What I Eat in a Day | Japanese Comfort Meals & Izakaya Dinner | All Recipes Under 10 Minutes
Hey guys, it’s Natsuko! Today
I’m sharing what I eat in a day. For breakfast, I had a croissant sandwich. This is super simple. I usually have it
on mornings when I’m not that hungry. First, slice the croissant in half. And toast
it in the oven until it’s as crispy as you like. Next, to keep the bread from getting soggy, spread some mayo on both sides — and
if you like, add a bit of mustard too. Then layer on some lettuce,
ham, your favorite cheese… and try your best to close the sandwich!
Just like that — it’s done! Alright, let’s eat!
I woke up kinda late this day, so I needed to eat quickly and head out for
some weekend shopping. Gochisousama-deshita. For lunch, I made some comforting somen
noodles with eggplant, ginger, and shiso. You can totally make a chilled version of this,
but lately it’s been so hot outside — and the AC everywhere is just blasting —
so I went with a slightly warm version instead. Since I had a late breakfast and wasn’t super
hungry, I’m just making a half portion today. First, I cut off the top of the
eggplant and slice it into quarters. Next, I add some vegetable oil to a pan,
plus a little sesame oil for extra flavor. Once the pan’s ready, I coat
the eggplant pieces in the oil, then start cooking them skin-side down. Starting with the skin side helps keep
the eggplant from soaking up too much oil. Next, I bring some water to a boil
so I can cook the somen noodles. While the water’s boiling, I’m going
to prep the toppings. First up, I’m grating some fresh ginger. Don’t forget
to check on the eggplants every now and then. If it’s got a nice sear on the skin side, flip
it and let the other sides get some color too. Now that the water’s boiling, let’s
go ahead and cook the somen noodles. Since I’m not super hungry today, I’m
just cooking half of a single serving. Let it cook for about 2 minutes.
Give it a stir every now and then. After 2 minutes, drain the noodles.
Then I rinse them well under cold water to remove the excess starch. Once the extra starch is gone,
I drain off the water and set the noodles aside. Now that the eggplant’s nicely
cooked, I’m going to make the broth. I add 50ml of mentsuyu and 100ml of water, then bring it to a boil. Oh! One more thing
— don’t forget to add a teaspoon of sugar. While the broth is coming to a boil,
I’ll prep the rest of the toppings. First, I cut off the stems of the shiso leaves,
roll them up, and slice them into thin strips. When the broth starts boiling,
toss the somen in and let it simmer for a minute or two to
let the flavor really soak in. Now let’s plate everything!
First, add the noodles, then top them with the eggplant,
and pour the broth over everything. To finish, add some shiso, grated ginger, and a
bit of green onion if you like — and that’s it! For dinner, I decided to have
a little izakaya night at home. I made four Japanese-style dishes
— perfect for a chill solo night. Let’s start with an izakaya-style salad. First, you put some leafy greens
of your choice into a bowl. And then, add a pinch of salted kombu. Sprinkle in some bonito flakes,
drizzle with a little sesame oil, and add ground sesame seeds.
Finish with some grated ginger and chopped green onion.
Mix everything well — and it’s ready. Next is avocado and tomato salad
with garlic-wasabi soy sauce. Let’s start by making the sauce.
Add to a bowl ground sesame seeds, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice,
wasabi, and grated garlic. Mix well. And make sure
everything is well combined. Cut the avocado and use just half. Dice it
into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a bowl. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized
pieces and add them to the same bowl. Toss everything together, transfer
to a serving dish, and it’s done. I added some shredded nori on top, but
that’s completely optional — honestly, it might’ve looked a bit cuter without it. Next is a trio of meat-wrapped skewers: tomato, cheese with bell pepper, and eggplant.
Simple ingredients, but packed with flavor. Let’s start by preparing the eggplant.
Cut off the stem, then slice it very thinly. I didn’t slice mine quite thin enough this time, and it made wrapping a bit tricky —
so try to slice it as thin as you can! Lay the sliced eggplant
out and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Next, prepare the bell peppers. Slice them in half lengthwise
and remove the seeds. Now, wrap the prepared ingredients
with thin slices of meat. First is the tomato roll. Lay a slice of pork lengthwise and
season it with salt and pepper. (Actually, I totally forgot to
season mine here — so don’t forget!) Place a cherry tomato on one
end, then roll it up tightly. Repeat to make six rolls in total. Finally, skewer three rolls onto
each bamboo stick — and it’s done. Next is the eggplant meat roll.
By now, the eggplant should have released some moisture,
so gently pat the slices dry with a paper towel. Just like before, place two slices of
pork lengthwise with a slight overlap, and season with salt and pepper.
Place about one-third of the prepared eggplant on top, then roll it up tightly from the bottom.
Repeat to make two rolls in total. Next, cut each roll in half.
(Mine were a little to hard to cut because the eggplant slices were too thick
– so hopefully, yours go a bit more smoothly!) Once they’re cut, line up the flat sides
and skewer everything onto bamboo sticks. And that’s it! Finally, let’s make the
cheese-stuffed bell pepper rolls. Place the halved bell peppers cut-side
up, and fill each one with cheese. Lay a slice of pork lengthwise
and season with salt and pepper. Wrap it from the bottom, covering
the open side of the pepper. Repeat to make four rolls.
(I actually ran out of meat, so I only made two this time!)
Skewer two rolls onto each stick — and they’re done. Alright, time to start grilling! I actually forgot to season earlier,
so I’m adding salt and pepper now. Let’s get everything on the pan! Add some vegetable oil to a pan and
place all the skewers in at once. Cook over low heat for about 2 minutes. Then flip the skewers and cook the
other side for another 2 minutes. Flip the skewers once more, add 1
tablespoon of water, cover with a lid, and steam-cook for 3 to 4 minutes
until the meat is fully cooked through. After that, remove the lid and cook
over medium heat until nicely browned. All done! Now it’s time to plate everything
nicely. There you have, your meat-wrapped skewers. Last but not least — let’s make
chicken and scallion yakitori! First, cut the Japanese scallions
(negi) into pieces about 3 cm long. If they’re thin, they can be used as is.
If they’re thick, slice them in half lengthwise, remove the core, and roll the white
outer layer into a cylinder. Next, open up the chicken thigh
and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Skewer a piece of chicken, then a piece of
scallion, and continue alternating — chicken, scallion, chicken, scallion —
until there are about 5 to 6 pieces total. Make sure to place them closely
together, without leaving gaps. This time I had some extra chicken,
so I also made a skewer with just the meat. Heat a frying pan over medium heat
and add the skewers. Don’t forget oil. Let them cook for 2 minutes without
moving to develop a nice sear. Once the skewers are nicely
browned, flip them over. Cover with a lid and cook on
low heat for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked through. Once they’re done cooking, transfer the
skewers to a plate and set them aside. Now, let’s make the sauce.
In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of sake, 2 tablespoons of mirin, 2 tablespoons
of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Heat over medium heat. As it starts to boil, lots of bubbles will appear and
the sauce will gradually thicken.” Once it gives off a rich, savory aroma
and starts to darken, it’s ready. Return the skewers to the pan.
As the sauce continues to reduce, it will develop a glossy texture
and caramel-like thickness. Keep a close eye at the end — it
burns easily once it thickens. Just before it starts to scorch is the
perfect timing for both flavor and appearance. Coat both sides of the skewers with
the sauce, then turn off the heat. Transfer to a plate and pour any
remaining sauce from the pan over the top.
In this video, I’m sharing everything I ate in a day — quick and cozy Japanese meals you can make in 10 minutes or less.
From a simple croissant sandwich to a comforting somen noodle lunch, and a solo izakaya-style dinner with 4 small dishes, it’s all homemade and easy to recreate!
🕒 All recipes are under 10 minutes
🥢 Featuring Japanese comfort food & izakaya-style dishes
✨A peek into a typical day in my life as an office worker in Tokyo
—
Hello and welcome to my channel!
I’m a full-time office worker living in Tokyo, sharing my daily routines, Japanese recipes I love, and peaceful escapes on weekends.
This channel is a small window into the real, everyday life of a working woman in Japan.
If you enjoyed the video, don’t forget to like & subscribe. Thanks for watching!
—
🍽️ Recipes & Ingredients
🥐 Breakfast: Croissant Sandwich
Use as much as you like:
– Croissant
– Leafy greens
– Ham or cold cuts
– Your favorite cheese
– Mayonnaise
– Whole-grain mustard
🍜 Lunch: Comforting Somen with Eggplant, Ginger & Shiso (Serves 1)
– Shiso leaves – 4 to 5
– Eggplants – 2
– Sesame oil – 1 tbsp
– Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp
– Water – 100 ml
– Mentsuyu (2x concentrate) – 50 ml
– Sugar – 1 tsp
– Somen noodles – 1 bundle
– Grated ginger – 1 clove
🍶 Dinner: Izakaya-Style Small Dishes
① Izakaya-Style Salad (Serves 1)
– Leafy greens – 100 g
– Shio kombu – a pinch (about 4 g)
– Bonito flakes – a pinch (about 4 g)
– Grated ginger – 1–2 tsp
– Sesame oil – 1.5 tbsp
– Green onion – as much as you like
– Toasted sesame seeds – as much as you like
② Avocado Tomato with Garlic-Wasabi Soy Sauce (Serves 1)
– Avocado – ½
– Tomato – ½
– Ground sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
– Soy sauce – 1 tsp
– Sugar – 1 tsp
– Lemon juice – 1 tsp
– Wasabi paste – 1.5 cm
– Garlic paste – as much as you like
③ Pork-Wrapped Skewers (Makes 6 skewers)
– Thin-sliced pork belly – 16 slices
– Cherry tomatoes – 6
– Eggplant – 1 (80 g)
– Green bell peppers – 2 (60 g)
– Melting cheese – as much as you like
– Salt & pepper – a pinch
– Vegetable oil – 1 tsp
④ Chicken & Scallion Skewers (Negima) (Makes 4 skewers)
– Chicken thigh – ½ piece
– Japanese leek (naganegi) – 1
– Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
– Mirin – 2 tbsp
– Sake – 1 tbsp
– Sugar – 1 tbsp
[📌 INDEX ]
00:00 Intro
00:11 Breakfast – Croissant Sandwich
00:55 Lunch – Comforting Somen with Eggplant & Shiso
03:49 Dinner – Izakaya-Style Dishes
03:59 Izakaya-Style Salad
04:30 Avocado & Tomato with Garlic Wasabi Sauce
05:26 Pork-Wrapped Skewers (Tomato, Eggplant, Bell Pepper)
08:58 Chicken & Scallion Skewers (Negima)
11:26 Dinner is Ready!
12:20 Outro
#WhatIEatInADay #JapaneseFood #EasyJapaneseCooking #ComfortFood #LifeInJapan #IzakayaAtHome