Japanese Cooking with Kids: 50 Kid-Tested Recipes to Make Together, written by Debra Samuels and Mayumi Uejima-Carr, features an inspiring collection of Japanese recipes for every skill level paired with an abundance of helpful tips and step-by-step photos. A few highlights include Rice Sandwiches (Onigirazu), Japanese-Style Tuna Pasta, Miso Dip with Vegetables, Teddy Bear Chicken and Veggie Omurice, and Japanese Matcha Tea Cake with Chocolate Swirls. I will also be sharing their recipe for Octopus-Shaped Hot Dogs following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Tuttle Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.
Japanese Cooking with Kids is currently available for preorder and set to release on August 26th, 2025.
Debra Samuels and Mayumi Uejima-Carr
Debra Samuels is a cookbook author, food educator, and the curriculum and content developer for TABLE FOR TWO USA. She developed the “Kids Are Cooking” series at Boston Children’s Museum and worked as a food writer and food stylist for The Boston Globe. Debra is also the author of My Japanese Table and co-author of The Korean Table.
Mayumi Uejima-Carr is the president of TABLE FOR TWO USA and leads the award-winning programs: “Onigiri Action” and “Wa-Sho–Learn. Cook. Eat Japanese!” These programs focus on “Japanese food culture and address critical health issues.” She was also awarded fellowships by the US-Japan Leadership Program and Harvard’s Kennedy School.
Debra lived in Japan for a total of 12 years. Mayumi grew up in Tokyo and is currently based in California.
Japanese Cooking with Kids
Debra and Mayumi begin Japanese Cooking with Kids with a short introduction and a few detailed notes to get started.
In addition to the 50 recipes, they have put together an overview of Japanese cuisine with guides on etiquette, balancing meals, kitchen safety, and cooking techniques. I especially love that the inside covers begin with “Itadakimasu” and end with “Gochisosama.”
Chapters are divided according to the following: Japanese Rice, Flavors from the Sea, Food from Soy, Vegetables & Fruit, Japanese Favorites, School Lunches, Bento Box Lunch, and Desserts & Drinks. The contents page has a list of included recipes with page number for easy reference.
For those new to Japanese cuisine, there is also a section on pantry staples and equipment with descriptions, uses, and photos. At the end of the book, there is a list of grocery stores and online resources to locate products. Until I read it in the book, it did not occur to me since leaving Torrance that Tokyo Central has an online option. I will definitely be trying that soon.
The food styling and photography is provided by Yumi Komatsudaira (author of Japanese Superfoods) with additional photos of the kids in action by Jacob Dylan Villaruz and Darwin Villaruz. Every single recipe is paired with at least one quarter to full-page photo of the finished dish. There are also many step-by-step photos demonstrating specific techniques such as decorating onigiri (rice balls) into cute shapes, rolling omelets, and folding Gyoza.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English and occasionally Romanized Japanese. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, yield, prep/cooking time, serving ideas, and helpful tips.
Octopus-Shaped Hot Dogs
To pair with this post, the kids decided to make Octopus-Shaped Hot Dogs! We have come across this fun way of styling sausages a few times while in Japan and Los Angeles (and in Peruvian restaurants when ordering Salchipapas).
This is also a great option for those working on knife skills. Simply make lengthwise slices in hot dogs, leaving the top (head) intact, to form the individual “arms.”
Cook the hot dogs until heated through either by boiling in water or pan-frying in a little oil and the slices will naturally curl upwards to create the octopus shape.
This recipe can be made with either mini hot dogs or standard ones cut in half cross-wise.
We used some Arabiki sausages we had in the freezer. They were delicious, but the coarse texture of the pork added some challenges when creating more than four appendages.
Evan and Claire tried them with both four “arms” and eight “arms.” They say making multiple slices is more difficult, but the result is more realistic.
For a few of the sausages, Claire added two black sesame seeds after cooking to make “eyes.”
Octopus-Shaped Hot Dog Serving Ideas
We defrosted a package of roughly 20 sausages and ended up practicing quite a bit over a few days.
Favorite pairings included Onigiri (rice balls), Ketchup Rice, Yakisoba, and Spaghetti with Nori Tamago Furikake (seasonings with seaweed and egg pieces).
The hot dogs would also be a delicious addition to bento (lunch boxes).
During our trip earlier this month, there was even one tucked into our Panda Ekiben (train station bento/lunch) when traveling from Kyoto to Tokyo.
Other Dishes
The kids also made Grape Tomato Hearts, Fruit Sandos, Ketchup Rice, and Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage).
Grape tomatoes are a favorite for Claire and she was so excited to learn how to form them into hearts! A fun addition for lunch boxes, the tomatoes are simply sliced and arranged on skewers to hold them together. They can even be paired with mini mozzarella. This chapter also has other vegetable decorations such as cucumber coils, tomato roses, and radish balls.
The Fruit Sandos are such a refreshing treat. Shokupan slices are filled with a homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit. Claire went with her go-to strawberry, but other options include clementines, kiwis, and bananas.
Evan picked the Ketchup Rice to pair with the Octopus-Shaped Hot Dogs. Freshly cooked rice is combined with ketchup, then topped with furikake if desired. This recipe can be paired with other items such as the Clementine Juice Jelly Cup, Steamed Broccoli with Lemon Juice and Soy Sauce, Corn Potatge, and Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs to make a full Okosama Lunch (Kid’s Lunch Special).
Both kids loved the Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage). Small pieces of chicken are marinated briefly, then coated in potato starch and shallow-fried until crisp and golden. We enjoyed the Karaage hot from the pan with lemon wedges, but it is also a great addition to lunch boxes. There is an option to use tofu in place of the chicken.
Japanese Cooking with Kids is a fantastic pick for younger chefs interested in Japanese cuisine. The book has been developed with those between 8-14 in mind. Recipes range from small bites and drinks to meat/vegetarian/seafood dishes, lunch ideas, and desserts.
Many of the ingredients are becoming more readily available in larger American grocery stores. Having a Japanese or East Asian market nearby will be helpful in locating items such as dried wakame, edamame, inari tofu skins, gyoza wrappers, sweet Azuki beans, and mochiko.
Octopus-Shaped Hot Dogs Recipe
Excerpt from Japanese Cooking with Kids
Octopus-Shaped Hot Dogs
Ingredients
- 3 mini hot dogs (cocktail franks) or 1 regular-size hot dog cut across the short dimension
- Ketchup for dipping, optional
Instructions
For mini hot dogs:
- Cut just below the tip (head) straight to the bottom lengthwise.
- Rotate 90 degrees and make another lengthwise cut through the halves to make 4 arms. You can stop here, or carefully cut each arm in half lengthwise to make 8 arms.
For a regular-size hot dog:
- Cut it in half (cross-wise) first.
- Then, follow the directions listed above for making the arms. (Use both halves to make 2 octopuses!)
To cook:
- Fill a saucepan with water.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Add the prepared hot dogs. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the arms curl.
- Alternatively, stir-fry in a skillet with a little oil.
- Remove the "octopuses" with a slotted spoon.
- To eat, dip them into ketchup, if using.
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