{"id":94,"date":"2009-06-16T16:05:37","date_gmt":"2009-06-16T15:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=94"},"modified":"2019-01-30T02:18:05","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T02:18:05","slug":"cooking-japanese-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2009\/06\/16\/cooking-japanese-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide to cooking Japanese food at home"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F94&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F94\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F94&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F94&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F94%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F94\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F94\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"text-align: start;\">Japanese food is some of the best in the world, and b<\/span><span style=\"text-align: start;\">elieve it or not, it is possible to produce authentic Japanese food with ingredients readily available from your local supermarket. Chef Liam Chawdhary offers his top tips.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-267\" title=\"tempura\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/tempura1-768x550.jpg\" alt=\"tempura\" width=\"441\" height=\"235\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Japanese cuisine is more varied than any other I have encountered. Lining the streets of any Japanese town you will find restaurants serving dishes as diverse as fresh and simple sushi, to spicy and satisfying ramen noodles; from delicate tempura, to the Sumo wrestlers\u2019 favourite stew: <em>chanko-nabe<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>It is quite easy to spend a week dining in Japan without encountering the same cooking style twice. One commonality, however, is freshness and quality of ingredients. This is important, as Japanese dishes tend to be based on just a few core flavours. But this is not to say that Japan does not have its share of hearty, rustic and highly seasoned food.<\/p>\n<h2>Japanese cookbooks<\/h2>\n<p>One thing that frustrates me about many Japanese cookery books is the author\u2019s assumption that even the most exotic of ingredients are easily and cheaply available at my local supermarket. This is rarely the case, and the resulting search for substitute ingredients &#8211; that I\u2019m not familiar with in the first place \u2013 leaves me feeling that I\u2019m veering further away from an authentic result.<\/p>\n<p>Some specialist ingredients are required for certain dishes, but many dishes \u00a0can be completely &#8211; and authentically &#8211; reproduced with ingredients that can be bought from most Asian supermarkets. If access to an Asian supermarket is difficult, the ingredients can be readily bought online &#8211; Japanese kitchen is a good one. If the array of similarly packaged products becomes confusing, here are some of my Japanese food cupboard staples.<\/p>\n<h2>Japanese essentials for your cupboard!<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Soy sauce<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-104 aligncenter\" title=\"kikkoman1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/kikkoman1.jpg\" alt=\"Kikkoman Soy Sauce\" width=\"128\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/kikkoman1.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/kikkoman1-150x300.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Japanese soy sauce is very different to the Chinese variety you may use in your stir-fries. A good Japanese soy sauce should only be made from soy beans, wheat, salt and water and is delicious used as a dip (think of sushi). Chinese soy sauce (or poorer quality Japanese soy sauce), whilst good for cooking, is too heavy and does not make a good accompaniment to subtle Japanese cuisine. I would recommend Kikkoman brand soy sauce which is available in all Asian supermarkets and even at Tesco.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Nori<\/em> sheets<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-109 aligncenter\" title=\"nori\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/nori.jpg\" alt=\"Nori\" width=\"174\" height=\"199\" \/><\/p>\n<p>These are very thin sheets of laver which have been toasted. Look for a Japanese brand which will be strong enough to cope with being rolled (some Korean brands can be rather holey and brittle). It may be called <em>Yakinori<\/em> which simply means toasted <em>nori<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Japanese rice<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-111 aligncenter\" title=\"rice\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/rice.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese Rice\" width=\"114\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/rice.jpg 190w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/rice-143x300.jpg 143w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 114px) 100vw, 114px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Japanese rice is different to the Indian varieties you might be used to in the UK. It is short grained and sticky when cooked which allows it to be picked-up by chopsticks. You will be charged a premium for genuine Japanese rice from Japan, but Japanese rice is also grown in other countries and this can be sourced from Asian supermarkets at a cheaper price.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-110 alignnone\" title=\"rice vinegar\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/rice-vinegar.jpg\" alt=\"rice vinegar\" width=\"65\" height=\"228\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-113\" style=\"color: #ffffff;\" title=\"sushi seasoning\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/sushi-seasoning.jpg\" alt=\"sushi seasoning\" width=\"65\" height=\"228\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sushi rice (or simply; sushi) is not the same as the plain boiled rice which accompany most meals in Japan: it is made with slightly less water and is seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt. The seasoning mixture and be prepared easily (see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2009\/06\/26\/how-to-make-sushi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rolled Sushi<\/a> recipe) using Japanese Rice Vinegar or can be bought ready made as Sushi Rice Seasoning (both available at Asian supermarkets).<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Wasabi<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-115 aligncenter\" title=\"wasabi\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/wasabi.jpg\" alt=\"Wasabi\" width=\"77\" height=\"202\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Wasabi comes from the same family as horseradish and has a similar flavour (and a similar effect on the nose). It comes either as a paste in a tube (shown right) or as a powder which needs to be reconstituted.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>All that cooking leaving you longing for the real deal? <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/contactusJapan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get in touch with our team<\/a> to plan a foodie trip to Japan.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? 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Help us by sharing it! Japanese food is some of the best in the world, and believe it or not, it is possible to produce authentic Japanese food with ingredients readily available from your local supermarket. Chef Liam Chawdhary offers his top tips. Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2366],"tags":[1213,3677,3680],"class_list":["post-94","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-food-and-drink","tag-japanese-cooking","tag-cooking-japanese-food","tag-buying-japanese-food"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22867,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions\/22867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}