The New Year is approaching, and many people will meet it outside the home, going to distant lands. It is obvious that not only the environment will be different, but also the festive table.

Of course, in Asia, Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat and aspic will not be put on the table. And the delivery of rolls for a celebration is not an option. Let’s see what Japanese chefs will treat us to for the New Year.

Japanese New Year Dishes

Let’s not focus on traditional rice cakes or standard New Year’s sets of osechi reri, which have not surprised anyone for a long time. It is better to go to the world of delicacies.

Meat is a symbol of the holiday

Let’s start with sukiyaki, although for a European it may seem strange: is it possible to surprise guests with fried meat?

  • Japanese guests — you can, because in this country you can not eat meat so often (its role on the festive table is comparable, perhaps, with red caviar among Russians).
  • In addition to beef tenderloin, this dish includes mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant and potatoes, as well as (as a side dish) udon wheat flat noodles and a raw egg.
  • A brighter version of a meat dish is shabu-shabu : it is both spicier and consists of several varieties of meat — pork, chicken, duck, seafood.

You can serve shabu-shabu not only with udon, but also with you (buckwheat noodles).

New Year without salads is not New Year

For those who associate the New Year with a kaleidoscope of salads, the Japanese also have a few «sweets». For example, salad «Genso» , including:

— smoked eel;

— bean curd tofu;

— Cherry tomatoes;

— lettuce leaves;

— avocado;

— white sesame.

  • This extravaganza is seasoned with Unagi sauce (by the way, its name is translated as “eel”, from which we can conclude that this sauce was created specifically for it). It turns out a hearty, healthy and beautiful dish.
  • No less tasty is a salad of sea scallops seasoned with green onions, cucumbers and garlic, as well as spices and sesame seeds.

With any dishes in the magical atmosphere of Japan, with its entertaining traditions and amazing landscapes, the holiday will be unforgettable!