Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:44 — 26.3MB)

Have you entered our Zojirushi rice cooker giveaway yet? If not, don’t forget to head on over and enter!

Miso. It’s about time we talked about it… it is a part of our podcast’s name, after all!

Alright… so we know miso is important in Japanese cooking. But what exactly is it?

Fermented soybean paste.

Which sounds absolutely delicious, doesn’t it? (We promise, it tastes a lot better than it sounds.) ~_^

History

Miso has been around for a pretty long time. (Not quite as long as rice, but still quite a while!)

It originated in China around 800 BC, and was brought to Japan with Buddhism around 500 AD.

According to ancient Japanese mythology, miso was a gift from the gods. (We think that’s pretty darn cool.)

How it is made

Until recently, soybeans would be cooked, crushed and made into balls the size of ostrich eggs, then tied with straw ropes and hung up to grow a natural mold. The moldy balls would then be mixed with salt and water to make miso paste. This method is pretty rare nowadays.

In the more modern, but still traditional method, cooked soybeans are mixed with koji (grains or beans inoculated with Aspergillus culture), salt, and water. This mixture is placed in old cedar casks to naturally ferment at room temperature for up to 2 years, depending on the type of miso.

Gradually, enzymes supplied by the koji, along with microorganisms from the environment, break down the complex structure of beans and grains into readily digestible amino acids, fatty acids and simple sugars.

By varying the type of koji used (usually rice, barley or soybean) and the proportions of ingredients in the recipe, traditional makers are able to create a wide range of misos, from and sweet to dark and robust.

The very modern process employs accelerated temperature-controlled fermentation in plastic or stainless steel holding tanks. The rice and salt used in the commercial method are often processed and have less nutritional value.

In terms of the different ingredients that can be used, there are 4 basic varieties of miso:

• Kome miso (rice miso): accounts for about 80% of total domestic production. It’s made from boiled, crushed soybeans mixed with a culture called koji, made from rice. Salt is added and the moldy mixture is left to mature for 6 months to 3 years.
• Mugi miso: made with soybeans, wheat or barley, koji and salt, and is sometimes called inaka miso, meaning “country miso,” as it is the variety often made by farmers in the countryside.
• Mame miso: Made with soy beans, koji, and salt alone
• Chogo miso: Blended and seasoned with different flavorings

How does miso look, and what does it taste like?

The color of miso ranges from light cream to almost black. In regular grocery stores, you’ll often see “white” or “red” miso – white is a light beige color (definitely not a true white) and is the milder of the two, and red is sort of a reddish-brown color, and is much stronger.

In Asian supermarkets, you can often find many more varieties, ranging from very light, to very dark – almost black-colored.

In general, the lighter the color the less salty the miso. Darker-colored misos are much stronger, and definitely considerably saltier (so you want to make sure to use very small amounts in your cooking so as not to overdo it!)

All miso has a distinctive fermented-bean flavor and aroma.

Sweet/short-term miso is light in color (beige or yellow) and high in carboyhydrates. It ferments in just two to eight weekds, depending on the exact recipe and temperature of aging.

Long-term miso, is darker in color and saltier in taste. It must be fermented longer, usually at least one summer, but as long as two to three years in very cold climates.

Alrighty. So how do you buy miso?

Here in the West, miso is sold either in plastic packaging or in plastic containers.

When shopping for miso, look for the words “traditionally made” or “naturally aged” on the package. The finest quality misos are also made from 100% organic ingredients and sun-dried sea salt. Look for the word “organic” on the front of the packaged and check the ingredient list for sea salt.

Unpasteurized miso, which is usually stocked in the refrigerator, is generally preferred to pasteurized miso, which is sold in unrefrigerated sealed plastic bags. However, there are several excellent Japanese-made, pasteurized misos that are sold in natural foods stores.

In “normal” grocery stores, look for it in the “foreign foods” refrigerated section – near the wonton wrappers and tofu.

Miso should be firm, not wet or runny. It should have a thick consistency, almost peanut butter-like. Refrigerated miso should not have a strong alcohol smell—this usually indicates that it was not manufactured or shipped properly. If it’s growing things or smells “off”, toss it.

But in general, when stored properly, miso keeps for a very long time in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Great miso health benefits include…

Even today in some parts of Japan, drinking miso soup every day is associated with a long, healthy life.

It’s a very healthy food — a good source of essential amino acids and some vitamins and minerals, and low in calories and fat. Miso has also been found to be effective in lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol… and it helps the liver cope with alcohol and nicotine, so it’s a great hangover cure.

Some research even suggests that miso wards off cancer – Shinichiro Akizuki, M.D., director of St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki during World War II, spent years treating atomic bomb victims just a few miles from ground zero. Neither he nor his staff suffered from the usual effects of radiation. Akizuki hypothesized that he and his associates were protected from the deadly radiation because they drank miso soup every day.

Then, in 1989, Professor Ito at Hiroshima University’s Atomic Radioactivity Medical Laboratory found that the liver cancer rate was 100 to 200% higher for rats that were not fed miso and then radiated, than that of rats that were fed miso. Rats fed with miso also had much less inflammation of the organs caused by radioactivity.

So… how do you eat miso?

Miso soup! (Obviously.) (You can also add fishclams, or even butternut squash to your miso soup!)

Dissolved in dashi to make soup (like in this shiro miso ozouni)

Added to simmered dishes and hot-pots.

Spicy mushroom miso ramen

Used as a marinade for tofu, fish, and meat.

Spicy miso pork ramen noodles

Miso pickled garlic

Used to make dressings. (This edamame salad with miso dressing sounds amazing.)

Lighter misos, or blends of light and dark misos, are good for summer soups, dips, spreads, sauces and salad dressings.

Darker misos are good for winter soups, stews, and sauces.

Cooking with Miso

Don’t overpower dishes with a strong miso taste. Using miso is about subtlety… integrate the miso to create a gentle balance with other ingredients. Experiment with silken tofu, mellow miso and lemon or rice vinegar to make creamy dips and spreads.

When using in soups, miso should be added near the end of the cooking time. Miso may be briefly simmered, but not boiled. Boiling alters the fresh miso flavor, causes a grainy texture, and destroys beneficial enzymes and microorganisms. (In other words, try not to have leftover miso soup. If you reheat it, it becomes downright nasty!)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:36 — 37.2MB)

Make sure you don’t miss the Zojirushi giveaway we’re doing!

How is rice grown?

In Japan, young seedlings are first raised in nursery beds until they are large enough to be transplanted into water-filled paddy fields during the rainy month of June.

The rice needs a long, hot growing season and a warm, dry maturing period before the harvest in autumn. In general, it requires high maintenance, skilled land management, and good luck with the weather.

How to buy and store rice

The flavor of newly harvested rice in late autumn is considered to be the best.

Polished rice should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark, and dry place and eaten as soon as possible.

Certain Italian rices can be used as a substitute for Japanese rice. Italian rices typically used for making risotto, such as Arborio and Vialone can be used if you can’t find Japanese rice where you live.

How to cook rice

If you want rice that is tender, flavorful, glossy, and moist, then you must remove all of the surface starch from the raw rice kernels before cooking them, which means you have to wash the rice.

Put the rice in a large bowl and cover it with cold water. Stir and swish the rice vigorously (it will become cloudy). Drain the rice then repeat the procedure with fresh cold water. Continue until the rinsing water runs clear. Drain the washed rice well after the final rinsing.

When cooking Japanese-style rice, the amount of cooking water is always slightly more than the amount of raw rice. In fact, the first way we learned to measure out water and rice ratios for cooking was by using our hands! The water level should rise about 1/3 inch above the rice (some people measure using the tip of their thumb, or their entire hand).

Plain boiling is the classic way to cook rice. Now nearly every Japanese household uses a rice cooker, but you can still make it the traditional way on the stovetop!

A Japanese song describes the cooking process:

So basically, place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil. The song will help you recognize clues to where you are in the process so that you don’t have to lift the lid! You will know the water is boiling when you hear bubbling noises and see the lid begin to dance (this is the choro-choro line). Then reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, or until you hear a low hissing sound (the naka pa-ppa stage). Increase the heat to high again for 30 seconds to dry off the rice, then remove from the heat, still tightly covered, and let it stand for at least 10 minutes. The rice is NOT done at this point! It will use those 10 minutes to do a final self-steaming to reach the proper texture.

Of course, if you eat rice more than once a week, then a rice cooker is well wroth the investment! Cookers allow you to set the cooker to work when you aren’t around and will keep the rice fresh for several days.

And most importantly, how do you eat rice?

Bowl of plain white rice: Plain rice is traditionally served in an individual bowl with a separate bowl of miso soup. This is the simplest Japanese meal and other dishes, no matter how elaborate they may be, are mere accompaniments to the rice.

Donburi mono: Big bowls of plain boiled rice served with different toppings and sauces as a one-bowl meal, often for lunch.

Oyako donburi: Chicken and egg over rice.

Tendon: Tempura of fish and vegetables over rice.

Katsudon: Pork cutlet over rice.

Gyudon: Sauteed beef over rice.

Unadon: broiled seasoned eel over rice.

Sushi

Onigiri

Gomokumeshi: Rice boiled with small pieces of vegetables (usually five different kinds). Some people add small bits of fish or chicken.

Kayu: Rice porridge. Fed to babies as their first “solid food”. Also given to the elderly, the sick, and pregnant women.

Ochazuke: rice with tea

Zosui: Leftover plain boiled rice (hot or cold) is added to soup.

We’re giving away a Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer!

Zojirushi was kind enough to provide us with a rice cooker for one lucky winner! And by now, we’re sure it’s no secret how much we ADORE our Zojirushi rice cookers…

All you have to do to be entered to win is leave a comment on this post before 11:59pm PST on Monday, May 21st.

You have 6 ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment here to enter the contest.
2. Follow @misotalk on Twitter…
   Follow @misotalk
   then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so.
3. Follow @ZojirushiUSA on Twitter…
   Follow @ZojirushiUSA
   then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so.
4. Tweet about this contest, including a link to this page and the hashtag #misohungryzojirushi…
   Tweet #misohungryzojirushi
   then come back here and leave a separate comment saying you did so.
5. Like Miso Hungry Podcast on Facebook…

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6. Share this post using the Facebook like button:

   
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One winner will be picked, using random.org. Unfortunately, this giveaway is limited to US addresses only.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:51 — 29.2MB)

Last week, we talked about seaweed. This week (and next week), rice! (Hey, that means we’re halfway to sushi!)

Rice is important. Super important. In fact, it’s one of the most important topics we could talk about because of the HUGE influence it’s had on Japanese society and culture. Rice is more than a staple food — it’s the soul of the nation, and the whole of Japanese cuisine has developed around it.

Gohan, the word for “cooked rice” in Japanese, also means “a meal.” The two words are interchangeable. In fact, gohan is used to form the words for the meals of the day:

• asagohan = breakfast
• hirugohan = lunch
• bangohan = dinner

This makes it almost impossible for most Japanese to think of a meal without rice!

Since ancient times in Japan, the person who grew the most rice and managed the land that the rice was cultivated on had political power. Rice was the alternative currency and was the most important source of tax revenue. Carbon dating indicates that rice was first introduced in the 13th century BC and then brought to southwest Japan from China.

Historically, all parts of the rice plant were used. Rice stalks were used to make tatami mats, rice bran was used as a facial scrub, and rice paste was used in bookbinding, as well as for a resist-dye technique for fabrics (especially silk for kimonos).

Rice is part of almost every religious ceremony and seasonal festival in Japan, and also appears in popular folktale culture: while in the U.S. we refer to the man in the moon, in Japan they see a rabbit pounding mochi (rice cakes)!

Can you see it?

As Japan developed, the villages located on sites favorable for rice cultivation were better fed and wealthier. The first nation was formed in the 3rd century AD by a large agricultural clan, who later became Japan’s imperial family. Even to this day, the Japanese emperor has a small rice paddy that he attends to himself inside the imperial palace grounds.

Rice made Japan into an industrious nation because its production cannot be carried out by a single farmer — it requires a community effort. As a result, families pooled their labor and shared water resources and irrigation facilities. People lived in houses clustered together and depended heavily upon each other, since the rice was usually planted on the same day after several days of watering.

This necessitated an emphasis on group interests, the enhancement of skills in group decision-making and the avoidance of friction between families who would be neighbors and co-workers for generation. This commitment to group harmony is still seen today throughout Japanese society.

Because Japan is so mountainous, with very few plains suitable for rice cultivation, rice has always been in short supply. It wasn’t until the 1960s that Japan’s rice production finally exceeded its consumption. This relative scarcity helps explain why the Japanese regarded it as a sacred food for the rich and powerful.

Types of Japanese Rice

Three major groups of Japonica rice are grown in Japan.

• uruchi mai: This is Japanese-style short-grain rice (sometimes also labeled as medium-grain). This covers most of what is grown and eaten in Japan. The grains are removed from their husks and polished. When cooked, they become tender and moist, but retain an al dente texture. They are also slightly sticky, so it is possible to pick up a mouthful with chopsticks.
• genmai: This is Japanese-style brown rice. There are different degrees of polishing, and genmai is the least polished type. Traditionally all rice was eaten unpolished, with only the outer husk removed. Brown rice is higher in fiber and the most nutritious, because it retains more vitamins and minerals. It requires a much longer cooking time and is chewier and nuttier in taste. Genmai is regaining popularity in Japan because of its health benefits.
• mochi gome: Sometimes called “sweet rice” or “glutinous rice”, this rice is whiter, rounder, and plumper than the other Japanese varieties of rice. It is much sticker and used to make mochi, senbei, and mirin.

Most of the Japanese-style rice sold outside of Japan is grown in California on dry fields, but still compare very well to Japanese-grown rice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:28 — 38.0MB)

This week, we’re talking seaweed… or as we like to call it, sea vegetables.

In Japanese, the word for seaweed is “kaiso”. Kaiso are an important part of the Japanese diet. The Japanese have been harvesting them for thousands of years, both wild and cultivated. Kaiso are highly nutritious (many sea vegetables are especially rich in calcium) and a source of flavor enhancement (naturally occurring glutamates).

Although it’s already passed, did you know that April 14th is Nori Day? In Shibushi, Japan, April 14th is Nori Day to honor the nori industry and Kathleen Drew-Baker, an English botanist whose research in red algae led to breakthroughs in technology that led to large-scale nori cultivation being possible. To the Japanese, she is known as “Mother of the Sea”… a huge honor!

Kombu

Kombu is an extremely important sea vegetable in the Japanese pantry. It is used primarily to make stocks (such as dashi) because of its abundant, naturally occurring glutamates. Kombu is gathered in the shallow waters off Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island.

The best variety, rishiri kombu, is 1/8” thick, 5” to 8” wide and grows anywhere from 5’ to 8’ long. When purchased in a specialty shop in Japan, it comes dried in full lengths, or is precut into convenient sizes, which are packed in flat plastic envelopes. It pays to buy the best quality you can find, as its subtle flavor varies widely. However, it might be hard to find the best varieties in the US.

Kombu has virtually no protein, but is high in calcium, carotene, iron and iodine. It is thought to contain cancer-fighting ingredients.

Wakame

Wakame is often used in soups, such as miso soup, or in sunomono salads. It is usually sold in dried form, and soaked in water before using.

Wakame is usually dried or preserved in salt, making it a staple for the Japanese pantry.

To reconstitute dried wakame: soak a small handful (it expands a ton) in a bowl of room temperature water for 10 minutes. Rinse, chop and serve raw in salads, or serve lightly simmered in soup.

Fresh wakame is available during springtime in Japan. Fresh wakame is more delicate than dried wakame and has fabulous flavored.

Wakame is high in fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamins.

Nori

Nori are thin, dried sheets of seaweed that have a crisp texture.

Japan produces more nori, both in quantity and variety, than any other country in the world. The early Japanese ate nori raw, as early as the 7th century.

Today nori is farmed. Spores are planted in January on nets and placed in bays or lagoons. After harvesting the seaweed in autumn, it is washed in cold water and then spread thinly onto sheets to dry in the sun. It is then toasted and cut into sheets, or seasoned with soy sauce and mirin to make flavored nori.

Because sushi has become so popular in the US, it is becoming easier to find nori in grocery stores, sold in 8” x 7” black or dark green sheets. Better quality nori is thick and has a tight and even texture.

Nori is used for making maki zushi, cut into pieces to eat with onigiri, or crumbled over cold soba noodles, seafood domburi, and other dishes.

Furikake nori has small bits of nori in it, as well as other ingredients such as sesame seeds, and is used as a condiment – often sprinkled over rice.

“Korean-style” nori is a popular snack. Approximately 2″x4″, very thin pieces of nori are seasoned with sesame oil and salt, and usually come about 10 to a package. They’re an excellent guilt-free replacement for potato chips. (If you have any sort of Asian supermarket near you, they’ll probably have it. If you have a Costco membership, you can also check your local Costco for them… they’re $6 for a box of 24 packages.)

There’s also a Japanese version of these, which are slimmer (1″x3″) and a little thicker, and come in a variety of flavors.

Nori is high in protein and dietary fiber. It contains high proportions of iodine, carotene, vitamins A, B, and C, as well as significant amounts of calcium and iron.

Keep packages of nori in ziplock bags once opened, as moisture will ruin its texture and crispness.

Hijiki

Hijiki is a brown sea vegetable that grows wild on rocky coastlines around Japan. Fisherman and professional divers harvest hijiki with a sickle during low tide in the spring. After harvesting, the hijiki is boiled and dried. Dried processed hijiki turns black.

Hijiki has been a part of the Japanese diet for centuries. According to Japanese folklore, hijiki aids in health and beauty. Regular consumption of small amounts of hijiki is said to produce thick, black, lustrous hair.

Hijiki is rich in dietary fiber and essential minerals, such as calcium, iron and magnesium.

Dried hijiki expands when reconstituted in room temperature water. It is often chopped very fine and mixed into items such as sushi rice, dips and dressings, and grains. This type of seaweed is not used to wrap sushi, as other seaweeds often are.

Despite the health benefits, hijiki is considered by many to be dangerous for consumption due to high levels of inorganic arsenic naturally present in the seaweed. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a warning about the arsenic in 2001. The Food Standards Agency in Britain followed with a similar warning in 2004. They noted that levels were especially high in the liquid remaining after rehydrating, which is why the Japanese always discard this liquid and then rinse the rehydrated hijiki under cold running water before cooking it. The soaking liquid from hijiki should never be consumed.

Other agencies to issue warnings include the New Zealand Food Safety Authority and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in Hong Kong. Inorganic arsenic can be linked to cancer, liver damage, and gastrointestinal problems. the levels of arsenic in hijiki are considered to be toxic. However, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and welfare has pointed out that the average daily intake of hijiki for those in Japan is minimal and therefore unlikely to cause serious damage. The Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare stated, “There are no records of cases of arsenic poisoning as a result of the arsenic content of sea vegetables.”

Basically, you need to make your own judgment call.

Hijiki should be used in small amounts. One to two tablespoons per serving is usually more than enough to add texture to a dish.

A good use for hijiki is this hijiki summer salad.

Arame

Arame is a type of kelp that is sold dried in long, thin, dark slivers that look a lot like hijiki. Arame has a similar flavor and texture to hijiki, so it makes a good substitute, especially if you are concerned about arsenic in hijiki.

To soften, cover it with warm water and let it soak for 20 to 30 minutes. It will not expand (unlike hijiki), but will become softer to the touch and more pliable. Drain off the liquid and rinse with cold water. Drain again and blot up excess moisture.

Aonori

Literally translated, aonori means “blue seaweed”

Aonori is a type of edible green seaweed that is commercially cultivated in some bay areas in Japan.

Aonori is dried and then used as a flavoring in soups, tempura, etc. Often, it is sprinkled on hot food, like yakisoba, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, miso soup, or on Japanese potato chips. Sometimes it is mixed with salt or used as one of the spices in shichimi togarashi (7-spice seasoning).

It contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, lithium, vitamins, and amino acids.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:34 — 21.6MB)

Part two of our Japanese pantry episode in 3… 2… 1…

(If you missed Part 1, listen here.)

This week, we’re talking about all the other essential ingredients that should be in your Japanese pantry.

Because, you know… Japanese food does consist of more than just rice and shoyu.

So, what else is important?

• White miso (shiromiso): There are different kinds of miso, but the white (actually a pale yellow-brown) kind is the most versatile.
  • We’ve been able to find miso at most chain supermarkets, in the refrigerated “foreign” section (near the wonton wrappers and tofu)
  • Miso can last up to a year, if stored correctly. Keep refrigerated, and as long as it’s not smelling weird or growing stuff, it’s probably fine to use.
  • miso soup
  • miso black cod
• Bonito flakes (katsuo bushi): Not only is this used to make dashi stock, but it’s also used as a condiment in so many foods such as tofu, blanched spinach, and so on. (These are the little “dancing” flakes that you see on top of takoyaki or okonomiyaki)
• Konbu/kombu seaweed: Essential for making good dashi stock, as are bonito flakes.
• Sake: In a pinch a sweet sherry can be substituted, but many Japanese foods include sake as an ingredient.
• Mirin: sweet fortified liquor made from rice, used exclusively in cooking.
• Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar is mild and sweeter than white wine vinegar. You will also see something called sushi vinegar – this is just rice vinegar with added sugar and seasoning. Making sushi vinegar mix is so easy, and cheaper, that we don’t see a need for stocking sushi vinegar. In addition, you might find you prefer a different sugar to vinegar ratio in your seasoned vinegar.
• Dried shiitake mushrooms: More intense in flavor than fresh, they are used a lot as a flavoring as well as an ingredient. (Rachael uses these for her vegetarian dashi
• Sesame seeds: Both black and white. These are often used toasted and ground up, or whole as a condiment.
• Dark sesame oil: This is used for flavoring many dishes, especially chuuka (Japanese Chinese-style) dishes.
• Non-Japanese dry or bottled ingredients that are used a lot in Japanese cooking: salt, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, potato starch flour or cornstarch flour, white wheat flour.

Essential Fresh ingredients include:

• Fresh ginger: Powdered ginger cannot be substituted.
• Spring onions or green onions and leeks: Leeks are used more than onions, though onions are used in a lot of Japanese Western-style dishes or yohshoku.
• White daikon radish: Used cooked as well as raw; in stews, soups, as garnish, etc. Grated daikon radish cuts down on the oiliness of things like tempura and grilled oily fish. In a pinch you can use red radishes instead, especially for salads, grating and so on.

Other ingredients that are good to have if you’re doing a lot of Japanese cooking, but not 100% essential:

• Tofu and tofu products: aburaage (fried thin tofu), atsuage (tofu blocks that have been deep fried), kohya dofu (frozen and dried tofu, somewhat spongy), okara (by-product of making soymilk) and yuba (very thin sheets of dried tofu).
• Wasabi paste or powder
• Ground curry powder: Curry flavor is very popular in Japan.
• Nori seaweed: The black dried sheets used to wrap sushi rolls, also used shredded as a topping. It’s even cooked to a paste to eat with rice.
• Wakame seaweed: This is available either preserved in salt, or dried. The dried kind is easier to handle. Used in miso soup, salads, and as sashimi garnish.
• Seven-ingredient red pepper powder (called shichimi togarashi or sometimes nanami togarashi): This is a coarsely ground red pepper condiment that’s used on a variety of dishes like udon noodles and cold tofu. It has ground up yuzu peel, sesame seeds, etc.
• Various dried noodles: soba (buckwheat noodles), somen (thin white wheat noodles), udon, etc.
• Japanese pepper (sanshou): Available usually in powdered form, though in Japan fresh sanshou is used too.
• Dried anchovies (niboshi): This is used as an alternative to, or in addition to, the classic konbu seaweed and bonito flake combination for making dashi stock in some regions.
• Ponzu: Basically a citrus juice – yuzu or sudachi plus lemon is usual. These days there are many products labeled as ponzu that are really “Ajipon”, a mixture of ponzu, soy sauce and flavorings.
• Yuzu in various forms: Yuzu is a citrus fruit with a tangy juice and fragrant peel. You can find dried yuzu peel powder, or yuzu juice. It is possible to use lemon juice instead, though it will be different. (There are many other kinds of citrus used in Japanese cooking, such as sudachi, daidai, etc. but these varieties are rarely found outside of Japan.)
• Various dried foods: hijiki, a dark seaweed; kanpyou, dried gourd strips often used in sushi rolls; kiriboshi daikon, dried shredded daikon radish.
• Various dried beans: azuki, black beans (kuromame), and white beans (ingenmame) are the most commonly used.
• Umeboshi, or pickled plums: Used in rice balls, in bento boxes, and as flavoring for various things.
• Red miso (akamiso): This is a bit stronger in taste, and usually more salty, than white miso.
• Short grain sticky (glutinous) rice (mochigome): Used for some sweet and savory dishes
• Various fish-paste products such as chikuwa: Used in soups and oden (a sort of stew).
• Shiso leaves: Shiso (perilla) is the most common herb used in Japanese cooking, about as useful as fresh basil is in Italian cooking. The green kind is used fresh, and the red kind is used for pickling.
• Sesame chili oil (ra-yu): Dark toasted sesame oil infused with red chili. This can turn rancid fast so store after opening in the refrigerator.
• Rice bran for pickling (nuka): Used to make nuka zuke – vegetables pickled in wet fermented rice bran.
• Green tea leaves: Sencha is the standard green tea (shincha is new sencha). There are many other varieties, like kukicha (made from the stems), genmaicha (with toasted rice), hatomugicha (with toasted barley), etc.. Matcha, or powdered green tea, is not made that much in the home (you get it at tea ceremonies, prepared by a skilled person), but it’s often used now for cold drinks, ice cream, and as a flavoring in sweets and pastries.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:37 — 18.9MB)

In which nobody’s gotten any sleep, Allison confuses herself about shoyu, and we go off on a ton of (interesting and relevant-ish, we promise!) tangents.

Although this was supposed to be a single episode, we just had so much information we wanted to tell you about what ingredients are important for your basic Japanese pantry, we had to split it in two! Otherwise it would have been an hour-long episode, and as much as we’re sure you love listening to us go on (right?)… that’s just a bit too long. So instead, you get two episodes for the price of one!

The first thing you should know about the basic important ingredients for Japanese cooking is that… you may not realize it, but you probably already have a lot of them. (And those you don’t have usually last a really long time, and aren’t all that expensive, either.)

The moral of this episode is: You don’t have to live in Japan to do this at home.

Of course, as with anything else in life, like carpentry or gardening, you could go totally crazy and acquire a wide range of obscure and highly authentic special tools and utensils to start Japanese-style home cooking. But to get started, you really don’t need most of them.

For those ingredients you don’t have, you can find them at stores like Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Safeway, Kroger, Albertsons, your local Japanese or Asian market, or online. Keep in mind that just like bread or milk in this country, each of the basic Japanese food ingredients and seasonings comes in many different varieties from many different manufacturers.

And thus we present to you…

The Traditional Flavors of Japanese Cuisine

Besides dashi stock, the basic flavors of traditional Japanese cuisine are sugar, salt, rice vinegar, soy sauce (shoyu!), and miso. While not many sauces use all of these ingredients, many of them use at least three of them.

The order in which these ingredients are used is important. The ingredients whose flavors are most susceptible to being changed by heat are added last — soy sauce and miso. Sugar and salt are added first, and vinegar in between.

The way this is remembered in Japan is with “Sa Shi Su Se So” — the “s” row of the phonetic alphabets in Japanese.

1. Sa (satoh = sugar)
2. Shi (shio = salt)
3. Su (su = vinegar)
4. Se (shoyu = soy sauce)
5. So (miso)

Japanese Pantry Ingredients (Part 1):

Due to time constraints (and a few tangents), we could only get to the first couple of essential Japanese pantry ingredients in this episode. But don’t you worry… the rest will be in next week’s episode! And be sure to stop by next week – we’ll have a handy shopping list that you can print out and take with you when you go shopping for these ingredients.

The first essential ingredient is… rice!

(Hey, that’s not exotic at all!)

For Japanese cooking, you want to get short-grain rice – either white or brown rice is fine. (It also goes under the name “sushi rice”, and is sometimes labeled as medium-grain. Yeah, we know it can be confusing.) Make sure you don’t buy jasmine, basmati, or long-grain rice… those are definitely not the right kind!

Any rice labeled “Calrose” or “Kohoku Rose” is the right rice. It’s extremely common – we’ve seen it sold at Costco and in chain supermarkets – so you shouldn’t have any problem whatsoever finding it in the US.

(P.S. The internet is your friend. A quick search for “Japanese rice” on Amazon comes up with a bunch of good results.)

(P.P.S. Holy epiphanies, Batman! See below ↓)

The second of the two essential Japanese ingredients we got to today is soy sauce… aka shoyu.

(From here on out, if we’re talking about shoyu, now you know! It’s what you might already know as soy sauce. Same thing, despite Allison’s temporary confusion about it.)

There are a lot of different brands out there, but moral of the story is, in general Japanese shoyu (we think Kikkoman, the brand most commonly found in grocery stores, is perfectly acceptable for cooking) is what you want to use for Japanese cooking. However, Rachael also says that Bragg Liquid Aminos and Bluegrass Soy Sauce are good alternatives as well.

More to come…

Next week, we’ll be back with part 2 of our list of Japanese pantry essentials, as well as a handy printable shopping list.

In the meanwhile, let us know if you have any questions or suggestions about your Japanese pantry!

And check out our brand new Miso Hungry Shop… we have some super-cute shirt designs available for you to purchase!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:32 — 33.4MB)

Prepare yourself… today, we’re completely and totally geeking out. (Especially Rachael.)

Why? Because today’s topic is something we get especially excited about – TOFU!

You might think tofu is a silly thing to get excited about, but we’d bet that’s because you’ve never tasted fresh, homemade tofu. (Trust us. It’s amazing.)

So what is tofu?

Tofu is bean curd made from dried soybeans, water, and coagulant. (It tastes better than it sounds, promise.)

Tofu is typically identified as silken, medium, medium firm, firm, extra firm, and super firm. In general, Japanese-style tofu is softer than other kinds. The firmer the tofu, the harder the texture, and the more protein it contains by weight.

In Japan, most people don’t usually make their own tofu, however in some markets in Japan you can buy bottles of soy milk with packages of coagulant for making your own tofu, though it is becoming harder to find, especially in the bigger cities.

So how is it made?

Tofu is made by coagulating hot soy milk with mineral salt or acid coagulants. By varying the richness of the soy milk, coagulation method, and pressure used to weight the curds, a tofu maker regulates how much whey (liquid) is left in the tofu. The amount of residual whey determines tofu texture and density.

That all might sound really difficult, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.

Rachael even has a post on her blog that teaches you how to make your own tofu!

But you can always try making your own soy milk instead… so delicious.

There are a lot of delicious things you can do with tofu…

Abura-age (fried tofu slices): tofu is sliced and pressed, then carefully deep-fried, first at low then at high temperature, to force it to swell. (simmered in sugar, sake, soy sauce, and dashi then split into pockets and filled with sushi rice to make inarizushi)

Hiya Yakko (Japanese chilled tofu): usually made with silken tofu, but can be made with medium-firm tofu, oboro tofu or zaru tofu. Tofu is chilled and then garnished with toppings, such as scallions, grated fresh ginger, soy sauce, katsuobushi, etc.

Tofu Dengaku (miso-glazed broiled tofu): Tofu is brushed with a soy sauce glaze and lightly broiled, and then brushed with a miso sauce and cooked until bubbling, then served on a skewer.

Agedashi Tofu (deep-fried tofu): Pressed tofu is dredged in potato starch and then fried until lightly crisp and golden, then served with garnishes.

Miso shiru (miso soup): tofu is often included in miso soup

Yu dofu (warm simmered tofu hot pot)

Ma po dofu (spicy tofu with beef and sichuan peppercorn): A Chinese dish, but a Japanese favorite

Ganmodoki (“mock goose,” aka tofu and vegetable fritters): old food, originating sometime around the 1400s. Often served in oden hot pots. Tofu and finely shredded/chopped vegetables mixed with grated yamaimo (or egg white and cornstarch) and fried.

Unagi Modoki (“faux-nagi,” sweet and savory tofu eel): Faux eel fillets made from mashed tofu, salt, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and nori spread of pieces of nori, then fried and brushed with glaze.

Kitsune Udon (Foxy Tofu Noodle Soup): Kitsune means fox in Japanese, and are portrayed as being fond of fried tofu. Kitsune udon is an udon noodle soup served with abura-age tofu in it.

Okara doughnuts: Deep-fried donuts made with okara. Okara replaces some of the flour in a doughnut recipe to make them. They are crisp and pillowy, less sweet than traditional American doughnuts, and FABULOUS!!

Crispy tofu is a hit with the kids.

Tofu doughnuts? Yes, please!

We have a special guest on the show this week! We had an awesome interview with Andrea Nguyen, the very lovable author of the recently-released cookbook, Asian Tofu.

When you’re done listening to the podcast, check out this neat video where she demonstrates how to pick out and tell the difference between different types of tofu:

We really hope you loved the interview with Andrea as much as we did. She’s so much fun! In honor of our very first guest on the podcast…

We are giving away one copy of Andrea’s cookbook, Asian Tofu! All you have to do to be entered to win is…

Leave a comment on this post before 11:59pm Pacific Time on Monday, April 9th.

One entry per person. We will ship internationally… so everyone is free to enter. Good luck!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:00 — 30.2MB)

“There are five attributes to a great chef:

-Masuhiro Yamamoto, Japanese Food Critic

Jiro Ono in JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a recently-released documentary about Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old sushi chef in Japan whose restaurant was the first of its kind to earn a 3-Michelin Star rating, and his two sons, who are also sushi chefs.

Rachael and Allison went to see it the day it opened in Los Angeles, and we cannot recommend it enough. Like sushi? Japanese food? Ridiculously delicious-looking shots of food? Then you need to go see this movie. We guarantee you will come out of it both inspired and wanting to go eat sushi.

Want to know when it opens near you? Check out this list of theaters and opening dates, then go buy your tickets!

Jiro Ono and Yoshikazu Ono in JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

We also talk about a sustainable sushi dinner we got to go to last week, put on by Tataki Sushi Bar and Mindshare LA. Suffice to say it was an amazing meal… to read more about it, hop on over to Allison’s post about it!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:41 — 5.2MB)

Over the last few weeks, Rachael has developed a recipe for black sesame pudding that we’re such big fans of, we recorded a bonus mini episode all about it. Go visit her blog for the post and the recipe… then make the pudding, and come back and let us know how you like it!