Let's eat dishes without names. Letting go of recipes saved me time and money, and enriched my life.

Hello! I'm Torimune, and I've been doing home workouts for seven years.

If someone asked you, "What is your favorite food?", how would you answer?

For me, I would inevitably answer with a dish name, like a hamburger or Indian curry.

But you wouldn't really say things like "pork seared until crispy" or "cabbage quickly stir-fried in an iron pan" when asked that question, would you? I'm talking about simple dishes that don't have a name.

Haven't we all, before we knew it, started trying to make only dishes that have a "name"?
It's as if everything in a recipe book is all there is, and anything else isn't really cooking.

What changed my way of thinking was encountering a certain book by the culinary expert Yoko Arimoto.

When I read this book, my way of thinking about "cooking" changed significantly.

I value the "basics." This applies to muscle training as well, and I am always searching for simple and efficient methods for my daily life.

And this book taught me that "cooking," just like anything else, becomes surprisingly simple and fun when you understand the basics.

In this article, I would like to talk in depth about the true meaning of "eating dishes without names" and how it can enrich your daily life.

What are the "basics" of cooking?

Let's think about it in terms of muscle training. You don't start with eccentric exercises; you base your routine on movements like dumbbell bench presses, squats, and pull-ups, right?

By repeatedly practicing these movements, you learn how to use your body, improve your strength, and develop the ability to apply those skills.
Dumbbells that felt heavy at first become easier to handle once you've mastered the basics, and you naturally start to understand how to combine different exercises.

So, what are the "basics" of cooking?

Is it memorizing recipe books from cover to cover?
No, that's not it. Yoko Arimoto says this:

I believe this statement captures the essence of the basics of cooking.

It's not about "tracing" a recipe, but about drawing out the "deliciousness" that the ingredients themselves possess. This is surely the true basic of cooking.

We tend to be easily bound by "dish names".

We tend to believe that there is a specific way to make hamburger steaks and a specific way to make curry. But if you know the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves, you can cook without any recipes.

For example, "crispy fried pork" just needs to be simply pan-fried with salt and pepper. "Cabbage quickly stir-fried in an iron pan" becomes a delicacy just by stir-frying it in a little oil and adding a splash of soy sauce.

Ms. Arimoto says, "Focus on texture more than seasoning."

Dishes made with lots of seasonings and oil are certainly delicious. I love them too.
But perhaps we are just relying on superficial seasoning without knowing the taste of the ingredients themselves.

If you can feel the taste of the ingredients themselves—like "this pork has sweet fat" or "this cabbage is crunchy and juicy"—cooking will become simpler and even more delicious.

Let's acquire a sharpened sense of taste

I experienced the essence of this "eating the ingredients" when I reduced my body fat to a single digit.

During weight loss, I try to keep my meals as simple as possible to control my calorie intake.

• Seasoning is basically just low-fat soy sauce or salt and pepper.

• Healthy ingredients like chicken breast, broccoli, potatoes, and pumpkin are the mainstays.

• I even measured my white rice precisely.

At first, I sometimes felt it was "bland."

But as I progressed with my weight loss, that feeling changed.

• "White rice is... sweet!"

Every time I chewed the white rice, the natural sweetness of the rice spread. I was moved by the sweetness of the rice, which I hadn't noticed before because it was so taken for granted.
I can eat white rice on its own, without any side dishes.

• "Chicken breast actually has a distinct flavor!"

Chicken breast, which I had imagined to be dry, had a savory flavor every time I chewed it. Right after boiling the chicken, it tastes delicious even if you eat it as is, without adding anything. Really.

• "Sweet potatoes are basically a dessert!"

Steamed sweet potatoes were unbelievably sweet, and it felt like I was eating a high-end Japanese confection.

With my sense of taste sharpened by weight loss, I was able to realize the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves.

This is exactly why I want to strongly convey the message, 'Let's eat dishes without names.'

Without relying on complex seasoning, the natural umami of the ingredients is delicious enough on its own.Once you experience this feeling, your eating habits will change dramatically.

The 4 benefits of 'dishes without names'

Having read this far, I believe you understand the importance of 'eating ingredients.'

But that's not all.
Eating 'dishes without names' has many secondary benefits.

1. Food costs go down

Simple dishes use fewer ingredients and seasonings.
There is no need to buy expensive seasonings or ingredients you don't know how to use. If you have fresh meat, fish, and vegetables, that is enough.
Since you stop buying unnecessary things, your food expenses will naturally decrease.

2. Cooking preparation time is reduced

There is no need to look up complex recipes or chop up a large number of ingredients.

• Grill some pork and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

• Stir-fry some vegetables and add a dash of soy sauce.

With just this, you can make a delicious dish. Being able to shorten cooking time in your busy daily life is a major benefit.

3. The inside of your refrigerator becomes simple

Have you ever opened your refrigerator and felt discouraged by expired seasonings or ingredients you bought but never used?
If you practice 'dishes without names,' the inside of your refrigerator will always be simple, and you will know at a glance what is where.
You will also stop wasting food.

4. Contributes to dieting (weight loss)

This is something I can say strongly from my own experience. If you are tracking the calories of what you eat, you only need to track the calories of the ingredients themselves, making it dramatically easier to understand your caloric intake.
Also, simple dishes are often lower in calories than complex dishes that use oil.

And because you will be able to feel the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves, it becomes easier to feel satisfied with fewer calories.

The sensation I felt while losing weight, that 'white rice is sweet!', is proof of exactly that.

Even with smaller portions, by chewing and savoring the umami of the ingredients, both your mind and body will be satisfied.

In conclusion

Eating "dishes without names" means grasping the fundamentals of cooking.
And that should make your daily life richer and simpler.

Let me introduce Ms. Arimoto's words once more.

Both you and I will continue to eat for the rest of our lives.

That is precisely why, instead of being too fixated on "cooking according to recipes," why not change it to "enjoying it simply"?

Thank you for reading until the end this time as well.

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