Japanese Chinese Cuisine - Chinese Restaurants in Japan

Chinese Restaurants in Japan

Chinese Restaurants, (中華料理屋/chūka ryōriya or 中華飯店/chūka hanten) serve a distinct set of popular dishes that are not necessarily typical of authentic Chinese cuisine. They also cater to Japanese tastes. Currently, most towns in Japan have at least one Chinese eatery, as the cuisine is very popular. There are also many packaged sauces available to easily cook favorite Chinese-Japanese dishes right at home. Some of these typical dishes are:

• Mābō-dōfu (麻婆豆腐) are Stir fried dishes of ground pork mixture with Tofu cubes (mābō-dōfu) in a slightly spicy sauce.
• Mābō-nasu (麻婆茄子) are Stir fried dishes of ground pork with Eggplant (mābō-chezu) in a slightly spicy sauce. The dish was popularized in Japan by Chen Kenmin in 1952.
• Chin-jao Rōsu (青椒牛肉; also called pepper steak) is a stir-fry of thinly sliced Beef strips with Japanese green peppers and often bean sprouts in a Oyster sauce. This dish is popularized in the Japanese anime Cowboy Bebop.
• Subuta (酢豚) is the Japanese take on Sweet and sour pork. It usually has a thicker, amber-colored sauce, unlike the striking orange or red of the Americanized version. Also unlike the American version, it does not typically contain pineapple. Another common dish substitutes the fried pork in this dish with small fried meat-balls, called "niku-dango".
• Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) is a Japanese variant of the Chinese hot pot known as "shuan yang rou". The dipping sauce of goma (sesame seed) was also adopted from the Chinese.
• Ebi no Chili Sauce (えびのチリソース) is a spicy, thick-sauced shrimp dish. As the name suggests, chili sauce is used.
• Kara-age (唐揚, lit. Chinese Fry) are bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh, dipped in a thick batter and fried. Usually, it is served without sauce. Some restaurants serve this with a salt and pepper mixture on the side for dipping, and some recipes call for a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and scallions similar to that used on dumplings.
• Buta no Kakuni (豚の角煮) is thick slices of pork bellies stewed in a soy sauce based mixture, often served with Shanghai bok choi and Chinese mustard.
• Hoi Kō Rō (回鍋肉) is a stir-fry of thinly sliced pork and cabbage in a miso-based sauce.
• Banbanji (棒棒鶏) is a cold dish of steamed chicken which is shredded and covered in a sesame sauce. It is often accompanied by cold vegetables as a salad or appetizer.
• Harumaki (春巻き, lit. "Spring Rolls") are very similar to those found in Americanized Chinese restaurants, with a thin wrapper and vegetables inside.
• Kani-tama (かに玉 or 蟹玉) is very similar to the Americanized Egg foo young, but exclusively using crabmeat as the filling. It is served in a thick, brownish sauce, like its American counterpart.
• Champon (ちゃんぽん) is a ramen-like dish, topped with fried pork, seafood, and vegetables
• Gyōza (餃子 or ギョーザ), as mentioned before, are a very popular dish in Japan. Most often, they are seen in their pan-fried form, but they can be served boiled as dumplings or even deep fried, as well.
• Chāhan (炒飯 or チャーハン) is sometimes called "yakimeshi," literally meaning Fried rice. It is very different from fried rice found in American Chinese or authentic Chinese restaurants, as it uses Japanese short-grain rice, which generally has a stickier consistency than that used in other countries. Additionally, though there are many different recipes using such diverse ingredients as Welsh onion, ground pork, crab, bamboo shoots, the classic Japanese fried rice does not use soy sauce, remaining white when served. It typically uses egg, green peas, and thinly sliced ham.