Recipes using leftovers have been growing more popular as they help homemakers reduce waste and save time in the kitchen.

Expecting this trend to contribute to sales of their products, food manufacturers have been moving to promote recipes using leftovers on their websites and through television commercials.

"Soy sauce and mayonnaise go together very well," Yoko Kubota, a company official from Noda, Chiba Prefecture, said of a salad she made using leftover simmered dried radish with salted cucumbers, topped with mayonnaise and sesame.