Japan is one of the Asian cities with the greatest gastronomic wealth. Its culinary offering has conquered and opened a new path for hundreds of Western palates to explore. Many of these new fans are looking to replicate their traditional dishes at home; Thinking about them, we dedicate this article to some basic ingredients of Japanese cuisine sushi near me.
Having these basic ingredients of Japanese cuisine you can put together a perfect Japanese pantry. This will allow you to prepare a wide variety of basic, easy and tasty recipes of this cuisine.
Basic ingredients of Japanese cuisine
1.- Rice
Rice is the backbone of Japanese cuisine. As in Korean cuisine, in Japan this ingredient is present in almost all your recipes.
A basic Japanese pantry has this grain but in the Japanese version. There are three types of this: the one with round and soft grain, known as uruchi-mai; the round one but with a more rubbery texture than the previous one, known as genmai; and finally, the most glutinous of the three, known as mochi-gome. The latter is the variety of rice used for its attractive desserts.
2.- Soy sauce, Sake and Mirin
After rice, soy sauce is one of the basic ingredients of Japanese cuisine. This, along with sake and Mirin, form the equilateral triangle of the most basic condiments of Japanese cuisine.
In the case of soy sauce, the Japanese one should be used; This is because its flavor is very different from Chinese soy sauce. Two aspects of this condiment can be found: the dark and strong one, or a lighter and softer option.
Sake , for its part , is also strongly present in Japanese cuisine. It is a drink obtained from the fermentation of rice. Its use is very similar to wine in the West.
Finally, there is the Mirin. Its flavor is slightly sweet and is essential in Japanese cuisine. Like sake, it is obtained from the fermentation of rice; However, Mirim contains fewer alcoholic degrees, and is sweeter.
3.- Nori seaweed
Beyond the use that we already know about them for sushi, nori seaweed is widely used in Japanese cuisine. There are three variations of this seaweed: yaki-nori, toasted nori seaweed; ajitsuke-nori, toasted and seasoned nori seaweed and tsukudani-nori, seasoned and untoasted nori seaweed.
4.- Panko
Panko is the Japanese version of breadcrumbs. The difference is that this one is crunchier and thicker. It can be found in different thicknesses. It is widely used to make breading and tempura.
5.- Miso
This is a fermented soybean paste. Its uses in Japanese cuisine are so extensive that they range from miso soup to uses as a marinade or condiments. There are many types of miso but the most used types are red and white.