What type of sauce do you need for cooking Japanese food?

Hello

Do you think it is difficult to make Japanese food?

I would say that if you have these ingredients you will be able to be a Japanese master chef.

1. Soy Sauce

2. Cooking Sake

3. Mirin

4. Fish Stock(Dashi)

5. Sugar

6. Miso

7. Sesame oil

I am going to explain about each ingredient

1. Soy Sauce　醤油

I would say that I use Soy Sauce for almost all Japanese food. For Sashimi, Udon/ Soba noodle, Karaage (Fried chicken), Katsu-don etc. These sauces are essential for cooking Asian food. My favorite soy sauce brands are“ KIKKOMAN” https://www.kikkoman.com/en/index.html or “ YAMASA” https://www.yamasa.com/english/

However, just remember that Soy Sauce has sodium.

All cells in our body need sodium for maintaining the fluid balance of cells and tissues, and for nerve signalling. But too much sodium leads to high blood pressure which can be harmful to our health. The Heart Foundation recommends 5g of salt (2000mg sodium) as a daily maximum amount, which is about a teaspoon of Salt and about five teaspoons of Soy Sauce( depending on the type of soy sauce).

I recommend you buy the reduced salt soy sauce. Just ask at the shops if you are unsure if it is reduced salt or not. It does not taste different from regular soy sauce.

2. Cooking Sake　料理酒

You do not have to worry about if Cooking Sake is expensive because it is just for cooking. Do not drink it. I have bought 1L Sake around AU$ 7 at Asian shop It doesn't matter where it comes from, sake from outside of Japan is just as good for cooking. Sake has some functions which are reducing intense game meat taste, making Umami and making meat or fish softer.

3. Mirin みりん

What is Mirin?

It is like a sweet sake. If you do not have Mirin, you can add cooking sake and sugar instead of Mirin.

Why do I use Mirin even though we can use cooking sake and sugar?

Because the sweetness of Mirin is a little bit different from sugar. I would say that the sweetness of Mirin is behind the taste, like… if you eat sweet chocolate cookies, you can taste sugar directly, right? But Mirin is not like that. Taste is not overwhelmingly sweet. You know what I mean?

Anyway, if you don’t bother to buy it, just use cooking sake and sugar.

1 tablespoon of Mirin = 1 tablespoon of cooking sake + 1 teaspoon of sugar

4. Fish Stock (Dashi) だし

Have you ever heard “Dashi” before?

Dashi is a soup which is made from Kombu(kind of seaweed), Karuobushi(bonito flakes) and Niboshi (dry anchovy) or Shiitake mushroom, therefore the taste is rich and makes me feel like home. Dashi takes time to make and the ingredients are not cheap, so I have made it just one time when I was a primary school student.

Fish Stock is a Dashi powder. It takes the trouble out of our cooking. It is a Hero.

My favourite Fish Stock is “Hondashi ほんだし” is product by AJINOMOTO https://www.ajinomoto.com/?scid=pr_ot_pc_cojphead_global

But when I bother to find it, I usually go to DAISO as they have a good variety of fish stocks.

5. Sugar 砂糖

Soy sauce and Miso are typical Japanese ingredients and they are salty as you know. So sugar is essential to reduce the salty taste.

As you know sugar consumption is closely associated with levels of obesity and chronic diseases. When I do not want to add a lot of sugar in my dishes, I usually add Mirin or honey instead.

6. Miso 味噌

Miso is essential for Miso soup.

Miso is a fermented bean and It has rich essential minerals, protein and Vitamin therefore it has some benefits for our body. Some Japanese researchers said that Miso could reduce the risk of cancer, reduce risk of chronic diseases, reduce cholesterol, anti-aging, effect for white skin etc.

There are a lot of types of Miso and it depends on the area of Japan. Sweet or salty, white, red or yellow. I am not sure which type of Miso I usually buy but I do not think you will find a lot of types of Miso in Australia. So do not worry about it. Just get it! If you don't frequently use it, it keeps well in the freezer.

7. Sesame Oil ごま油

I love the smell of Sesame Oil. It can bring out extra taste in dishes.

Sesame Oil has OMEGA-6 fatty acids which is a type of unsaturated acid. Our body cannot produce that type of fatty acids, so we need to obtain them from food. These fats are primarily used for energy and reduce cholesterol. However, the ratio of OMEGA-6 to OMEGA-3 is important for our body but it is said that people consume OMEGA-6 more than recommended. Because margarine, vegetable oil and processed foods also contain OMEGA-6 and people do not think about what type of oil we are eating.

I only recently found out about this, so please use sesame oil in moderation.

Anyway, these sauces make the taste of Japan.

Thank you for reading and see you soon.

Natsuki