Drama Food I Crave: The Japanese Edition

Have you ever wondered while watching a Japanese drama or movie: “What are they eating? Looks yummy. I wanna make some myself.” But in the end, you didn’t figure out what it was that was leaving you drooling. 

Because let’s face it, it’s not like they were talking a lot about food in J-dramas or that they’re lots of food related J-dramas (23 to be precise… well, according to MDL’s database).

Well, maybe it’s just me, but I have the impression that food isn’t given much attention in J-dramas.

But fear not! I’m going to enlighten you on some of those dishes, desserts, street food and other Japanese sweets right now. Some I have tasted and even prepared myself, others I wish I could taste at least once  =)

So let’s begin our exploration of Japanese dramas food:

As you can see, it’s not like the "usual" curry. It's made with potatoes, carrots and chicken or beef.

Mostly eaten in fall and winter, curry is one of the most popular dishes in Japan.

Be warned: curry isn’t a low-fat dish, be sure about that ^^” Especially when we’re talking about one of its varieties: katsu curry (see img. 3 on the right). That one is a killer xD

But as long as it’s delicious, who cares?

I think this dish doesn’t need much to be talked about since you can see those in almost every episode of Hana Kimi XD No, but seriously, what are those? Okonomiyakis are some sort of salty pancake, in which you put whatever you like, as it is stated in the name of the dish okonomi which literally means "to ones liking."

Mostly seen in K-Dramas, it is still from Japan. It's simply fried rice with peas and ham, enwrapped by an omelet. Omurice is a good example of Japanese fusion cuisine (or Yoshoku).

I’ve always succeeded in doing the –rice part, it’s the omu- part that’s always been the problem /: It always ended up in some sort scrambled egg -_- I tried many times,  but I never succeeded in making a correct omurice.

 

By the way, don’t forget to make noise while slurping the noodles ;)

It’s called street food, but you can easily make those at home if you have what’s needed :)

I think the first thing that must’ve come to your mind, and for good reasons, is Gokusen  :D You see those in every episode. Basically, takoyakis are little ball-shaped snacks filled with sliced octopus.

I’ve only tasted takoyaki once. I did even when I don’t like seafood. I guess I was too curious. And it’s actually yummy :3 it melts in your mouth and… *drools like Homer Simpson* Anyways, if you have the occasion to taste takoyaki, try, it's really good.

Originally, it was only skewered chicken. ALL parts of the chicken.

But today you can see more different sorts of Yakitori: beef, fish, pork, mushrooms…

Used to like those until I got one of those parts of the chicken I’m not very fond of -_-

Basically they’re just fried noodles with meat, vegetables, and are accompanied with a special sauce. It’s actually very easy to make. They’re generally sold on little stalls, but you can also easily prepare them at home.

Also if you’re not confident in your cooking abilities, you can also have some instant yakisoba ^^

But my favourite is the strawberry one :3

If you want to make some yourself, unfortunately you’ll need the special machine to do it :x

The first question you must ask yourself is: “Does it actually taste like melon?” And my answer to that is: “Nope, not even in the slightest.” ahahahaha

Then why 'melon pan?' Well, the top of melon pan is supposed to look like a melon, but I personally don’t see how it looks like it.  -_- Looks more like a turtle to me...

It's a fish-shaped cake filled with azuki paste (red bean paste). But it can also be filled with custard or chocolate.

Care for something sweet and light? Then, let me present you the pocky.

Originally, it was just small biscuit stick slightly coated with chocolate. But today, you can find lots of different coatings: banana, strawberry, milk, macha (green tea).

Side note: if you’re from Europe, you might already know pocky, just not under the same name. In Europe, it’s called Mikado ;) (though, I'm not even sure it's sold everywhere in Europe)

I couldn’t really include it as a Japanese dessert since it’s not Japanese per se but it is nonetheless a very appreciated pastry ^^ It’s one of the most popular pastries in Japan, actually. Schoolgirls even learn how to make them during cooking class.