Los Angeles Japanese Restaurants

Other kinds of dashi stock are made by soaking kelp, niboshi, or shiitake in water for many hours or by heating them in water nearly to boiling and straining the resultant broth.

 * Kombu dashi stock is made by soaking kelp, or sea tangle, in water.

* Niboshi dashi stock is made by pinching off the heads and entrails of small dried sardines, to prevent bitterness, and soaking the remains in water.

 * Shiitake dashi stock is made by soaking dried shiitake mushrooms in water.

In 1908, the unusual and strong flavor of kelp dashi was identified by Kikunae Ikeda as umami, the “fifth flavor,” attributed to unique human taste receptors responding to glutamic acid.

Gyoza is a popular dumpling in Japan. Gyoza originated in China, and it’s said to have been introduced to Japan in late 17th century.

Gyoza is cooked in various ways: deep-fried, boiled, steamed, or pan-fried. Boiled gyoza (sui-gyoza) is very soft and can be eaten hot or cold. Steamed gyoza (mushi-gyoza) is also soft and is eaten hot. Deep-fried gyoza (age-gyoza) can be finger food, so it’s suitable for a potluck dish. The most common way to cook gyoza is pan-fried. Bottoms of gyoza dumplings should be brown and crunchy.

Fillings for gyoza are also various. Different kinds of vegetables and meat can be used for fillings. The most popular fillings are ground pork, cabbage, and nira chives. Also, using mashed shrimp makes tasty gyoza called ebi-gyoza. You can even make vegetable gyoza without meat. Have fun creating your favorite gyoza. Pork Gyoza Recipe

Gyoza wrappers are slightly thicker than wonton wrappers, and they are round in contrast that wonton wrappers are square.

Gyoza dumplings are served with dipping sauce. To make gyoza dipping sauce, mix 2 tbsps of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of vinegar, and 1 tsp of hot pepper oil.

Sashimi  is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces about 2.5 cm (.98 in.) wide by 4.0 cm (1.6 in.) long by 0.5 cm (0.2 in.) thick, but dimensions vary depending on the type of item and chef, and served with only a dipping sauce (soy sauce with wasabi paste or other condiments such as grated fresh ginger, or ponzu), depending on the fish, and simple garnishes such as shiso and shredded daikon radish.

The word sashimi means “pierced body” (pierced, stuck) and  (body, meat), may derive from the culinary practice of sticking the fish’s tail and fin to the slices in identifying the fish being eaten.

One possibility of the name “pierced body” could come from the traditional method of harvesting. ‘Sashimi Grade’ fish is caught by individual handline, and as soon as the fish is landed, its brain is pierced with a sharp spike, killing it instantly, then placed in slurried ice. This spiking is called the Ike jime process. Because the flesh thus contains minimal lactic acid from the fish dying slowly, it will keep fresh on ice for about 10 days without turning white, or otherwise degrading.

The word sashimi has been integrated into the English language and is often used to refer to other uncooked fish preparations besides the traditional Japanese dish subject of this article. Many non-Japanese conflate sashimi and sushi; the two dishes are actually distinct and separate. Sushi refers to any dish made with vinegared rice, and while raw fish is one traditional sushi ingredient, many sushi dishes contain seafood that has been cooked, while others have no seafood at all.

Rarely is there a meal in Japan where tsukemono (pickles) are not served. The simplest and most basic meal is nothing more than a bowl of rice and umeboshi (pickled plum), but tsukemono are also served at the most sophisticated and complex feasts. Japanese pickles are not at all like the pickles found in Western cooking. Tsukemono are prepared in a number of ways with many different types of foods being pickled, fruit, vegetables, eggs, seeds, even fish!

The varieties of tsukemono are endless, with literally thousands of types to choose from and hundreds of techniques for making them! Popular pickled vegetables include Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, bamboo, turnips, gobo (burdock root), ginger, Japanese cucumbers, and Japanese eggplant.

Tsukemono offer color, texture and aroma to a meal, the earliest known tsukemono were called konomono or “fragrant things”. Vegetable tsukemono are crisp and always fresh, with small amounts of several varieties usually served in individual petite dishes. All types of tsukemono are available commercially but many people make pickles at home because it’s so inexpensive and easy.

Dashi is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cooking. Shizuo Tsuji wrote in 1980 that “many substitutes for dashi are possible, but without dashi, dishes are merely a la japonaise and lack the authentic flavor.” Dashi forms the base for miso soups, clear broth soups, Japanese noodle broths, and many Japanese simmering liquids.

The most common form of dashi is a simple broth or stock made by boiling Kombu (edible kelp) and kezurikatsuo (shavings of katsuobushi) and then, straining the resultant liquid.

Fresh dashi made from dried kelp and katsuobushi is rare today, even in Japan. Most people now use granulated or liquid instant substitutes.

Umeboshi (Japanese: literally “dried ume”) are pickled Ume fruits. Ume is a species of fruit-bearing tree in the genus Prunus, which is often called a plum but is actually more closely related to the apricot. Umeboshi are a type of tsukemono, or traditional Japanese pickled food, and are very popular in Japan. In Japan, it is used in various dishes as side dishes with breakfast, rice balls for lunch, boiled and seasoned for dinner.

Umeboshi are usually round, and vary from unwrinkled to very wrinkle. They taste salty, and are extremely sour due to high citric acid content – in the past they were known to corrode their way through aluminium lunch boxes if kept in the same spot every day. It is thought that this occurred because the processing technology of the aluminum lunch box was still immature immediately after the end of the war.

The central area of Wakayama prefecture is known throughout Japan for the number and quality of its Ume and umeboshi. The town of Minabe, Wakayama, in particular, grows more Ume and produces more umeboshi than any other town in all of Japan.

Japanese rice, or japonica, is a short-grain variety of rice (Oryza sativa var. japonica) which is characterized by its unique stickiness and texture. It also comes in a variety called mochigome which is used for making mochi. Rice is sold either as brown rice, genmai, which must be polished by a machine, or ready-polished. Sprouted brown rice hatsuga genmai is also sold in smaller quantities. It has a softer texture than brown rice and a pleasant fragrance, yet retains the health benefits of brown rice. Most supermarkets in Japan sell ready-polished rice in 10 kg, 5 kg, and smaller bags. Brown rice is usually sold in 30 kg bags. Japonica should not be confused with Jasponica rice – a cross between the long-grained and fragrant Thai Jasmine rice and the sticky, soft Japanese rice.

A spot with an automated rice polishing machine, called seimaijo, for polishing brown rice, are a common sight in rural Japan. The by-product of the polishing process, rice bran can be used for making a kind of pickle called nukazuke or recycled as fertilizer. The rice polishing machines typically polish a 10 kg amount for 100 yen.

The cuisine of the samurai came distinctly from their peasant roots. The meals prepared emphasized simplicity while being substantial. Specifically the cuisine avoided refinement, ceremony and luxury and a shedding of all further Chinese influence. One specific example is the change from wearing traditional Chinese garb to a distinct clothing style that combined the simplistic clothing of the common people. This style evolved into the kimono by the end of the middle Ages.

The Buddhist vegetarian philosophy strengthened during the Kamakura period as it began to spread to the peasants. Those who were involved in the trade of slaughtering animals for food and/or leather came under discrimination. Those practicing this trade were considered in opposition to the Buddhist philosophy of not taking life, while under the Shinto philosophy they were considered defiled. This discrimination eventually intensified to the creation of a separate caste, the burakumin.

Tofu is one of the world’s most remarkable foods, and it’s perfect for those who desire a meatless diet. It is low in fat and high in protein, cholesterol free, versatile, delicious, and inexpensive. Originally from China, tofu has been used by the Japanese for a thousand years, and there are literally hundreds of ways to prepare it. There are two basic types of tofu used in Japanese cooking, the standard “firm” variety, which has a rough surface and slightly grainy texture and “silken” tofu (kinugoshi), which is very soft and possesses a glossy surface. While both varieties have the same ingredients they are made in slightly different ways. All the recipes on this page call for the firm variety of tofu.

Simmered tofu is a symbol of wintertime cooking and is known from Buddhist monasteries to drinking establishments. Simmered in a light kelp stock the simplicity of this dish features the texture and taste of the tofu. The dish is ready the moment the heat of the stock has penetrated the core of the simmering tofu. An absolutely delicious and delicate way to prepare tofu that is deeply satisfying on a cold day.

Korokke is the Japanese name for a deep fried dish originally related to a French dish, croquette. It was introduced in the early 1900s. This dish is also popular in South Korea where it is typically sold in bakeries.

Korokke is made by mixing cooked chopped meat, seafood, or vegetables with mashed potato or white sauce, rolling it in wheat flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, and then deep frying this until brown on the outside. Korokke are usually shaped like a flat patty. They are generally called (ingredient) Korokke. For example, those using beef would be called beef korokke, those using shrimp, ebi korokke, etc.. Those using white sauce may also be called Cream Korokke.

Korokke is often served with Worcestershire sauce and shredded cabbage.

Korokke can be eaten as is, and are sometimes sold wrapped in paper at stalls. They may also be used as a topping for other dishes. When sandwiched between pieces of bread, they will be called Korokke pan (pan being the Portuguese-inspired word for bread in Japanese).