YO Sushi: The Japanese Cookbook. Kimiko Barber

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СКАЧАТЬ soft cream cheese consistency to grainy, then dry and hard. In general, the darker the colour the harder and saltier the miso. A good all-purpose miso to use is a medium-brown, milk chocolate-coloured paste with a texture similar to cream cheese. You will probably find that you choose the most popular variety of rice miso, which is fermented by adding rice to cooked soybean mash. Others, however, are made from wheat, barley or soybeans alone.

      Sold in plastic packaging or containers, miso is best transferred to an airtight container once opened. It will keep well for up to six months stored in the refrigerator.

      vinegar

      Every culinary culture has its own favourite vinegar and in Japan this is rice vinegar, which is a light golden colour with a mild and fragrant flavour. Throughout this book, use Japanese rice vinegar unless specified otherwise.

      There are many brands of rice vinegar and each manufacturer produces several different grades. The grading of rice vinegar is quite similar to that of olive oil. Junmai-su, which means ‘pure rice vinegar’, is the highest quality – the equivalent of extra virgin olive oil – and is made from the first pressing of polished white Japanese rice. The next in order of quality and purity is kome-su, meaning ‘rice vinegar’. Lower-quality vinegars contain added alcohol and are made from other grains. In general, price is a good indication of quality – buy the best quality you can afford for the finest flavour.

      As vinegar darkens with age and through exposure to light, it should be stored in tightly capped glass bottles in a cool, dark kitchen cupboard. Its gentle aroma can begin to fade after the bottle has been open for several weeks, so it is best to buy a small quantity at a time and to use it as quickly as possible.

      sake

      Sake is Japan’s traditional alcoholic drink and it has a long and intriguing history. It is distilled from steamed and fermented rice, is clear in appearance and has as many as 400 flavour components. Sake is assessed according to five basic qualities: dryness, sweetness, bitterness, acidity and astringency, or tartness. There are thousands of sake brewers across Japan and each manufacturer has its own unique combination of those five qualities. The brand of sake you choose is a matter of personal preference.

      Although in recent years beer and wine have become the Japanese nation’s favourite drinks, sake’s cultural and culinary importance remains unchallenged. In the kitchen, sake performs many functions. It adds flavour and depth to dishes, is used as a cooking liquor and as a base for marinades and preserves, and to neutralise the strong smell of fish and meat. Table-quality dry sake is the most versatile – avoid ‘cooking sake’, which often has a strong artificial smell and is usually of an inferior grade that contains additives. Store sake tightly capped in a cool, dark kitchen cupboard and use within eight weeks of opening.

      mirin

      A sweet sake, mirin is used only for cooking. The best-quality mirin is made from rice in a process similar to that used for brewing sake. With a clear, amber-coloured, syrupy liquid and a faint aroma of sake, mirin is used as a sweetener and glazing agent to give food an attractive shine. Three teaspoons of mirin is the equivalent in sweetness of one teaspoon of sugar. Mirin has a relatively long shelf life, although its aroma fades soon after opening. It should be stored in a cool, dark kitchen cupboard until it is needed and stored in the refrigerator once opened. Use within eight weeks of opening.

      basic ingredients – the YO! Sushi pantry

      Listed below are basic ingredients that are used in many of the recipes in this book. Some of these may look strange and smell odd if you are not used to them, but they are easy to cook with and turn ordinary dishes into something special.

      black and white sesame seeds Toasting sesame seeds gives them a rich flavour. You can buy them ready toasted, but if unavailable use raw sesame seeds, which are flatter in shape and lighter in colour, to toast yourself. Put them in dry frying pan over medium heat, and shake the pan frequently, for 5–7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Toasted sesame seeds will store for three months in a sealed container in a dark cupboard. If you are using them after one month it is best to retoast them to revive their flavour.

      bonito fish flakes The dried shavings or flakes of the bonito, or skipjack tuna, are used to flavour dashi stock (see pages 16–17). Traditionally, bonito fish flakes were sold in solid lumps to be shaved at home, but today, especially outside Japan, they are sold ready shaved. Do not buy too large a quantity at a time, as the distinctive smoky flavour fades quickly. Once opened, keep in an airtight bag and store in a dark, dry kitchen cupboard and use within eight weeks.

      dashinomoto This is an instant dashi stock powder that makes a useful stand-by for making dashi stock – the basic stock that is used in many Japanese recipes (see pages 16–17).

      konbu (dried kelp seaweed) This dark green seaweed imparts a subtle flavour and is used for making dashi stock, the base for many Japanese dishes. Konbu grows up to 10m (33ft) long in the cold seas around the northern island of Hokkaido. It is sold dried, either ready-cut or in long strips. Once opened store in an airtight bag in a dark, dry kitchen cupboard and use within three months.

      mushrooms You will find several varieties of Japanese mushrooms, especially shiitake (see below), used in the recipes for their individual qualities: shimeji for their distinct nutty flavour and aroma, enoki for their beautiful and delicate appearance and texture, and maitake for their lace-like appearance and fine taste. It has become increasingly easy to buy them fresh from supermarkets. dried shiitake mushrooms are used for their strong flavour. They first need to be reconstituted. Soak in warm water for 5–10 minutes then cut off and discard the stalks. The soaking liquid can be used in recipes to add richness.

      noodles The noodles most frequently used in the recipes are: soba (thin, dark noodles made from buckwheat flour and therefore gluten-free), somen (a thin white noodle) and udon (a wheat-flour noodle that is thicker than the soba noodle). Other noodles include yakisoba noodles (soft semi-cooked Chinese-style egg noodles), sold in vacuum packs in supermarkets and often labelled ‘stir-fry noodles’, and harusame noodles (made from mung bean or potato starch).

      nori This marine algae is formed into paper-like sheets and is an essential ingredient for making rolled sushi, such as maki rolls, hand rolls and inside-out rolls.

      panko Also known as Japanese breadcrumbs, panko are coarse white breadcrumbs used to give a light and crunchy coating to fried food.

      pickled sushi ginger is thinly sliced root ginger macerated in sweetened vinegar. It is served with sushi as a palate cleanser and digestive aid.

      rice The short-grain Japanese rice, which supermarkets often sell as ‘sushi rice’, has a soft and sticky texture when cooked. (See pages 18–21 for instructions on how to cook rice and prepare sushi rice.)

      sansho pepper This Japanese white pepper is made from the ground seedpods of the Japanese prickly ash and is used as a seasoning. It has a refreshing aroma of mint and basil with a touch of liquorice, similar to that of Sichuan pepper. It is often used with grilled oily fish and chicken.

      shichimi togarashi Also known as Japanese seven-spice chilli powder, this seasoning is a blend of chilli, black and white sesame seeds, dried citrus peels and seaweeds. It is a traditional seasoning for noodles and yakitori.

      tofu, СКАЧАТЬ