Kyushoku 3 : MABO-DOFU(Mapo doufu)

MABO-DOFU(Mapo doufu) is a kind of Chinese dish using tofu. In China, it's a very hot and spicy meal. But many Japanese people prefer a more mild taste, so most Chinese restaurants in Japan season it with less amount of spices.

There are some other variations of Mabo dishes such as MABO-NASU(eggplant), MABO-HARUSAME(bean thread noodles) and MABO-DONBURI(rice), and all of them are very cheap and easy to cook. You can buy a Mabo sauce, which is a sauce containing spices and some Welsh onions, at a number of grocery stores. Of course, you can buy a tofu at around 100 yen at any supermarkets and most convenience stores. And some supermarkets sell it at less than 30 yen.

Links:
Recipe for Mabo-Dofu

Kyushoku 1 : GYOZA(Jiaozi)

GYOZA is a Chinese dish, which is pronounced as "Jiaozi" in China. Chinese people eat Gyoza as a staple food and it's very popular in their country. In Japan, it's also popular and many restaurants serve it.

Gyoza is served in several different styles. Sui-Gyoza, boiled Gyoza, is the most popular style in China. But Japanese people much prefer Yaki-Gyoza, pan-fried Gyoza, and Age-Gyoza, deep-fried Gyoza.

You can easily cook a Gyoza in your home since most supermarkets in Japan sell frozen Gyoza at a low price. All you need to cook it are a frying pan, oil and some water. If you are interested in some other Chinese dishes too, you should buy a wok, a Chinese frying pan, because you can pan-fry, deep-fry, boil and steam in it. In fact, a number of Japanese people have one in their homes and often use it.

Links:
Recipe for Gyoza
Gyoza No Ohsho - Japanese popular Chinese franchise