66
votes
How is sushi supposed to be eaten?
Clean your hands before you eat. Often, you will be given a hot towel for the purpose. Return the towel to the server neatly folded.
It is fine to eat sushi with your hand, as long as there is rice ...
- 58.4k
38
votes
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What exactly is "Japanese" Salt and Pepper?
They may have been trying to describe "salt and Japanese pepper". Japanese pepper is unrelated to black pepper, but closely related to Sichuan pepper; its flavor has been described as "lemony" and it ...
- 26.1k
24
votes
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What is the relationship (if any) between natto and miso paste?
They are completely different. They use different fermentation conditions and different cultures. The result is also totally different in taste and texture, with natto being slimy beans and miso being ...
- 135k
19
votes
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Olive oil in Japanese cooking
Olive oil is not native to Japan and is never used in traditional Japanese cooking. (Yes, olives are now grown in Japan and olive oil is readily available, but so are burgers and pizza.)
Your recipe'...
- 1,416
17
votes
What are Japanese rice seasoning packets called?
I think it's called furikake. Per Wikipedia:
Furikake is a dry Japanese seasoning meant to be sprinkled on top of cooked rice, vegetables, and fish. It typically consists of a mixture of dried fish,...
- 199
16
votes
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My seitan is horrible
Seitan texture troubleshooting
Spongy when simmered
The classic Seitan problem- make a dough and boil it, anyone can do that right? Not with Seitan- either you get it just right or it's inedible. ...
- 326
16
votes
How is sushi supposed to be eaten?
It sounds like you were served sushi rolls as finger food, and if chopsticks are not provided, then you are expected to eat it like the other finger food, with your fingers. There isn't really ...
- 2,710
16
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How is sushi supposed to be eaten?
An info-graphic I found on the topic a little while ago that I believe answers your question quite well:
Source: iLoveCoffee.JP
In terms of etiquette is it alright to eat sushi by hand? If ...
- 331
16
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Japan Pufferfish preparation technique training
You are saying it yourself: since fugu preparation is no place for DIY, you won't find general resources on how to learn to prepare it, because easily available resources would be a prompt for DIY ...
- 955
15
votes
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What are "Honey Bubbles" and how are they made?
You can do this with an air pump, egg white powder and xanthan gum :)
http://www.molecularrecipes.com/culinary-foams-class/bubbles-air-pump/
The “bubbles with air pump” technique consists of ...
- 2,710
14
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What is the bright red ingredient in Japanese chicken curry katsu?
This appears to be a Japanese pickle mixture, made with daikon radish amount other things, called Fukujinzuke (福神漬)
Fukujinzuke is a mixture of Japanese radish (daikon), lotus root, cucumber and ...
- 19k
13
votes
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Are the stems of rehydrated dried Shiitake usable?
If they are so tough that they are unable to be cut, or unpleasant to eat, I use them in stocks and soups (they would have to be removed before serving).
- 73.1k
12
votes
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Meat alternative for tempura?
AFAIK, meat is not really used for Tempura.
Do vegetables. (I assume you already do that).
If you want to do fried battered meats, I would suggest cutting them as small as possible.
Cut the meat ...
- 20.4k
11
votes
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What are Japanese rice seasoning packets called?
I've eaten a few of these before and while it sounds like furikake to someone who hasn't had them, I don't think that's what you're looking for in this case. Furikake is primarily used for seasoning ...
- 256
11
votes
What exactly is "Japanese" Salt and Pepper?
The one I use is Aji-Shio-Kosho. It is a blend of salt, black pepper, and MSG. Here is a link to the specific one I buy on Amazon.
A quick internet search may provide you with more results.
- 18.3k
10
votes
How can I tell if katsuobushi is made from bonito or the real deal?
I suspect that what you have here is a translation issue:
There are a range of fish called "Bonito", which are largely fish from the mackerel family. However, one of the fish also known as ...
- 13.3k
9
votes
Is rice supposed to be eaten with chopsticks?
The Chinese cultural norm is to eat rice with chopsticks. It would be very inconvenient to constantly switch back and forth between eating with chopsticks and a spoon depending upon whether you were ...
- 2,474
9
votes
Olive oil in Japanese cooking
There are olive oils that are produced in Japan and used in Japanese cuisine. It just depends on the flavors you are trying to achieve in a recipe. Sesame oil has a very strong, distinctive flavor. ...
- 73.1k
9
votes
Where did the apples in Japanese Curry come from?
Just to chart how British and Japanese tastes for apple in curry developed:
The first published recipe for curry discovered so far in British recipes is from Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery Made ...
- 516
9
votes
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Why is vinegar not applied to rice used for onigiri like rice for sushi?
Not a Japanese chef, but I do homemade nori rolls and onigiri:
The purpose of the vinegar in sushi rice is to flavor it, not to make it more sticky. If anything, the vinegar makes it less sticky due ...
- 58.7k
9
votes
Culinary purpose of frying pan foil sheet for cooking fish? (not wrapped in foil)
It's a silicone-coated aluminum foil.
It's just something that makes your life easier when cleaning. You could just use a regular non-stick pan to get the same benefits.
There's no "culinary ...
- 20.4k
9
votes
What is the relationship (if any) between natto and miso paste?
Natto is fermented whole soybean product, fermented with Bacillus Natto. To my palate, Natto has a complex flavour. Mostly it's the upfront flavour of the beans. But there is also a strong blue-...
- 635
8
votes
Is rice supposed to be eaten with chopsticks?
In Japanese food, I would say you use chopsticks to eat white rice that comes in a rice bowl. Japanese rice is short/medium grained and sticks together so you can pick up clumps at a time. You also ...
- 567
8
votes
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Can Wild Yam (dioscorea villosa) replace Yamaimo (d. japonica) in japanese cuisine?
I would recommend against using Dioscorea villosa as a substitute for either yamaimo or nagaimo. I would also recommend against using any commercial product coming from Ghana, Mexico, or Indonesia ...
- 516
8
votes
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Where did the apples in Japanese Curry come from?
Curry and apples were both introduced to Japan in the late 19th century. Curry did not receive widespread popularity until the beginning of the 20th century and apples were not introduced to the curry ...
- 426
7
votes
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Choosing a chinese cleaver/chukabocho fit for a cooking enthusiast
Actual traditional japanese knives are even less "all purpose" than european style knives.
The knives referred to in the question are not japanese but chinese in style. They are commonly manufactured,...
- 15.2k
7
votes
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Acceptance of sweet rice dishes in Japan
Mochi is a sticky rice cake that can be served both sweet and savory. Sweetened rice pudding is not an uncommon dessert in Japanese cuisine. I think your original premise, that sweetened rice is ...
- 73.1k
7
votes
If the supermarket farmed salmon says "Not for raw consumption" on the label, can I still use it to make sushi?
Can I still use it for sushi/sashimi?
Assuming you mean the standard raw-fish preparation method, no.
When the label points out clearly not for raw consumption, believe it or not, it's not even worth ...
- 3,581
7
votes
Accepted
Can I mix food grade lye (sodium hydroxide) with water to make kansui?
80% potassium carbonate, 20% sodium bicarbonate at some concentration https://omnivorescookbook.com/kansui is likely to behave very differently than your sodium hydroxide.
Kansui is probably strongly ...
- 11.7k
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