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

#bakingcontest

I always order the pickled celery as a side dish at an izakaya (Japanese gastro-pub) that I used to frequent 4 days a week for the cheap beer. It's not quite the same, but this one's tasty too, so I uploaded the recipe.If you want to serve it right away, add a little more salt than the amount listed.If you can wait, use the amount listed.Since celery takes longer to absorb seasoning compared to other vegetables like cucumber, use a little more than what seems necessary.This goes great with beer! For 2 servings. Recipe by Makitoin

Banga soup with pounded yam.

I created this recipe since I love grated yam potato and was craving it on a cold day.A quick-prep recipe--just mix and bake!Shirodashi (white Japanese soup stock) is best, but you can also use men-tsuyu (Japanese noodle dipping sauce).Adjust the amount (concentration) of shirodashi to taste. For 2 to 3 servings. Recipe by cocoko

This is a variation on my recipe for "Sweet and Savory Butter Sautéed Konnyaku and Tarako"I increased the amount of butter in this version.If you don't have a knife with a jagged or zig-zag edge, it's perfectly fine to use a regular knife. In that case, however, to let the flavors blend, make shallow cuts into one side of the konnyaku in a lattice pattern.The flavor is on the strong side, so adjust the amount of soy sauce to taste. Recipe by Poron526

Breakfast idea

Want to give your food a bit of extra flavor? This onion marmalade is the perfect accoutrement to pair with meats and veggies. The flavor of the onion is released when cooked in extra virgin olive oil from Spain before mixing with the other ingredients. It packs a punch so try it for yourself!

Readymade sesame tofu from the shop can be hit or miss, and I had some sesame paste left, so I tried making my own.The sesame tofu in the main photo was molded in a plate. The key is to cook the mixture over a low heat, taking the pan off the heat regularly, and to keep on stirring it. Use a spatula or a whisk and make sure to stir it up so that the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom. If the heat is too strong the potato starch will stiffen too fast and separate from the sesame paste, so please be careful. Recipe by Jerucchi

Golden Yam