Day 2.
I walk in knowing from the syllabus that we're covering the basics of Japanese cuisine today. I made sure to leave as much of my preconceived notions as I could at home, since we're covering things that any person who grew up in Japan knows at least something about. Wanting to get the most out of the course, and to learn a specific "philosophy," I chose to go in and forget that I know these things.
6 Flavors:
There are six basic flavoring ingredients in Japanese cuisine.
Sake, Mirin, Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Soy Sauce
I'm not going into any real details on any one of these ingredients, since each one of them can and have merited entire treatises on them. I will just go into the basics that I think should be mentioned, and that were imparted to me.
Sake:
Sake is brewed from Rice and Rice Mold, and left to ferment for a period of 30-90 days depending on the method being used. Regardless, it falls under the category of "soft liquor" since the alcohol content is usually between 16 and 18%.
Junmai Shu is made of only rice and mold, and is considered more refined. Because of the natural state it is in, it needs to be fermented for 80-90 days.
Jozo Shu is made of the same ingredients as above, but alcohol is added to the fermentation tank to speed the process. The sake made this way is ready in 30-40 days.
Most mass produced sake, thus is Jozo Shu, since it can be made more quickly. When drinking sake, Jozo Shu types (e.g. Sho Chiku Bai, Gekkeikan, Ozeki, and other popular brands), heat the sake to let the artificial alcohol to "burn off." Junmai Shu, on the other hand, can be tasted at room temperature.
Mirin:
Mirin is brewed the exactly same way as sake is, but instead of regular rice, sweet/mochi rice is used. The higher starch content in the rice makes a rather sweet liquor. Mirin is almost used exclusively for cooking and is rarely drunk. Like sake, there is a Jozo and Junmai distinction.
Vinegar:
Japanese vinegar is rice vinegar. Originally (and still today, although rarer), it was made from fermenting sake lees left from liquor making procedures. Most often, rice and mold are combined and a starter culture of acetobacter is added to convert the alcohol into vingegar.
Rice vinegar tends to be milder than white vinegar, and is not as sharp as some other vinegars.
Sugar:
Cane sugar that we're used to in the US and Europe is 30% sweeter than Japanese sugar, meaning that Japanese recipes giving measurements of sugar are harder to adjust. Side Note: So is THAT why the ubiquitous Teriyaki Chicken in a Japanese-American restaurant is so darn sweet? Just food for thought.
Salt:
Knowing the different sodium levels of salt is an important factor in cooking healthy food for your customers. Also, depending on where a salt comes from, it the mineral components differ and may contribute to a change in flavor.
Table salt: 99.98% Sodium. While cheap, there is no benefit from using this salt, since it is just sodium, and has a sharp flavor, from the iodine being added in.
Kosher salt: 99.8% Salt. Larger flakes means that less actual salt is needed when used as a table side condiment.
Sea Salt: 98% Sodium. The almost 2% difference between table and sea salts may seem small, but on the palate, it does make a difference. Also, the added minerals in sea salt makes it more "flavorful." Depending on where the salt comes from, these minerals may be different, and will give the salt a different color and or flavor.
Soy Sauce/ Shoyu:
There are four basic types of Shoyu that is used in the Japanese kitchen. Most of us here think of shoyu and immediately think of Kikkoman... yup, it's a brand, but that's just Dark Shoyu.
Dark Shoyu - used for everyday seasoning
Light Colored Shoyu - used to flavor soups and other applications where color change needs to be prevented, such as in Japanese omelets.
*Note: Light Colored Shoyu is much saltier than Dark Shoyu... You use less which further prevents color changes
Tamari - not to be confused with the sauce made by the brand called Tamari. Tamari has extra ingredients added during the brewing process, and is thicker than regular shoyu. Also, it has a slightly molasses like flavor, so is often used in making teriyaki, and unagi sauces.
White Shoyu - almost never used in a home setting. This is what is used in Kyoto to season Sui-mono or clear soups. It is similar to Light Colored shoyu, but is even lighter in color.
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Rice
This is really an important chapter when you're talking about sushi school. For all intents and purposes, I'm only going to be talking about Japanese rice, which is medium-short, or short grain. California makes great Japanese style rices which can be used here. I'm not going to go into all of it, or post the video of sensei actually showing how to do it, but I will give you the basic idea. Actually, on second thought, I will take a vid of how it's done and post my own version.
One thing to note. The ratio of water to rice depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is whether the rice is "new crop" or "old crop." New Crop rice becomes available around mid-November. Because it is "new" it has more natural moisture in the grains. 3%, to be exact. Obviously, if you're using new rice, you need less water than with old rice. FYI, new rice becomes old rice around February/March, so adjust back accordingly.
While a gas cooker, or a cast iron rice pot over a raging flame is ideal, I'm going to give measurement ratios for an electric cooker. Never cook Japanese rice in an open pot like pasta or cous-cous. This is steamed rice, and it needs ample time in an enclosed environment to rest and absorb the moisture.
Wash the rice for 1-3 minutes in a tub. There should be enough water to moisten the rice well. Rinse rice several times until the rinse water is clear. Place rice into a colander or strainer, and let sit a minimum of 20 minutes, preferably 30. Given that rice is a dried vegetable, it needs to reconstitute with moisture before cooking much like dried mushrooms and legumes.
Measure out approximately 1.25 times the amount of rice in water, add to the rice cooker with your washed rice, and turn the switch on. The cooking time should be a total of 45 minutes. That is, 20 to cook, and 25 to steam once the machine is off. In a fancier rice cooker, this step is actually taken into account, but it doesn't hurt to let it sit an extra couple minutes to make sure the rice is steamed thoroughly. Set a timer, and go with that, rather than the beeps of your fancy rice cooker. That works just fine. Rice comes out consistently good.
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Stock, or Dashi
The basis of many Japanese dishes and soups is Japanese stock or Dashi. Unlike Western stocks, dashi doesn't take too long to make. It is the first pressing or Ichiban Dashi that I will be giving directions for.
Put one gallon (adjust to needs) of water in a pot over medium heat. Add a 5-inch square piece of Kombu (kelp). Slowly bring the pot to a boil. You want the process to take at least 10 minutes to extract the flavor from the kombu. At the point that the water has come to a full boil, remove the kombu, add a half cup of cold water to lower the temperature slightly, and add a heaping handful of bonito flakes to the pot. Immediately turn off the heat and let sit. When all the bonito flakes have sunk to the bottom of the pot, your dashi is ready to strain and be used. Line a strainer with paper towels, and carefully strain the dashi. This is the primary dashi that you will be using for many things.
You can take the used bonito flakes and kombu and reuse them for a weaker dashi called secondary or niban dashi. This is often used to simmer vegetables, or for miso soup in restaurants that need the primary dashi for more refined dishes.
There's a lot that I'm not necessarily covering, but that's day 2 for you guys. As you can see, the pace is a tad breakneck, and I'm sure glad that I do have the advantage of knowing some (very little, really) of these things coming into the class.
Happy Cooking!
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