With so many Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong, restaurant owners might wonder how to make their brand stand out. To attract customers with nutritious and delicious Japanese dishes, read on to find out some useful suggestions from accredited practising dietitian Anson Wong.

Simple Healthy Appetisers

Known for their exquisite delicacy, Japanese meals usually start with appetisers. Taking edamame (salted immature soybeans in the pod) as an example, Anson explained that healthy dishes can be prepared by using simple ingredients and cooking methods. He added that edamame is a good source of dietary fibre. One bowl of edamame offers 8 grams of dietary fibre, which is about one-third of the recommended daily fibre intake for adults. In addition, edamame is very rich in potassium.

Low-Salt, Low-Fat Soup Base and Sauce

The nutrient composition varies among different types of Japanese soup bases and sauces. To satisfy customers’ requirements regarding healthy eating, Anson advised restaurants to stick to the principles of “low salt”, “low fat” and “flexibility”. He said, “Ramen is one of the favourite foods among Hong Kong people. However, according to a survey, if we consume one bowl of ramen with the soup, we may take in more sodium than the World Health Organization’s recommended daily limit, which is 2000 mg per day. Actually, a delicious ramen soup base does not need to have an intense flavour. For example, by adding ordinary ingredients such as seafood and mushrooms to tomato soup, kombu stock and broth with dried bonito, we can maximise the freshness and nutritional value and add more Japanese culinary elements to the dishes.”

According to Anson, an emerging trend in healthy eating is to use fruit and vegetables as the ingredients of sauces. “Vegetables such as spinach, tomatoes or pumpkins can be blended to make refreshing sweet sauces,” said Anson. “These sauces can be served with cold udon noodles and used as a replacement for the Japanese sesame sauce, so as to avoid excessive intake of salt and fat.” When serving a dish, restaurants can provide the soup or sauce separately.

Choosing Quality Carbohydrates

Many Japanese dishes use white rice or udon noodles as the staple food, both of which can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. Anson recommended replacing white rice with whole grain rice or soba noodles. He explained, “Both whole grain rice and soba noodles are unrefined carbohydrates. Consumption of unrefined carbohydrates results in a slower and smaller increase in blood sugar levels. Mixing and cooking different types of whole grain rice also gives a rich texture to the dish. As for soba noodles, they have a unique fragrance of wheat and are the favourite of many Japanese food lovers.”

Using Healthy Cooking Methods

Tempura is a famous and popular Japanese dish, in which the ingredients are deep-fried. However, deep-fried food is relatively unhealthy and its intake should be minimised. Anson suggested that restaurants use healthy cooking methods that require less oil, such as air-frying. While stir-frying assorted vegetables, it is advisable to use olive oil instead of butter.

In Anson’s opinion, there are several things that a Japanese restaurant can do in order to create a healthy eating environment. He said, “Restaurants can provide nutritional information about the dishes on the menu. This can help customers make healthy choices and allow restaurants to establish a good image.”