Food has to look good as well as taste good in Japan so it’s no surprise that they have found a way to make even a bowl of plain sticky rice look more appealing.
Furikake is a Japanese condiment that comes in the form of dry sprinkles and can be scattered over the top of a bowl of rice or used to liven up the outside of onigiri rice balls or sushi rolls with the rice on the outside.
There are loads of different types of furikake, made from lots of different ingredients which mean the sprinkles come in a variety of interesting colours and flavours. The Japanese use furikake like we use salt and pepper and the weird and wonderful range of ingredients means that they not only enhance flavours but provide a balance of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Most furikake contain a mixture of dried or ground fish such as tuna or salmon flakes, dried vegetables or chopped seaweed such as nori, sesame seed, powdered soy sauce or miso, sugar, salt or dried egg. While this may sound odd, furikake is not overly fishy or salty; it just enhances flavours, rather like adding dried herbs to your cooking though it can sometimes be quite spicy if you buy a brand including dried chilli or wasabi.
There are lots of different uses for this versatile condiment. The simplest use is to sprinkle it over a steaming bowl of sticky white Japanese rice to add texture and flavour. Onigiri rice balls are a popular lunchtime snack and wonderfully easy to make. Once you have cooked, seasoned and cooled your sushi rice, use an onigiri mould to make these tasty balls of rice, sprinkle some furikake on a flat surface and then roll the rice balls in it for a crunchy, tasty treat.
Furikake can also be used as a seasoning for fish or meat. Try taking some small cod fillets, spread a thin layer of Japanese mayonnaise over the fish, cover with furikake and fry lightly until cooked for a delicious crispy cod coating.
You can even use it to transform Western dishes such as potatoes or salad dressings, cheese on toast or pasta. Like most condiments furikake is totally versatile so ditch the salt and pepper and sprinkle something more adventurous on your dinner.
It’s hard to imagine any oriental cooking without including a splash or a dash of soy sauce – an essential ingredient for hundreds of fantastic dishes.
This sticky brown sauce comes in a variety of types and is used for everything in Japanese cooking. When heated it makes a tasty, sticky marinade, delicious with meat or vegetables or it can be added to other sauces as a seasoning or simply used as a dipping sauce for delicious sushi rolls or nigiri.
Soy beans have hundreds of different purposes in the Far East and are used for lots of different foodstuffs including Soya milk and tofu. Today, most eastern countries have their own version of soy sauce.
There are different theories as to how Soy Sauce evolved. A popular one is that it was discovered in China from the process of preserving food known as jiang. Before fridges, finding new ways to preserve food was a big deal and soy beans and wheat were ideal to use as raw materials for preservatives as they grew in abundance. Modern Japanese soy sauce usually includes both these ingredients though there are wheat free brands available.
There are five different types of Japanese Soy Sauce or Shoyu as it is known and each type is included in different recipes and ways of cooking. The most common is Koikuchi or dark soy sauce and Tamari is a wheat free version of this made from the process of fermenting miso. Usukuchi is a light soy sauce but can have a saltier flavour and Saishikomi is twice brewed making it much darker and stronger in flavour than koikuchi. Finally, Shiro is a very light soy sauce using mostly wheat and is a popular accompaniment to sashimi.
It is impossible to eat sushi without a small dish of glossy soy sauce. The rich salty flavours perfectly compliment bundles of rice, fish and vegetables. Soy sauce is so important in Japan it even warrants its own tableware including attractive ceramic soy sauce dispensers and small sauce dipping dishes and you will never see a table set without some receptacle for soy.
Mixed with honey, soy sauce makes a delicious marinade for chicken or beef or it can be mixed with a splash of rice vinegar and a blob of wasabi for a fiery Japanese salad dressing. You can even add a few splashes to stews or casseroles to add a rich flavour or shake it over a stir fry or noodles for an instant eastern flavour.
It truly is one of the most versatile sauces in the world and an essential for the kitchen cupboard for anyone who loves to cook.
This Sunday, most people will be celebrating Mother’s Day by giving a present or a card but in Japan it’s a day for treating all the special ladies in your life.
Mother’s Day is not until the second weekend of May in Japan but the special holiday this Sunday is White Day when ladies get gifts from the men in their lives in return for their efforts on Valentine’s Day (which is all about women treating men).
Ladies can expect to receive gifts from all the men they bought gifts for the month before which is not just your other half but includes friends, family members and workmates as well. Men are expected to spend a little more on their girlfriends so jewellery and lingerie are common gifts as well and cookies and chocolate.
However, most western cultures will have got all the romance out of the way in February and will be fully focussed on treating one special lady this weekend, mum.
Like with many celebrations in Japan, food plays an important role in Mother’s Day or haha no hi as it’s known. As well as buying flowers it is seen as a chance to remember and celebrate mother’s cooking and involves making some classic Japanese dishes.
Most Mother’s Day cuisine is not fancy but traditional, home cooked comfort food of the type mum’s do best. Warming bowls of Miso soup are often served but with the addition of steamed vegetables or delicate strips of pork to make a hearty meal.
Onigiri rice balls are another classic taste of Mother’s Day. The rice balls are shaped into circles or triangles, either by hand or using an onigiri mould. Onigiri are often found in bento boxes, made lovingly by mums for work or school lunches.
Other dishes include steamed vegetable dishes or braised leaves such as gomaae spinach or seaweed where the leaves are steamed and dressed in a rich, glossy sauce of sesame seeds, sake, sugar and soy sauce.
This is a nice tradition and much more personal than a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates. Cooking for your mum this Sunday will definitely put you in the good books for the rest of the year whether you are whipping up some of the classics of your youth or impressing her with your sushi making skills.
If you want to sample the finest food in the world then you need to get on a plane to Tokyo – officially the world’s gastronomic capital for 2010.
In late 2009, the meticulous inspectors of fine food from Michelin visited the Japanese capital and gave it an awesome 261 stars, bumping the guide’s home city of Paris into second place for the first time ever. Tokyo restaurants now hold the most number of Michelin stars – 261 in 197 of the cities eateries – and the city also boasts 11 with the prestigious three Michelin star rating.
The Michelin inspectors praised three main elements of Japanese cuisine, the quality of the food, the enthusiasm of Japanese diners to try new things and the vast choice of cuisine available. The Japanese do love to eat out and the Japanese dining experience is all about fresh food, stunning presentation and fantastic hospitality. Food is available everywhere and even most bars provide tasty nibbles or snacks of some kind and not just peanuts and crisps. Tokyo has thousands of cafes and restaurants, many of which are on the high floors of tall buildings with excellent views as well as delicious food.
Some of Tokyo’s three-star restaurants may seem unremarkable but have been praised for the skills of the chef and the freshness of ingredients such as Sushi Mizutani, tucked away in the basement of an office building in the Ginza business district but offering sushi sliced and rolled in front of you and sashimi fresh from the world famous Tsukiji fish market a few streets away. According to Michelin, this unassuming counter is officially the world’s best sushi.
As well as sushi are a range of contemporary Japanese restaurants proving that it is not the country’s only signature dish such as Esaki that serves mackerel marinated in the uniquely Japanese flavour of Miso. The praise is no surprise as Japan has become world renowned for the quality of its ingredients like Wagyu beef from the town of Kobe where the cows are treated like royalty to produce meat of mouth-watering tenderness and flavour.
Attention to detail is at the heart of Japanese cuisine, from sourcing and using the finest ingredients to stunning presentation that celebrates the art of food both with the careful use of colour and dramatic tableware. Japanese diners are treated to a visual feast before they have put anything into their mouth so it’s no wonder that eating out is such a popular pastime.
“Tokyo remains by far the world capital of gastronomy and also has the most three-star restaurants,” said Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin food guide.
The European version of the guide came out in February, cementing Tokyo’s place at the top of the world culinary map, though France still has the edge as a country, just.
