JAPAN

Beyond sushi, Japanese cuisine is multi-faceted and varies by region. Rice is the most important staple and the key ingredient. Anything accompanying the rice in a meal -- fish, meat, vegetables, soup, is considered a side dish. These "sides" serve to heighten and enhance the taste of the rice. The Japanese enjoy raw foods in their meals as well as cooked. Cooked food always involves one of four principal cooking methods: grilling, simmering, steaming and frying. Flavors are clean and well balanced.

"I learned to cook a Japanese meal following the "traditional soup plus three" formula-that is soup, plus a raw fish dish, a grilled fish dish and a simmered dish. But the choices are so tempting - and ahi even more exciting when it's wrapped in nori and deep-fried-that I now follow a Yan Can formula."

Appetizers
Sweet and Savory Ginger Crab
Yan Can Gyoza with Spicy Dipping Sauce

Soup
Japanese New Year's Soup

Entrees
Chicken Teriyaki
Spinach and Tofu with Wasabi Dressing

Dessert
Sweet Red Bean Pancakes

Teriyaki Sauce

Wasabi

Sushi Rolling