Japanese Dining Out

Japanese cookery is generally very healthy as the diet includes a lot of fresh fish and vegetables. Sashimi (raw fish) and sushi (raw fish with rice, dipped in soy sauce) are very famous and growing in popularity worldwide - why not give these a try?<o:p></o:p>

Top tips

       Don't be afraid to ask what a Japanese name means and how food is cooked

       Ask if your food can be grilled instead of fried

       Enjoy the variety of fresh and raw fish, especially oily fish such as tuna and salmon which are rich in beneficial fatty acids

       Choose dishes which are grilled (yakimono), steamed (mushi) or stewed (nabe) and avoid the many deep-fried options

       Go for soft ramen noodles instead of teppan-fried or yaki soba noodles

Healthy Choices

Starters and side orders:

       Sashimi, sushi, norimaki and temaki

       Grilled dumplings (gyoza)

       Steamed soya beans (edamame)

       Miso soup and sui

       Japanese-style sticky rice

Main Courses:

       Teriyaki and yakitori dishes

       Yosenabe (seafood stew)

       Sukiyaki (beef)

       Shabu-shabu (thin sliced beef with mushrooms and other vegetables)

       Buta shoga-yaki (thin sliced ginger pork)

       Ramen noodles

       Rice and vegetable dishes such as cha han

Foods to Avoid:

Main Courses:

       Tempura (battered and deep-fried vegetables or shellfish)

       Fried dumplings

Deep-fried fish, noodles (yaki soba), meat or tofu