Day 25 — “Hello, Wasabi” — Your first steps to cooking in Japan
If you have recently moved to Japan, you might be asking yourself: “There are so many talented chefs, so many interesting foods, and so many convenient ways to get food in Japan. Why would I even consider cooking?”
And you are right! Living in Japan is a portal to a new world of cuisine that you can only sample outside the East Asian Islands.
That aside, there are still a few reasons you may consider snagging some new cookware and heating the stove: Maybe you have dietary restrictions, are trying to save some yen, or maybe you are feeling nostalgic about a certain home-cooked dish. Regardless of the seasoning (and reasoning), I hope that once you begin your cooking journey in Japan you are motivated by the sense of joy of creating something delicious, experimenting with new flavors, and trying out new things.
Disclaimer: I am not a professionally licensed chef. I do not cook for a living, and I am not responsible for any weird tastes you may experience on this journey following the contents of this article.
Jaa, Hajimemashou!
Basic Ingredients
Let’s start with some essentials, which I’ve divided into two groups: “Super dry” (also known as shio, satou) and “tall liquid bottles” (or shouyu, sake, mirin).
Shio (salt) and satou (sugar) are the simplest ingredients here because they directly relate to basic senses (salty and sweet). Shouyu (soy sauce) combines saltiness with a bit of bitterness and umami. Mirin provides a sweeter, less harsh form of Sake (Japanese rice wine). Sake’s effect is a bit more complex: It can add subtle flavors to vegetables, reduce bad odors in meat, and act as a tenderizer.
Note: pay attention to the overlapping effect between certain ingredients in this group:
- Shouyu is salty; consider how you balance the saltiness in your dish.
- Mirin is sweet, similar to sugar, and prefer pairing it with honey or other sweeteners with less intensity.
You can directly develop a core Japanese flavor by mixing the three liquids in a roughly 1:1 ratio with a bit of sugar to create the famed “Teriyaki” sauce. With these pieces, you can craft many Japanese recipes!
These basics are bold, and directly affect your senses. It’s important to find a balance so that they do not overpower the other characters in your dish.
Character Building
I believe that one of the characteristic features of Japanese cooking is the use of good fish, meat, and vegetables as stock, also known as dashi.
It makes sense that the name given to the sense of taste describing savory flavors is “umami”, which is of course, derived from Japanese. Umami taste receptors typically respond to chemicals that are available in meats, preserved fish, mushrooms, vegetable broths, etc.
To put it simply, dashi is a means to add pure umami to your dishes.
A good starting point for the less adventurous is torigara dashi (chicken stock), which is super versatile for wet dishes, like nabe (hot pot), to dry dishes like karaage (Japanese fried chicken), and even the in-between Oyakodon.
Next, I would recommend some ocean-based stocks such as kombudashi or, my absolute favorite, katsuobushi. I use these types for soups or broths, like ochazuke or ramen, and for dipping sauces like mentsuyu. I find that even adding a dash of kombudashi or katsuobushi can pull a home-cooked meal together.
Lastly, for those who do not eat meat or can’t stand the fresh ocean breeze, I recommend using mushroom-based dashi such as shiitake. Shiitake alone can add enough umami to stand side-by-side with the meaty alternatives.
Secret tip: Although most of these dashi are regularly available in the store, I often find myself not having any on hand during a critical cook-off, or just wanting to save on another shopping trip — you can get excellent results with your stove and strainer. Boiling umami-rich ingredients in some water can often result in high-quality broths, but remember to save some of the unboiled ingredients for the meal too!
Enhancements
So, you’ve spent an hour or two refining your dish, and everything feels almost just right but you can’t put your finger on exactly what’s missing?
What you need is something a bit sharp, a bit fiery, or just something extra to take it to the next level — let’s have a look at some of your options:
Probably familiar to most people and should be closer to an essential is ninniku (garlic) and shouga (ginger). Ninniku and shouga can add warmth and comfort to a dish, but be careful: too much can muddy the mix and reduce the clarity of your other flavors.
I prefer to add a bit of fresh ninniku and shouga at the beginning of a recipe — fresh ninniku and shouga tend to be a lot sharper than processed and oil-soaked variants, and cooking them can reduce their aggressiveness.
Next, we have a trio of dried spices that can often be found in many stores from gyudon chains to unagiya: Ichimi (ichimi togarashi, or just red chili pepper), shichimi (shichimi togarashi, or Japanese seven spice), koshou (Pepper) and sanshou (citrusy Japanese pepper). These pair well with shouyu-based dishes, and are typically used as condiments.
Finally, we have koumiyasai (or potherbs), which includes the common coriander and parsley which are available in most Japanese grocery stores. I strongly recommend mitsuba and shiso — both have a uniquely sharp and fresh flavor. I prefer to add these when serving a meal, on top of rice or noodles (mitsuba) or with fresh sashimi or tempura (shiso).
Blueprints
For me, the most enjoyable way to prepare new meals is to experiment. By using a blueprint rather than a recipe, you can give yourself room to adjust flavors to your liking. In Japanese, we can use the word tekito-, to describe doing things in a kind of unprepared (carefree or sloppy) manner. I encourage you to try tekito- cooking. Here are some quick blueprints to get you going:
Gyudon:
- Goma abura* (sesame oil)
- Beef strips
- tama negi (onions)
- Shouyu, mirin, sake (1:1:1 ratio)
- Shouga
- Topped with ichimi or shichimi
Rice
Personal touch: I like to chop up some shiitake and fry it with the beef strips.
Ochazuke
- Goma abura* (sesame oil)
- Your favorite fish (I think tara, also known as cod, is great here)
- A few drops of shouyu/ shio to taste
- Kombu dashi and katsuobushi
- Topped with mitsuba, yakinori, and tsukemono (Japanese pickled vegetables)
Ochazuke — a dish consisting of hot oceanic broth over cooked rice.
Karaage/ ◯◯ age
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken (or main protein) coated in tamago (egg), shouyu, sake, katakuriko (potato starch) and goma abura
- Topped with koshou (optional)
Fried Fish
- Goma abura* (sesame oil)
- Your favorite fish (I like to have oily fish such as ginshake, also known as silver salmon)
- A pinch of shio or shouyu
*I like the flavor that goma abura adds to most dishes. Using good oil should get an entire article on its own.
What’s Next?
You finished the article and conceptualized your next dish but how do you get started?
Firstly, you’ll need some basic cooking utensils. I recommend at least having a flat pan, and a deep-ish dish (a stock pot is even better). Make sure you have the equipment to cut, mix, and dish your food!
The “most handy cooking utensil award” goes to saibashi (cooking chopsticks), and the “most used kitchen appliance award” definitely goes to suihanki (rice cooker). If you have some extra savings, consider getting a small oven that can be used for grilling and baking. (I strongly recommend Everino by Zojirushi)
Once you’ve got your essential tools set up, you can further enhance your dishes but investing in some more niche craft pieces. I enjoy grating my own katsuobushi because the flavor is much more savory and fresh, likewise, there are many tools that you can enjoy learning to use to give your dishes an edge.
The final pre-requisite is time! Improving your blueprint takes time, and so does preparing a tasty meal. Of course, there are excellent quick recipes out there, but generally, speed of preparation comes with practice and focus. Additionally, the more time you can let your flavors simmer and combine, the more tasty the result will be. If you don’t have time during the week, use time on the weekend to prepare dashi, spice mixes, or sauces.
Lastly, take the time to enjoy your meals. Serve it on your most oshare plates, take a photo if you need to, but always take your time to appreciate the hard work! Itadakimasu!
Check out other 2023 HENNGE Advent Calendar articles here.
