How to pick the best dishes in Japan to try out - Mouth-watering and magnificent

The ubiquitous greeting, “Irrashaimase!”- meaning ‘welcome’ at Japanese restaurants around the world sets the tone for a unique culinary experience. When talking about Japanese food, the first thing that comes to mind is rice and fish. Here are some of the best dishes you should not miss. 

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Sushi and sashimi

The food item that links us mostly with Japan is sushi and sashimi. Be it in Europe, Asia, or Africa, there are sushi lovers all around the world. It is popular among people as a unique culinary creation because every piece of rice is seasoned with a vinegar rice mix (made of salt and sugar) and then mixed with different ingredients such as vegetables, seaweed (nori), and seafood. There is an interesting way to taste sushi. Get a piece of sushi using chopsticks and dip it in wasabi and soy sauce, or both as you prefer. You will feel a mixture of flavours in your mouth. Depending on the ingredients and shapes used to prepare, sushi is called with different names Temaki sushi, Maki sushi, Nigiri sushi, and Oshi sushi. If you are in search of sites with attractive dining offers to try out unique Asian flavours like sushi, you can find one browsing through Excellent Hotel Deals. Sashimi is seafood or raw fish served with soy sauce or wasabi. It is also served with slices of radish. Those who are planning to visit Japan to indulge in a unique food experience can first check out all the different sushi tours and participate in different sushi workshops. 

Ramen

An excellent dish for noodles lovers. This dish is a popular option among tourists and locals alike who are on the lookout for something unique in Japan. It is a bowl of wheat noodles mixed with soup, soy sauce, and different ingredients. Some of the typical ingredients include egg, seaweed, green onion, and pork. Once you try out the dish, you will realise that its taste is simply irresistible. Soup is the most important part of Ramen. Its unique flavour is something special and you can order a range of soft to strong depending on the place you are ordering it. Since pork is cooked well it will fall off your chopsticks as you try to eat it. A side dish of rice along with Ramen will certainly satisfy your food cravings. Doing a Ramen tour with a local guide will enable you to discover traditional Ramen flavours while in Japan. 

Tempura

Tempura is a fried dish with a combination of vegetables and seafood. The speciality of this dish lies with its seasoning made of ginger, soy sauce, and sugar. There are specific vegetables to be used, one can use any vegetable for this dish. Even though it is a fried dish, it does not have an oily texture. The size of a Tempura piece should be able to eat in one bite. Once you enter a Japanese restaurant, the dish is usually served with a sauce made of sweet sake, ginger, consommé, soy sauce, spices, and radish. 

Kare-Raisu

Also known as curry rice, this is a simple and delicious dish in Japan. One would call it to be just a bowl of ordinary rice and curry, but its taste differs from other curry dishes. A wide variety of meat and vegetables are used to prepare this dish. Some of the basic vegetables are sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions while pork, chicken, and beef are used as meats. Interestingly, this curry has different levels of spiciness like mild, regular, and hot (the most common ones). Depending on your preference you can decide on the level of spiciness to try out this delicious dish. The Curry Kingdom is a popular curry shop in Tokyo, and you should not miss it as you will find different varieties of curries to choose from (pork curry, chicken curry, fish curry, and strawberry flavoured fruit curry). 

Okonomiyaki

At a first glance, you will see Okonomiyaki as a pancake with the way it is pressed on a griddle. However, this is a savoury dish and the ingredients are much more diverse compared to ingredients used in pancakes. It is made with egg, yam, and flour. The most common additions include squid, beef, green onions, shrimp, mochi, cheese, and vegetables. There are restaurants that make this culinary experience more interactive as the chef makes it on a griddle while customers help him with adding ingredients.