In 2013 we went to Japan. We had a truly marvellous time and part of the enjoyment of the holiday was the food (of course!). Prior to this, my impression of Japanese food had been :
- It is delicious
- It looks fantastic
- I can’t cook this!
My family’s history with Japanese food was purely the restaurant version – from Teppenyaki restaurants to sushi trains everything else seemed very scary to contemplate making at home.
** A little side note for longtime locals in Balmain : Does anyone else remember the super Japanese restaurant on Darling St, sort of where the Cottage is? It was super and sooo fancy- delicious sukiyaki I remember. **
Quick travel story. On our second night in Kyoto we were looking for somewhere to eat. Some friends who were also in Kyoto were joining us and the hotel concierge recommended a restaurant along the river – in an area called Pontocho. We were a group of 10 (6 of the group aged 14 and under). It was a beautiful setting – alongside the Kamogawa River overlooking kids playing on the banks, a long low table set up for us on the deck and a cool autumn evening. So – not knowing anything about anything, they provided us with a banquet meal. This turned out to be the equivalent of fine dining, Japanese style. Also known as Kaiseki. Dishes were beautifully presented as part of a (maybe) 10 course banquet. However, much of the food was not really to children’s tastes and the adults ended up eating most of it, but some of it we couldn’t palate either!
So we ate what we could, whilst the children starved. The bill, can I say, was pretty astronomical, especially as much of the food was not eaten. On leaving, there was an all round cheer when it was suggested “who wants Macdonalds?!” Hilarious really as we had just spent our holiday budget on one meal that no one really wanted! However things progressed from there and we ate like kings on sushi, yakitori, noodles, okinimayaki and gyoza – just to name a few of our favourites.
A typical Kaiseki meal – so beautiful to look at but don’t take the kids!
Anyway, it turned out to be one of our best holidays – not just as a destination, but as a superb culinary experience which only inspired me to make Japanese at home. I discovered that there really is a basic pantry for cooking Japanese at home. Of course, you can add to it, but I have found that these ingredients really allow me to make most of the Japanese dishes that we love.
Soy Sauce
I am not going to bore you with all the different types of soy sauce, but suffice to say that Japanese soy is made of a mixture of 50/50 soy and wheat, whereas Chinese soy is 100% soy. This makes it a little sweeter and not quite as ‘strong’ in flavour as the Chinese option as it is the saltier option. There are, as in China, hundreds of soy sauces. The slightly different processes, times of fermentation etc are what make the differences in flavour. Shoyu is the name for soy sauce. It is worth noting for your gluten intolerant friends that shoyu does have gluten in it (in which case tamari is your best option). Both Kikkoman and Yamasa brands are good, and if you didn’t want to buy both Japanese and Chinese soy sauces, I would go with just the Kikkoman.
Sake
Oh I quite enjoy drinking sake! Interestingly, there is the same amount of alcohol in sake (rice wine) in the sake as there is in the sake that you use in cooking! The main difference is that the cooking sake contains salt – making it less sweet. They also produce Ryorishu which is also sake, but specifically made for cooking – it is not as refined as drinking sake but has a more complex taste for cooking.
Mirin
I think this is where there is sometimes confusion about Japanese ingredients. Mirin, like sake, is a rice wine. However, the difference between them is that mirin is sweeter – not due to the addition of sugar but as a natural result of the fermentation process. Therefore it is used in conjunction with sake and not instead of sake. It also has a lower alcohol content. In creating our basic pantry of ingredients, I guess I needn’t bore you with the fact that there are three types of mirin : hon mirin (translates to true mirin) which contains about 14% alcohol, shio mirin which is saltier and shin mirin or mirin-like seasoning which contains less alcohol.
Mirin is popular in the making of sauces such as teriyaki, seasonings in soups and noodle dishes and of course in sushi rice and dipping sauces. I have also read that it masks the smell of fish and seafood and helps flavours be absorbed better.
Miso
Ah, miso. So versatile and filled with that umami flavour! It is a fermented soy bean paste made from rice, barley or other grains, salt water and koji (a fermenting mold). There is so much information about miso and its history that I think it might deserve a blog in its own right! There are also 5 or 6 different types of miso, depending on how long the soy beans have been fermented. The shorter the fermentation, the sweeter and milder the taste. If you only want to have one miso – the white would be the most versatile.
Dashi
OK I admit that I don’t use dashi that often. It is a form of stock made mostly from kombu and preserved fermented fish (bonito). It is a bit too fishy for me, but you can buy dashi that is made from dried shitake mushrooms which I prefer. However, it is said that dashi is essential to all Japanese cooking, and it is a very versatile ingredient to add the umami to your food.
Interestingly, kombo (a type of kelp) contains glutamate, which is the main component of MSG, and is the original umami flavour. I have another blog on MSG for those interested in it’s history, and my brief efforts to encourage a LITTLE bit of MSG and prove that it is not life threatening!
Dashi is not hard to make, but it is very accessible in powdered form and is an easy way to add these flavours to your dishes.
Noodles, noodles, noodles
I don’t think any pantry would be complete without noodles, but I feel that there are so many variations and so much discussion around noodles that it would be remiss of me to not mention and quickly describe the main Japanese noodles and why you should at least have one or two of them in your pantry!
- RAMEN Thin and long noodles. Made from wheat. Usually served in broth
- UDON Thick, long and white. Made from wheat. Milder flavour – can take on bigger flavours
- SOBA Made from buckwheat and wheat. Often used in both hot and cold dishes
All these noodles are available dried but when they have been cooked fresh and then frozen, they are SUPERB.
Vinegar
OK so there are some differences between Chinese and Japanese vinegars, even though they ar both made of rice. Without going into too much depth, Chinese vinegars tend to be stronger and come in different colours (red, brown and black) whilst Japanese vinegars are lighter in colour and flavour and also used in marinades. The Japanese also have a seasoned rice vinegar which is primarily used for making sushi as it has added sake, salt and sugar. I tend to opt for the rice vinegar than the seasoned option as it is not so sweet and more versatile.
Other pantry ingredients that aren’t totally necessary but things that I like to have :
- Yuzu (citrus fruit similar to lemon and quite strong in favour)
- Sesame oil – similar to the Chinese option
- Bonito flakes
- Shichimi Togarashi (a spice blend made of chilli flakes, seaweed and sesame seeds – very tasty addition to scatter on your donburi etc)
- Pickled ginger (to go with your sushi amongst other things!)
- Nori seaweed
- Wasabi
- Rice – no need to explain!
