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Running out of money? Here are 5 cheapest dishes for you to cook in Japan!

Running Out of Money? Here Are 5 Cheapest Dishes for You to Cook in Japan!

By Yae Jun 29, 2017

This post is also available in: Chinese (Simplified) Spanish Chinese (Traditional)

If you’re a foreign student who live in Japan, you may experience running out of money by the end of month due to some budgeting problems. We all go through the same struggles in life as there are some instances where our other life priorities get in the way of our plans.

No matter how, our first priority is to “STUDY” instead of working for money in Japan so many of us want to save money and try to budget food with the lowest cost as much as possible.

Don’t worry, there are some affordable grocery items to cook in Japan. Such items  like soybean, soybean sprout, cabbage, natto, tofu.

Here are 5 cheap foodstuff you can buy with easy recipes to help you save money in Japan. These are healthy, cheap, and will require only a minimal amount of cooking time (so that you focus on more important things like studying) so try to check them out now!

 

Running out of money? Here are 5 cheapest dishes for you to cook in Japan!1. Soybean (Daizu)

Do you know that Japanese have one of the longest life expectancy in the world? The biggest reason why they tend to live longer is related to their eating habits which are mainly composed of rice, fish and soybean. There are 3 types of soybeans well known as cooked beans, natto and tofu.

Price on Average: 100 yen~120 yen

Major Nutrient Effect:

□ Helps lower cholesterol level

□ Effective in dieting

□ Constipation Relief

Easy Recipe Option: Boil soybean and devil’s tongue (konnyaku)  with teriyaki soy sauce

  1. Ingredients

☆ Soybean boiled in water (140g)・・・costs 100 yen

☆ Devil’s Tongue ( about 200g)・・・costs 50 yen

  1. Seasoning

☆ 2 tablespoon of soy sauce

☆ 2 tablespoon of sugar

☆ 2 tablespoon of mirin

☆ Water (100cc)

Total cost for this recipe: 160 yen

  1. Cut devil’s tongue into small square size and boil 1 min to eliminate bitterness and then drain.
  2. Put all (B) seasonings into deep pot and add the precooked devil’s tongue and soybean as well.
  3. Boil on medium heat for about 10 min.
  4. If the water is gone, it’s now ready to eat.   

2. Bean Sprout (Moyashi)

Running out of money? Here are 5 cheapest dishes for you to cook in Japan!

This ingredient is a featured product everyday for every japanese  family. This is very cheap and can be used for many varieties to cook a meal.

Cost on Average: 20 yen~80 yen

Major Nutrient Effect:

□ Lots of vitamin C included to prevent a cold

□ Constipation Relief

□ Recovery from stress

Easy Recipe Option: Soybean sprouts and pork stir-fry vegetables

  1. Ingredients

☆ Pork (150g)・・・cost 80 yen

☆ Soybean sprouts (1/3 of package)・・・cost 5 yen

☆ Chinese chive  (1/3 of package)・・・cost 15 yen

  1. Seasoning

☆ 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

☆ 1 teaspoon of sugar

☆ 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce

☆ 1 teaspoon of vinegar

☆ 1 teaspoon of chicken stock powder

☆ pinch of salt and pepper

Total cost for this recipe: 130 yen

  1. Mix all seasoning in the bowl. Make your own strong taste by adding chicken stock powder.
  2. Cut pork into small size so that you can easily eat.
  3. Stir fry the all ingredients on the frying pan with sesame oil.
  4. Add the bean sprouts and stir fry with medium heat for about 5 min.
  5. Set aside for a bit and eat while it’s hot.

3. Cabbage

Running out of money? Here are 5 cheapest dishes for you to cook in Japan!

Cabbage is one of the most healthy vegetable with good nutritions found in it. You can even eat it without cooking and is found in common and well-known diet schemes.

Cost on Average: 90 yen~120 yen

Major Nutrient Effect:

□ Makes your stomach feels good

□ Stops irritable bowels

□ Lots of vitamin C included to prevent a cold

Easy Recipe Option: Izakaya Salad

  1. Ingredients

☆ Cabbage (3 cabbage leaves)・・・cost 5 yen

  1. Seasoning

☆ 1 teaspoon of ground garlic

☆ 1 teaspoon of Japanese soup stock

☆ 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

☆ 1 teaspoon of chili oil

☆ pinch of salt

☆ pinch of white sesame seeds

Total cost for this recipe: 10 yen

  1. Cut cabbage into small size so you can easily eat.
  2. Bring plastic bag (from supermarket) and put ingredients and seasoning inside.
  3. Shake and mix well
  4. Serve on a plate, ready to eat.

4. Natto

Running out of money? Here are 5 cheapest dishes for you to cook in Japan!

Natto is a typical Japanese traditional food you can’t miss. This has same nutrition as soybean which can help you live longer life. Although it has an odd smell  for most first-time eaters, the health benefits of natto cannot be argued. Most japanese people incorporate this to their diet and eating habits.

Cost on Average: 45 yen~120 yen

Major Nutrient Effect:

□ Makes your stomach feel good

□ Relieve eyestrain

□ Recovery from stress

Easy Recipe Option: Natto Rice

  1. Ingredients

☆ Natto (1 package with soysauce flavored)・・・cost 15 yen

☆ Okra (1 piece) ・・・・cost 20 yen

☆ Pickled plum (umeboshi/ small portion)・・・・10 yen

☆ Shredded nori (small portion)・・・・5 yen

☆ Rice・・・10 yen

Total cost for this recipe: 60 yen

  1. Cut Okra into small pieces.
  2. Except rice, put everything else together into the bowl and mix it.
  3. Put rice in the bowl.
  4. Put the other ingredients altogether on top.
  5. Now it’s ready to eat. If you have miso soup, it’s a  great combination together.

5. Tofu

Running out of money? Here are 5 cheapest dishes for you to cook in Japan!

Cost on Average: 50 yen~100 yen

Major Nutrient Effect:

□ Has an anti-aging formula

□ Helps stop irritable bowels

□ Helps lower cholesterol level

Easy Recipe Option: Tofu bowl

  1. Ingredients

☆ Tofu (1 cake of tofu) ・・cost 20 yen

☆ Pork ground meat (100g)・・・cost 100 yen

☆ Onion (half)・・・cost 20 yen

  1. Seasoning

☆ 1 teaspoon of ground garlic

☆ 1 teaspoon of Japanese soup stock

☆ 1 teaspoon of sugar

☆ 1 teaspoon of mirin

☆ 1 teaspoon of cooking sake

☆ pinch of salt

☆ pinch of potato starch

Total cost for this recipe: 150 yen

  1. Cut onion into small slices and cut tofu into small square size.
  2. Stir fry all ingredients from pork ground meat, sliced onion and the tofu.
  3. Put seasoning except potato starch into the fried ingredients
  4. Stir fry for about 5 minutes
  5. Add potato starch into them and wait for about 1 minute
  6. Put rice in the bowl and eat afterwards

See how much you can save by trying these easy and simple japanese recipes? These are 5 recommended daily food items that will help you stay healthy with reasonable price. Enjoy your meal!

 

YAE/ Japan

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