Alexis Aldeguer - Japanese Cooking with Manga: The Gourmand Gohan Cookbook - 59 Easy Recipes Your Friends will Love!

JAPANESE COOKING WITH MANGA EASY RECIPES YOUR FRIENDS WILL LOVE! BY THE GOURMAND GOHAN TEAM Alexis Aldeguer, Maiko-san & Ilaria Mauro How the Gourmand Gohan team startedEssential Japanese Ingredients Many Japanese ingredients are now available at supermarkets everywhere. The international section has short-grain rice, soy sauce and rice vinegar. You will also find gyoza wrappers, fresh tofu and even miso in the refrigerated section. Dashi Powder is the ubiquitous Japanese fish stock powder used in many Japanese dishes. Dashi soup stock can be made fresh from dried bonito flakes but it is also available in an instant powdered version that you just dissolve in water. Sesame Seeds White sesame seeds are more commonly used than black ones, which have a stronger flavor. Sesame Seeds White sesame seeds are more commonly used than black ones, which have a stronger flavor.

You can buy them toasted or dry toast them yourself in a pan over medium heat, moving them around until they turn golden brownbut do not burn them! Black sesame seeds are used as a garnish and are sometimes used as a decoration for sushi. Rice Vinegar is available in Asian food stores and many supermarkets. Make sure the rice vinegar you purchase has only rice and water as the ingredients. Store it in a cool, dry place. The flavor of rice vinegar is more delicate than other vinegars. Dried Bonito Flakes are dried shavings of bonito fish sold in small plastic packets. Dried Bonito Flakes are dried shavings of bonito fish sold in small plastic packets.

The shavings come in varying sizesthe larger ones are used to make dashi soup stock whereas the finer ones are used as a garnish. They are available in Japanese stores and many supermarkets. Seaweed comes in many varieties, normally dried. Wakame is from the seas around Japan and Korea and has an intense color, sweet flavor and delicate texture. It is great in salads. Nori is a small and rugged seaweed.

After being crushed and pressed, it is sold in packets as dried sheets, ready to make sushi! Kombu is a dark green seaweed, rich in minerals. Once reconstituted its used in salads and soups, and to flavor rice when cooking. Kombu is usually discarded after the dish or rice is cooked. Nori Seaweed Wakame Seaweed Kombu Seaweed Miso is a fermented soybean paste similar to Chinese black bean paste. It is available in the refrigerated section of Asian supermarkets and some health food stores. White, red or special blends are the commonly available miso varieties.

Typically, the lighter the color of the miso, the sweeter and lighter the flavor. White Miso Red Miso Hatchomiso Black Miso Hatchomiso Soy Sauce is an essential ingredient in Japanese dishes. It is made of soybeans, wheat and salt. Generally, at the table, light soy sauce is used whereas in cooking, dark soy sauce is used. Umeboshi is a preserved Japanese sour plum. You can buy them whole, or as jars of umeboshi paste or in the form of umeboshi vinegar.

Umeboshi has a sour and salty flavor and is used for salads, vegetables and over rice. Mirin is a sweet, amber-colored rice wine used as a flavoring in soups and sauces. It has low alcohol content and a high sugar content. Readily available in Japanese food stores and many supermarkets. If mirin is unavailable, cooking sherry may be substituted.