This is part of a series of osechi (New Year's feast food) items that can be made in advance during busy December and frozen. There are a lot of recipes, so please give some a try! These shrimp aren't just for New Year's; they are very useful year round in bentos as well.The flavors will penetrate the shrimp while they are frozen. Defrost them naturally, or under running water. For 8 shrimp. Recipe by moriam

I tried coming up with a simplified recipe for "pounded burdock root." Even without pounding the burdock, it has a wonderfully crunchy texture. I simplified the seasoning to make the ratio relatively easy to remember.I used toasted sesame seeds this time, but you could use ground sesame. Blanch the burdock to your preference. If you do decide to pound the burdock, do so with a pestle etc. in Step 5, after draining the burdock. Recipe by Kagocha-

This is the recipe my mother came up with after a long process of trial and error to recreate her favorite pounded burdock root dish--one that she chose by taste testing at different eateries. It has since become a family favorite.The burdock root should weigh about 230 g unrinsed with skin on, and 200 g after prepping. It's important to preserve the "bite" of the burdock root, so be careful not to over cook in Step 2. Recipe by Nanaiku

I often make this when I have burdock root left over from another dish... it's rather hard to use up a whole burdock root! But then I started to buy burdock root just to make this sesame-sauce dish. (This is a secret, but I do it the lazy way by using store-bought ponzu sauce, sugar, and ground white sesame seeds. Use a 1:1:2 ratio of ponzu sauce, sugar and ground sesame! It's a bit salty, but...)As I wrote in Step 1, this tastes best when there's an equal amount of ground sesame seeds vs. the ★ ingredients. Depending on the season, adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar to taste!Start using burdock root from the thin end, and bash it, cut it, split it and throw them into the sesame-vinegar sauce. Recipe by Pikarindou honpo

This is a delicious wintertime simmered dish. It's great in special occasion bentos for sports festivals or picnics, too.Prep the vegetables properly. Bamboo shoots added to the mix would be delicious, too. Please cut the vegetables anyway you like. The key is to add the meat at the very end. For 4 servings. Recipe by Taunbi-

It’s a traditional Japanese dish.And it has a sweet soy flavor.

I like vinegar, but I'm not a fan of food that so vinegary that your lips pucker when you put it in your mouth. So I came up with my own recipe for mildly vinegary pickled lotus root. I managed to make very nice pickles without having to dirty two pots, so I'm going to stick to making it this way.Be sure to leave the lotus roots sit overnight before consuming. Recipe by Run

A simple and classic Japanese dish made for nice side dish. And this goes well with alcohol. The crispy feeling of burdock root increases its deliciousness.

I usually roll them up with pork, but since it's New Year's, I used beef.Simmer quickly for about 30 seconds while rolling them around in the sauce. Recipe by Parutora

I want to serve well-seasoned stewed dishes to my family that'll go well with a bowl of white rice. But I also want to cut down on the amount of salt used. So the sesame oil and ground sesame seeds adds flavor even with a light seasoning.The burdock should be slightly firm after cooking. If you prefer the burdock to be softened more, cook for a little longer at Step 4. To avoid the salmon from flaking while cooking, shake the pan at Step 6 or use a spatula to mix briefly to blend with the seasoning ingredients. Recipe by caramel-cookie

Koji is a steamed cereal（rice / wheat / soybean） that is propagated with koji mold.Miso, soy sauce, mirin, salted rice malt (Shio-koji) , soy sauce with rice malt, amazake, etc. are made using this koji.Koji has the function of drawing out the umami of ingredients, promoting digestion and absorption, and regulating the intestines.Please try to incorporate traditional Japanese fermented seasonings into your daily food.

This is a tradition. I add these bite-sized beef rolls to my family's homemade osechi and bento.I often make this with various vegetables.It has a strong taste that goes well with beer as well as rice.The time needed to microwave the burdock root will depend on your microwave and the amount of burdock root: 3 minutes should be enough, but please check it with a skewer or a toothpick.Please enjoy served with shichimi pepper if you wish. For 4 people. Recipe by Momora