Here is to celebrating the diversity of our Muslim ummah!
Here is to celebrating the diversity of our Muslim ummah!
Although small in number, there are surprisingly still a significant number of Japanese Muslims around the world. While Islam is only just starting to reach the shores of Japan, there have been numerous examples of the religion, native Japanese Muslims, and Muslim immigrants making powerful impacts in Japanese society. From the magnificent Tokyo Mosque to the numerous kimono shops in Kyoto selling matching hijabs, many Japanese Muslims are becoming more visible and open about their religion as the world becomes more globalized.
As a Japanese Muslim myself, I can say that our food is something incredibly dear and important to us, and is something that we are proud of despite it not being a popular dish at most mosques. Staying halal while making Japanese food is surprisingly not that difficult, so here are three favorite traditional foods that Japanese Muslims adore and love:
Sukiyaki: One of the most heart-warming Japanese dishes that includes an assortment of local ingredients in a hearty broth
Ingredients:
- 1-2 packages of Japanese udon noodles
- 1 napa cabbage
- 1 negi (long green onion)
- 1 package of Japanese enoki mushrooms
- 1 package of Japanese tofu (usually the firm ones are better)
- 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil
- 1 lb of thinly sliced beef
- 1 Tbsp of brown sugar
- 1-1.5 cup of dashi (Japanese broth)
Sukiyaki Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp of rice vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup of soy sauce
Instructions:
- Mix all the Sukiyaki Sauce ingredients together and bring to a boil while mixing
- Once to a boil, turn off the heat and set aside
- Prepare and cut the napa cabbage, negi, enoki mushrooms, and tofu needed for the Sukiyaki
- Set aside the noodles (if needed, boil the noodles until soft and set aside)
- In a deep pan, pour in the 1 Tbsp of oil and wait for the pot to get hot
- Once hot, place the beef slices in the pot and sprinkle the brown sugar lightly over each slice
- Cook until the meat has become soft and caramelized
- Once the meat is finished, leave the meat at the bottom of the put and pour in the Sukiyaki Sauce prepared earlier with 1 cup of Dashi broth
- Place remaining vegetables and tofu inside the pot, cover it, and wait for it to boil
- Once boiling, bring it down to a simmer and wait until all ingredients are cooked through
- Serve helpings from the pot into individual bowls and enjoy!
- Traditionally, once most of the ingredients are eaten, at the end we’ll put in the udon noodles into the remaining broth and eat that for the final round
Yakisoba: A popular fried noodle dish with vegetables, meats, and/or seafood all covered in a succulent sauce
Ingredients:
- 1-2 packs of Japanese yakisoba noodles
- Tenkasu (fried sprinkles for topping)
- Aonori (powdered Japanese seaweed)
- Negi (long green Japanese onion)
- Half a cabbage
- Assorted vegetables
- Sliced beef
- Yakisoba sauce (can buy in any Japanese store)
- Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 egg
Instructions:
- In a large hotplate or frying pan pour a spoonful of oil and wait until its hot
- Start frying the sliced beef until soft and cooked through
- Add in cabbage and cook until soft
- Fry in vegetables one at a time until well cooked in with the meat and cabbage
- Once all the extra sides are cooked, in the same frying pan add in the Yakisoba noodles
- Add in plenty of Yakisoba sauce and mix in well so all the ingredients are well flavored
- Once everything is cooked through sprinkle in however much Tenkasu as you would like
- Turn off the heat, and lightly top each helping of yakisoba with stripes of Japanese mayonnaise for flavor and presentation
- Sprinkle however much Aonori as you would like over each helping
- For extra decoration, fry an egg and place it on top of each Yakisoba helping and enjoy!
Oyakodon: Humorously translating to “parent and child bowl”, this is a dish with both chicken and eggs mixed over a bowl of steaming Japanese rice
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup of Dashi (Japanese broth)
- 1 Tbsp of soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp of sugar
- 1 large onion, cut into slivers
- 12 Ounces of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin slices
- 3 thinly sliced negi (long Japanese onions)
- 3 to 4 large eggs
- Cooked Japanese rice
Instructions:
- Combine Dashi, soy sauce, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat
- Stir in onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is half tender
- Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring and turning chicken occasionally, until chicken is cooked through
- Stir in half of scallions, then season the broth to taste with more soy sauce or sugar as desired (the sauce should be a balanced mixture of salty and sweet)
- Reduce heat to a simmer
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs lightly
- Pour eggs in a thin, steady stream over the chicken mixture, making sure the eggs cover the chicken mixture evenly
- Cover and cook until eggs are cooked to desired consistency
- Serve the rice into individual bowls, then pour the chicken and egg mixture over the plain rice and enjoy!
