Getting Started

There are a few basics that you might want to keep on hand so you can cook from this book anytime. Stock your kitchen with the items in the Shopping List below and you will be ready to make most of the recipes in this book. I’ve also provided a detailed list of everything you’ll need in the Ingredients section (see recipe). A primer on deep-frying, along with the recipe notes throughout the book, will help you learn essential cooking techniques.

(Good luck and try hard to cook Japanese food!)

LEARNING HOW TO DEEP-FRY, JAPANESE STYLE

Many cooks are afraid of deep-frying, viewing it as difficult and messy, and many eaters imagine that the food will be greasy. If you follow a few easy rules, frying can be simple and neat—correctly prepared Japanese deep-fried foods are never oily, but light and crispy.

Set up a workstation with the flour, egg, and panko for breading the food lined up in their order of use. A wok or a deep, wide saucepan works well. Have a pair of long cooking chopsticks or tongs, a slotted spoon, or a spatula handy for transferring ingredients in and out of the pan safely and with a minimum of splashing. A deep-frying thermometer keeps track of the temperature of the oil, but if you don’t have one, here is a simple test that you can use whenever you are deep-frying: When you think the oil is hot, hold a wooden chopstick upright in it. If small bubbles form immediately around the chopstick, the oil is ready. Use a wire rack for draining (paper towels are an easy alternative), and a small skimmer is handy for scooping stray fried bits out of the oil so they don’t burn.

Always deep-fry food in small batches. If you crowd the pan, the oil temperature will drop, causing the foods to absorb the oil. After you remove a batch from the pan, check that the oil has returned to the correct temperature before you fry the next batch or the food will be greasy.

SHOPPING LIST: MUST HAVES

• Chili bean paste

• Dashi

• Mirin

• Miso

• Panko

• Rice

• Rice vinegar

• Sake

• Sesame oil

• Soy sauce

• Sugar

• Tonkatsu sauce

• Worcestershire sauce

FREQUENTLY USED INGREDIENTS

• Cornstarch

• English or Japanese Cucumber

• Eggs

• Eggplants

• Ginger

• Garlic

• Green onions

• Ground beef, chicken, and pork

• Kabocha pumpkin

• Onions (yellow)

• Tomato ketchup

• Tofu