Learn: Ingredients for Japanese Cooking
My family always uses the Japanese pronunciation of foods, so I created a glossary here for those who are not as familiar with the terms. It can be overwhelming to shop in an Asian market so this will help you figure out what you’re really purchasing and how these ingredients can take your home cooking to a whole different level.
Shoyu = Soy sauce: I prefer to use Kikkoman’s less sodium sauce. You can just remember this as the one with the green cap. The red one is regular sodium and although I do use it for heartier soup bases or dressings, I like the less sodium for daily use.
All the ingredients listed below are available at Asian markets and most of them are available at non-specialty grocery stores.
Rice Vinegar: This is a great ingredient that I use for multiple purposes. It might also be called rice wine vinegar in some places but the term is interchangeable. I like the Marukan brand and the seasoned variety vs. non seasoned. Rice vinegar is a very mild vinegar that lends a nice bright, sweet pop to food. It’s also great as a base for salad dressings and it’s the liquid that’s used to season sushi rice.
Mirin: Japanese sweet cooking rice wine. This is different from rice vinegar in that it doesn’t have the tanginess that rice vinegar does. Instead it’s a sweeter, sake based seasoning that’s often used in teriyaki sauce, marinades and soups. Imagine sake but sweeter and with less alcohol. I always like to throw a little in Asian soups for depth and sweetness and any Asian based marinades or sauces.
Furikake: Rice sprinkles! Growing up there was always a bottle of this somewhere in the house. Furikake is just a mixture of dried ingredients that add flavor to your rice, meats, snacks and even desserts!
Most furikake mixes include dry fish, sesame seeds, dried seaweed, sugar, salt, msg and any other special seasonings for flavor as shown on the rice. I’m partial to the shiso, ume, and salmon flavored mixes.
A majority of the time this is used to season rice. I sprinkle it on my spam musubis, a hot bowl of white rice, noodles and shoyu hot dogs. You can even sprinkle them on your deviled eggs. In another post, you’ll find a recipe for furikake Chex mix. It’s a super easy way to add flavor to your foods.
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms: I always keep a bag of these in the pantry in the case that I can’t find fresh ones at the market. Dried shiitake mushrooms are the best ingredient to add an umami boost to your meals.
To use them, you usually need 4-5 per dish and all you have to do is soak them in really hot water for about 15-20 minutes. You’ll be able to tell after touching them if they are ready. The caps should be nice and soft.
Once they are done soaking, squeeze out the excess water. Don’t throw that away quite yet. Cut off the stems and then use the caps however your heart desires. I love to use shiitakes as a soup base, in fried rice or stir fry dishes, in dumpling fillings, as a topping for miso soup or any soup really!
They also make a really good base for non-dripping related gravy - recipe to come!
A few more…
Wasabi - A type of Japanese horseradish that is green and usually served along with sushi. If you ever get the chance to taste fresh wasabi that’s been grated straight from the root, do not turn that down. It’s delicious. To me, the powder form is stronger so if you want a real kick, I’d suggest using that one. I mix wasabi in mayo for an Asian flavored dip, put it in my deviled egg mix and use it to spice things up in general.
Togarashi - Japanese 7 spice is a blend of red chili peppers, seaweed, white and black sesame seeds, dried tangerine or orange peels, ginger, and some type of peppercorn. You’ll often find this in a little jar in ramen joints. It’s a great seasoning for soups, eggs, noodles, rice, and anything else that you want to give a little kick to. I often sprinkle it on my spam for musubis.
Kombu - Thick dried seaweed that is used for dashi. When you boil this seaweed with fish flakes it creates a beautiful dashi broth that is the base for many Japanese dishes. Additionally, you can put a layer on top of your rice to cook it so that it develops a deeper umami flavor.
Kewpie mayo - Saving the best for last, Kewpie mayo is probably one of my favorite ingredients. Instead of regular American mayo being made of distilled vinegar, Kewpie mayo is made from rice vinegar and dashi powder. Growing up, we would mix mayo with shoyu and serve it as a dip for our boiled broccoli and vegetables. It’s also the perfect condiment for chicken katsu sandwiches.