Japanese Cuisine

Japanese  Cuisine

·         Japanese cooking is essentially a system of under cooking and moderation in seasoning with little blending flavors. The food is intended to be appreciated for its own natural qualities, unmasked by heavy sauces, rich spices or strong seasoning.

·         The Japanese cuisine is very much different from any other cuisine in the world. For people living in the Asian region it is as important as the French one for Western people. The secret of the Japanese cuisine is in thorough selection of products, beauty of serving and respect of products in general. Only the best gifts of the earth and water deserve to find themselves on a table, and the main goal of a chef is to save their initial characteristics. The main rule of the Japanese cuisine is "don't create but find and discover" as nobody can compete with what was created by nature.

·         The secret of preparing food by Japanese is an understanding of the basic ingredients and of how a meal is composed; the culinary methods used are actually simple but the most requirement of all is simple, a love of good food prepared and presented with a sense of harmony.

The ingredients and seasonings used in Japanese cooking

·         Oyster-flavored sauce- a salty bottled sauce flavored with oysters.

·         Mirin- a sweet liquid flavoring made from fermented sake, widely used in Japanese cooking

·         Pepper – a hot condiment or seasoning made from the ground dried berries of a tropical climbing plant.

·         Teriyaki sauce- a dark sauce use as Deeping sauce.

·         Paprika- a mild red spice made from various sweet red peppers, used especially in Hungarian cooking

·         Sesame oil - Extracted from either roasted or raw sesame seeds, sesame oil is used as a flavor enhancer at the end of cooking.

·         Lemongrass- A woody, aromatic grass native to India, lemongrass is used in soups and curries as well as salads and stir-fries all over Southeast Asia.

The regional cooking methods and service styles

·         STIR-FRYING: Stir-frying is a quick and fuss-free method of cooking. If you do not have a wok, a large frying pan (skillet) will suffice. Ensure that the wok is hot before adding in the cooking oil. Allow the cooking oil to heat up before adding in your ingredients. Stir them around quickly with a spatula to heat them through. Once the food is cooked, dish out and serve hot.

·         STEWING: Stewing helps to retain all the nutritional goodness and sweetness of the ingredients in the stewing liquid. Tougher cuts of meat can also be used as the cooking process will render them tender. To stew food, the ingredients are usually cut into pieces of similar size and placed into enough liquid to cover them completely.

·         STEAMING: In steaming, the ingredients are cooked by the vapor that rises from the boiling liquid below. As the ingredients do not come in direct contact with the liquid, most of the nutrients are retained, making this a healthy means of cooking food. To get the best results out of steaming food, always use the freshest ingredients.

·         DEEP FRYING: This is a method where food is cooked in a large amount of cooking oil, deep enough to cover it completely. Deep-frying can be done in a wok or in a deep pan.

·         Pan Frying: is heating a wok or a pan and adding a small portion of oil to cook the food fried.

·         Under cooking- preparing raw or blanching vegetables and meats.

The essential cooking tools and equipment used in Japanese cooking

·         Bamboo Steamer-Bamboo Steamer id use  for steaming Chinese dumplings, steamed banana leaf cups of curried fish mousse and more. This bamboo steamer will help you prepare healthy, low-fat Asian meals in minutes.

·         Strainer Skimmer- use when deep fat frying wontons, egg rolls, and appetizers. Also great for boiling pasta, dumplings, noodles, vegetables or meat.

·         Wooden Spatula- An essential item for all types of kitchen, this wooden spatula is ideal for avoiding unwanted metallic residues in one's cooking.

·         Charcoal Outdoor Stove- For the modern home, it is not only great for BBQ, but also perfect for wok cooking outdoors.

·         Carbon Steel Wok - The round shape of the wok makes it ideal for stir-frying, deep-frying or steaming.

• Agemono nabe: Deep frying pot
• Donabe: Ceramic pot for use on an open flame
• Hangiri: Rice barrel
• Makiyakinabe: Rectangular pan for omelets
• Mushiki and seiro: Steamers
• Otoshi buta: Drop lid
• Rice cooker: Electric appliance for cooking rice