Absolute favorite recipes thread

Has anyone come across a thread anywhere (whether in Japan-guide.com or elsewhere) where the purpose of the thread is for people to post their ...

absolute favorite,
time tested/no-fail,
simple (not too complex),
delicious/めっちゃおいしい、うまい
go-to recipes

including ingredients, amounts, and step by step procedures?

This is a broad question.

To simplify things I typically find recipes to cook on the internet either through a google search or by searching on YouTube or sometimes things pop up in my Instagram feed. It is a lot easier to find a recipe that you will like if you have a particular dish in mind.

There are a couple of cookbooks that are good simple and straightforward. I recommend the following
Any cookbook by Ina Garten, she knows how to write recipes that are easy to follow, but also delicious. You can also watch her cooking series "Barefoot Contessa". "The food lab" by J Kenji Lopez Alt (he also posts videos on youtube). It is a good book for amateurs and does a good job explaining the science behind cooking ... the recipe for biscuits (American biscuits not cookies is my go to). "Seriously Simple: Easy Recipes for Creative Cooks" by Diane Rossen Worthington.

Note that these are all cookbooks for Western cooking (American/ French)

A Couple of easy salad recipes I make fairly frequently

Caesar Salad:
Head of Romaine Lettuce or other crunchy lettuce (Butter lettuce or Iceberg for example)
Chunk of Parmesan Cheese
Nice loaf of unsliced bread (preferably sourdough or something with a nice open crumb)
Olive Oil
Butter
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Seasoning Blend (if you are in US Trader Joe's "Everything but the Bagel" or "21 seasoning salute" should work)
Brianna's Caesar Salad Dressing
Cardini's Caesar Salad Dressing
Optional: Avocado, Red Bell Pepper, Candied Pecans

For Croutons: Cut/ rip pieces of bread loaf to your liking (I like pieces that are about 1/2"x1/2"x1"?) spread out bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Melt 3 - 4 tbsp of butter in microwave and drizzle that over bread pieces. Sprinkle seasoning blend and grated parmesan on top of bread pieces. Give the bread pieces a toss to get them coated in the fats and seasoning. Place in a preheated 400 F oven for about 10 minutes until outside of bread crumbs have a nice crispness, but still have a chew when you bite into them.

For Salad: Cut head of Romaine into 1/4" ribbons. Add diced bell pepper and avocado. Shave/ Cut Parmesan block into thin pieces and add to salad bowl. Add Croutons. Add dressing and toss. Serve. Top with candied pecans


Endive Pear Salad:

2 Belgian Endives
Bartlett Pear
Thick Cut Bacon (American streaky bacon)
Gorgonzola cheese (pre-crumbled)
Brianna's Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Candied Pecans

Slice Endives into small pieces. Dice pear. Cut bacon into matchstick size pieces and cook in a pan until crisp. Add all ingredients to bowl and toss with dressing.

Hi PatrickSF, thank you very much for your thorough feedback. Usually that is what I do - that is, go on the internet to find recipes I want.

Actually, I'm starting to see that I should have asked my question in a totally different way. (I wonder if I should cancel this thread and start a new one or just continue here.) But anyway, ...

Basically it comes down to this: I've already gotten fairly decent at preparing typical Japanese meals that you can find at restaurants. Things like ramen, tempura, tonkatsu, nabe, okonomiyaki, etc.

What I'm really after now is expanding my repertoire to find more original Japanese recipe ideas (main dishes, okazu, veggies).

But I was hoping for a leaning towards a little bit more traditional Japanese foods. And not so much westernized foods if possible, unless it would be well accepted by Japanese taste buds.

It would be really nice for me to be able to entertain Japanese guests at my home on occasion sometime in the future (taking some time to first practice and get familiar with preparing them before inviting them). And so I'm hoping for recipes ideas that would have a better chance of being well-received. The guests I'm thinking to cook for range in age from about 30 to 60 years old (both male and female). And since I'm living in Japan, these guests would be native Japanese.

(PatrickSF, I do appreciate all your suggestions though. Those recipes sound really good for days when I make things for *myself*!) :)

I see well I would recommend you do the same searching the internet for those dishes if you want to make Japanese food. You might have more luck on YouTube if you use google translate to get the spelling in Japanese characters then copy paste that into the YouTube search ... but obviously the results will be probably yield videos in Japanese so??

Just as an aside I want to tell a little anecdote from my life to convey a point. When I was thirteen I did an exchange program where I lived with a family in Nagoya for a month. I was part of a group of 10 kids from the US and as such my family stayed in touch with some of the Japanese families that were a part of the exchange program. I was lucky enough to visit Japan 17 years later when I was in grad school (we visited Japan to study Japanese architecture and to see how robotics were being developed (we were interested in ways robotics could be used in construction)) At any rate after I finished the visit with my school I stayed in Japan and did some travelling on my own. I was fortunate enough that one of the families from the exchange program was willing to provide a bed for me and I stayed with them making day trips to Kyoto, Kanazawa, Hiroshima etc. One day I returned in the evening and the host mother was kind enough to make me dinner, which was much appreciated after a long day travelling. She had made me a hamburger (it was actually a hamburger steak not what we typically eat in the West, but still a hamburger nonetheless) it was good and I of course appreciated her hospitality, but I also told her that since I was in Japan I wanted to eat what Japanese typically eat not 'American food' (I know in writing this perhaps comes across as rude, but she wasn't offended and understood my sentiment) ... At any rate the next day which happened to be my birthday the family took me to get sushi.

Don't assume that since you are in Japan that you need to serve your guests Japanese food especially if they are Japanese. I would imagine they would be more intrigued if you cooked them something that you know how to do well from your own country. It is a way for you to share who you are and where you come from and that is more genuine.

As another aside in my recent trip to Japan I was desperate to find any kind of fresh produce. Whenever I had a hotel breakfast or was at a restaurant that served salad, the most simple thing seemed like a luxury.

I totally understand everything that you're saying PatrickSF.

However, while I know I don't have to serve them Japanese food, I really would like to. Because these are people that I've already gotten to know well. I've been around them long enough to know that while they are gracious enough to try a variety of foods from all kinds of countries, I often hear them say that they "やっぱり, are Japanese" with the unmistakable meaning that they like Japanese food the best. (Besides, I also would like to personally learn how to cook more varieties of traditional Japanese food.)

I know there are tons of information out there on the net. And I've also watched food programs. But my experience with that kind of research is hit and miss, more often miss, even more so when it comes to Japanese foods. But I'm thinking of it kind of like this: if there was a gathering and everyone had to bring a potluck dish (and let's say it has to be homemade, not simply bought), those who are conscientious would want to bring something they know would be well-received. I'm thinking that that's how maybe it can be better distinguished which are the really good recipes from just any sort of まあまあ recipes. (Hopefully, at least.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrTkUuHqnZA
These are pretty fool proof ... you couild make a variety of tsukemono and pair with some rice (look up how to season rice) miso soup and some kind of main (this will be the most challenging part/ requires the most skill)

We cook at least once per week a Japanese food. Usually it is miso soup + rice with something. Most commonly easy home cooking like teriyaki chicken, tsukune, meat balls, fried onions/zucchinis/eggplants etc in sauce, or avocado in ponzu, sometimes with raw salmon. Soba in summer.
Justonecookbook is good YT channel.

I also must say that most important for Japanese cooking is rice cooker. Bought is 10y ago in Japan and it was lifechanging.