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Can Vegetarian Dishes Be Cooked Teppanyaki Style?

Can Vegetarian Dishes Be Cooked Teppanyaki Style?

Teppanyaki is a popular style of cooking not only in Japan but across the whole world. Though it is a simple style of cooking, it expands not only over meat but over vegetables too. So, good news for vegetarians: vegetarian dishes can also be cooked in teppanyaki style!

Vegetable teppanyaki is actually quite common. In fact, for regular-style teppanyaki, vegetables are often cooked as a siding already. Vegetable teppanyaki is often cooked vegetables with a mixture of different kinds of seasoning.

If you would like to learn more about vegetable teppanyaki, feel free to continue reading our article below.

What Is Vegetable Teppanyaki?

Teppanyaki as a general definition is a Japanese style of cooking that involves cooking food on a flat iron plate. The ingredients are typically composed of meat, seafood, and noodles, but sidings such as vegetables are also commonly available. 

When it comes to vegetable teppanyaki, this style of cooking involves lightly frying vegetables and, usually, serving them with rice or meat prepared in the same teppan (though this is optional especially for fellow vegetarians out there). 

These vegetables are often cooked as a mixture prepared in teppanyaki. Common vegetables that are used in vegetable teppanyaki include julienned zucchini, carrots, onions, bean sprouts, white cabbage, mushrooms, beans, and peppers. You may even opt to add other vegetables such as eggplant or sweet potatoes. 

Preparing vegetables is important because it must be sliced in such a way so that it is cooked evenly. These vegetables are sautéed with a tangy, subtle sauce in a wok. They can be served as is or with a starch of your choice depending on your preferences. Sesame seeds, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and rice forest are commonly used to season the vegetables. 

Additionally, the cooking vessel for the vegetables is also important as the vegetables should be cooked in something similar to a wok. This is so that the liquid that accumulates on one part stews the vegetables rather than grills them.

Can Vegetarian Dishes Cooked Teppanyaki Style

What Vegetables Do Japanese People Typically Eat?

You might be wondering whether Japanese people have vegetarian food. Traditionally, they do not; however, they often have a focus directed towards steamed vegetables in their dishes. This means a lot of their meals have a main platter of rice and a lot of side dishes. You can therefore choose to eat only the rice and vegetarian side dishes. 

Typically, Japanese people often eat vegetables such as kabocha, which is a squash, negi, which is like green onion, renkon, which is lotus root, and many more. Interestingly, many restaurants in Japan are trying to become more and more vegetarian focused nowadays.

It is because of this that there are still vegetarian dishes available in Japanese cooking styles such as teppanyaki. While the Japanese do not necessarily or traditionally have strict vegetarian-only dishes because their meals consist of many side dishes you can technically choose to just eat the vegetarian options.

Can Vegetarian Dishes Cooked Teppanyaki Style


Japanese food is not strictly vegetarian, as it is traditionally composed of various side dishes that are both vegetarian and nonvegetarian. This is also applicable to teppanyaki.

Teppanyaki is most known for its cooking technique with meat and seafood; however, teppanyaki may also be vegetarian if you choose to eat the vegetables that normally come as side dishes in this cooking style. 

Vegetable teppanyaki often cooks vegetables in a mixture and uses a wide variety of vegetables. The two important factors of vegetable teppanyaki are the way the vegetables are cut and the equipment that is used. 

Vegetables must be cut so that they can be evenly cooked, and the cooking equipment must resemble a teppan or a wok so that the liquids can stew and not grill the vegetables especially if you are cooking this yourself. 

If you are in Melbourne and want to enjoy an authentic Japanese Restaurant in Doncaster, you simply can’t go past Kobe Teppanyaki.

For reservations please call us today on 03 9864 1874 or visit here for bookings and enquiries.

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