Recipe Inspiration

This is one of my favourite salad dishes with soba noodles. The earthy soba noodles are served with “yakumi” condiments to add fragrance and flavours to the dish. It contains 5 different aromatic vegetables and herbs such as ginger, spring onions, and mint. You may also add chilly, or the zest of citrus fruits to taste. The creamy peanut sauce will give a rich texture to this salad.

It is almost like a seaweed aquarium! Sashimi kanten is essentially a seaweed and agar jelly with a sweet and spicy mustard miso sauce. It may also be enjoyed with soy sauce and wasabi just like sashimi. I used Clearspring Atlantic Agar Flakes for this recipe, which is very powerful so you only need a small amount of it to set the liquid.

Seaweed and Spring Onion Pancake with chilli oil dipping sauce. This recipe is inspired by the Chinese street food Cōng yóubǐng (葱油饼), it is simple yet addictive! I have added my own twist to it by adding aonori and seaweed for extra flavour.

This is one of the most traditional tofu recipes in Japan. The classic recipe is slightly sweeter than my version. I also used soft instead of firm tofu for a silkier texture. To avoid achieving a watery flavour you will need to remove any excess water from the tofu before using it.

I am so delighted to have discovered the perfect balance of the texture of this mousse by mixing both agar and kuzu. Its delicate and silky texture will remind you of all the goodness around you.

Everyone loves noodles, so this is the kind of recipe I make for friends and family when they’re coming over. It looks beautiful – vibrant and green – and it tastes so fresh thanks to the mint and lime. It’s a great lunchbox option too; just take the dressing in a separate little pot and stir it together when you’re ready to eat.

This salad was a real hit in the deli, and it’s one of my go-tos as well. We used to serve it cool, but have recently discovered a new love of serving it warm, straight out the oven and couldn’t recommend that more. The dressing is partly what makes this so good and I use it a lot in other dishes – the ginger, miso, sesame and lime mix is a real winner.

I cook big curries like this a lot for my friends and family and they’re always a hit. They’re also a good way of introducing people to plantbased meals, as a curry feels familiar. This one is a particular favourite, as it’s got so much flavour. The squash is tossed with curry powder and roasted until tender with some red peppers, it’s then tossed into a pan with more spices – sautéed cumin and mustard seeds, and some garlic and onion, which then simmer with galangal, tomato purée, ground ginger, lime juice and coconut milk.

For a perfect festive plant based alternative try this recipe created byWaitrose & Partners. The Miso gravy can also be used in other dishes including Sunday roast. 

My ultimate indulgence is burgers, with large portions of fries and a big dollop of ketchup, with a chocolate milkshake on the side - after all, I am American. I don't call burgers 'vegan burgers', they're all just burgers to me now. Today, meat-free burger companies are making huge waves, but I prefer my burgers to be made with nothing but plants, which means I make my own. This burger is loaded with nutrients to leave you feeling satisfied.

This zero-waste pesto is one of my favourite ways to re-purpose pesky green stems that would otherwise be tossed in the bin.

This umami rich dish can be enjoyed as a starter, side dish or a light dinner. It is very common in Japan to eat tofu straight out of the pack. The plain tofu goes perfectly with the miso dressing, use the extra sauce in other asian dishes.

This is a great recovery meal with healthy soba noodles and nourishing kuzu broth.

This green tea dressing is ideal for over salads, steamed vegetables and pasta (to be used like pesto). Elegant flavours of green tea leaves with natural sweetness of cashew nuts create a great harmony. All the goodness of green tea is sealed in this dressing.

This deliciously healthy dip gets its full-bodied flavour from dashi, the secret ingredient of so much Japanese food.

A popular autumn dish in Japan, this is a type of takigohan, where rice is cooked with seasonal vegetables.

The delicious nutty sesame sauce in this recipe also tastes great with broccoli, potato, tofu and spinach.

The cabbage in this light, bright-coloured, fibre-rich salad is pressed in the traditional Japanese manner. It is a perfect accompaniment to any meal.