# Authentic Japanese Cuisine



## DampCharcoal (Feb 17, 2012)

I asked about authentic Japanese recipes and Princess Fiona suggested a new thread.

I made sushi once and it was barely passable because I was lazy about getting the proper recipe for it.

So how about this? Regarding the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine, does anyone have any favorites? 

All good cooking starts with the basics!


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 17, 2012)

I don't understand how one topic could cover all authentic Japanese cuisine. That's the topic for thousands of cookbooks, hundreds of websites, and that's only the most popular.

I like Japanese cuisine too. Perhaps you should narrow it down.


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 17, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't understand how one topic could cover all authentic Japanese cuisine. That's the topic for thousands of cookbooks, hundreds of websites, and that's only the most popular.
> 
> I like Japanese cuisine too. Perhaps you should narrow it down.


 
Well, I guess I was thinking more along the lines of "where do I start?"


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 17, 2012)

I suggest the basic Rice and Sushi: Japanese Basics: How to make Japanese-style plain rice and sushi rice | Just Hungry  Sushi means "Seasoned Rice" once you have that down...you are well on your way.

Also: Just Bento | a healthy meal in a box: great bento recipes, tips, and more both by Makiko Itoh, I have her Just Bento book.

Both Blogs have a wealth of information from Basic to Elegant.  Maki has been ill, so she has stepped back a bit, but she is still turning out fantastic recipes.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 17, 2012)

There are ingredient lists on the site, too.  They can help you find what you need to get started.  And there are a few of us who really enjoy helping each other along.  Spork is a fantastic resource and Powerplantop has really good videos on you tube for techniques.  Kathleen and I are Bento Queens...


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 17, 2012)

Back to Japanese Basics: The essential staples of a Japanese pantry | Just Hungry

Okay, I will stop now...


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 17, 2012)

DampCharcoal said:


> Well, I guess I was thinking more along the lines of "where do I start?"


 
Start by frequenting Japanese restaurants in your locale, order interesting dishes.

sushi
sashimi
teriyaki beef or chicken
teppan
teppanyaki
tonkatsu
tempura shrimp
tempura vegetables

Visit a local Japanese restaurant and order a California roll (no raw fish) as an appetizer and then follow it with a mixed tempura shrimp and vegetables and share that with your partner/guest with teriyaki chicken, beef or a mix of the two.


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 17, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Back to Japanese Basics: The essential staples of a Japanese pantry | Just Hungry
> 
> Okay, I will stop now...


 
No, by all means, continue! 

I'm a sponge when it comes to this stuff. Granted, I might not retain all of it because I'm kind of a leaky sponge but I'll take all I can get!


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 17, 2012)

Oh, I've had my share of sushi, I'd just like a better understanding of how it's made.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 17, 2012)

Get _The Great Sushi and Sashimi Cookbook_ (641.5952 G7865 at the library) which is part of an editorial series (no author to cite). (Amazon link) Oddly, a Canadian publisher, but the best sushi cookbook I've found. The essential element of my own sushi cookbook collection--a collection of perhaps only 1-2 books, lol. It is IMO the best sushi cookbook out there and the best starter cookbook for anybody wanting to know the sushi basics. It has everything you need to know in just one book. I reviewed dozens of sushi cookbooks from my public library and this is the one I bought. I suggest more books if you want to understand Japanese cuisine in general but this is the single book if you want to understand sushi. IMO.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 17, 2012)

Bento cooking is my passion.  I love the boxes and taking my lunch in them.  I just learned this style of cooking recently for portion control and the thrill of the cuisine.  

The important thing to remember is, you don't need all the flash cooking items, you could go broke buying them.  As soon as you can create the passable Sushi and know you will be making the rice often, THEN you get the Zojirushi Rice Cooker.  (I also cook my oatmeal in the rice cooker)

Technique and basics.  Learn to make Dashi first, it's the broth you cook your rice in.  Start slow and build up.  Learn how to make Miso Soup.

You don't need the bamboo mat to make Sushi Rolls, you can use plastic wrap, waxed paper, etc.  Get the technique first.  And for goodness sake, ask questions.


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 17, 2012)

I'm pretty sure I saw that at the local Half Priced Books shop.

Very good! I appreciate the info!


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 17, 2012)

Oops, evidently I suck. 

Greg and Fiona, that's good advice. I'm looking forward to it!

Luckily, the local Kroger here in the middle of no where has a pretty decent selection of ethnic foods.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 17, 2012)

DampCharcoal said:


> Oops, evidently I suck.
> 
> Greg and Fiona, that's good advice. I'm looking forward to it!
> 
> Luckily, the local Kroger here in the middle of no where has a pretty decent selection of ethnic foods.



Why for you say dat, DampCharcoal-san?


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 17, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Why for you say dat, DampCharcoal-san?


 
Oh nevermind, perhaps I'm a bit too nervous and jerky today. 

It happens.


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## spork (Feb 18, 2012)

There are resources galore, but I would pick up at least one cookbook.  Exact title doesn't matter, as long as it's generically dedicated to Japanese.  Almost all such ethnic cookbooks will necessarily contain some basic foundation info.   It'll get your Charcoal fired up...

While it's not a requisite, I highly recommend that you also acquire some Japanese tableware and eating utensils.  The reason is not just aesthetic or culinary motivation; they are shaped that way precisely because of how the food is cooked and presented.  

As always, if you try with enthusiasm, success will follow.


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## TATTRAT (Feb 18, 2012)

Grrrrrrr. wth, Typed out a long"ish" post, and the site timed out. .  


Will try again in the am. .


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## 4meandthem (Feb 18, 2012)

I think of Japanese food as simple ingredients cooked to perfection or prepared to perfection if they are raw. Technique and ceremony are a major component too. Trials, even if not perfect are pretty tasty since the ingredients are usually not that complicated.

Homemade sushi becomes more difficult because of the ingredients are harder to find in the grade that is safe or been treated to eat raw.

As far as cooked dishes I love fish collars with spicy ponzu.
Agadashi tofu
broiled mussels
grilled anything
Miso soups
cucumber salads
Raw oysters with ponzu and sri hacha
terriyake anything
incredible ommelettes
tempuras

We make some homemade sushi at home but without raw ingredients.
We use:
fake crab and lobster
cooked shrimp
smoked salmon
grilled fish
rare beef with korean spices
avacado and other friuts and vegggies
seaweed salad (most restaurants buy theirs anyway)

We also have a variety of dumplings in the freezer at any given time since they are my Kryptomite.

Just play around and have some fun. Technique will improve with practice like anything else. Sake will make any mistakes unnoticeable.


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## Zhizara (Feb 18, 2012)

TATTRAT said:


> Grrrrrrr. wth, Typed out a long"ish" post, and the site timed out. .
> 
> 
> Will try again in the am. .



I've had that happen when checking a reference then going back to my post only to find it gone.

Now I write up long posts in Works, then paste to a post.  You might try that next time TATTRAT.


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## MrsBlueEyzz (Feb 18, 2012)

I love sushi and it is one of the few things that I have said I don't think I could actually make. Thanks for these links because now I may just be able to conquer it


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 18, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> Get _The Great Sushi and Sashimi Cookbook_ (641.5952 G7865 at the library) which is part of an editorial series (no author to cite). (Amazon link)



I just wanted to repeat that I went through _dozens_ of sushi cookbooks and the one I recommended above was far better than the rest of them. It covers virtually every form of sushi. This is the one best book to get and it's the only sushi book you'll need. Also note price is about $11, a deal!

Then go online and get some tempura recipes. The tempura dipping sauce has only about 4 ingredients and is easy to make. Fry up some shrimp, onions, zucchini, sweet potato slices and a few other vegetables, heat up some saki, and you've got yourself a nice sushi and tempura dinner. For the sushi, spicy tuna rolls are a good place to start, or California rolls if you don't want to tackle raw fish right at start.


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## Margi Cintrano (Feb 19, 2012)

*A Fan of Japanese*

@ Greg G.

Nice foto ... thanx for posting. 

I enjoy the way in which this cuisine is served and am quite a fan of Sashimi and wasabi ... I do not care much for the various Asian cuisines here in Spain, Except for Japanese ... 

I also like Teriyaki chicken too, sushi ( depending on how it is filled ) and Sukiyaki steak --- I sometimes make it for the Vet ( the gent ) ... 

Thanx for posting and the poster who recommended the book too.
Margi.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 19, 2012)

Actually I think it's G. Greg but you can call me anything you like as long as you don't call me late for dinner! 

I isolated down my choice for the best sushi/sashimi cookbook by visiting my public library (as you can imagine, we have a very large well stocked public library in Los Angeles) and checked out about 15-18 of what appeared to be the best ones. (I did this over a period of time, not all at once.) After reading selections out of all the books and preparing some of the recipes, I decided that the cookbook I recommended above had the best presentation and explanations, and furthermore that the other books didn't have anything significant to add that wasn't already covered in the recommended book. Even if somebody wants more volumes on the subject IMO this would be the best place to start.

I'm not an expert at this, in fact more of a novice. I know that with just this one book I'll probably never need another book because it wold take me the rest of my life and then some to follow up and prepare all the different types of sushi covered in the book. Anybody who is more enthusiastic or passionate than I can always augment their sushi cookbook collection with more books.

And just so as to not confuse or mislead anybody, this book does not cover the many other aspects of Japanese cuisine such as teriyaki, tempura or anything else. You'll need a different cookbook for that. I've found that trying dishes in our Los Angeles Japanese restaurants (we have a large Asian population and lots of Asian restaurants) helps me discover which Japanese dishes I like, and I've been able to do well enough finding "how to" recipes on the Internet without buying a general purpose Japanese cookbook. Sushi is a bit more complicated and it really helped me to have it all presented in just one physical book.


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## spork (Feb 19, 2012)

To get one's hands wet for homemade sushi, I often recommend _chirashi_ (trash, or scattered) _zushi_, for several good reasons.  It's basic, simple, accessible.  It can be a lunch bowl, or treated as a side salad, with no pressure to create culinary masterpieces.  It's inexpensive, because the rice is tossed/mixed with whatever trash ingredients you have in the frig.  The mix will give you tastes of what types of food complement the sushi rice.  As most people discover, sushi is the seasoned rice.  It's not the raw fish, crazy rolls and long knives.  Chirashi zushi doesn't involve any of that, and so stays focused on cooking and seasoning the rice to your perfect preference.  Finish it with a topping of shredded nori seaweed, and serve with tableside of soy sauce.  The sushi that is served at a restaurant counter is more craft than cooking, fun to learn but an entirely different set of skills.

Incidentally, it's possible to luck out on a restaurant's best trimmings of the day's sashimi by ordering a bowl of chirashi.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 19, 2012)

spork said:


> To get one's hands wet for homemade sushi, I often recommend _chirashi_ (trash, or scattered) _zushi_, for several good reasons.  It's basic, simple, accessible.  It can be a lunch bowl, or treated as a side salad, with no pressure to create culinary masterpieces.  It's inexpensive, because the rice is tossed/mixed with whatever trash ingredients you have in the frig.  The mix will give you tastes of what types of food complement the sushi rice.  As most people discover, sushi is the seasoned rice.  It's not the raw fish, crazy rolls and long knives.  Chirashi zushi doesn't involve any of that, and so stays focused on cooking and seasoning the rice to your perfect preference.  Finish it with a topping of shredded nori seaweed, and serve with tableside of soy sauce.  The sushi that is served at a restaurant counter is more craft than cooking, fun to learn but an entirely different set of skills.
> 
> Incidentally, it's possible to luck out on a restaurant's best trimmings of the day's sashimi by ordering a bowl of chirashi.



Nice to know, thanks Spork!  I'll try that next time I go.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 19, 2012)

spork said:


> To get one's hands wet for homemade sushi, I often recommend _chirashi_ (trash, or scattered) _zushi_, for several good reasons.  It's basic, simple, accessible.  It can be a lunch bowl, or treated as a side salad, with no pressure to create culinary masterpieces....



I don't mean to take anything away from your comments because I agree that _chirashi_ is certainly easy to make. However my personal experience is that rolls are so easy to make as to be one of the easiest techniques I've learned, even with the first couple of rolls I ever made, perhaps not artistic masterpieces but certainly fully edible and tasted as good as any rolls I've ever eaten in Japanese restaurants.

(ETA: You will need a good sushi rice recipe irrespective of whether you make _chirashi_ or rolls.)

The most important thing is to get the bamboo mat. They sell them in supermarkets in L.A. and I presume over most of US, and mats are almost disposable at their insignificant cost, or discardable after several uses if they get worn or dirty. Perhaps $3 at the market.

The most important part of the technique involves positioning the _nori_ at the bottom edge of the mat, spreading the rice at the bottom of the _nori_ and leaving a margin at the top (to overlap), and judging how much rice to use (how thick to spread it). Additional, add some wasabi spread over part of the rice. Then make a California roll (cooked crab or imitation crab, sliver cut cucumber, and long thin slices of avocado) or for those who tolerate raw fish spicy tuna roll (chopped tuna, mayonnaise, sriracha sauce), and roll it up and seal it (perhaps with your fingers dipped in the same liquid seasoning you used for your sushi rice). Then cut it into slices with a very sharp, wet chef's knife or similar big honkin' very sharp knife. Using a wet knife is not a technique I've seen explained often, and maybe I'm the only one who does that.

Perhaps experiences of others differ but I've had a very easy time of making really good sushi rolls, particularly my spicy tuna and California rolls.

Step off the deep end and when you make your California rolls make some tempura too, and tempura fry some California roll slices. I can imagine Japanese traditional cuisine enthusiasts screaming as I type this! Dip your tempura fried California roll in your tempura sauce. It's good! 

(I don't make any allusions about being a traditional chef.)


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 19, 2012)

Greg, my very brief foray into sushi revealed that a) a Leatherman blade sharpened on the bottom of a coffee cup turns out NOT to be a fine instrument and b) it was much easier to slice through the roll when said crappy blade was wet.

Otherwise, the sushi mixture just stuck to the blade and literally dragged everything along with it.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 19, 2012)

You need a very sharp knife to make any sushi or sashimi, and I'm pretty sure that I read the wet knife technique in the sushi cookbook I recommended, although I'm pretty sure that is widely discussed knowledge. I sharpen my knives on the rod thing (I'm sure there's a better term) before making sushi rolls, and I run water over my chef knife or santoku before slicing rolls into pieces.

I've made my comments because I think making sushi rolls is really easy to do, and I doubt I have any particular cheffing skills that make my abilities or experiences any easier than anybody else. I found this stuff really easy to do.

I found the other kind of sushi is much harder. I'm tired and can't remember the term and too tired to google it. That stuff is harder. Rolls are easy to make. Easy for novice chefs like me. (I'm a novice chef in Japanese cuisine. I'll admit to not being a novice in other areas and in other cuisines.)


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## DampCharcoal (Feb 19, 2012)

"I've made my comments because I think making sushi rolls is really easy to do, and I doubt I have any particular cheffing skills that make my abilities or experiences any easier than anybody else. I found this stuff really easy to do."

I agree. It's also a very healthy way to go, which is also a lifestyle change that I sorely need! I also appreciate the different palette of flavors. 

I like me a cheeseburger but not every day.


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## roadfix (Feb 20, 2012)

When we had my mother, who is Japanese, living with us for a while we ate well as she loved to cook.  Lots of traditional Japanese dishes most of which I had no idea how to prepare were just down right healthy for the most part.
There are a couple of Japanese restaurants that we frequent here in town that serve the traditional home style meals.  Not surprising, most patrons that frequent these establishments happen to be Japanese.


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## JasonMann (Feb 24, 2012)

Hi everyone, here is a nice recipe for Shumai:

24 wonton skins
300 g lean ground beef
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
2 tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp sugar
1½ tbsp sesame oil
2½ tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp green peas
Mix ginger root, onion, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and corn starch and add the mix to the lean ground beef. Stir and mix well until the mixture becomes sticky. Divide into 22-24 fillings and place on the center of the wonton skins. Forn the wonton skins into "bowls" with flat bottoms. Place a geen pea on the center of the filling. Steam 12-14 minutes over high heat.

The skins may also be seald in shaped into "half moons". Deep-fry in oil (180°C) until golden.

http://www.mediafire.com/?707ca1xzc936xu6


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## roadfix (Feb 24, 2012)

^^^ Train station shumai in bento boxes rule.  But traditionally, shumai in Japan uses pork fillings.


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## spork (Feb 24, 2012)

My parents have been visiting the past two months.  Also traveling to visit with other family scattered about the U.S.  They finally returned to Japan yesterday.  My mother and I have been trading cooking duties, she mostly Japanese and Asian, me mostly Western to change up our meals.  For our last lunch yesterday, my last chance for homemade authentic Japanese in her mind, my mother made plain _inari zushi_ pockets, white miso soup with spinach and shiitake mushrooms, and grilled _kaba yaki_ mackerel.


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## taxlady (Feb 24, 2012)

spork said:


> My parents have been visiting the past two months.  Also traveling to visit with other family scattered about the U.S.  They finally returned to Japan yesterday.  My mother and I have been trading cooking duties, she mostly Japanese and Asian, me mostly Western to change up our meals.  For our last lunch yesterday, my last chance for homemade authentic Japanese in her mind, my mother made plain _inari zushi_ pockets, white miso soup with spinach and shiitake mushrooms, and grilled _kaba yaki_ mackerel.



So, because you cooked mostly Western food for her, your mum thinks you can't cook authentic Japanese food.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2012)

spork said:


> My parents have been visiting the past two months.  Also traveling to visit with other family scattered about the U.S.  They finally returned to Japan yesterday.  My mother and I have been trading cooking duties, she mostly Japanese and Asian, me mostly Western to change up our meals.  For our last lunch yesterday, my last chance for homemade authentic Japanese in her mind, my mother made plain _inari zushi_ pockets, white miso soup with spinach and shiitake mushrooms, and grilled _kaba yaki_ mackerel.



Yum!  I miss my Aunt Koby's cooking, she was my Godmother, Lily Kobayashi.  I'm very happy you were able to enjoy your parents brief stay and get some Mom food!


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## roadfix (Feb 24, 2012)

It's the comfort food that you find only at these hole-in-the-wall eateries in Japanese communities.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2012)

JasonMann said:


> Hi everyone, here is a nice recipe for Shumai:
> 
> 24 wonton skins
> 300 g lean ground beef
> ...




That is going into a Bento!


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## spork (Feb 24, 2012)

Part of the Japanese psyche, and approach to food, is being comfortable in second place, understated, a student, just knowing that a practiced twitch of the sword would have killed versus an honorable draw.  I was a happy slave to vigorously wave a paper fan and cool my mum's sushi rice as she sprinkled toasted sesame seeds into it.  Less so with the task of filling each fried tofu pocket.  Lesser so with washing the laquerware after our lunch.  And so it goes to get good.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2012)

I used to fan rice for Koby, when I was little I thought it was to keep me busy and away from the knives.  Has to be why I'm so interested in cooking Japanese.  I remember doing some of the same things and tasting the same flavors when I was young.  Koby's daughter was my Mom's best friend in high school.  I spent a lot of time in her flower shop and kitchen.


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## JapanTara (Aug 4, 2012)

DampCharcoal said:


> No, by all means, continue!
> 
> I'm a sponge when it comes to this stuff. Granted, I might not retain all of it because I'm kind of a leaky sponge but I'll take all I can get!


 
I agree 100%!!!


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## CWS4322 (Aug 5, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> That is going into a Bento!


Next time I drag out the deep fat fryer, I'm making these! Thanks for the recipe!


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## CookDroyd (Oct 23, 2012)

I just posted this on another thread but maybe it is more appropriate here.

Not really authentic Japanese but consider making California hand rolls or temaki. The ingredients are all pretty easy to prepare. The hardest item is probably the sushi rice itself. All other items are just simply sliced. 

You can be creative with the ingredients depending on your taste and preference. You can be a little more authentic by using shrimp roe (ebiko) and raw salmon or you can be blasphemous and use hot dog and omelette strips.

The best part is that the kids have lots of fun making their own rolls and customizing their ingredients.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Oct 24, 2012)

I was tempted to make spicy tuna roll tonight (I was frustrated about another cooking problem that I couldn't work around) so I pulled out my makisu and found out I had mistaken a roll of makisu-like coasters, cute little coasters patterned on the look of the makisu. I have 2-3 makisus but they're in my storage. (Makisus are more or less disposable--limited life--so they cost only $2-$3 here in local Asian markets.

So there I was, got the tuna, got the special rice, got the nori, wanted to make home made mayonnaise but that's another subject (at least I've got store mayonnaise), got the Sriracha sauce... But no makisu. I considered just hand rolling... I haven't done that before but it looked viable...

But I found another dinner choice that was more viable. I'm heading out to buy another makisu since it would take hours to find one in my storage unit...

Today is probably my worst cooking day in years. I'm lucky I didn't go to sleep hungry. (Yeah, okay, never mind that I have about 100 fast food joints with 1 mile driving distance, and 2-3 markets.)


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## Kylie1969 (Oct 24, 2012)

Thank you for sharing Jason 



JasonMann said:


> Hi everyone, here is a nice recipe for Shumai:
> 
> 24 wonton skins
> 300 g lean ground beef
> ...


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## outRIAAge (Jun 29, 2016)

*Getting your teeth into Japanese*

A single new thread for Japanese Cuisine? Not feasible. But what you are asking for anyway is how to get started with it, and I have good recommendations, from easy pub food to beyond scary:

First up is an utterly-informal approach to loud, boozy food: Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook.

Next up is the slightly-more-formal Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura, and More from the Streets and Kitchens of Tokyo and Beyond. It includes things that look very un-Japanese, like Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki, which looks identical to the six-egg omelettes-with-everything-in-the-fridge that I made when I was twelve and Mum was taking a nap. (Somehow, she always instantly knew when she woke up!)

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/foodhoe/july07/iz_modern.jpg

A great, fun book.

Just a bit more formal, but still an excellent book for rookies, is Simply Japanese: Modern Cooking for the Healthy Home. The elegantly-coiffed-and-coutured author gave me pause, but she really knows her subject. She's serious about the word "simple." If you follow her instructions, great dishes result. (And, if you have kids, you can throw a rice-paper-making party followed by a rice-paper-airplane competition!) 

If you want full-bore Japanese, though, you need Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art. It's a modern tome that covers the entire topic, brilliant but daunting.

And one more, just in case you're as *utterly* nuts as I am: The Book of Tofu & Miso. Not one but two massive tomes. Did you know that you can make delicious tofu from edamame?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-...YITwvHRet7kGuUsIKJJNctLACCo/s640/DSC04189.JPG

Bring a vegan date home and serve that? You *will* get lucky. Enjoy!


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## GotGarlic (Jun 29, 2016)

outRIAAge said:


> A single new thread for Japanese Cuisine? Not feasible. But what you are asking for anyway is how to get started with it, and I have good recommendations, from easy pub food to beyond scary:



This post is from 2012, so the original poster (OP) probably won't see your response.


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## Addie (Jun 30, 2016)

I had only one experience in my life at a Japanese restaurant. You know the type. You all sit around with strangers while the cook shows off his skills. 

Worst food I have ever tried. I ended up just pushing the food around my plate and couldn't get out of there fast enough. He kept pouring all these sauces from an array of bottle on all the food. More show than good eats.


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## roadfix (Jun 30, 2016)

Addie said:


> I had only one experience in my life at a Japanese restaurant. You know the type. You all sit around with strangers while the cook shows off his skills.



I wouldn't really call them Japanese restaurants, at least in the authentic sense.   I believe the "teppan" style of cooking was primarily created for the Western market after WWII.


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## GotGarlic (Jun 30, 2016)

roadfix said:


> I wouldn't really call them Japanese restaurants, at least in the authentic sense.   I believe the "teppan" style of cooking was primarily created for the Western market after WWII.



Agreed. Those restaurants are more for entertainment than for food.


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## outRIAAge (Jun 30, 2016)

GotGarlic said:


> This post is from 2012, so the original poster (OP) probably won't see your response.



Oops. Thanks for the tip: I'll try to remember that. But it's searchable, and hard-won info, so no harm, no foul. And besides, I tend to talk too much, so if it just falls off the edge of the world, no bother.


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## roadfix (Jun 30, 2016)

outRIAAge said:


> First up is an utterly-informal approach to loud, boozy food: Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook.



My favorite type of J food.   We go to the local izakayas regularly, often late night....   We also frequent the ramen-yas also.


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