Vocabulary: japanese food

Borrowed through Japanese from Chinese doufu; now the standard everyday English word.

• a soft white food made from curdled soya-bean milk pressed into blocks

  She stir-fried the tofu with vegetables.

Also called omusubi. A convenience-store staple in Japan. Not in Merriam-Webster with its own recording, so no audio_mw here.

• a Japanese snack of rice shaped into a ball or triangle, often wrapped in seaweed and filled with something like pickled plum or salmon

  She packed onigiri for the school trip.

Most "wasabi" served outside Japan is actually dyed horseradish, since real wasabi is expensive and hard to grow.

• a pungent green Japanese condiment made from a plant related to horseradish, traditionally served with sushi and sashimi

  He mixed a little wasabi into his soy sauce.

A Japanese adaptation of Chinese jiaozi, usually pan-fried rather than boiled.

• Japanese pan-fried dumplings filled with meat and vegetables, crisp on the bottom and soft on top

  We shared a plate of gyoza as an appetizer.

Literally "grilled bird" (yaki = grilled, tori = bird). A popular Japanese bar food.

• skewered and grilled chicken, a popular Japanese bar food

  They ordered several sticks of yakitori to share.

Japanese loanword (抹茶). Made from shade-grown leaves ground into a fine powder, then whisked (not steeped) into hot water - unlike loose-leaf tea. Central to the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

• a fine powder made from specially grown green tea leaves, traditionally whisked with hot water

  She whisked the matcha into a frothy green tea.

From Japanese 枝豆 (eda = branch, mame = bean). Served as a snack or appetizer, typically boiled and salted in the pod.

• immature soybeans, typically served boiled or steamed in their pods

  We ordered edamame as a starter.

• thick, chewy Japanese wheat noodles, usually served in a hot broth

  She ordered a bowl of udon with tempura on top.

From Portuguese missionaries' word for fasting days ("tempora"), on which they ate fried fish rather than meat.

• a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep-fried until light and crisp

  The shrimp tempura came with a side of dipping sauce.

From Chinese lamian, via Japanese ラーメン. Distinct from instant ramen, the cheap dried-noodle product sold worldwide.

• a Japanese dish of wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often topped with sliced pork, egg, and vegetables

  They slurped bowls of steaming ramen on a cold night.

From Japanese 寿司. The key element is the vinegared rice, not the raw fish - sushi can include cooked seafood, vegetables, or egg.

• 1a Japanese dish of small portions of vinegared rice topped with or wrapped around raw fish, seafood, or vegetables

  We ordered a platter of sushi for the table.

From Japanese 刺身. Unlike sushi, sashimi is served without rice - just thinly sliced raw fish or seafood.

• 2a Japanese dish of thinly sliced raw fish or seafood, served without rice

  The salmon sashimi melted in her mouth.