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ABCs of Umami

Essential Japanese Ingredients

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TOFU

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Momen

What is it?

Standard firm tofu

What is it used for?

Sauteed, boiled, fried. Very versatile.

Notes

You usually must press it

Unless you are boiling

Pressing prevents from falling apart during cooking

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Kinu

What is it?

Soft/silken tofu

What is it used for?

Salads and hiyayakko

Notes

Do not press, it will smoosh

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Other types

Shima - very firm good for stir fries
Yakitofu - pre-grilled for sukiyaki
Koyatofu/koritofu - freeze dried
Juten tofu- shelf stable, pasteurized

Ok, so those are the two big types of tofu you’ll see in stores, but here are more of the niche ones. Shima tofu, or island tofu, is a tofu local to okinawa. It’s even firmer than the firm “momen” tofu I mentioned, so if you have cooked with “firm” tofu outside of Japan it might be closer to what you’re used to. Because it’s so firm, it’s great for stir fries because it doesn’t fall apart very easily. (click) Yakitofu is pre-pressed and pre-grilled, so it has a slightly charred taste. It’s commonly used in sukiyaki or any hot pot dish, but you can use it in place of regular firm tofu in many recipes for a smokey taste. (click) Koyatofu or koritofu is freeze dried and therefore shelf stable. It looks incredibly unappetizing in its freeze dried form, and needs to be rehydrated before use (soak it for 5 minutes). Despite being a bit bland, it’s very nutritionally dense, containing seven times the amount of protein and eight times the amount of unsaturated fatty acid. Great bang for your buck. (click) Last is juten tofu. It’s pasteurized, and as a result it has a very long shelf life. You can buy it as shelf stable or refrigerated. Unlike other tofus you’ll find refrigerated, this one is not packaged with water. It’s great benefit is simply how long it takes to expire.

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SAUCES

&

BASES

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Tsuyu

What is it?

A mix of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, a bit of sugar

What is it used for?

Dipping sauce for cold noodles, tempura, gyoza
An excellent soup base for noodles, very rich.

Notes

Mentsuyu is also called hontsuyu for some reason?

Tsuyu is a basic japanese broth base. It is, at its simplest, a combination of dashi and shoyu (soy sauce).Tsuyu comes in several different types with various intents. (click) Tentsuyu is meant for dipping tempura. (click) Mentsuyu is meant for use with noodles, hence “men”. There are then two basic types of mentsuyu: kaketsuyu, which is poured hot over boiled noodles to make noodle soup, and tsuketsuyu, which literally means “dipping soup” and is used as a dip for chilled noodles. I can’t really taste much difference between the various types of tsuyu, but maybe my unrefined American palate just isn’t up to the job. I guess it can’t hurt to buy the one for the thing you intend to use it for, but ultimately I don’t think anyone is going to notice if you use the tempura dipping sauce tentsuyu instead of the noodle dipping sauce tsuketsuyu, or any other combination.

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Tonkatsu sauce

What is it?

Made with tomatoes, dates, apples, lemon juice, onions, and celery

What is it used for?

Dipping sauce
Also good for mixing in with fried noodles, grilled vegetables

Notes

Good sub for takoyaki sauce, yakisoba sauce, okonomiyaki sauce.

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Ponzu sauce

What is it?

Essentially shoyu plus the juice of a citrus fruit, commonly yuzu.

What is it used for?

Dipping sauce for dumplings, steamed veggies, or sushi.
Great with hot pot.

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Mirin

What is it?

A japanese rice wine

What is it used for?

Good for broths, dipping sauces

Notes

Pairs very well with soy sauce
More sugar, less alcohol than sake

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Miso

What is it?

Miso paste is fermented bean soybean

What is it used for?

Make miso soup, marinade meats/fish!
Instant umami for any dish.

Notes

High heat kills the active bacteria in miso, so add it toward the end of cooking.

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Brown

White

Rice Vinegar

What is it?

Brewed using brown rice.

What is it used for?

Great for salad dressing
Add to broths

Notes

Darker = aged longer
More nutrients/amino acids
Much less acidic

What is it?

Brewed using white rice.

What is it used for?

Mix with sushi rice
Acidic, good for pickling vegetables
Dress crunchy vegetables, like cucumbers

Rice vinegar! There are two major types, white and brown. (click) White is acidic and is used to make sushi rice and to pickle vegetables. It’s also used as a simple dressing for crunchy vegetables, like cucumbers! If you’re making bone broth from scratch, just a tablespoon or two of white rice vinegar can help to break down the bones and add protein rich collagen to the broth. (click) Brown rice vinegar is brown because it’s been aged longer. The darker it is, the longer it’s been aged, the stronger the “malty” taste becomes. It makes great salad dressing, and is a delicious and common ingredient for broths. However because it isn’t super acidic like white it does not break down bones, which is fine because the trade off is it actually makes the broth tasty. It’s also much more nutritious than its white counterpart.

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RICE

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Haku-Mai, 白米

What is it?

White rice

What is it used for?

Basic neutral taste to pair with more flavorful items

Notes

Everything has been removed except for the center. Not very nutritious.
Contains soluble fiber

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Gen-Mai, 玄米

What is it?

Brown rice

What is it used for?

Basic neutral taste to pair with more flavorful items

Notes

The germ and the bran are not removed, making it much healthier than white rice.

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Haiga-Mai, 胚芽米

What is it?

Half milled rice. Bran is removed, but most of the germ remains.

What is it used for?

Everything you use white/brown rice for, except sushi!

Notes

The middle ground between white and brown rice.

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Mochi-gome, もち米

What is it?

Glutinous rice
“Sticky rice” or “sweet rice”

What is it used for?

Usually steamed and used to make mochi.

Notes

Extremely dense, very filling.

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Mochi-mugi, もち麦

What is it?

Japanese pearl barley

What is it used for?

Anything you use rice for!

Notes

Very high in fiber

Both soluble and insoluble

Contains gluten

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Zakkoku-Mai, 雑穀米

What is it?

A mix of any rice + grains, seeds, beans, etc.

What is it used for?

Delicious side carb.

Notes

Stores have various blends. You can find it precooked and uncooked.

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Furikake ふりかけ

What is it?

A mix of dried ingredients

What is it used for?

Rice topping/seasoning
Onigiri ingredient

Notes

Many different blends available, try many to see what you like!

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VEGETABLES

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Daikon

What is it?

Japanese radish

What is it used for?

Eat it raw in salads
Grate it on top of tempura
Famously popular oden hot pot ingredient

Notes

Cooking it mellows out the spicy a lot.

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Myoga

What is it?

Japanese ginger

What is it used for?

Common topping for salads, soft tofu, cold noodles.
A flavorful garnish for miso soup

Notes

Legend says overeating causes forgetfulness.

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Yamaimo/Nagaimo

What is it?

Japanese mountain yam

What is it used for?

Serve it hot or cold
Goes with miso soup, soba, rice, and tuna

Notes

Supposedly makes great pancakes?

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Kabu

What is it?

Japanese turnip

What is it used for?

Can be consumed raw or cooked
Commonly used in miso soup, or boiled in hot pot
Great addition if you’re roasting or steaming veggies

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Komatsuna

What is it?

Mustard spinach

What is it used for?

Usually salads and soups
I often cut it into strips and use it for veggie stir fry with onion and carrots.

Not very flavorful on it’s own, but crisps up well if cooked with butter.

Notes

It’s not as bitter as regular spinach

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Konyyaku

What is it?

Made from grinding up the “corm” of the konjac plant

What is it used for?

You can eat it raw, or shred it/slice it and simmer in a broth

Notes

Good for digestion, promotes good gut bacteria

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Nira

What is it?

Garlic chives

What is it used for?

Add to tofu
Mix in with scrambled eggs
Add to soup/broth

Notes

It’ll lose its flavor if cooked too long!

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Hakusai

What is it?

Napa cabbage

What is it used for?

Eat it raw
Often found in gyoza
Good hot pot addition
Cabbage rolls!

Notes

Don’t forget to separate the stem! It’ll cook slower.

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Takenoko

What is it?

Bamboo shoots

What is it used for?

Eat it fresh, dried, or boiled
Add to miso soup
Mix with white rice

Notes

Supposedly pairs well with sake

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Negi

What is it?

Leek

What is it used for?

White: use in soups, hot pots, simmered things. Grate it raw for a spicy garnish in shoyu ramen.
Green: aromatic, good substitute for green onion or scallions.

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MUSHROOMS

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Shiitake

What is it?

Brown capped mushroom

What is it used for?

Stir frying, simmering, grill
I like to add it to fried rice

Notes

Slightly chewy, almost meat like.
Contains similar amino acids to red meat, so good substitute.

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Eryngii

What is it?

Oyster mushroom

What is it used for?

Saute, roast, add to soups
Finely chop and use as ground meat substitute

Notes

You can skewer and roast them whole!

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Shimeji

What is it?

Beech mushroom

What is it used for?

Trim away the base of the cluster, then use them like any other mushroom.

Notes

There are many, many varieties of shimeji!
Low in fat, high in fiber.

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Maitake

What is it?

“Dancing mushroom”
“king mushroom”

What is it used for?

Usual mushroom stuff.

Notes

Excellent source of potassium, fiber, copper, amino acids, phosphorus, vitamins B, C, and D, and essential amino acids.

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My cooking website recommendation:

www.justonecookbook.com

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Thank you!