Your Guide to Japanese Catering: The Top 5 Most Popular Japanese Dishes

Sushi, hibachi, and green tea all share one thing in common: they all come from the great country of Japan. As a result, Japanese-style cuisine has been trending in the food industry and catering. People enjoy how healthy it is, the various options, and the history behind many of the most popular dishes from this great country.

Even if you are entirely new to Japanese-style catering or cuisine, this article will provide you with the top five Japanese dishes you can cater for your next event. Each of these offers a unique taste of Japanese culture, has a fascinating history, and health benefits associated with each dish!

The Top 5 Most Popular Japanese Dishes

Japanese cuisine is unique because they have retained some cultural influences from countries like China and Britain. Still, at the same time, Japanese cuisine is unique to other cuisines today. Most people notice that Japanese cuisine is heavily based on the principle of healthy ingredients and even simplicity in many dishes.

Some of the most popular dishes include less than five ingredients or are made with local fish and vegetables found in Japan. Based on this food culture, here are the top five most popular Japanese dishes you can enjoy at home or even cater for your next big event.

Sushi

Sushi is arguably one of the first things people think of when asked about Japanese cuisine. Sushi is a Japanese dish with prepared rice, fish or seafood, and vegetables. Some of the most popular fish include salmon, tuna, and eel, as these all make for delicious sushi pairings.

Sushi catering today is well known to some due to the creation of California rolls, dragon rolls, or even salmon rolls. However, people also enjoy nigiri, just a slice of raw fish prepared with rice. Often served with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi, this is the perfect item to have as an appetizer or a grab-and-go dish for any catering event.

Caterers that provide sushi can create live sushi stations, omakase-style menus, or even offer custom rolls and nigiri for a specific event. Some private sushi chefs might even be able to prepare fresh sashimi, raw fish that people can enjoy with various condiments.

Hibachi

Japanese cooking isn’t all just sushi. Hibachi is another prevalent aspect of Japanese cuisine. This is a catch-all word for the Japanese grilling of meats and vegetables. This style of Japanese cooking is typically done over a small stove called shichirin and has also been done over an iron griddle, called a teppan in Japanese.

The word hibachi itself means fire ball. There are no rules about what can be cooked in this particular grill style, as many people have cooked beef, seafood, fish, poultry, and several vegetables in this style.

If included as part of your event planning, hibachi catering offers many options! For example, people can do made-to-order dishes, or they might even decide to have a multitude of fresh hibachi dishes put out that people can take and eat with the rest of the guests.

Yakitori

People often get yakitori and hibachi confused. Yakitori is typically associated with hibachi, but yakitori is about grilled chicken. Your private yakitori chef can prepare a multitude of different chicken skewers for you to enjoy in various seasonings and styles.

Similar to hibachi, yakitori is cooked over a grill or some griddle. The chicken is placed on metal or bamboo skewers and then grilled over this fire to create a pleasant taste. With the usual Japanese spices and the accompanying side dishes, such as rice and grilled vegetables, yakitori makes for a perfect item that can serve as an appetizer or as the main entree’s protein.

Miso Soup

It would not be an article on Japanese cooking if it weren’t for discussing one of the most popular soups from this country: miso soup. This traditional Japanese soup is made with seasoning from fermented soybeans and includes tofu, seafood, and even vegetables. This is commonly served as an appetizer or an excellent side dish to accompany the main course.

Part of the reason that many people enjoy this dish is that it’s so healthy. This is a simple dish that people can make, but caterers can provide this dish alongside others, creating a nice blend of Japanese flavor for the event. Miso soup would be a wonderful addition to any sushi catering or even hibachi catering.

Curry Rice

Many people think of curry and think of India or even Thailand. However, Japan has its style of curry, which is actually quite similar to Indian food and for a very important historical reason. Curry rice has created due to the Meiji Period in Japan, which occurred just before the 20th century. The influence of the British Empire allowed the Japanese to take the Indian curry and adjust it for their palette and their local ingredients.

Japanese curry is thicker, creamier, and not as spicy. It is also perfect for eating rice, bread, or even crispy fried pork cutlets called tonkatsu. Other people have also created curry rice omelets, which entail a fluffy omelet over top of rice with curry sauce poured over.

Some have even created this dish with chicken as well for a suitable substitution for the pork tonkatsu. In either case, curry rice is an excellent addition to any event and serves as a very comforting and beautiful representation of what Japanese cuisine represents.

Hire Us for Your Next Big Event

Yakitori, hibachi, and sushi catering are all fantastic ideas for your next big event. If you’re looking for an impressive, healthy, and simple option to excite your corporate or wedding guests, why not book Japanese catering for your next big event?

Mr. Fresh Catering is top-rated yakitori, hibachi, and sushi catering service in Southern California. We offer an unforgettable experience with our experienced private chefs and high-quality food. For more information about booking your next event catering with us, please call us at (323)-250-2460 or submit a contact us form, and we will get back to you soon.