My love for Japanese food began with Japanese dramas. As each episode unfolded, I always paid special attention to the food shown during dining scenes. Food dramas, naturally, never fail to get my attention.
When Netflix recently released a series of classic Japanese dramas, I got to rewatch a favourite from my younger days. [The Queen of Lunchtime Cuisine, ランチの女王] is a heartwarming drama set in a small family yoshoku restaurant, and I remember being so intrigued by the dishes back then. Ma Maison was the only restaurant in Singapore that could satisfy those cravings. I even had a cookbook, a translated edition from Taiwan, born from that very drama.
Rewatching it reignited a craving for Yoshoku. For those unfamiliar, Yoshoku is a style of Western cooking adapted for the Japanese palate, dating back to the Meiji Restoration between 1868 and 1912. It is comfort food with a uniquely Japanese soul.
Instead of dining out at Ma Maison or Royal Host, I decided to cook at home and invited my younger siblings and their families over for dinner. Cooking for everyone at home cost less than half of what we would have spent dining out, and it was so much more meaningful.
This Yoshoku dinner consists of five recipes. Each can be made individually, or cooked together for the full experience.
A juicy, tender meat patty smothered in a rich and savoury sauce. This Japanese hamburger steak is simple to make at home. Once you try it, you will never think of a meat patty the same way again.
Wabi-sabi is a Japanese philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection and simplicity. This sauce is exactly that. Sllowcook’s take on the classic French demi-glace — not silky smooth, not hearty and chunky like a beef stew. Somewhere beautifully in between.
Inspired by the Yoshoku spirit of blending Western flavours with Asian sensibilities, this butter herb rice is fragrant, buttery, and deeply satisfying alongside the Japanese Hamburger Steak and Wabi-Sabi Chunky Brown Sauce.
Ketchup as a pasta sauce? Only in Japan. Spaghetti Napolitan is a Yoshoku classic, a staple in Japanese family meals, and one of my all-time comfort foods.
Creamy mashed potato, crunchy cucumber, carrot, and onion, savoury honey baked ham, and a tangy dressing of Kewpie mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard. A potato salad worth making again and again.
