Golden pan-fried tofu is right at home alongside fresh, crisp spring produce. Make this dinner a weekly staple by switching up the veggies and using whatever you have in the fridge.
This easy, quick meal is somehow light-tasting and satisfying both at once. The trick to getting the soup's signature look is to beat the eggs well and drizzle them into the hot soup very slowly in a thin, steady stream as you stir.
Using ground beef instead of stir-fry beef keeps the cost down. Day-old rice works best, so if you can, cook it in advance. Cost: $3.25/serving
For this stunning salad, use the thinnest setting on your mandoline to shave crisp root vegetables into delicate medallions. Miso paste is generally used to flavour soups, but here it acts as a savoury base for the simple Japanese-inspired dressing.
This one-pot dish is a fast family favourite, plus easy on the wallet using chicken thigh meat and ramen noodles.
This meal comes together in no time thanks to packaged coleslaw, which also provides the crunch. Convenient tortillas replace the traditional small thin pancakes. Serve with a drizzle of hoisin sauce, if desired.
Japanese shredded pickled ginger (shoga) adds striking crimson colour and intense ginger flavour to stir-fries. Find it in specialty Japanese or Korean stores. By comparison, sushi ginger (gari) is light pink, mild and thinly sliced. Use it in a pinch.
