Japanese culture
is fascinating to many
Americans of European descent. We have found a love of all things
Japanese, most especially the food! If you’re looking for
snack foods or party food with a Japanese flair, here are some great
Japanese
snack ideas.
Yakitori – A
kabob that is quite popular as a snack, party food, or casual dinner
item.
(Goes well with Japanese beer and Saki.)
Begin by soaking your wooden skewers in
water to prevent them from burning.
-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
-1 teaspoon sugar
-2 Tablespoons sake
-3 Tablespoons mirin
-3 Tablespoons soy sauce
Skewer the chicken on the soaked skewers.
Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Grill the skewered chicken, using
the sauce as a baste.
Edamame - Edamame has
become more popular as a Japanese snack food in America in recent
years, so it’s getting easier to find it in the grocery
stores. Serve it like we would pretzels (with beer during the game) or
keep it in baggies like trail mix as a snack on the go. What a great
way to get the kids to eat veggies! (Be wary of folks who are allergic
to soy, though!)
Wash your edamame thoroughly. Boil a large
pot of water. Add a Tablespoon of salt to the boiling water and boil
the edamame for three to four minutes. Drain and sprinkle with a little
more salt. Cool it and store in an airtight container.
Sunomomo (Cucumber and
Daikon Salad) – A great side dish for almost any meal, as
well as a fresh afternoon snack.
-1 daikan radish
-1 cucumber
-5 Tablespoons rice vinegar
-2 Tablespoon sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
Peel the radish and slice it thinly. Slice
the cucumber just as thinly. Salt both vegetables and allow the salt to
soak in for about ten minutes. Wash them off and drain well. Mix the
vinegar and sugar and pour over the veggies. Let sit for at least
fifteen minutes before serving.
With the expansion of the Asian section in
most grocery stores, and more and more Asian specialty stores opening
up, you are sure to find plenty of ingredients and ideas for Japanese
snack foods.