There are some ingredients that you need to have at home if you would like to cook Japanese food.
Nowadays, Asian ingredients are available in most grocery stores. If there are Asian stores in your town, you should check them out! They usually have more varieties of products and make your dishes more authentic.
Japanese stores in Vancouver BC.
There are many Japanese people living in Vancouver. It is pretty easy to get Japanese foods in Vancouver.
Fujiya is a long-established Japanese retail shop and well known in several locations such as Vancouver, Richmond and downtown Vancouver. There are “Konbiniya” in downtown Vancouver and Izumiya in Richmond.
“Sakuraya” is located on Broadway near Fraser Street. It is on the second floor of Kim’s Mart. It is Korean owned store. There are not as many varieties as Fujiya, but you can find the same products and they are usually a few dollars cheaper.
What do you need at home for Japanese home cooking?
Soy Sauce
Any Japanese households have soy sauce, for sure. Even people who don’t cook at home very much would have a bottle in their fridge. It is used for anything, even for pasta sauce or curry.
If you add soy sauce, most likely any dishes would become Japaneseish food. 😉
There is an episode that an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) went to a class room in Japan for the first time and he was surprised that the classroom had the full of soy sauce smell.
Kikkoman is the most well known in North America. You can purchase it at the Asian section in any local stores. However, we definitely recommend to have good soy sauce such as Amano. It is one of the important ingredients that affect the taste of your dishes.
Amano can be found at those Japanese grocery shops, Whole Foods, Choices, famous foods in Vancouver or online shops.
There are Chinese or Korean brands, but their taste are slightly different.
Miso
Like soy sauce, miso is the necessary ingredient for home cooking.
It has been said that “miso is good for your health. The source of this health effect is the rich nutritional ingredients produced in the fermentation process. In the past, miso was valued as a valuable source of protein in regions where fish was hard to come by.
Miso soup is the most common miso dish among Japanese people, but also it is used for dressing, sauce etc.
Cooking Sake
In addition, cooking sake has the ability to remove the smell of meat and fish. It has an azeotropic effect of evaporating with alcohol and the masking effect of odor substances by organic acids.
Rice Vinegar
It is brewed by using only well-polished, high-quality rice and koji to make high-quality pure rice wine, which is then fermented. It is used for sushi, sunomono and other dishes.
Dashi & Umami
In Japanese cuisine, umami ingredient is the basis for making Japanese dashi. “Dashi” is an very important and indispensable ingredient in making delicious Japanese food.
Bonito and kelp are traditional Japanese ingredients used for dashi. By letting them sit, mold, or ferment, the deep flavor and aroma are already concentrated.
Katsuobushi (Dried bonito flakes)
Katsuobushi are a “traditional preserved food from ancient Japan. It is characterized by its rich flavor and elegant aroma. It is a versatile ingredient that goes well with any dish.
It is perfect for miso soup, soup, udon and soba dipping sauces.
Konbu (Kelp)
It helps to bring out the flavor and aroma of the ingredients. It is often used to keep the flavor of ingredients intact.
In cooking, it is recommended for takikomi-gohan, fried rice, simmered dishes, and dashi-maki eggs.
Other seasonings
Japanese Mayonnaise
It is less sweeter than other mayonnaise. This mayonnaise can be used as a delicious dressing or sauce when mixed with miso, soy sauce and Ogojo Jan.
Ponzu Shoyu
Seasoning made by adding soy sauce to squeezed juice of citrus fruits.
It is used for sauce for shabu shabu, noodles or sunomono and salad depressing.
I hope you can find these ingredients and explore Japanese cooking!
