Modern fusion Japanese Menu

For lovers of modern Asian food, here is a fusion Japanese menu that is do-able by any home cook, along with my tips for how to prepare ahead so dinner time is a breeze! It’s a menu I made with practicality and cost in mind. The pictured banquet would cost well over $200 at a restaurant. Make it at home for a fraction of the cost!

I adore modern fusion Japanese food!

Ask me where I’d like to go for dinner tonight, and my answer will probably be Asian! And typically, for a Saturday night out with the girls, a modern Asian place will be a likely pick. The flavours are right up my alley – I love how Asian food balances sweet/salty/savoury, the balance of textural contrast with juicy flesh combined with crunch. I love how simple things can be made extraordinary (crispy rice cakes!), the extensive use of seafood, the transformation of watery and plain vegetables into flavour explosions, marinades and sauces to-die-for and nobody, nobody fries chicken like Asians!

So today, I’m doing something a little different. Rather than a single recipe, I’m sharing a menu for a modern fusion Japanese banquet at home, along with a guide for how to prepare ahead so it’s a breeze when your best pals come round for this feast!

Are you ready? Here we go!

This spread would cost at least $200 at a restaurant. Make it at home for a fraction of the price!

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About this menu

This is a banquet style Japanese menu. The dishes are either traditional Japanese or fusion Japanese, a nice mix to keep things interesting!

As mentioned above, the combination was chosen with practicality of making in mind, so much of it can be prepared ahead, as well as variety.

There’s no need to put everything out at the same time. Bring out a few dishes at a time, and linger leisurely over them. Just like you would eating out! There’s also no need to make everything. Pick and choose your favourites, or what works for you!

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Modern fusion Japanese menu

Bigger things

• Gyoza – Pork and cabbage dumplings. My mother’s recipe, the best in the world!

• Beef tataki – Finely sliced seared beef with yuzu dressing and crispy potato straws. Alternative: tuna tataki on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan.

• Chicken karaage – Ginger marinated crispy fried chicken. A firm family favourite, this recipe is on RecipeTin Japan.

• Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice – Blatant Nobu knock off, for a fraction of the price. Crispy squares of rice cakes topped with raw or canned tuna in a spicy mayonnaise-based sauce. SO GOOD.

• Sashimi – In all honesty, I buy a selection of pre sliced sashimi pieces from the fish markets or fish mongers. It’s cheaper than getting it from a sushi shop. Or, learn how to cut your own sashimi here on RecipeTin Japan. (My typical selection: salmon, tuna, kingfish. Special additions: scallops, prawn, snapper, other sashimi-grade fish).

SIDES

• Spicy edamame – Just like the ones you get at your favourite fusion Japanese restaurants! I could happily eat an entire bowl of these by myself.

• Spinach gom-ae – Japanese spinach salad with sesame dressing. A recipe on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan.

• Asian side salad – Accidentally omitted from the picture above (OK, intentionally left out cause this is the most “boring” of all the dishes! 😂), a fresh leafy salad is always a nice addition to any meal. 🙂

• A starchy side to fill out the meal. Suggestions:

  • Japanese Potato Salad

  • Japanese Fried Rice Chahan (both these first two are on RecipeTin Japan)

  • Chinese Fried Rice (sauce is a more accessible than Chahan)

  • Garlic Pot Steamed Rice

  • Any other fried rice

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How to prepare ahead and serve this banquet

In this section, I’m sharing some tips for how I prepare ahead and get organised for this menu so I’m not a frazzled stressed out sweaty mess on the day of. And if things don’t go to plan? Don’t beat yourself up or get upset! Laugh it off (you’re with your favourite people, remember!), get everyone to help and move the party into the kitchen. Make it an interactive event – you want to eat, you gotta help cook! 😇

gyoza

Gyoza can be wrapped the day before, laid out on a tray, covered in cling wrap then refrigerated. Cook just before serving as they are best served warm.

Though in all honesty they are 90% as good cooked a few hours before then reheated in the microwave. (I would do this when serving company if I wanted to really make the dinner low-effort). In fact, gyoza is a common pre-prepared food item in shops all over Japan that you buy already cooked, take home and reheat!

Gyoza recipe here

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Beef tataki

The beef actually needs to be cooked a few hours beforehand (or the morning of) and can be sliced and laid out ahead of time. The crispy potato straws can be made up to 5 days ahead (they stay 100% crispy, and I guarantee you will be eating these by the fistful), the sauce can be made the morning of and the garlic oil can be made up to 3 days prior.

Alternative: Tuna tataki (on RecipeTin Japan). This too can be prepared ahead like Beef Tataki above.

Beef Tataki recipe here

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Chicken karaage

Hand on heart, in Japan, it is very common to eat karaage at room temperature because it is a regular in bento boxes! So in Japan, it would be entirely acceptable to make this ahead and served to at room temperature.

Though I must confess, there’s nothing like serving karaage piping hot, freshly made. The good news is, karaage needs to be fried twice for optimum crispiness (also makes them remarkably less-greasy). So do Fry 1 ahead of time, cool the chicken then do Fry 2 just prior to serving.

If I had to choose out of cooking gyoza just before serving or frying up karaage, I would do karaage over the gyoza.

Chicken karaage recipe here

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Spicy tuna crispy rice

This recipe offers two topping options: one with raw tuna or salmon, and the other with canned tuna. The canned tuna version is really, really good! Like a much tastier version of the canned tuna filling in takeaway sushi rolls.

This is a good one for making ahead because it’s served at room temperature, not warm. The crispy rice squares can be cooked the morning of then stored in an airtight container until required, they will stay crisp. Then the topping can be mixed up and kept in the fridge, ready to go. To serve, all you need to do is scoop the topping onto the rice cake, sprinkle with garnishes then serve!

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice here

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Sashimi

Whether you buy pre-sliced or cut your own, it can be plated and assembled, in the fridge. Just cover with cling wrap and pull it out about 30 minutes prior to serving so it’s not icy-fridge-cold.

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Spicy edamame

This can be made the morning of. Then just prior to serving, microwave to warm it up slightly, give it a good toss, pour into a bowl and serve!

Spicy Edamame recipe

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Spinach gom-ae

The spinach and dressing can be made the morning of then tossed a couple of hours before serving so you can do this before your guests arrive. It does actually keep pretty well for 24 hours but it can go a bit watery, so I prefer to do this closer to serving time.

Spinach gom-ae recipe (on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan)

Asian side salad

Put the leafy greens in a bowl, container or ziplock bag and keep it in the fridge. Make the dressing in a jar and keep that in the fridge too. Then when you’re ready to serve, pour over the dressing, toss, then transfer into a serving bowl. Done!

Asian side salad recipe

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There you go! I hope you find it useful. If you have any other tips you’d like me to add to this post, pop the questions into the comments section below. I’ll monitor closely for the next couple of days while I’m working on the two recipes yet to come (Beef Tataki and Spicy Edamame).

I hope this inspires you to make your own Japanese fusion banquet! It’s so much cheaper than eating out, and honestly, there’s nothing like homemade. 🙂 – Nagi x

PS Also, no restaurant in the world, not in the best gyoza shop in Japan, makes gyoza as good as my mum’s! 😈

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Life of Dozer

Chef Dozer, reporting for duty! (He promoted himself from Taste-tester?)