Japanese Rice

Rice is the staple food for the Japanese. Japanese rice is of the Japonica type, which is a white, short, wide grain rice with a starchy texture when cooked. Japanese rice when prepared properly tends to be slightly sticky with the grains clumping together, but it should never be mushy.

How to Prepare Japanese Rice

Ingredients

• 4 cups short grain rice
• 4 cups water
• extra water

Method

1. Place 4 cups of the rice into a bowl that holds twice the volume of rice.
2. Pour water into the bowl until it just covers the rice. Holding the bowl carefully with one hand, stir the rice briskly for 10-15 seconds with the other hand.
3. Carefully tip the milky water out, covering rice with one hand.
4. Repeat for a second and third time until the water runs clear.
5. Drain rice in a fine mesh sieve and leave for 30 minutes if you have time.
6. Place the rice and 4 cups of water into a saucepan.
7. Bring to the boil with the lid on and then simmer for 14 minutes.
8. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to rest with lid on for 5-10 minutes.
9. Before serving, gently turn the rice over with a moistened rice paddle to allow excess moisture to escape as steam.

Note: When you have left over rice, keep it in the freezer, wrapped with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

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Japanese Meals

A typical Japanese meal consists of rice, soup, a main dish and two or more side dishes. The dishes are served in individual small bowls or on plates and eaten with chopsticks. Soup is served together with all the other dishes rather than as a starter as in Western-style dining. Desserts are sometimes served, but usually just consist of some fruit, which is eaten after the meal. Green Tea is usually drunk throughout the meal, but beer and sake are also enjoyed together with the meal.


The Traditional Japanese Meal or Banquet

Japanese Cooking

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Japanese Cooking at Home by Hideo Dekura

Japanese Cooking at Home by Hideo Dekura makes creating Japanese food easy. Japanese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest diets in the world. This book has step by step instructions and clear recipes for creating authentic Japanese food at home. Choose from modern or traditional Japanese recipes with each meal stunning to look at, nutritious and very tasty. It features traditional Japanese dishes including tempura, teriyaki beef, sushi, sashimi, miso soup and daikon salad.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Japanese Cooking at Home

Cooking Japanese Food

Japanese Food and diet is one of the healthiest in the world. The Japanese Cooking technique is to preserve and enhance the natural flavour of ingredients. Their respect for using ingredients in season means produce is fresh and full of flavour.

Most large supermarkets will have either an Asian section or International section where you can buy specialty Japanese items.

Read about the Essential Japanese Pantry Ingredients here

Asian Supermarkets are also great because they stock a large range of authentic ingredients that can be hard to find.

Some of my favourite Easy to Cook Japanese Food at home is

Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Pork Cutlet)

Gyudon (Beef Bowl)

Tempura

Yakitori Chicken

Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Miso Soup

Nikujyaga (Meat & Potatoes)

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Pork Cutlet)

This month`s Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe is Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Pork Cutlet)

The idea for this recipe originated in the West, but has become a famous Japanese dish like Tempura. Tonkatsu is one of the most popular meat dishes in Japan. It is a popular “set” meal at Japanese restaurants and usually consists of a deep fried breaded pork cutlet on a bed of cabbage, a bowl of steamed rice, a bowl of soup and a side dish of pickles and costs ￥800 - ￥1200 (AUD $8-$12).

Here is the Recipe for 4 servings

Sushi Rice

Sushi Rice is made with white short grain Japanese rice, which has a consistency that differs from long-grain rice. The essential quality is its stickiness or glutinousness.


Below is a step by step Recipe to make Traditional Japanese Sushi Rice

The Complete Asian Cookbook

The Complete Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon is the perfect introduction to the food of Asia. With over 800 recipes from 16 countries, clearly presented in step-by-step instructions. This cookbook is about real Asian food, created with a minimum of fuss in a Western kitchen from readily available ingredients.

The great thing about this book is that it`s got all the Asian basics in it with things like green chicken curry and satays. The Complete Asian Cookbook teaches you how to put the flavours together without giving you a list of 30 ingredients. Some of the cuisines highlighted in the book include Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, India, Pakistan and many more.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Onigiri (Rice Ball)

This month`s Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe is Onigiri or Japanese rice ball.

Onigiri is a popular snack food or takeaway option for a quick meal. It is kind of like the sandwich in the West.


Ingredients
• 5 cups hot cooked Japanese style short-grain rice
• 4 sheets dried nori seaweed

For the Filling
• dried bonito flakes (moistened in soy sauce)
• salted salmon grilled
• umeboshi (pickled plums)
• 2 Tbsp black sesame seeds toasted

Method

1. Wash and cook the rice. Onigiri is made while the rice is still hot.
2. Slightly toast the nori sheets and cut sheets crosswise into 1-inch widths.
3. Toast the black sesame seeds in a dry frying pan.
4. Prepare your different fillings
     - the salted salmon should be broken up into small pieces
     - pit the umeboshi (pickled plums)
5. Form the triangles – When handling the hot rice, keep your hands moistened with salty water to season the rice slightly and keep it from sticking to your hands.
6. Place a handful of rice (about ½ cup) across the bent fingers of your left hand. Make an indentation in the rice and tuck in about a tsp of one of the fillings (Salmon. Plum, or Bonito flakes).
7. Use your index finger, middle finger, and thumb to mold the triangular shape.
8. Set the rice triangles down on their bases and cover each with a strip of nori seaweed.
9. Sprinkle one or both ends with the sesame seeds.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Green Tea Antioxidant Wonder

Green Tea is the antioxidant wonder. Japan and Asian cultures have long appreciated and used the health benefits of green tea. Western cultures are only now beginning to recognize the health preserving benefits of green tea. Researches now know that green tea is a powerful antioxidant with compounds that can shield you from many harmful diseases including cancer and heart disease. It is now known that green tea improves cardiovascular health, reduces the risk of cancer and helps with weight loss.

Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea, but is harvested at a younger age. It is consumed fresh, rather than roasted like black tea. Green tea is thus less processed and retains more of its nutrients and antioxidants than black tea.

Japanese Miso

Miso is a paste from Japan made from crushed soybeans, barley, rice or wheat and a mold known as koji. Miso is fermented anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. The most common types of miso are red, white, barley and soybean. Miso was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks in the 7th century, and has several well known health benefits.

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Gyudon (Beef Bowl)

This month`s Easy Japanese Cooking recipe is Gyudon or Beef Bowl.

It is a very popular item served by some of Japan`s fast food restaurants and is easy to make at home.

Preparation Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 7-8 mins
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
• 6-8 cups hot cooked rice
• 225g thinly sliced beef
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger juice

Sauce:
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/3 cup mirin

Method

1. Boil plain white rice
2. In a large frying pan, heat vegetable oil over a high heat
3. Cook the onion for a few minutes until soft
4. Add the beef slices and cook for another minute or until the meat is no longer red
5. Mix the ingredients for the sauce together and add sauce to pan
6. Continue to cook for another minute and then remove from heat
7. Stir in the ginger juice
8. To serve, put portions of hot rice 1.5 to 2 cups per serve into individual donburi bowls and cover with cooked beef and onions.

In Japan, a lot of people like to eat their gyudon with pickled ginger and top it with a lightly beaten raw egg mixed into the rice.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

This Infographic is designed by Jack Thompson from BroBBQ

The Traditional Japanese Meal or Banquet

The traditional Japanese meal or banquet is divided into consecutive courses according to the method of preparation. For example, a grilled dish comes before a steamed dish, and a steamed dish before simmered foods, and so on. The bare minimum of the meal consists of miso soup, rice and pickles (tsukemono).

The Japanese meal is a symphony of flavour, colour, texture and seasonal produce. It is fresh and prepared so that the foods natural flavour is enhanced. The traditional basic formula of a Japanese meal is “soup and three”. That is soup and three main dishes as follows:

1. Fresh, uncooked fish (sashimi)
2. A grilled dish (yakimono)
3. A simmered dish (nimono)

These dishes will be followed by boiled rice, pickles, tea and fresh fruit as dessert.

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Hiyayakko Japanese Chilled Tofu

This month`s Easy Japanese Cooking recipe is Hiyayakko Japanese Chilled Tofu

Chilled tofu is called Hiyayakko in Japan and is the most popular tofu dish. All you need to do is place toppings on top of chilled tofu and it`s a great appetizer to serve during the warmer summer months.

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Yakitori Chicken

This month`s Easy Japanese Cooking recipe is Japanese Yakitori Chicken

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins








Ingredients

• 1kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3cm pieces
• 8 green onions, cut into 3cm lengths
• ¾ cup dark soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons cooking saki
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• bamboo skewers
• steamed rice, to serve

Method

1. Soak skewers in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain.
2. Combine soy sauce, saki, mirin and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Allow to cool completely.
3. Thread chicken and onions onto skewers. Place onto a plate. Brush with sauce.
4. Preheat grill on medium-high heat until hot. Grill skewers, basting with sauce, for 6 to 8 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with rice.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Vegetable Tempura

This month's Easy Japanese Cooking recipe is Japanese Vegetable Tempura

Preparation Time: 25 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

1 cup self-raising flour
2 tbsp cornflour
1 ½ cups iced water
½ tsp salt
Extra self-raising flour for coating

1. Combine flour, cornflour and iced water and whisk to a slightly lumpy batter. Add more water if you want a slightly thinner batter but authentic Japanese tempura is slightly lump.

2. Place extra flour and vegetables into a plastic bag and shake to coat vegetables.

3. Dip vegetables in batter.

4. Heat oil until a faint haze appears and cook vegetables in batches until batter crisps.

5. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with a low sodium soy sauce and pickled ginger.

In Japan we use tempura batter with vegetables like onion, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, shitake mushrooms, green pepper and carrot. It also works great with prawns and white fish.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Essential Japanese and Asian Sauces for your Pantry

The key to Japanese and Asian cooking is using the right ingredients. The following are the essential sauces needed for your pantry to make Japanese and Asian food.

1. Kikkoman Soy Sauce: Soy Sauce comes in both normal and light varieties. Light soy is best for vegetable dishes or noodles. Darker soy is best for dipping sauces. Try dark soy with a little minced ginger or chopped red chilli for a great dipping suace.

2. Mizkhan Mirin: Japanese cooking rice wine. Is used extensively in hotpots such as nikujyaga, nimono and teriyaki.

3. Mizkhan Rice Vinegar: This is a sushi rice essential. It can also be used to make ponzu sauce by adding soy, cooking sake and a bit of dashi.

4. Yeo`s Pure Sesame Oil: The nutty roasted flavour is the secret to great Asian Cooking. Sprinkle a little in soups, broths, stir-fries, meat dishes and noodles or add to dumpling fillings. It is also great in salad dressings and marinades.

5. Kewpie Mayonnaise: This iconic Japanese mayonnaise with its extra-creamy rich flavour is a household favourite in Japan and is now sold in most western supermarkets. It is perfect with sushi, seafood or chicken.

6. ABC Chilli Sauce: This Indonesian chilli sauce is a distinctive blend of chillies, garlic and sugar. It is a great all-rounder. Try it with grilled seafood, as a glaze for roast chicken , in fried rice and noodles, or o its own as a dipping sauce.

7. Lee Kum Kee Panda Oyster Sauce: Lee Kum Kee invented Oyster sauce in 1888, and its Panda brand is renowned for its great taste, smooth texture and appetising aroma. Use this classic sauce as a marinade, in stir fries, or as an everyday dipping sauce.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

This month's Easy Japanese Cooking recipe is Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Miso Soup

This month's Easy Japanese Cooking recipe is Miso Soup

Basic Japanese Cooking (Pantry Essentials)

Basic Japanese Cooking (Pantry Essentials)
The key to Japanese cooking is using the right ingredients. It is best to use Japanese ingredients. They can be made in Singapore or Hong Kong but Japanese style is best or the flavours will not be quite right. The following are the essential pantry ingredients needed to make Japanese food.

Basic Japanese Cooking (Japanese Food)

Most people know Japanese food as sushi which is now commonly available in Australia, but sushi is really just a takeaway food. Japan has hundreds of different ways of cooking and food. At the heart of most meals are three basic bowls: rice, soup and a main dish (usually grilled fish, or a hotpot, tempura or teriyaki). Japan cooking uses flavours that are mostly light and clean. Soup is essential and most Japanese believe the key to the healthy nature of their diet. A basic miso soup can be made from instant dashi stock. I will go further into the basic staples of Japanese cooking in my next post. Armed with a few basic recipes and a few pantry staples, it`s very easy to include Japanese food in your repertoire. Happy Cooking!!

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!