ABURA-AGE (ALSO CALLED USU-AGE)
Tofu sliced thinly and fried. Abura-age is a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine, used in soups, salads, fried dishes, and many other recipes. It has a spongy texture and can be opened like a pouch, which can then be stuffed with rice or different ingredients.
A plant with an ancient origin. Both the leaves and seeds can be consumed. Leaves can be used as a salad green or for cooking, like spinach. They are also rich in calcium and vitamins.
An instant stock or soup powder that can also be used as a seasoning for stir-fries and in other dishes to enhance the flavor. I highly suggest you choose a kind that doesn’t contain additives such as MSG. Instant chicken stock made from it can be substituted for Chicken Dashi (Japanese chicken stock)
Popular in Asia, black sugar is an unrefined raw cane sugar with a high mineral content. The color is very dark brown to black, and it commonly comes in bricks. In Japan, Okinawa black sugar is the most popular.
Gobo in Japanese. Burdock is a thin, long root vegetable with a strong earthy flavor. It can grow from 2 feet (60 cm) to 3 feet (90 cm) long. If the skin is very dirty, use a scrub brush to clean it. The skin is rich in flavor as well as nutrients, so do not peel it off. If there are very dark and/or hairy spots, use the back side of a knife to scrape them gently off. Once you cut burdock, it discolors quickly. If you want to keep its interior from discoloring and remove its natural muddy flavor, soak in cold water for a few minutes, draining before use. Do not soak for a long time, as a lot of burdock’s flavor and nutrients will be lost. If you’re making a brothy dish, the brief soaking also helps keep the burdock from getting muddy. You don’t need to bother with soaking if you are using it for sautéing or in a dark sauce-based dish (such as one made with soy sauce).
CHINESE FERMENTED BLACK BEANS (DOUCHI)
Also called salted black beans, these are a traditional Chinese seasoning with a strong, pungent flavor. They are made from soybeans that have been dried and fermented with salt. Fermented soybeans are commonly used as a seasoning in stir-fries and in steamed dishes. They are widely available at Asian grocery stores and can be kept in a tightly sealed storage bag in a cool, dry place.
DRIED SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
An essential ingredient in Japanese cooking, dried shiitake mushrooms are rehydrated and the caps are used in mainly soups and stews. Compared with fresh shiitake mushrooms, dried shiitake mushrooms are higher in umami flavor (guanylate) and meatier in texture. They are also used to make dashi in Japanese Buddhist temple vegan cuisine (shojin ryori). Choose high-quality dry shiitake mushrooms from Japan with relatively thick caps for the better aroma, flavor, and texture.
Chinese broccoli. A leaf vegetable with thick stems. Often used in stir-fry dishes.
Korean fermented hot pepper paste, with sweet and savory flavors. Gochujang is used as a condiment or as a seasoning for a variety of dishes including soup and stir fry.
Korean ground red chile pepper. The heat level of gochugaru is milder than Japanese ichimi togarashi.
Type of malted soybean miso that originated in Aichi, Japan. It has a very dark color and a distinctive rich flavor derived from soybeans.
A type of seaweed, with a dark brown to black color. Hijiki is known for its high mineral and fiber content. After the harvest, hijiki is commonly cooked (either steamed or boiled) and dried before it is packaged and sold.
Japanese roasted green tea. Hojicha has a brown color and has sweet nutty to slightly smoky flavor.
ICHIMI TOGARASHI (ALSO CALLED ICHIMI)
Translated as “one-flavor pepper,” ichimi togarashi is Japanese ground chiles, used as a spice or a condiment to sprinkle over a finished dish.
Kabosu is a citrus fruit related to yuzu citrus. A typical kabosu has a tennis ball size and is picked while it’s bright green. Kabosu has a distinctive acidity and often enjoyed with grilled fish, hot pot, and other dishes.
Japanese white turnip, also called Tokyo turnip in the United States. Its tender yet crisp bulb can be enjoyed fresh or cooked. It can also be grated and added to a soup or sauce. The greens have a mild flavor.
A hot paste specialty condiment from Niigata, Japan. It’s made from red chiles, yuzu rind, rice koji (malted rice), and salt. Peppers are salt-marinated for several months after harvest, and then left spread over the snow in the wintertime for three to four days in order to remove both saltiness and bitterness. Next, they are mixed with yuzu rind, rice koji, and additional salt and then fermented and aged for three years or longer. The flavor of kanzuri can be compared to yuzu-kosho, as they share main ingredients (chiles, salt, and yuzu rind), but kanzuri is richer in umami from the aging process with rice koji and less salty. Kanzuri can be enjoyed as a condiment for sashimi, grilled meat, fish, hot pots, stews, and more.
KARASHI (ALSO CALLED WAGARASHI)
Japanese mustard with a very sharp and hot flavor.
Japanese potato starch. Commonly used as a thickening agent.
KATSUOBUSHI
Dried, smoked, and fermented bonito loin. It’s shaved and used in making dashi or as a topping for dishes. To shave a block of katsuobushi, you need a special shaving box (kezuri-ki). Preshaved kinds are becoming more common among home cooks, and they are available at Japanese grocery stores. If you use the preshaved kind for making dashi, the large-shave type (often labeled as hanakatsuo) is a good choice.
A type of culture/mold; its scientific name is Aspergillus oryzae. Koji is traditionally used in a wide variety of Japanese food products such as soy sauce, miso, mirin, vinegar, and sake. Grains are inoculated with koji in order to start the fermentation. The most common form is rice koji (malted rice). Koji is also known for its remarkable health benefits when it’s alive in foods such as miso and amazake.
A leafy vegetable, often called Japanese (mustard) spinach in English. Komatsuna has a dark green color and slightly meatier texture than spinach. It’s enjoyed either raw or cooked.
Kelp. Dried kombu (also called dashi kombu) is generally referred as just “kombu,” and it’s used for making dashi. When choosing kombu, the thick, hard kind is preferred. More than 90 percent of kombu in Japan is harvested on Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan), and the rest comes from the northern end of Honshu (the main island). There are different varieties of Japanese kombu; Rishiri, Rausu, and Makombu are considered to be the top-quality varieties for dashi making. For everyday dashi making, relatively reasonable Makombu is recommended.
Japanese Kombu (seaweed) tea powder with salt and other seasonings. It’s unrelated to the English word kombucha, which refers to a sweetened fermented tea drink, popular as a probiotic health beverage. Japanese kombucha can be enjoyed by pouring hot water over it to drink or by using it as a seasoning for a wide variety of dishes.
Made from the konnyaku (or konjac) plant, which is known as devil’s tongue in English, konnyaku has a jellylike texture and is a popular ingredient in traditional Japanese dishes. Rich in dietary fiber and containing almost zero calories, konnyaku is also appreciated as a diet food. Konnyaku can be sold in a block shape, as a ball, or as noodles. Noodle-shaped konnyaku is called shirataki or ito konnyaku.
KOYA TOFU (ALSO CALLED KOYA DOFU)
A traditional Japanese freeze-dried tofu that has been appreciated as a preserved food. For its rich protein and vitamins, koya tofu has been one of the essential staples in Japanese Buddhist vegan temple cuisine (shojin ryori). It’s used after being rehydrated in water, growing to about 1½ times its original size.
Japanese dark-colored vinegar with a rich flavor. While Chinese black vinegar is often made from a combination of rice, wheat, barley, and sorghum, most Japanese black vinegar is made purely from rice and has more umami flavor.
KUZUKO (ALSO CALLED KUDZUKO OR KUZU/KUDZU)
Starch made from the kudzu vine, also called Japanese arrowroot starch. It’s used as a thickening agent. The most sought-after kind comes from the Yoshino region of Nara Prefecture in Japan. Compared to katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch, kuzuko tends to produce a more delicate texture. If you don’t have kuzuko, you can substitute with katakuriko.
Also known as chili oil or hot chili oil, la-yu is of Chinese origin. It is made of vegetable oil that has been infused with chiles. It’s a popular condiment for Japanese-style Chinese dishes.
It’s called renkon in Japanese. Lotus root is technically not a root, but rhizome of the lotus plant, grown in swamp. It has holes going along the length of the tube. Lotus root is used in a wide variety of Japanese dishes and known for its crunchy texture.
MIRIN
Often translated as “sweet rice wine” in English, mirin is a brewed sweet alcoholic seasoning, made from sweet rice, koji, and distilled alcohol. It’s an essential seasoning in Japanese cuisine to add glaze and mild sweetness to a dish. The most authentic mirin is called hon mirin, which is naturally brewed and has an alcohol level up to 14 percent. I do not recommend any substitute mirin product that contains any added sweetening such as corn syrup.
A fermented paste made from soybeans, koji (malted rice), and salt. Miso is one of the most important traditional staples in Japanese cuisine. Cooked soybeans are mashed and fermented with salt and koji, and then aged. While there are easily more than a thousand kinds of miso found in Japan, they can be roughly divided into three basic categories, depending on the ingredients:
Kome miso, the most common style, is made from soybeans, rice koji (malted rice), and salt.
Mame miso is made from soybeans, soybean koji (malted soybeans), and salt. Most famously represented by Hatcho miso from Aichi Prefecture.
Mugi miso is made from soybeans, barley koji (malted barley), and salt.
The color and flavor of the miso depends on various factors: soybean-to-koji ratio, whether the soybeans were steamed or boiled, age, and environmental conditions (such as temperature and humidity). In Japan, types and styles of miso still vary widely by region. For example, red (kome) miso is commonly used in northern Japan, while mugi miso is commonly used in the Kyushu region. Sweet white (kome) miso, Saikyo miso, is produced and most heavily consumed in Kyoto.
While the flavor style cannot always be profiled by colors (and they are often defined by regions instead), in general, red miso tends to be aged longer and is saltier in general, and white miso tends to be aged less and has a milder flavor. There is also sweet white miso (such as Saikyo miso), which is much sweeter and less salty than other types of miso. Yellow miso (we don’t refer to it as “yellow miso” in Japan; instead we say “pale miso”) is often somewhere between red and white, so it has a medium-mild flavor. Mame miso is very dark (almost black) in color, but it is often categorized as a red miso.
In Japanese homes, it’s common to blend two different kinds of miso (by types or brands) for more complexity. Miso keeps for several months or longer in the refrigerator, but the flavor will change. It’s best to consume miso within a few months after opening. Choosing miso can be tricky, especially if you are not familiar with different types or brands. The best way is just to try many different types until you find the one you like. We also suggest choosing miso without additives.
In this book when a recipe calls for just “miso,” unless otherwise specified, we generally used the most common style, kome miso (with a sodium content of 11 percent to 13 percent), which is not too salty or too sweet. (Because the majority of the miso sold in the market is kome miso, it’s generally referred as just “miso”, unless otherwise specified.)You can use a miso of your choice, ranging from red, light brown or yellow, to white. You can also use a single kind or blend different kinds of miso, if you prefer.
See also Saikyo miso and Hatcho miso.
Sometimes called Japanese parsley, mitsuba is a very popular Japanese herb with a clean aroma that is often used in soup or egg dishes. It has a long stem with three leaves.
A member of the mustard family, mizuna has tender leaves with a mildly bitter flavor. Baby mizuna is often used in mixed greens. Mizuna can be enjoyed either fresh or cooked.
Japanese green onion. It’s much taller and thicker than the green onion common in the United States, but green onions can be used as a substitute when negi are not available.
NIGARI
The byproduct of sea salt, the extract of seawater. In traditional tofu making in Japan, only nigari is used as a coagulator of tofu, while commercial tofu may include different kinds of coagulators. Liquid nigari can be found at Japanese grocery stores and some online specialty stores.
Also called garlic chives or Chinese chives in English. A plant with long, flat dark-green leaves and a medium-strong flavor.
Japanese name for a type of edible seaweed. Nori is also commonly referred to as “dry square sheet of nori,” made from chopped nori which was made into thin sheets, dried, and cut.
Japanese quick porridge. It’s different from kayu (or okayu), which is also Japanese porridge. While kayu is made from dry rice that is cooked in a large amount of water (or sometimes seasoned broth), ojiya is made by adding the cooked rice to a seasoned broth until just heated. Ojiya is popular as a way to use the leftover broth as the finishing course of a hot-pot dish.
Japanese citrus-based sauce. Although soy-flavored ponzu is technically called ponzu shoyu, it’s more commonly referred just as ponzu.
Our rice recipes (for both white and brown rice) use short-grain rice, unless otherwise noted.
There are different varieties of short-grain rice available at Japanese and other Asian grocery stores and specialty stores. Among the reliable and highly reputed varieties is Koshihikari, which is a premium Japanese type and is now widely cultivated in California and other parts of the world, as well as in its native Japan. The original Japanese kind tends to have a higher moisture content and chewier texture than its Californian counterpart. For brown rice, besides the whole (unpolished) kind, partially polished kinds are also available at Asian grocery stores. While still retaining certain levels of nutrients from bran, partially polished rice can cook in the same way as white rice.
An essential seasoning in Japanese cuisine, it is a fermented product made from rice, koji, and water. Japanese rice vinegar tends to have a very pale color, and the acidity is much milder than Western vinegars in general. For the recipes in this book, use unsalted or unsweetened rice vinegar with no additives.
This is a type of malted rice miso (kome miso; made from soybeans, rice koji, and salt), which comes from Kyoto, and is also described as sweet white miso. It has a pale cream color with a mild sweetness and a low salt content (about 4.9 percent). The sweetness is due to the high proportion of rice koji (malted) used in its production, because koji turns the carbohydrate into sugar.
Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice. For cooking, we suggest you use good drinking-quality sake (but it doesn’t have to be the expensive premium kind), instead of sake that is labeled “cooking sake.” Either the junmai (made purely from rice and water) or honjozo (made from rice, water, and some added alcohol) type is recommended.
Sake lees paste. The leftovers (lees) of sake production, after sake is pressed following the fermentation process. Sake-kasu is appreciated for its rich flavor and nutritious value, as it’s high in protein and vitamins. It can be used in a wide range of dishes including as a marinade, as flavoring for soup, or even on its own as a snack.
A tiny shrimp with a pinkish body, translated as “cherry blossom shrimp” in English. Dried sakura ebi is different from Chinese dried shrimp, as the latter typically requires rehydration before it’s used for cooking. Dried sakura ebi can be mixed in a dish or enjoyed as a topping. It can be found at Japanese grocery stores in the United States.
SAKURA NO SHIO-ZUKE
Salt-pickled cherry blossoms. These are small cherry blossoms (sakura) with stems, freshly picked and pickled in salt to preserve the color and flavor. They’re used for making cherry blossom tea, cooked together with rice, used as a garnish for spring-season confections, and more. Salt-preserved cherry blossoms can be found at specialty stores or online shops in the United States.
Our recipes use sea salt, unless otherwise noted. My top choice is Amabito no Moshio, Seaweed seasalt, made in an ancient manner in a small island of Hiroshima, Japan. This sea salt has an especially round flavor and rich umami from the seaweed. Amabito no Moshio can be found at specialty stores in the United States.
Japanese mountain pepper. It’s often dried and ground as a spice, or its fresh green berries can be used in stews or sautéed dishes. Related to Szechuan pepper. Sansho belongs to the citrus family.
Japanese sweet potato, with purple-red skin and pale interior. It’s commonly enjoyed in both dessert and savory dishes in Japan.
Whether white or black, whole or ground, sesame seeds are used widely in Japanese cuisine. To best enjoy the nutty aroma, it’s recommended that you toast them before use to release the aroma, regardless of whether the sesame seeds are nontoasted or already toasted kind.
SHICHIMI TOGARASHI (ALSO CALLED SHICHIMI)
Translated as “seven-flavor pepper,” shichimi togarashi is a popular chile-spice mix made from seven ingredients. While the seven ingredients and their ratios can be different depending on the producer, the most common ingredients are chiles, ground sansho, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, dry orange peel, shiso (perilla) leaves, aonori seaweed, and ginger. Yuzu-flavored shichimi is also popular.
(SHE-meh) Finishing course of a meal. Many hot-pot recipes involve a shime. After you finish most of the dish, save enough broth to cook rice or noodles in the fortified liquid. The leftover broth has a rich flavor after it has reduced and been infused with all the ingredients, and many hot-pot lovers look forward to this part of the meal the most.
Translated as “salted kombu,” shio-kombu is kelp that was cut (either into thin shreds or small squares) and cooked with seasonings such as soy sauce and mirin, before being dried and dusted with salt. It’s often enjoyed as a topping for ochazuke (rice, poured with tea or dashi), or as a condiment for various dishes.
SHIRATAKI (SHIRATAKI NOODLES/ KONNYAKU NOODLES)
See konnyaku.
Translated as “white soy sauce,” but the color is actually pale amber. It’s made from mostly wheat as well as soybeans and is fermented for a shorter time to achieve the pale color. Shiro shoyu is used in recipes that require a light color. While it has a higher sodium content and is more delicate in flavor compared to dark soy sauce or usukuchi shoyu, shiro shoyu is naturally sweeter than the others.
This herb belongs to the perilla family and is used in a wide variety of Japanese dishes. There is green shiso (also called ohba) and red shiso. It is similar to basil but has a cleaner aroma.
A Japanese distilled drink. The most common types of shochu are barley, sweet potato, and rice. Shochu typically contains about 25 percent alcohol, which is much lower than other spirits such as whiskey, vodka, or rum. Therefore, shochu can be enjoyed either on its own or more commonly with a meal.
SHOJIN RYORI (SHOJIN CUISINE)
Japanese Buddhist temple cuisine. It typically consists of simple dishes with seasonal vegetables, mushrooms, seaweed, and grains. It is strictly vegan, based on the Buddhist philosophy that forbids killing any living things. Ingredients with a strong aroma, such as green onion, onion, chive, shallot, and garlic, are also not allowed in shojin cuisine because they are supposed to stimulate sexual desire. Many popular Japanese home dishes originate from shojin dishes.
Chrysanthemum greens. This aromatic plant has soft crisp leaves with stems and can be used fresh or cooked. It’s a popular ingredient for Japanese hot-pot dishes.
Made from dried soybeans that have been soaked, pureed, and cooked in water and pressed. For the recipes in this book, we use pure, rich plain soy milk—it must be the natural kind with no additives (that is, it has to be made only from pure water and soybeans). The soy milk commonly available in paper cartons at US grocery stores is normally not suitable, as even the plain versions have additives or are too thin. Nigari liquid won’t work properly if the soy milk contains additives or is too thin. Rich plain soy milk can be found at Japanese and other Asian grocery stores; it’s normally not labeled as such, but the concentration rate of 12 percent/12 brix or higher, similar to a whole-milk texture, is preferred.
One of the most essential seasonings in Japanese cuisine. Brewed from soybeans, wheat, water, and salt and aged for a few months to several years. For better flavor and quality, naturally brewed soy sauce with no additives is preferred. Soy sauce should be kept in a cool dark place or more preferably in the refrigerator. See also shiro shoyu and usukuchi shoyu.
SWEET RICE (ALSO CALLED MOCHI RICE)
Glutinous rice. The grain has an opaque white color and becomes very sticky and chewy when it’s cooked. This type of rice is widely used in Asian countries for both savory and dessert dishes.
Known as sato-imo in Japanese, taro is a root vegetable used in a variety of Asian cuisines. The skin is rough and fuzzy like a coconut, and the interior is a pale to white color with a slimy texture when it’s raw.
TOBANJAN (ALSO CALLED DOUBANJIANG)
Called fermented chili bean paste or sauce in English. Originating in China, it is a fermented paste of beans, chiles, salt, and spices. A small amount is normally used to add hot and spicy flavors and depth to a dish. It’s a popular item in Japanese kitchens and is used in a wide variety of dishes including Japanese-style Chinese dishes such as mabo tofu.
Winter melon (also called white gourd). Winter melon is vine-grown, has a white interior, and is eaten as a vegetable even though it’s called a melon. In Asian cuisines, togan is often cooked in soup.
Kombu that has been seasoned and softened in a vinegar marinade and then shaved into extremely thin shreds. While its usage is versatile, it’s most typically used as a topping for soup and noodles.
Light-colored soy sauce. The aroma and flavor are also slightly lighter than regular (dark-colored) soy sauce. It also has a higher salt content.
WAKAME
Edible seaweed that is a highly popular ingredient in traditional Japanese cuisine. Wakame is most commonly used in soup and salad, as well as in different types of dishes. Wakame is commonly sold in either dried or soft (salt-preserved) form. Dried wakame needs to be reconstituted by being soaked in plenty of water for five to fifteen minutes, depending on type or brand, and then rinsed and drained well. The size will expand by seven to eight times. If the dried wakame is not precut, cut it into the desired size after it’s reconstituted. Soft (salt-preserved) wakame is often labeled “fresh wakame,” but technically it has been quickly blanched and preserved in salt. This type also needs to be soaked in plenty of water for a few minutes and rinsed well to remove the salt, and then drained well and cut into the desired size before use. The color will become brighter green. If there is a tough rib, it should be cut off. Soft (salt-preserved) wakame expands by about three times. Real fresh wakame is rarely found in stores in the United States. It’s dark brown in color. To prepare fresh wakame, blanch it in very hot water (slightly under boiling) for a couple of minutes. The color will turn to bright green. Rinse in cold water and drain well to use.
A plant that grows in the beds of mountain streams. Its root is grated and used as a condiment, most typically for sashimi and sushi. It can also be shredded and used as a topping or added to salads and other dishes. It has a hot, refreshing flavor. Wasabi is also sold in powder or paste forms. Although these are not 100 percent wasabi, they are much more accessible and convenient to use.
Also called Japanese mountain yam in English, it’s a root vegetable native to Japan. A variety called naga-imo is more commonly available at Japanese grocery stores in the United States. The rough skin has a beige color and interior is white and slimy. Yama-imo can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw yama-imo has a crisp texture and is often grated to be used as a topping or a binder for dishes.
Tofu skin, also called bean curd sheet in English. When soy milk is heated, a thin layer of film forms on the surface of the liquid. This layer is called yuba and is enjoyed as a delicacy in Japan and other Asian countries. Yuba is sold fresh, semidried, or dried.
A Japanese aromatic citrus. The rind is often sliced and added to dishes as an aromatic garnish. Yuzu has its own distinctive aroma that is often described as elegant, and it’s very different from any other citrus. As it’s not very easy to find fresh yuzu in the United States, if a recipe calls for yuzu and you don’t have it, you can substitute Meyer lemon.
An aromatic paste of mashed yuzu rind, salt, and chiles mixed together and fermented. There is both green yuzu-kosho and red yuzu-kosho. It’s a popular condiment that can be used to season sashimi (instead of soy sauce), hot pots, grilled meats or fish, and more.