Culinary specialties of Kanto 関東料理

Kanto is the region encompassing Tokyo, and like every region in Japan, it has a verydistinct culinary identity. Here are some of its specialties!

Monjayaki

Maybe you've heard of okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) from the Kansai region? Monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き) is its Kanto counterpart! It is alsomade from a batter topped with various ingredients (cabbage, seafood, meat, etc.)cooked in front of you on a hotplate. Since the monjayaki batter isrunnier than okonomiyaki batter, it is often eaten using a smallspatula.

Red Miso

Japan is home tovarious types of miso (味噌) paste. This fermented soybean paste is used primarily to make the very popular miso soup -essential at mealtimes in all Japanese homes. Miso from Kanto is known as red miso (赤味噌, aka-miso). It's dark brown incolor, not as sweet as its Kansai cousin and a little stronger in taste!

Yuba

When soy milk iscooked, a fine film forms on the surface: yuba (湯葉). Yuba can be eaten in a variety of ways: stuffed, in soup or served as-iswith some soy sauce or wasabi on the side. It's great for vegans.

Fukagawa-meshi

It's hard tobelieve today, but during the Edo period, the neighborhood of Fukagawa (深川町), in Tokyo, was a fishing village.Located at the mouth of the Sumida river (隅田川) in the east of the capital, fish andclams were plentiful. Thus, unsurprisingly, Fukugawa-meshi (深川めし) is a dish consisting of clams cookedin miso soup with leeks, served over a bowl of rice. It's a popular dish thatcan still be found today in small local diners.