmon to reduce the fishy smell. Mix all the sauce ingredients together. 2. Add cooking oil to the pan. Place salmon skin side down into the pan. Lower the heat and close with a lid. Steam it for 5 mins or until the skin is charred. 3. Flip the salmon and cook it for another 2 mins. Wipe off the oil with a paper towel as much as possible. Add sauce and butter. Let it cook for another 2 mins. Transfer the salmon to a plate. Deglaze the sauce until it’s thickened. Drizzle it over the salmon. Ready to be enjoyed! Steaming the salmon will keep it moist and result in a tender salmon. The key to success is ①not overcooking and ②wiping off the excess fish oil as much as possible before adding in the sauce. If you prefer less tangy, reduce the vinegar in half and add more mirin to your liking. Your kitchen might smell like vinegar. Please be prepare for it. Haha. Store in an air-tight container for up to 2 days in the fridge. 2022/10/21 MIWA

＜Yield> 2 servings 5 minutes 8 minutes 1 cup steamed rice (½ cup uncooked rice) 2 cups water (400ml) 1 tbsp dashi powder/ any bouillon cube 1 tbsp shio kombu ½ cup chopped green onions ½ cup baby spinach 2 pieces shiitake mushrooms 100g tofu 1 egg 1-1½ tsp soy sauce 1. Finely chop green onions. Thinly slice shiitake mushrooms. 2. Into the pot add water, dashi powder, shio kombu, steamed rice, green onions and shiitake mushrooms. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until the soup has thickened (approximately 5 mins). 3. Add in the spinach and tofu crumbled by hand. Whisk in the egg and mix into the porridge. Remove from heat immediately and cover with a lid. Let it steam for 1-2 mins. Open the lid and adjust the taste with soy sauce. If you don’t have access to shio kombu then you can swap it for salt (a couple pinches) and nori seaweed. Egg is optional. You can adjust the taste by adding in more soy sauce. Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 day in the fridge and 2 weeks in the freezer. 2023/10/14 MIWA

This recipe was created at the request of members in the Ikigai Cooking Club. We cooked this together in our zoom cooking session. Feel free to join if you are looking for like-minded Japanese food enthusiasts! Last call for enrollment for 2023! ▶Vegan (If you omit the eggs) ＜Yield> 2 servings 5 minutes 10 minutes 1½ cups shredded cabbage (200g) 1 cup sliced onion (150g) 2 pieces shiitake mushrooms ½ cup canned corn/ fresh corn kernels 1 cup tomato juice (unsalted) 1 cup water ½ tsp dashi powder / bouillon cube 1- 1½ tbsp yellow miso 10g ginger 2 eggs (optional) 1 tbsp flax seed oil (optional) Topping (optional) Parmagiano cheese 1. Shred the cabbage thinly. Thinly slice onion and shiitake mushrooms. 2. Into the pot add water, tomato juice, soup stock powder and all the vegetables. Grate the ginger. Cover with a lid and cook it for about 5 mins or until it’s partially cooked. 3. Crack in the eggs if you want. When the eggs are cooked to your liking, remove from heat and dissolve in the miso paste. Serve the soup in a bowl. Drizzle on some flax seed oil. Top with parmagiano cheese. 1. If you are in a time crunch, shred your cabbage as thin as possible, so that you can speed up the cooking process. 2. Feel free to adjust the amount of miso you are adding. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. 2023/09/30 MIWA

▶VEGAN ＜Yield> 2 servings 10 minutes 10 minutes 300g firm tofu 5 shiitake mushrooms 1 tbsp chopped ginger (10g) 2 cloves garlic 1 small onion (100g) 1 leek (100g) 1 tsp tobanjan paste 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 2 servings pre-cooked ramen noodles/ udon noodles/ rice noodles (300g) 1 tsp high heat oil Seasoning 2 tsp sugar 2 tsp potato starch/ corn starch 2 ½ tsp soy sauce 2 tsp cooking sake 1 ½ tbsp red miso 1 tbsp tenmenjyan/ gochujang ½ tsp soup stock powder/ bouillon cube ⅓ cup water (70ml) Topping ( optional) cucumber coriander chopped green onion tomato 1. Remove the moisture from the tofu as much as possible by squeezing it or microwaving it at 600w for 3 mins (watch more on YouTube). Mince the ginger and garlic. Dice the shiitake mushrooms and onion into ½ inch cubes. Thinly slice the leeks. Mix all the seasoning in a bowl. 2.Cook the noodles according to their package instructions if your noodles aren't pre-cooked. Mine are already cooked, so I don’t show this process in the video. 3. Into a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger. Let it infuse over low heat for 1 min. Add onion, leek and shiitake mushrooms. Bring the heat to high and cook for 3 mins. Add tobanjan paste and tofu. Continue to cook for another 2 mins. 4. Add all the seasonings listed above. Cook over medium heat until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and drizzle on the toasted sesame oil. 5. In a pan, add in toasted sesame oil. Cook noodles until both sides are lightly browned. Add in water and cover with a lid. Steam for 1-2 mins. Open the lid and let the excess water evaporate completely. Transfer to the plate. (This process is optional) 6. Pour the tofu sauce (Step 4) on top of the noodles. Garnish with your choice of toppings.Toss everything together and enjoy! If the sauce is not spicy enough, feel free to drizzle chili oil or add more tobanjan paste. If you don’t have access to noodles, enjoy it topped over rice! I highly recommend enjoying it with some fresh raw vegetables. Keep the noodles and sauce separately. You can keep the sauce in an air-tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge or 2 weeks in the freezer. 2023/9/02 MIWA

▶VEGAN ＜Yield> 2 servings 10 minutes (does not include marinating time) 0 minutes 1 small carrot (80g) 1 small cucumber (80g) 50g daikon/ turnip Marinade 4 tbsp soy yogurt/ regular yogurt (100g) 3 tbsp yellow miso 1. Thinly slice (about ¼ inch) the carrot, cucumber and turnip. 2. Into a container, mix together the miso paste and yogurt. Add in the vegetables (step 1) and toss them to coat. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 16 hours to a max of 48 hours. Rinse off the marinade under a faucet and transfer to a plate. ※Watch more on YouTube! 1. If you want to keep the pickles for more than 2 days, make sure to wash off the marinade then store it in a container, otherwise the pickles would be too salty. 2. Soy yogurt is the best for this recipe. 3. Leftover marinade can be utilized in a soup such as tomato soup and miso soup. If you add your choice of oil to the leftover marinade, it makes a delicious dressing. No wasting^^ Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days after removing the marinade. ★Do you need any help on starting Japanese cooking at home? Click here! 2023/07/22 MIWA

▶VEGAN ＜Yield> 2 servings 10 minutes 5 minutes 1 cup broccoli (150g) ½ cup shredded carrot (50g) ½ cup frozen edamame (deshelled) 1 sheet nori seaweed 2 tbsp water Dressing 2 ½ tbsp mayonaise/ vegan mayonaise 1 tsp soy sauce ½ tsp mustard ( add more or less to your liking) ¼ tsp sugar ¼ tsp salt 1. Cut broccoli into florets. Julian carrot. Steam them for 5 mins or until they are slightly cooked but still crunchy. Let them cool completely. Wipe off the moisture as much as possible. Thaw the frozen edamame in water. 2. Into a container, add all the dressing ingredients listed above. Then add in the broccoli, carrots, edamame and nori seaweed (torn by hand). Toss them to coat. Removing the moisture will prevent your salad from being watered down. Other than broccoli, steamed sweet potato, kabocha squash, and lotus root would be great replacements. If 1⁄2 tsp of mustard isn’t spicy enough, feel free to add more. Adding a small amount each time goes a long way. Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Do you need any help on starting Japanese cooking at home ? Click here! 2023/7/22 MIWA

＜Yield> 2 servings 15 minutes 0 minutes 2 Japanese cucumbers (150g) 2 pinches salt Dressing 1 canned tuna (80g) 2 tsp mentsuyu (3 times concentrated) 1-1 ½ tsp tobanjan paste 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 1. Remove the seeds from the cucumbers. Cut into large bite sized pieces. Sprinkle with some salt and let it sit for 5 mins. Squeeze out the moisture to retain the crunchy texture. 2. Into a container, add all the dressing ingredients listed above. Add in the cucumbers. Toss them to coat. Tobanjan paste does contain salt and is spicy. My kids can handle 1 tsp. If you want to make it spicy, feel free to add in more a little at a time. Use smaller cucumbers such as Japanese cucumbers or Persian cucumbers. If you opt for thick cucumbers, use just one instead of two. Store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. ★Do you need any help on starting Japanese cooking at home? Click here! 2023/7/22 MIWA

＜Yield> 2 servings 5 minutes (It doesn’t include time for marinating) 8 minutes 300g salmon fillet 1 ½ tbsp shio koji/ salted rice malt 1 tbsp neutral oil 1. Remove the moisture from the salmon filet. Slice into 2 pieces. Coat each salmon with shio koji. Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours to possibly 6 hours. 2. Wipe off the shio koji. To a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil. Place the salmon skin side down and sauté for 5 mins over low heat with a lid on. Flip and do another 2 mins on low covered with a lid. Marinating for 6 hours is the best. You can also freeze the salmon if you want to keep it for more than a day. 2. Koji easily gets burnt. The key to success is to cook with it over low heat with a lid on for a tender and moist salmon. 3. If it’s too salty, remove the shio koji after 6 hours of marinating then keep it in the fridge or freezer. Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 day in the fridge. 2 weeks in the freezer. 2023/07/08 MIWA

＜Yield> 2 servings 10 minutes 0 minutes 200g extra firm tofu / firm tofu 2 eggs 1 canned tuna (80g) 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, ground 2 tbsp chopped green onion 1 ½ tbsp -2 tbsp mentsuyu (3 times concentrated) 1. Remove the excess water from the tofu as much as possible by squeezing. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk. Drain the liquid from the canned tuna if there is any. Chop the green onions into small pieces. 2. To a microwave-safe container or bowl, add in the beaten eggs. Break the tofu by hand and add it to the egg. Mix them to combine. 3. Microwave the egg and tofu mixture (step2) at 600w for 2 mins 30 seconds covered. If the egg is still runny, continue to microwave for another 20 seconds until you reach a scrambled egg-like consistency. 4. Add in the mentsuyu, canned tuna, ground sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Each microwave works differently. Use mine as a guideline and adjust it in your own way. 2. If you don’t have access to mentsuyu, swap for soy sauce. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do you need any help on starting Japanese cooking at home? Click here! 2023/07/08 MIWA

きのこポン酢ソース> ▶VEGAN ＜Yield> 3 servings 3 minutes 4 minutes 400g mushrooms in total (3 different kinds you have on hand) e.x. shiitake, enoki and shimeji mushrooms etc. 4 tbsp mirin 4 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1-2 cloves of garlic 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes 1. Trim off the stems of the enoki mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms. Remove the bottom of the stem of shiitake mushroom then tear them by hand. Thinly slice the garlic. 2. Into a pot, add all the ingredients written under < Sauce>. Add in the mushrooms (step 1). Start cooking over medium. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook it for another 3 mins. 3. Transfer to a clean container and let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours. You can store it for up to 2 weeks. 1. You can make this recipe with just one kind of mushroom, but the more variety the better. 2. Use it as a dressing or a dipping sauce. My favorite way is to top it over rice or toss it with cold soba noodles. 3. It's the best when it's chilled. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 2023/06/26 MIWA

＜Yield> 2 servings 10 mins 50 mins ( It varies depending on your rice cooker) 3 pieces shiitake mushrooms ½ cup shimeji mushrooms ½ cup maitake mushrooms 1 cup Japanese sushi rice (180g) 200ml water 5g / 1 tbsp butter 1 tsp mirin 1 tbsp soy sauce ½ tsp black pepper Cook rice according to the package instructions or I have a recipe here. Trim off the stem of shimeji mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. Tear 3 kinds of mushrooms by hand (OR mince them if you don’t like the texture of mushrooms). To a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil. Cook mushrooms until nicely charred. Add in the mirin, soy sauce and butter. Cook it for 1 min. Mix together the cooked rice (step 1) and 3. Add black pepper. ※Watch more on YouTube! 1. Tearing mushrooms by hand will give them a nice texture. Use any kind of mushrooms. 2. Try not to disturb mushroom for the first a couple of mins to create a nice char. 3. If it’s not savory enough, add more soy sauce or sprinkle with some salt. Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 days, in the freezer for 2 weeks. ☆Join our IKIGAI COOKING CLUB (membership) to meet Japanese food lovers all over the world. This membership will help you to establish a healthy cooking habit by incorporating more Japanese cooking into your life! 2023/6/17 MIWA

This is my favorite!!!! and perfect for meal prep! ＜Yield> 2 servings 10 mins 15 mins 1 small carrot (150g) 1 small onion (150g) 1 Japanese eggplant 1 red bell pepper 6 pieces okura 1 dashi packet / 1 tsp dashi powder / any bouillon cube 1 tbsp neutral oil Marinade 3 tbsp ponzu 2 tbsp water 1 tsp rice vinegar/ lemon juice (optional) Slice carrot and eggplant into coins (¼ inch thick). Cut red bell pepper and onion into large bite size pieces. Trim off the hard part of okura (watch on YouTube). Add carrots and onions to a pan. Sprinkle half of the inside of a dashi packet into the pan and add in the oil. Cook it on medium heat for 1 min and mix them once. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to med-low. Steam it for 5 mins. Add in the eggplant. Add in half of the remaining the dashi packet. Mix them once again and cover with the lid. Steam it for 5 mins over med-low heat. Add in the red bell pepper and okura. Add in the rest of the dashi packet. Mix them once again and cover with a lid. Steam it for 3 mins over low heat. Transfer to the container. Add ponzu and water while it is still hot. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. ※Watch more on YouTube! When you steam the vegetables, adjust the heat between low heat to medium heat. Trying to prevent it from burning. If you prefer it to be on the tangy side, add an extra 1 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar. These pickles are the best when eaten chilled. Sweet potato, lotus root and kabocha squash are great options. Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5 days. ☆Join our IKIGAI COOKING CLUB (membership) to meet Japanese food lovers all over the world. This membership will help you to establish a healthy cooking habit by incorporating more Japanese cooking into your life! 2023/6/17 MIWA