What's the use of onions in teriyaki sauce?

Question

I make my own Teriyaki sauce. Soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, olive oil and onion. Normally, after marinating, I dry the piece I'm going to sauté and remove the onion.

Does the onion add flavour to the sauce? Does the onion have an effect on the meat that's marinating?

Or can I leave out the onion?

Asked by BaffledCook

Answer

Soy sauce, sake or mirin and sugar are the usual ingredients in a teriyaki sauce. The rice wines in particular are vital for an authentic teriyaki flavour.

So the question is somewhat moot: onions aren't usually found in teriyaki sauce anyway. The onions naturally add flavour to your marinade: if you like it, leave them in, if you don't, take them out. The onions won't have any major chemical effect on the marination process.

Personally I would ditch the olive oil, replace it with toasted sesame oil and add garlic and ginger for a more rounded and authentically flavoured East Asian marinade.

Answered by ElendilTheTall

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How do I stop onigiri from falling apart?

Question

I'm experimenting with Japanese cooking, and I can't seem to get the hang of making rice shapes.

I want to make an onigiri rice triangle with a filling. The theory is simple enough: make rice and let cool, take rice in hand, dig a small crater, place filling in crater, fold around the filling and shape in to a triangle. In practice, I must be missing something, because it simply falls apart. I'm not sure if this is the technique of folding, shaping, or even cooking the rice.

Asked by Carmi

Answer

Things to try

• Rice should still be warm
• Handle rice gently, don't squeeze it

Does it fall apart because it is sticking to your hands? If so:

• Use warm salt water on your hands (not dripping wet hands though)
• Rinse the rice more before cooking to remove excess surface starches. The process is: Rinse in bowl of water, gently tumble, let stand 20 minutes, change water. Repeat until rinse water runs clear

If this still fails to solve this sticky issue, you can use cling film (plastic wrap) as a guide and release agent on your hands. Peel the plastic off as you wrap the nori on

Answered by TFD

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Where can I buy Glico Curry online in the United States?

Question

My wife and I brought back a box of Glico Medium Curry that we purchased on our trip to Canada this past year. I think we bought it at the Daiso store in Vancouver. After trying it for the first time just recently, we both fell in love with it and now can't imagine not having it occasionally. Unfortunately, I can't find anywhere to purchase it, either locally, or online. There are many other brands of Japanese Curry that are available online, but I'm afraid they might not taste the same as the one we had from Glico. Is there somewhere where I can buy this product online, or would any of the other brands that I could get locally be any bit similar? (Such as Vermont Curry, or S&B Golden Curry?) I live in Arkansas.

Thank you!

Asked by dotnetengineer

Answer

Wow, this is hard to find. I know I've seen it in some asian grocery stores, but none of the online groceries that I could find seem to list it, even the venerable H-Mart. No Amazon sellers (usually a good source for odd groceries) right now, either.

Fortunately I found one source for you, eBay seller "hirokojapan" has a persistent listing for Glico Curry Sauce, $5.99 each, $3.95 shipping to the US from Osaka, JP. You select the flavor you want, from Curry, Curry Sweet, Curry Hot, Stew or Rice.

The individual listing link will expire eventually, but future readers can look up the seller directly and see if they are listing a similar item (or message them with a request).

Answered by Sam Ley

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What type of vegetable oil should I use for tempura?

Question

If I want to make a really superior vegetable or seafood tempura, what kind of oil should I use, and what temperature should I heat it to?

I've been using refined peanut oil (Lion & Globe brand) and heating it to around 375F. However, the results haven't been as good as I'd like them to be. Would using a different type of oil help?

Asked by FuzzyChef

Answer

Peanut oil is good although it is not a cooking oil that is used a lot in Japan. I have never seen or tasted tempura fried in sesame oil. Traditionally, sesame oil is used in small quantities for flavouring and aroma, not usually for deep frying. However, hooray for experimentation! As long as the final product tastes good. As mentioned, most any oil that can be used for deep frying is acceptable for tempura. I prefer corn or canola oil. It is best to use a thermometer to keep your temperature consistent at around 350° F (not more than 360° F) which will help keep your tempura the same colour and crispness. It's also important to keep your batter cold (use cold water and refrigerate) so that the batter doesn't absorb too much oil and stays crispy. The batter should be a little runny (can be a little lumpy; do not overmix) and shouldn't overly coat the vegetable/seafood. Japanese chefs use their hands to coat the vegetable/seafood in the batter and then into the oil so they can work more quickly. Once they put the tempura into the oil, they sometimes take some batter and splash it onto the tempura in the fryer to give the pieces a "flakier" appearance.

Answered by JapaChef

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How to dress sushi to better enhance all its flavours?

Question

I would like to know what is the better way to dress sushi and sashimi. What I am looking for is how it was thought to be eaten and what are the ways a sushi piece is supposed to be dressed with soy sauce and wasabi to obtain a balanced taste!

Answer

I remain extremely skeptical that there is a right or wrong way to dress, pick up, eat, or otherwise deal with sushi. A Google search for "is there a right way to eat sushi" turns up hundreds of pages, many with contradictory information.

If there is a "right" way, it's most certainly dictated by the locale or restaurant you're in or the people you're with. My advice is to do whatever you want, particularly if you're paying for the meal. If you're a guest, follow the lead of your hosts. But don't sweat it. Enjoy it!

---

UPDATE since the original question has been edited...

what is the better way to dress sushi and sashimi.

"Better" is still difficult to define for everyone, and will vary by each person's taste. Something that "enhances" flavors for me may be completely unacceptable to you, and vice-versa. There's no accounting for taste! But since you made an effort to clarify your question, I am updating my answer accordingly.

1. Sometimes the "better" dressing is none at all. This is particularly true for Unagi or others that have some kind of sauce already applied (though I know some people who dip Unagi in soy sauce and claim it is great). I have a daughter with soy allergy, so she cannot use soy sauce at all and doesn't like wasabi. She enjoys eating salmon and tuna nigiri pieces completely plain. I've tried it myself, and with good, fresh fish it is really good.

2. I have heard of people dipping the pickled ginger in the soy sauce and using that as a kind of "brush" to gently apply soy sauce to the topping. That may be "better" if you are adept with chopsticks and enjoy pickled ginger along with soy.

3. Some people dip only the topping into the soy sauce, to avoid getting the rice saturated. This is a little easier to do if you use your fingers to pick up the sushi pieces (and according to some accounts this is perfectly acceptable for sushi) (but not sashimi).

4. Some people mix wasabi (sometimes, copious amounts) in with the soy sauce and dip the sushi into that mixture. Some suggest that soy + wasabi should be reserved for sashimi only.

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Mushy sushi surimi texture?

Question

I've noticed a difference between most places when I go out for sushi compared to when I make it myself.

The crab sticks / surimi in maki rolls when I go out seem to have a much more mushy texture - however, I haven't found much information on what to do differently to achieve this.

Could it be that they chop it up and mix it with mayo or something?

Answer

You can kind of knead them a little with your hand. Just roll them on the board to break up the "fibers"

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How to prepare shirataki noodles to more closely resemble classic pasta?

Question

I've tried shirataki in spaghetti with meat sauce but the noodles' texture and flavor didn't fit with the sauce very well. Perhaps there's a way to make it work that I'm not aware of?

I'd like to figure out how to prep and use shirataki noodles so that they take on a texture of classic pasta which would open many culinary possibilities. Any hints and ideas?

Answer

After a bunch of Googling and reading I found that there are several ways to improve the noodles:

• Rinse and drain them very, very well
• Boil them for an extended amount of time to reduce the crunch
• Dry them out in a pan (they'll shrivel a bit) before adding them to recipes where they either remain crunchy (in dryer dishes) or absorb sauce and flavor (saucier dishes)

Here are some my sources:

• Shrimp Scampi
• List with many recipes
• Various suggestions

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What to do with mochi…this version is white, hard and puck-like in shape?

Question

My mother-in-law gave us some mochi that she received as a gift. It's actually the size of a small hockey puck, white and pretty hard. (I've only encountered soft mochi in this shape and generally they had some sort of filling). The only other time that I've seen hard mochi is once when I bought frozen mochi from the store (sold as one solid rectangular block, about 1/2" high). With this frozen mochi, they suggested baking it. When baked, it browned on the outside and puffed up a little bit.

Has anyone ever seen the white mochi pucks that I've described? How do you eat it? I'm going to attempt to steam one and try to bake another to test. Is this the proper way to cook this type of mochi?

Answer

I'm Chinese and my mom's made something similar as well. I can't recall the name, but we've had it two ways:

Boiled in a soup, usually with a saltier broth, as the large 'mochi' block tends to be flavorless, it serves to balance what might otherwise be an overly salty dish.

Pan fried or deep fried, this method will make it puff up more like your link says. I've usually had it this way sweet. We only sprinkled on white sugar after frying, but now I realize there are several things you could do to add more complexity...sprinkle with sugar and brulee with a torch for extra texture, top with fruit and condensed milk, or serve it alongside ice cream instead of the traditional western pastry/pie.

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Which Type of Japanese Green Tea Has the Highest Amount of Caffeine?

Question

I am trying to find the best pick-me-up Japanese green tea and was wondering which type was the best to get from the assortment of Sencha, Gyokuro, Kabusecha, Bancha, etc.

Answer

From what I've read, caffeine content can be variable even within varieties. There are possibly seasonal variations, variations in harvesting and processing technique, variations in the original plants... Psychological effects (e.g. what smells perky to you) might be just as strong, and steeping for 10 minutes instead of 5 might make as much difference as any choice of variant. So take any answer with a grain of salt, and don't be afraid to simply go with what seems to subjectively work best for you.

That said, gyokuro is supposed to be stronger than other sencha teas, and I believe compared to other Japanese green teas as well. (I found similar information elsewhere; it's not just wikipedia.)

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Udon soup seasoning

Question

What is the name of the seasoning traditionally available for the diner to add to their Udon soup and what is in it?

I'm referring to the (I think) mix of spices that add a bit of a kick to the soup. I've seen this provided as an accompaniment to Udon in Los Angeles and Japan, but I can't remember what it is.

Answer

I think it's a Seven Spice Powder (Shichimi Togarashi) that may vary somewhat depending on where you are; It's something like this. Probably available at most asian grocery stores or on Amazon.

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What is the “grated yam” in okonomiyaki?

Question

Wikipedia lists "grated yam" as an ingredient of okonomiyaki. Is it a particular type of yam? Can it be purchased outside of Japan?

== More Info ==
As Mein suggested, I did some more searching on Wikipedia and the internets.

The "yam" in question is Dioscorea opposita or Japanese mountain yam. In Japanese it is known as yamaimo (kanji: 山芋; hiragana: やまいも).

Unlike other yam varieties, dioscorea opposita doesn't need to be cooked before consumption. (Most yams contain harmful substances in their raw state.) The dioscorea opposita still contains "oxalate crystals" in the skin which can irritate the skin.

Image copied from wikipedia

This video shows the yam being grated. I've seen this yam grated before and the grated result was very slimy and gooey.

The grater used for yamaimo is different to western style graters. Oroshigane graters have small spikes on the grating surface.

There may be more than one variety of Japanese mountain yam. I saw a reference (now lost) to a variety with dark skin.

Answer

It's "a slimy potato" - http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_opposita. It might be available in Asian grocery stores.

You could probably get by without it. Okonomiyaki translates literally as "cook as you like it". It's a savory pancake-like batter, to which is added whatever you want; often whatever you happen to have lying around the kitchen. Much like an omelette, okonomiyaki is a pretty free form thing.

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Mysterious Disintegrating Udon noodles

Question

A few weeks ago, I had a very strange experience making udon noodles. Almost instantly after adding the dried noodles to boiling water, and giving a slight stir, they began to break apart. After a few minutes, there was not a single piece longer than one inch. They didn't taste much like udon either, as they were not in the least bit plump or firm.

This was a different brand than I've used before, and they were labeled "organic". We assumed they were just bad noodles (they tasted somewhat of soggy cardboard), and threw them out.

Last night, I was trying to make udon once again, from a different pack (of a different brand). The same thing happened: noodles broke up, and tasted bland and mushy. The only thing this brand had in common with the previous pack is that they are both labeled "organic", and they were both in a cabinet for several months. One brand was American, but the other label was mostly in Korean. Also, I think my wife bought both of these packages, whereas I've always bought them before.

So, my multipart question is:

1. Has anyone had this happen with any kind of noodle before? Any explanation?
2. Is there some difference in "organic" udon that makes it do this? Some additive that is omitted? I don't have another package in front of me right now to compare, but my two failed packages only contain wheat flour and salt. How could that be wrong?
3. Could the age of the noodles caused this? I've never seen old spaghetti noodles fall apart like this...
4. Should my wife be banned from buying udon noodles?

Answer

Organic merely tells you that the wheat that was grown, was grown in a more environmentally friendly way, ie. without the aid of pesticides. That on its own will have no effect on noodle stability.

They may be poor quality noodles, have gluten level issues, are they also wholewheat, do your regular udon have some form of strengthening additive like with ramen? Many noodles have kansui added, or whatever passes for that chemically (sodium carbonate) added to strengthen the dough. Of course it may not have been kneaded enough, too old, too dry.

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What is the difference between "Mongolian Grill" and "Hibachi"?

Question

For years I have been frequenting Chinese restaurants that feature "Mongolian Grill" (or Mongolian BBQ depending on the location). Recently I tried a new place that had (what they called) "Hibachi", which looked very similar, and I originally mistook for 'the same'. When I inquired about the Mongolian grill I was informed that there is a difference. While the host went on about what those differences are I am afraid that the subtleties were "lost in translation".

Can someone clarify for me what the differences are?

Answer

Hibachi are technically a traditional Japanese device used for heating one's house. They are a basic, heat-proof container that holds charcoal.

The cooking devices that many people refer to as "hibachi" are what the Japanese would call "shichirin":

I'm guessing that the term "hibachi" was popularized in North America because "shichirin" can be hard to pronounce for Anglophones.

Somewhere along the way, primarily in North America, the term "hibachi" also started to be used to refer to teppanyaki:

I'm not sure when or why this started; perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Banihana confusingly refers to their teppanyaki restaurants as "hibachi-style".

Among these, teppanyaki is most similar to Mongolian barbecue, in which meat is cooked on large, round, cast iron griddles:

(Images taken from Wikipedia.)

If you were to actually go to a Japanese restaurant and cook your own food over a shichirin, it would likely be referred to as "yakiniku", which is believed to have some origins in Korean barbecue.

Whereas teppanyaki has been a traditional Japanese cooking method for a long time, "Mongolian barbecue" was developed in the 1970s in Taipei, Taiwan. During that time, Japanese Teppanyaki was very popular in Taiwan, so many people speculate that was actually the inspiration for Mongolian barbecue. There are also some similarities between the Japanese dish "jingisukan" and Mongolian barbecue, however, jingisukan predates Mongolian barbecue.

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How do I make the panko bread stick to my egg-coated chicken?

Question

I am trying to do a pan-fried schnitzel with chicken breast coated in a mix of eggs, salt, pepper, some ketchup, a bit of olive-oil and sweet paprika.

Once I coat the chicken in the egg mix, I try to cover it with panko bread, but for some reason it doesn't stick and leaves tiny holes once it's pan-fried.

Some say I should coat the chicken with flour prior to the egg, but I'm not convinced that would do the trick.

Someone care to explain what to do?

Answer

Panko won't stick to chicken (too dry), but will stick to egg. Egg won't stick to chicken (too smooth and non-absorbant), but will stick to flour. Flour will stick to chicken. Dredge first through flour, then through (well beaten) egg, then through panko. It's a tricky combination, but if you do it right the results are excellent. Any dry spices you want to put in can go in the flour. While I don't know for sure, I would certainly wouldn't include any oils in the coating, as none of flour/egg/panko will stick to oils.

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Can one tell the different sources of dashi by taste?

Question

Dashi can be made from several sources, including bonito, kombu and shiitake mushroom being the most common ones. (I've been to one Japanese resturant where their udon broth is made of white button mushroom.)

I understand that the main taste of dashi is umami (glutamic acid and inosinic acid). Aside from umami, is it possible to taste the difference? Would it be possible to teach someone to tell the source by tasting? Also, will the different sources cause different types of allergies?

For this question, let's suppose the dashi had been used as the broth for a plain Udon - no other ingredients, just the Udon and the dashi.

(I'm asking this question from the perspective of a diner, so maybe my question is not suitable for this site. If this is the case, I apologize and close this question.)

Thanks.

Answer

Sure, it's really not that difficult if you've actually tasted several kinds of dashi-jiru. It's more a matter of experience. There is decidedly a flavor to each category of dashi; it's not just "umami" or you would be able to get away with just throwing in a bunch of MSG into a bowl of water. But the flavor is mostly from aroma, like with other types of soup stock, since you haven't added any of the basic "tastes" other than the kombu and occasionally residual salt from the dried fish at the point the dashi is made.

At home, I often make a vegetarian one with kelp and porcini, sometimes with added cabbage; this the closest I've been able to come to the katsuo-dashi taste without actually using fish ingredients. It's a variation of a more standard Japanese kombu-dashi that's made with kombu and sometimes dried shiitake, but works for a broader range of dishes than the shiitake or minimalist kombu-dashi.

In practice, the main categories of dashi are these:

• Katsuo-dashi: Made with dried, cured skipjack tuna (aka bonito), and shaved. It has a slightly bitter taste. It is best made with the addition dried kombu. Tastes richer with either thicker shavings of katsuo-bushi or just-before-cooking shaving, when possible.
• Niboshi-dashi: Made with small dried whole fish (sometimes with heads removed, sometimes not, depending on the type of fish). Generally has a more pungent, richer flavor. There are several potential kinds of fish used and there was once substantial regional variation in this category, so the taste can vary quite a bit depending on the exact fish variety and how the fish was cured.
• Kombu-dashi: Made just with kombu, usually for adding a little bit of aroma and complexity to simple dishes, but rarely for soups, except for nabemono, where you'd typically have additional seafood or meats in the hot-pot. (I usually lump kombu-shiitake or kombu-porcini dashi in this category, but for no particular reason).
• Tori-dashi or gara-dashi: Made with chicken or other fowl bones. Except for fact that mirepoix isn't usually in the Japanese equivalent of this, so you won't have the celery base,
• Ton-kotsu-dashi, made with pork bones. Generally pretty hearty and full of fat.

Dashi is the analog to a soup stock, so it generally does not have added salt. Accordingly, you won't serve a straight dashi with an udon; you'd turn it into a broth, generally called "kakejiru". This will contain added salt, shoyu, and usually some combination of sugar, sake and/or mirin.

Before you put salt in it, you'll mostly "smell" a difference. After that, you can certainly at least distinguish between katsuo and kombu dashi, and with a little practice, you can distinguish between niboshi-dashi and katsuo-dashi. For me, the difference between katsuo-dashi and the instant "hon-dashi" is usually not subtle; the hon-dashi is a bit aggressive and harsh to my taste, but not everyone feels that way. (For what it's worth, I'm as close as practical to being a vegetarian for someone who regularly dines out in Japan). Tonkotsu-dashi and tori-dashi are somewhat rarely used in home cooking (though there are some exceptions in west Japan and Okinawa), but the taste difference is pretty obvious.

I actually tend to prefer niboshi-dashi over katsuo-dashi, but it depends on the type of fish. There's a dried sardine from Korea that I find a little harder to stomach when used in dashi.

I can't speak to allergies, but I suppose it's possible that different types of fish may cause some people to react differently. I suppose you'd have to ask an allergist.

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How do I make spicy mayonnaise like Japanese restaurants use for sushi?

Question

I've tried mixing mayonnaise and hot sauce together and it didn't taste right at all. Any Suggestions?

Answer

Japanese spicy mayo is made with Kewpie mayo and Shichimi Togaroshi. You really just mix them to taste.

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