Japanese Pantry
Add these Japanese items to your pantry and you’ll reach for them again and again. Some of these items are common enough that you can find them at Whole Foods or your local health food store. Others might require a trip to an Asian grocery store or an online order. Your efforts will be richly rewarded.
Sake
You don’t need to spend a lot of money on fancy sake for cooking, but a decent bottle is tastier and more complex than cooking sake.
Kombu
This mineral rich dried kelp is what gives dishes depth. The sheets should be sturdy with fine sea salt on the outside. Look for labels that say “kombu.”
Bonito Flakes
Dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna (also known as katsuobushi) that is the yin to kombu’s yang in dishes. Quality ranges widely. You do get what you pay for here.
Rice Vinegar
Avoid seasoned rice vinegar, which has sweeteners and other additives in it. Choose a brand that lists rice and water as the only ingredients.
Miso
It encompasses a range of fermented soybean pastes, from younger fresh-tasting white to long-aged, funky red. The latter, which is mellow and sweet, is the best intro.
Mirin
Brewed from sticky rice, this cooking wine is sweeter and less alcoholic than sake. Pick one made with sugar rather than glucose or corn syrup because you can taste the difference.
Togarashi & Sansho
Make fruity togarashi chile powder your new Aleppo. Sansho, made from the husks of sansho peppercorns, lends tongue-tingling anise notes.
Short-Grain White Rice
With its pearly grains and subtle flavors, koshihikari is the crème de la crème of Japanese short-grain rice.
Usukuchi Soy
Lighter, thinner, and saltier than standard soy, usukuchi is perfect for seasoning dishes like yosenabe (hot pot) without darkening the color too much.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
Umami is considered the fifth flavor (after sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). Umami is difficult to define, but is “something” that makes a meal memorable. Often used by chefs, umami is a rich, savory taste imparted by the amino acid glutamate and ribonucleotides-molecules containing the sugar ribose that are components of RNA – that occur naturally in many foods. You can take your meals to the next level with ingredients rich in umami like anchovies, beef, fish sauce, miso paste, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, or sun-dried tomatoes.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2015 All Rights Reserved
Miso
Miso is a highly concentrated fermented soybean paste, made from a combination of soybeans and grains such as rice or barley, miso is widely used in Japanese cooking – from sauces and soups to main dishes – and is made in different strengths, varying by color. Red miso has the strongest flavor, golden miso is fairly mild, and white miso is mellow and slightly sweet. Look for miso in health food stores and Asian markets.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen