Japanese Dinner Recipes

Coconut-Miso Salmon Curry

This light, delicate weeknight curry comes together in less than 30 minutes and is defined by its deep miso flavor Miso is typically whisked into soups toward the end of the recipe, but sweating it directly in the pot with ginger, garlic and a little oil early on helps the paste caramelize, intensifying its earthy sweetness Adding coconut milk creates a rich broth that works with a wide range of seafood

Five-Ingredient Creamy Miso Pasta

This one-pot pasta comes together in minutes, and requires zero prep and minimal cleanup It builds on the classic combination of pasta, butter and cheese with a spoonful of miso paste for complexity But you could experiment with using any other condiments or spices you have on hand, such as red pesto, curry paste or ground turmeric in place of the miso

Sticky Miso Salmon Bowl

Miso salmon is an easy meal for any night of the week but it gets taken to a whole other level here with the additions of grapefruit and honey Combining the zest and juice from the grapefruit with honey, miso and a bit of ginger gives the fish a sticky-tangy finish when broiled The sushi rice is mixed with a humble pat of butter and some sliced scallions, making it a comforting counterpart to this simple fish for an elegant weeknight dinner.

Coconut Fish and Tomato Bake

A coconut-milk dressing infused with garlic, ginger, turmeric and lime coats fish fillets in this sheet-pan dinner Accompanying the fish are bright bursts of tomatoes which turn jammy under the broiler and relinquish some of their juices to the pan sauce This sauce is silky enough to coat a spoon and packed with flavor

Perfect Instant Ramen

Make some instant ramen Slide an egg into the hot broth, then some butter Crown the steaming noodles with slices of American cheese

Gochujang Buttered Noodles

These garlicky, buttery noodles are perfect for when you need a stellar pantry meal lickety-split A packet of fresh or even instant ramen speeds up the meal prep and is ideal when cooking for one (see Tip) Honey and sherry vinegar round out gochujang’s deep heat into a mellowness that’s at once sweet, savory and tangy

Sesame Salmon Bowls

This one-pot meal, which is inspired by chirashi, or Japanese rice and raw fish bowls, features a savory vinegared rice that’s typically served with sushi Traditionally, the rice is cooked first, then mixed with vinegar, but here, the rice is cooked in vinegar-seasoned water to eliminate a step The result is sticky rice that’s tangy and sweet, and a perfect bed for fatty salmon

Sheet-Pan Salmon and Broccoli With Sesame and Ginger

A healthy sheet-pan dinner that comes together in just 20 minutes Sign us up Brushing a simple sesame-ginger glaze onto the salmon before it roasts promotes caramelization on the fish, a feat not easily accomplished when roasting salmon fillets

Chicken Teriyaki

Teriyaki is derived from the Japanese root words teri, which means “to shine,” and yaki, which means “to broil or grill.” That’s the way traditional teriyaki looks: shiny and incised with grill marks In Japan, teriyaki is a mix of soy sauce, sake and the rice wine mirin, which imparts a subtle sweetness The teriyaki found throughout Seattle, of which this is an adaptation, is a bit more showy

Honey-Glazed Mushrooms With Udon

In this weeknight dish, caramelized mushrooms are bathed in a satiny glaze of honey and butter, delivering the winning trifecta of sweet, savory and earthy Cremini mushrooms are the hardest workers of the fungi world; they are inexpensive and accessible, and while they may not feel as fancy as some wild varieties, with some time in the pan, they burst with complex flavor (Button mushrooms also do the job well.) Chubby udon are the ideal carriers for the luscious sauce, but for the most satisfying results, use fresh or frozen noodles, rather than the thinner dried strands

Skillet Gnocchi With Miso Butter and Asparagus

This skillet gnocchi recipe has a spring in its step: It takes just 10 minutes to cook and is loaded with sweet springtime asparagus and baby greens But that doesn’t mean the flavor is fleeting: The combination of miso, butter and vinegar forms a silky, rich sauce that glosses the seared gnocchi and vegetables and anything else you wish to add Perhaps that’s the crunch of sliced radishes or toasted pistachios, or the crispness of a fried egg or seared fish.

Honey-Garlic Chicken

These sweet and salty honey-garlic chicken breasts are perfect for when you want big flavor, but you’re short on time To ensure golden-brown chicken breasts that stay plump and moist, start with a hot pan and pat the chicken dry to avoid adding extra moisture, then allow the chicken to sear properly Once your chicken has taken on color, set it aside and create a simple pan sauce of honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and butter

Silken Tofu With Spicy Soy Dressing

This recipe is inspired by the many cold silken tofu dishes from East Asia, like Japanese hiyayakko and Chinese liangban tofu This no-cook dish is a handy one to have up your sleeve, especially for warm evenings when the desire to cook is nonexistent Silky soft tofu is draped in a punchy soy dressing, creating a lively dish with little effort

Smashed Avocado-Chicken Burgers

These zippy chicken burgers are loaded with ginger, garlic, cilantro and scallions for fresh flavor and some textural crunch The secret ingredient is a little mashed avocado that’s added to the ground chicken before cooking, which keeps the burgers tender and light A citrusy soy mayonnaise is used both inside the patties and slathered on top

One-Pot Miso-Turmeric Salmon and Coconut Rice

In this layered spinach, salmon and rice dish, a bed of greens layered on simmering coconut rice acts as a steamer basket for the fish nestled on top, allowing it to cook gently The rice starts cooking while easy-to-eat salmon pieces are coated with savory miso and colorful turmeric A bit of lime balances the rich flavors

One-Pot Miso-Mascarpone Pasta

This six-ingredient pasta is reminiscent of an intensely creamy and savory mac and cheese thanks to just two ingredients: umami-rich miso and milky-rich mascarpone The dish comes together quickly with pantry ingredients and with no need for chopping or grating It is delicious simply as it is, but it’s also easy to add your own flourishes: Top with chile crisp, store-bought fried shallots or both

Extra-Green Pasta Salad

This vibrant green pasta salad gets its color from a combination of spinach and basil, but you can swap the spinach for arugula for a more peppery finish (Some of us need a little bite in our lives!) The miso in the sauce does a lot of the heavy lifting, imparting a salty, almost Parmesan-like quality

Broccoli-Quinoa Soup With Turmeric and Ginger

Turmeric and ginger are generous ingredients: You need only a little of each to deliver plenty of complex, comforting flavors They work together in this recipe to bring warmth, earthiness, smokiness and spice to this hearty soup Often a salad ingredient, quinoa proves its versatility here, providing a substantial and protein-packed foundation

Miso-Butter Chicken With Grapefruit

Buttery miso pan drippings add richness to this lively combination of crunchy greens, juicy grapefruit and sticky chicken Start by roasting boneless thighs with a sweet-savory combination of butter, miso, mirin and grapefruit zest As the chicken rests, toss grapefruit segments in the drippings, then use that mixture to dress bitter lettuces

Chan Chan Yaki (Miso Butter Salmon)

Chan chan yaki, or miso butter salmon, is a classic dish from Hokkaido, Japan, a place known for its excellent salmon The fish-and-vegetable dish is frequently made on a teppan (a large grill), with everything chopped and mixed with two metal spatulas that make the onomatopoetic “chan chan” sound (Other possible “chan chan” derivations include “cha cha,” used to describe something that’s quick, and “otō-chan,” meaning “dad,” since it’s often prepared by patriarchs.) This clever version from Marc Matsumoto, the Tokyo-based blogger behind No Recipes, streamlines the dish for home cooking, calling for a lidded skillet and keeping the salmon in one large piece for easier preparation and presentation

Japanese Curry With Chicken Meatballs

For all the impact of a complex, long simmered curry in a cinch, bring on the Japanese curry roux blocks Unlike curry powder, these curry blocks only need to be simmered in water to add loads of flavor and body Traditionally carrots, potatoes and onions are included, but this version smothers ginger-spiked chicken meatballs, creamy sweet potato and lots of greens in the sauce

Citrus-Soy Chicken Ramen

Bright and zippy, rich and savory, this streamlined take on ramen wakes your palate like a sunbeam streaming through the curtains on a lazy morning in bed It’s superfast yet it tastes as if you've just spent hours simmering it Simply make a quick garlicky broth enriched with soy sauce and enhanced by the bones and skin from a store-bought rotisserie chicken

Lemon-Pepper Zucchini Pasta With Dill

A summer favorite, zucchini bulks up raw salads, lends texture to muffins and bread, and adds a subtle salinity to pasta dishes That's the role it plays in this simple miso butter pasta A little pasta water and spoonfuls of miso melt into a delightful sauce to coat the noodles

Miso Shrimp and Corn Couscous Salad

A delightful blend of bright, sunny colors and flavors shine in this summery salad A lemony dressing coats the tender, slightly chewy, pearled couscous, which helps to cut the richness of the miso-butter mixture that coats the shrimp and charred corn While this salad is best with fresh corn — at its sweetest scraped straight off the cob — frozen corn makes an excellent substitute any time of year, even though it won’t char quite as visibly

Soy Sauce and Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts Pasta

With cues from wafu pasta, the Japanese-style style of cooking that brings together global and Japanese flavors, this indulgent weeknight dish delivers a powerful umami kick thanks to the combination of butter and soy sauce. Maximize the potential of butter by browning it to produce a headier sauce with nutty notes; adding soy sauce produces a caramel-like richness.

Ginger-Scallion Stir-Fried Shrimp

Supremely quick and easy, this is a delightful anytime recipe that enhances the flavor of shrimp with three dynamic ingredients: garlic, ginger and scallions The shrimp gets coated with cornstarch before cooking, which keeps the shrimp tender and adds body to the pan sauce Whipped together with little more than tomato paste and water, the pan sauce soaks up the flavors of the scallions, ginger and garlic

Sesame Salmon Noodle Bowls With Ponzu

Silky salmon, chewy noodles, crisp vegetables: These cold noodle bowls are refreshing and satisfying, and don’t require much effort. Inspired by zaru soba and udon — cold noodles served with dipping sauce — this recipe uses supermarket stars to deliver flavor fast.

Mushroom and Egg Donburi

There are many different types of donburi, a Japanese rice bowl topped with some combination of meat and vegetables, including gyudon (beef), katsudon (pork) and oyakodon (chicken and egg) In this meat-free version, which was inspired by oyakodon, mushrooms and leeks simmer in a dashi-based sauce before beaten eggs are poured over and cooked until custardy The combination of mushrooms and leeks is especially satisfying because it doubles down on the savory and sweet contrast in the sauce, but vegetarian versions of oyakodon are also frequently made with cubed tofu or other thinly sliced vegetables and egg

Miso Rice Cakes With Spinach and Peas

Tteok (oval rice cakes) partner up with spring’s abundance of greens to produce an easy, lightning-fast weeknight dinner The firm, precooked rice cakes often found in soups and stews become amazingly absorbent after a quick soak, drinking in the surrounding miso sauce, becoming glossy and rich with umami Spring offers ample opportunity for substitutions: Fragrant green garlic can swap in for the usual garlic cloves, magenta spring onions for red onions, fresh peas instead of frozen, and twirly pea shoots for baby spinach

Spaghetti Napolitan

Spaghetti Napolitan should be thought of as a yaki (“fried”) noodle dish more than an Italian-style pasta This smart, effortlessly delicious version comes from ketchup lover Chiaki Ohara of Davelle, a Japanese café on Manhattan’s Lower East Side Frying the ketchupy noodles and vegetables over high heat, in a generous amount of oil, results in a deeply satisfying sauce, so don’t be afraid of a little fire (or oil, for that matter)

Chicken Mazemen

Quick and flavorful, mazemen is a brothless ramen that was created in Japan as a quick bite that is both easy to eat and satisfying This homemade version is simple and easy, thanks to fast-cooking ground chicken and some everyday pantry ingredients that effortlessly create a rich sauce Swirling tahini into the noodles at the end creates the silky texture

Miso-Grilled Shrimp with Corn and Shishito Peppers

You could throw some shrimp and vegetables on the grill and call it dinner, but a sauce makes the whole thing sing Here, a pantry-friendly miso-honey sauce does double duty: It coats the shrimp before grilling, helping the exterior caramelize before the delicate meat toughens Then, once everything’s off the grill, dunk the shrimp, corn and shishito peppers into more sauce

Homemade Udon Noodles

Made with simple ingredients like wheat flour, water, and salt, this easy udon noodle recipe delivers chewy texture and comforting flavor at home.

Gyudon (Japanese Beef & Rice Bowls)

Japanese Curry Using Roux Cubes (including lots of secret tips)

Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetables