Mirin kasu is born from the brewing process of mirin (sweet sake) and is made of sweet rice, malted rice, and shochu. The sweet rice gives it stickiness and a granulated drop shape. The flavor of mirin kasu is faintly sweet, as distinguished from the stronger taste of sake kasu. Contents: What is Mirin Kasu? Mirin Kasu Pickled Vegetables Recipe Mirin Kasu Pound Cake Recipe Baked Cod with Mirin Kasuzuke Recipe Soymilk Banana Shake with Mirin Kasu Recipe Crispy Mirin Kasu Cookie Recipe What is Mirin Kasu? History of Mirin Kasu As described in the book “Wakan Sansai Zue” (Chinese and Japanese All things Encyclopedia) from the rnid-Edo Period, mirin kasu has been consumed since long ago as a “sweet […]
Wasabi is an essential accompaniment to nigiri sushi and sashimi. The wasabi plant is a spicy aromatic vegetable associated with Japanese food. The sharp taste clears our sinuses in a way that is different from the spiciness of chili or pepper. Called “wasabi” in English as well, wasabi spread widely in the U.S. with the Japanese food boom. It has become an essential condiment and a staple at sushi restaurants. Contents: History of Wasabi Tubed Wasabi is Real Wasabi? Efficacy of Wasabi How to cook Wasabi? What is Wasabi? History of Wasabi Wasabi is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family native to Japan. The name first appeared in literature of the Nara period (710-794), and it is believed that […]
There are many different types of eggs: There are white-shelled eggs, brown-shelled ones, those with rich, golden yolks or pale-yellow yolks, etc. These differences have nothing to do with their nutritional value. The nutritional value of an egg is determined by the type of feed the hen eats. We recommend eating one or two organic or free-range eggs every day. Contents: Eggs are a healthy food source that offer excellent nutrition Nijiya’s Eggs Japanese Style Egg Recipes Eggs are a healthy food source that offer excellent nutrition Many people believe that brown eggs with deep golden-colored yolks are better in quality and thus higher priced. However, the eggshell and yolk color have nothing to do with their nutritional value. The […]
Contents: What is Kasuzuke? Selecting Additive-Free, Wild-Caught Fish The Right Way to Make Delicious Kasuzuke Kasuzuke and Health Nijiya’s Seacret Kasuzuke Recipe What is Kasuzuke? The method of using such wild yeast as malted rice to treat fresh seafood may be unique to Japanese cuisine. Among all fish dishes, the exquisite kasuzuke is an indispensable dish in Japanese meals. Kasuzuke adds a distinctive flavor to fish while removing its fishy odor. The rare, sophisticated taste and excellent nutritional value of kasuzuke are now attracting food lovers throughout the world. In Japan, the harvest season for new rice crops is the time when the brewing of new sake begins. When the sake brewing is nearly complete, fresh sake kasu (sake lees) […]
Contents: Miso Comes in a Variety of Shapes and Forms Moromi-Miso Recipe Miso Comes in a Variety of Shapes and Forms Miso is normally used in soups and/or cooked dishes. However, some types of miso are used alone as a topping for plain-tasting foods, eaten as a snack with drinks, or put on steamed rice. These types of miso are referred to as “okazu miso.” Kinzanji-miso is a wellknown example of okazu miso. Moromi-miso refers to a soft, solid mass where the raw ingredients brewed to make soy-sauce or sake become fermented. Put simply, it is a stage of fermentation prior to becoming soy sauce. To make moromi-miso, the koji (malted rice) made from wheat, soybeans, rice, etc., is fermented […]
Contents: What is Sukiyaki? Major Two Sauce Styles – About “Warishita” Popular Sukiyaki Sauce Brands How to cook Sukiyaki? (Beef Sukiyaki Recipe) Sukiyaki Reinvented Recipe What is “Sukiyaki” Song? What is “Sukiyaki” Western Django? What is Sukiyaki? What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear sukiyaki, perhaps the famous love song Sukiyaki? What about the Japanese hot pot dish sukiyaki? For most Japanese, we immediately crave hot pot dishes, especially sukiyaki, on a cold winter day. Do you know the difference between sukiaki and shabu shabu? Both are hot pot dishes but very different, one is more of a sizzling pot and the other is a simmering soup. Sukiyaki is the first one and involves sautéing […]
Contents: What is Shabu Shabu? How to cook Shabu Shabu Shabu Shabu Reinvented Recipe Shabu Shabu Dipping Sauces What is Shabu Shabu? Hot pot dishes are a staple food in Japan during the cold winter months, and shabu shabu is the one of the most popular ones eaten at both home and at restaurants. The difference between shabu shabu and other hot pot dishes, such as oden or sukiyaki, is that oden broth is seasoned with soy sauce, kombu kelp, and mirin (sweet cooking sake) and sukiyaki broth is much sweeter and seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. How to eat Shabu Shabu Shabu shabu has a clear broth, seasoned only with kombu kelp, so it has very little flavor. […]
When it comes to enjoying fall flavors, mushrooms are an obvious choice. Although there are many varieties of edible mushrooms, generally they can be divided into saprobic fungi and mycorrhizal fungi. Saprobic fungi include wood-rotting fungi, which grow out of the trunks of living trees. Most of the mushrooms that can be cultivated are saprobic fungi; they break down fertilizers and the trees on which they feed. Wood-rotting fungi include shiitake, maitake, nameko, enokidake, buna-shimeji, hiratake, and eringi. White mushrooms and Agaricus do not grow out of trees but are still considered saprobic fungi. Contents: Matsutake Mushrooms Kinkatsu (A healthy life with microorganisms) How to cook Kinoko? (Mushroom Recipes) Matsutake Mushrooms “Matsutake” is definitely the king of mushrooms. It is […]
Contents: What is Sushi Rice? Tips For Perfect Sushi Rice Let’s Cook Sushi Rice at Home! Easy Breezy Sushi Rice Seasonings What is Sushi Rice? Sushi rice comes with all sushi dishes such as nigiri, maki sushi (sushi rolls), and chirashi sushi, but it is not just steamed rice. Did you notice that rice used in a sushi restaurant has a specific texture and a slight sweetness to it? The perfect balance between texture and sweetness brings out the flavor of the neta, which is the item placed on the top of the rice. Don’t be scared, making sushi rice is not too much of a hassle, just add a little seasoning and there you go, you have the perfect […]
Japanese sake is a unique alcoholic beverage, and it is deeply rooted in the culture and climate of Japan. Contents Discovering Sake Sake Brewing Hot Sake & Cold Sake Seimai (Rice Polishing) Paring Sake and Food How to use Japanese Sake for cooking? Discovering Sake Its tradition and the future Japanese sake can be argued that it’s an expression of the Japanese people and their history. On the other hand, more and more people in other parts of the world are discovering sake, and its popularity is growing ever more rapidly. What makes sake so unique is that it is both a very Japanese product at its core while becoming a worldwide phenomenon? It is surely not only the flavor […]
Kombu is a kind of kelp, and it has been a distinctive part of the Japanese diet ever since the Jomon period (12,000 B.C. – 300 B.C.). Contents: Kombu – The Secret to Japanese Cuisine The key to picking-out kombu Making the Ultimate Dashi from Kombu Tips on how to extract dashi from kombu Kombu Preservation Methods Various ways to utilize Kombu after the Dashi has been extracted How to use Kombu for cooking? Kombu – The Secret to Japanese Cuisine Dashi is a category of soup and cooking stocks considered to be fundamental and essential to Japanese cuisine. It is said that without dashi, Japanese dishes lack the authentic flavor. The underlying secret to creating the traditional flavors of […]
A variety of fermented foods such as sake, soy sauce, and miso have been supporting the diets of Japanese people since ancient times. An essential ingredient in these fermented foods is the edible fungus called koji (Aspergillus oryzae). Contents What is Koji? What is Shio-Koji? How to use Koji for cooking? What is Koji? Shio-koji, made with salt, and shoyu-koji, made with soy sauce, are both handmade by Nijiya. Shio-koji is made with kome-koji (rice malt) that breeds from koji on steamed rice. We do not use any unnecessary ingredients. The result is a safe and secure all-purpose seasoning. Koji is good for beauty and health and contains the nine essential amino acids. Women may especially favor these benefits: 1: […]
Contents: Recommending vinegar consumption Vinegar TRIVIA (Is vinegar good for you?) How to use Japanese Vinegar? Recommending vinegar consumption During the summer months, it seems that many people complain of fatigue, using up more stamina than usual, and feeling out of sorts with no cause. This is said to be due to our bodies’ becoming acidic because of changes in modern eating habits. It is known that the body’s natural healing power is strongest when the body maintains a slightly alkaline state. In other words, those whose physical constitution is slightly alkaline are less vulnerable to fatigue, disease and/or injury because of an enhanced natural healing power. Conversely, those whose bodies are acidic have their natural healing power compromised, becoming […]
What is Miso Soup? Traditionally many fermented products have been eaten in Japan, because the climate encourages the growth of microorganisms. These fermented products reflect the wisdom Japanese people accumulated over centuries of experience. In particular, the idea of fermenting soybeans, which are rich in nutrients but difficult to digest, has created natto (fermented soybeans), soy sauce and miso (fermented soybean paste). As they say, “A bowl of miso soup a day keeps the doctor away”. Miso has been a health secret of the Japanese for many years. Why don’t we review our basic diet and add miso soup to our daily menu? Tofu Miso Soup Recipe Grilled Mochi and Leafy Green Miso Soup Recipe Clam Miso Soup Recipe Tonjiru […]
Soy sauce, made from soy beans, is a liquid seasoning developed in Japan. Contents: What is Shoyu? History of Shoyu How To Choose The Right Soy Sauce How To Enhance The Flavor Of Food Using Soy Sauce What is Shoyu?
Every country in the world has a unique food that has traditionally been eaten by its people. Such foods differ according to the climate, geographical influences, and history. Apparently, each food has been faithfully passed on from generation to generation while undergoing gradual changes. These traditional dishes live on to this day and have begun to make the leap from Japan out into the world. Now, why is it that Japanese food is considered good for health and has drawn so much attention from all over the globe? The following is an explanation of Japanese seasonings, the basis of Japanese cuisine, along with an in-depth study of authentic Japanese food. Contents: “Umami” (Savoriness) Is the Basis of Japanese Food Basic […]
In Japanese, teri means “shining” and yaki means “to grill” or “to broil,” and teriyaki actually refers to the cooking technique of brushing a seasoning on the items you are grilling. Contents: What is Teriyaki Sauce? How to cook Teriyaki? (Teriyaki Chicken Recipe) Teriyaki Sauce Recipe Teriyaki Chicken Recipe Teriyaki Salmon Recipe Authentic Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Recipe Best Teriyaki Sauce Brands What is Teriyaki Sauce? Some of you might have a bottle of teriyaki sauce in the fridge or have seen teriyaki among the many choices in the sauce section of your local super market. But what exactly is teriyaki sauce, and is it just for Asian barbeque? In Japanese, teri means “shining” and yaki means “to grill” or “to […]
Contents: What is Okonomiyaki? Okonomiyaki restaurants Okonomiyaki sauce Okonomiyaki provides balanced nutrients Make Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki at home! (Okonomiyaki recipe) Other Styles of Okonomiyaki Osaka-style Okonomiyaki Recipe Easy Okonomiyaki Kits What is Okonomiyaki? It’s a pancake made with water / egg / flour batter mixed with squid, beef or pork as well as cabbage or any vegetable of your choice. It’s cooked on a heated teppan grill and served with sauce and toppings such as aonori (seaweed flakes). Okonomiyaki can be roughly divided into three types: Hiroshima-style, Osaka-style and Tokyo-style (a.k.a monja-yaki). What makes the Hiroshima-style more distinctive than the other two is that the ingredients are stacked upon one another in layers. In Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, a large helping of cabbage […]
Masago (capelin roe) and tobiko (flying-fish roe) are smaller fish eggs. Both come in a beautiful orange color. At first glance, they look similar, but tobiko has a firmer consistency and is used as imitation caviar. Masago, roe from the smelt family, is small and soft. When you compare the two side by side, the distinction is evident. Contents: What is difference between Masago and Tobiko? How to cook Masago and Tobiko? Fish are certainly good to eat and enjoy but fish eggs are also delicacies. Caviar, sturgeon roe, is well known for being a very expensive variety of fish eggs. The fish eggs that appeal to the Japanese palate are ikura, salmon roe. Ikura is perfect over hot, steamed […]
Ikura (cured salmon roe) is known for a juicy texture that pops with every bite and a rich flavor that melts in your mouth. This gourmet food item is also one of the most popular sushi toppings. These days, ikura is used in a variety of dishes in both Japanese and Western cuisines. It’s served not just as a sushi topping but also as ikura-don (ikura on steamed rice), ikura kamameshi (ikura on rice cooked in a traditional iron pot), ikura spaghetti and so on. The Japanese have enjoyed ikura for a long time, but due to the recent growing popularity of sushi and Japanese cuisine worldwide, ikura is now enjoyed by people around the world. Contents: What is Ikura? […]
You will like unagi in your sushi rolls or perhaps as a part of your omakase course. Or, maybe you just like to eat white rice with eel sauce (if you haven’t, it’s a game changer, try it). No matter what form, or what you call it whether “unagi” or “eel”, it’s a fatty, meaty and delicious sushi and a much-loved staple of Japanese food enthusiasts around the world. So what is unagi, anyway? It seems like it should be seafood, because it is often listed on the sushi menu, but is it something you can catch on your next fishing trip? Is there other ways to eat unagi? Let’s find out more about this popular food! Contents: What is […]
