Quesbo Little Chefs · Around the world · Destination 05
A little of everything.
Taste Japan.
A gentle bowl of miso soup, glossy chicken with rice and vegetables, and soft pancake sandwiches. Three delicious ways to explore how flavours, colours and textures work together.
Welcome to the fifth stop in Quesbo’s Cooking Adventures Around the World. Find a grown-up cooking companion and get ready to notice the little differences: soft tofu and sweet corn, colourful vegetables beside rice, and a sweet bean filling between two pancakes.
These family recipes inspired by Japanese cooking introduce miso, a simple teriyaki-style glaze and dorayaki pancake sandwiches. Choose one for today or explore all three over several cooking sessions. Little hands can measure, arrange and discover, with a grown-up taking care of the heat and sharp tools.
Choose your first taste
A little taste of Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia, and its capital is Tokyo. Its cooking offers many regional dishes and ways to prepare everyday ingredients. Our three recipes are a small invitation to explore that variety together.
Miso is a fermented paste that brings savoury flavour to our soup. Our chicken bowls explore a glossy, sweet-and-savoury teriyaki-style glaze, with rice and vegetables alongside. For a sweet finish, dorayaki pairs two small pancakes around a filling of sweet red bean paste.
Quesbo’s imaginary passport adventure
Haru took charge of the hot soup while Quesbo arranged small portions of the cool ingredients. White tofu, yellow corn and green spring onion made a colourful pattern. “What would you like a little more of?” Haru asked. Quesbo looked from one bowl to the next and shared out the colours. When Haru checked that the soup had cooled enough, they tasted it together. Quesbo noticed something soft, something sweet and something savoury, all in one spoonful. His passport earned its fifth golden word: BALANCE.
First taste 01 / 03
Gentle Miso Soup
A mild miso shiru-inspired soup with tofu and sweetcorn
Soft tofu, sweetcorn and spring onion make this gentle soup a colourful first taste. A little wakame is optional. Children can measure and arrange the cool ingredients while a grown-up manages the hot stock and checks each bowl is cool enough to enjoy.
Allergens: Contains soya. Fish-based dashi also contains fish. Check miso and stock labels for wheat, barley, celery and any other allergens; ingredients vary between brands.
Your ingredients
For the soup
- 800 ml reduced-salt vegetable stock or mild dashi
- 2½ tbsp white miso paste
- 150 g firm tofu, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 100 g sweetcorn, drained if tinned
- 1 tbsp dried wakame, optional
- 2 spring onions, very thinly sliced
Get ready together
EquipmentMedium saucepan, Small heatproof bowl, Whisk or fork, Ladle, Measuring jug and spoons, Chopping board and blunt table knife, Knife for an adult, Small sieve if using wakame.
Little hands can- Measure the miso and sweetcorn
- Soak and drain the optional wakame with help
- Cube tofu with a blunt table knife under supervision
- Divide the cold spring-onion garnish into four little portions
- Slice the spring onions
- Use the hob and follow any frozen sweetcorn cooking instructions
- Ladle and whisk the hot broth with miso
- Serve the soup and check the broth and tofu are cool enough to eat
Let’s make it
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Prepare the little pieces
If using wakame, soak it in cold water according to its packet, then drain. Wash the spring onions and let an adult slice them very thinly. Children can help cube the tofu with a blunt table knife under supervision. Drain tinned sweetcorn; if using frozen sweetcorn, check its cooking instructions before starting.
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Warm the stock and vegetables
An adult heats the stock in the saucepan. Add the tofu, sweetcorn and drained wakame, if using, and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until everything is hot throughout. Frozen sweetcorn may need longer: follow its packet's cooking instructions.
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Make the miso smooth
Put 2 tablespoons of the measured miso into the heatproof bowl, keeping the remaining ½ tablespoon aside. An adult ladles about 100 ml broth from the saucepan into the bowl and whisks until smooth. This broth is hot, so the adult handles both pouring and whisking.
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Stir in gently
The adult turns the heat very low, lets any vigorous bubbling settle and stirs the smooth miso mixture back into the soup. Warm it gently without bringing it to a hard boil. Taste a small spoonful only after it has cooled; if wanted, dissolve the remaining ½ tablespoon miso in a little broth and stir it in too.
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Share the colours
An adult divides the soup and its pieces between four small bowls and scatters over the spring onion. Look for a little tofu, sweetcorn and green garnish in each bowl. Children can count out the cold garnish before the adult serves the soup.
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Cool, then taste
Let the soup cool to a comfortable eating temperature. An adult checks both the broth and the centre of a tofu cube before children taste: the little cubes can stay hot inside.
Main meal 02 / 03
Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowls
Glossy chicken, rice and colourful vegetables, inspired by teriyaki donburi
Bite-size chicken meets a glossy soy-and-honey glaze, with rice, broccoli and carrot ribbons alongside. This is a mild family adaptation inspired by teriyaki. Build each bowl together and discover how different colours, flavours and textures can share the same meal.
Allergens: Contains soya and usually wheat in the soy sauce. If avoiding gluten, use tamari specifically labelled gluten-free and check every other ingredient label; tamari still contains soya.
Your ingredients
For the bowls
- 300 g sushi rice or short-grain rice
- 400 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 250 g broccoli florets
- 2 carrots
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
For the teriyaki-style sauce
- 3 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 3 tbsp water
Get ready together
EquipmentSaucepan with lid for rice, Saucepan or steamer for broccoli, Large frying pan, Small bowl and whisk or fork, Sieve, Vegetable peeler, Grater for an adult, Separate chopping board and knife for raw chicken, Scales and measuring spoons, Food thermometer.
Little hands can- Measure and rinse the rice before cooking
- Measure and mix the cold sauce ingredients
- Make carrot ribbons only with close supervision and suitable peeler skills
- Arrange bowl ingredients after an adult checks they are safe to handle
- Prepare raw chicken and clean all surfaces and tools it touches
- Grate ginger and garlic and supervise the peeler
- Use the hob, drain vegetables and handle hot rice
- Add sauce to the pan and check the chicken is thoroughly cooked
- Check portion size, texture and temperature for the children eating
Let’s make it
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Get the rice started
Rinse the rice and ask an adult to cook it according to its packet, using the stated water quantity and resting time. Keep the cooked rice hot while the other parts finish. An adult steams or boils the washed broccoli until tender, then drains it carefully.
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Make ribbons and mix the sauce
Wash and peel the carrots. An adult makes thin ribbons with a peeler; a child who can use a peeler safely may help with close supervision. The adult grates the ginger and garlic. Whisk all seven sauce ingredients together in the small bowl until the cornflour is evenly mixed in. Keep the sauce and ready-to-eat vegetables away from raw chicken.
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Cook the chicken
An adult prepares the chicken on a separate board, then washes hands and cleans utensils and surfaces that touched it. Heat the oil in the large frying pan and cook the bite-size pieces for about 8–10 minutes, turning regularly, until browned and cooked through. Allow more time if needed; the size of the pieces and heat of the pan affect the timing.
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Make the glossy coating
Stir the sauce again because cornflour sinks. The adult pours it into the pan and lets it bubble gently for about 2–3 minutes, stirring, until shiny and coating the chicken. If it thickens too quickly, lower the heat. Check the chicken is steaming hot throughout: a clean thermometer in the centre of the thickest pieces should reach 75°C for 30 seconds or 70°C for 2 minutes.
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Build four bowls
An adult shares the hot rice between four bowls and adds the broccoli, carrot ribbons, cooked chicken and sauce. Arrange the colours in separate sections if you like. Let each portion cool enough to eat before inviting children to help with any final arranging.
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Choose your first bite
Before serving, an adult checks that the chicken pieces and vegetables are a suitable size and texture for the children eating, and that the food is at a comfortable temperature. Admire the colours, then choose whether to taste each section separately or mix the bowl.
Sweet finish 03 / 03
Dorayaki Pancake Sandwiches
Soft honey pancakes with sweet red bean paste
Two soft, honey-sweetened pancakes make a little sandwich around anko, a sweet red bean paste. A grown-up cooks the pancakes, then little chefs can match the cooled pairs, add the filling and gently press them together. Each sandwich is a small surprise waiting to be opened.
Allergens: Contains egg and wheat. Check the baking powder and ready-made filling labels for other allergens, which may include soya.
Your ingredients
For the pancakes
- 2 large eggs
- 80 g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp clear honey
- 120 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2–3 tbsp water
For the filling
- 200 g ready-made sweet red bean paste (anko)
Get ready together
EquipmentMixing bowl, Whisk, Sieve, Flexible spatula, Non-stick frying pan, Small ladle or spoon, Turner for an adult, Cooling rack and clean tea towel, Blunt table knife for spreading, Scales and measuring spoons.
Little hands can- Measure, sift and whisk the batter with help
- Set the ten-minute resting timer
- Watch for bubbles from a safe distance
- Match cooled pancakes into six pairs and spread the filling
- Supervise raw egg handling and clean up splashes
- Control the pan temperature and pour the batter
- Turn pancakes and check their centres are cooked
- Check pancakes are cool before children fill them
Let’s make it
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Whisk the eggs, sugar and honey
Crack the eggs into the mixing bowl and add the caster sugar and honey. Whisk for about 2 minutes until slightly foamy. Wash hands after handling raw egg and do not taste the uncooked batter.
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Fold in the flour
Sift in the flour and baking powder, then fold gently until combined. Start with 2 tablespoons water and add a little of the third tablespoon if needed to make a thick but pourable batter.
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Rest for ten minutes
Cover and rest the batter for 10 minutes. Set out a rack and clean tea towel for the cooked pancakes. An adult warms a dry non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat, following the pan manufacturer's instructions and avoiding overheating it.
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Make twelve little pancakes
The adult pours small, similar-sized portions of batter into the pan to make pancakes about 8 cm wide, leaving space between them. Aim to share the batter between twelve pancakes. Cook until bubbles appear, the edges look set and the underside is evenly golden. Children can watch and count bubbles from a safe distance.
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Turn, finish and cool
The adult turns each pancake and cooks the second side for about 20–30 seconds, or longer until the centre is fully set with no wet batter. Keep the heat moderate so the pancakes cook through before they become too dark. Transfer to the rack and cover lightly with the clean tea towel to help them stay soft. Repeat with the remaining batter; allow more cooking time if your pan holds only a few at once.
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Match, fill and sandwich
Once the pancakes are cool, match them into six pairs of similar size. Share all 200 g anko between six pancakes, spreading it over the flat side and leaving a little space at the edge. Top with the other six pancakes and press gently to make six sandwiches.
Your tasty passport · Destination 05
You’ve tasted Japan.
What will you try next?
Open your cooking notebook and make a new passport page. Write JAPAN at the top, draw a dish you tried and add the date and your cooking companion’s name.
- Give it a taste score. Rate each dish you tried from 1 to 5. Everyone is allowed a different favourite.
- Choose your next step. Would you cook it again? Write “Yes”, “Maybe” or “Not yet”.
- Remember three discoveries. Miso is fermented; teriyaki brings a glossy, sweet-and-savoury finish; dorayaki pairs two pancakes with sweet red bean paste.
- Earn your BALANCE stamp. Draw your bowl or plate and label the colours, flavours and textures you noticed. Which combinations would you like to try again?
Food detective: can you find a fermented ingredient, a food made from beans and something sweet in today’s recipes? Possible answers: miso, tofu and honey. You may spot other answers too.
A word for your journey: Konnichiwa means “Hello” in Japanese. Itadakimasu is an expression of gratitude said before eating.
Your next destination clue: the compass points to a peninsula where food can sizzle on a tabletop grill and fruit can help flavour a beef marinade. Where might your recipe compass take you?
Food and discovery notes for grown-ups
Recipes adapted from Quesbo’s Japan cooking pages, with clearer preparation, supervision and storage guidance. These are family interpretations of the dishes. Food imagery is AI-generated for illustration, rather than photographs from a kitchen test.
- Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: soy sauce and miso
- Kikkoman: teriyaki cooking and its glossy finish
- Kikkoman: preparing miso soup
- Japan National Tourism Organization: anko and dorayaki
- Kids Web Japan: gratitude at the table
- Japan National Tourism Organization: exploring Japanese food
- Food Standards Agency: cooking food thoroughly
- Food Standards Agency: chilling and storing food
- Food Standards Agency: storing and reheating rice
- NHS: foods to avoid giving babies and young children
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