What should I buy at the Japanese import store and how do I cook it?

Question

All the food looks SOOOO good but I need recipes and I need to know how to cook it. I also don't know how to read the labels so I have to look up everything and write down the Japanese word so I can find it in the store.

I can only recognize one thing by the packaging: natto.
Of course I love it but it sucks when that's the only thing you trust yourself to buy.

Answer 1

Nori (dried seaweed sheets) for Sushi. You also need the special rice, Koshihikari ( that's what Sushi is after all, pickled rice). Thoroughly rinse 1 cup of rice in cool water, until it runs clear. Drain and add to 1 1/4 cups of cold water in a 2 qt saucepan. Heat on high until boiling. Cover and reduce the heat to LOW, simmering for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed (you can do this in a rice cooker), don't lift the cover while cooking. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Empty into a non-metallic bowl and add 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar (I also add 1 Tbsp. Mirin, which could be added in the cooking or with the vinegar). Spoon a row of this on a sheet of Nori and add the fillings you like (Bean paste, sliced fresh veggies, toasted black sesame, thin sliced octopus (tako), Wasabi horseradish, fresh sashimi slices (blue fin tuna, raw or lightly steamed), or scrambled egg rolling it up like a jelly roll and serving sliced in 1 in. portions with more Wasabi and pickled ginger slices. It's easier to do this with a sushi set, a bamboo mat for rolling and paddle for the rice. They often come with instructions in English. Free form Sushi is also good, made with shrimp, slices of fish, cuttlefish, etc. Aji-no-moto or Dashi-no-moto are great seasonings which can be sprinkled on Sushi, salads, or soups.

Here's a recipe for Sukiyaki, with links. I like it with the thinly sliced Kobayashi beef, an expensive Japanese import, but worth it since you don't need much. I also make mine with Asahi beer as the stock base and a little bit of brown honey.

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/beef/r/beefsukiyaki.htm

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Answer 2

When the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbour some years back, they mobilized a ground unit to overtake the Hickam Military Base. In the midst of the fighting, one of the Japanese Generals, Kuniaki Koiso, dived into a building to avoid gunfire. Someone helped him up from the floor and handed him a bucket. The bucket was filled with delicious fried chicken. The building he dived into was a KGC. It was christmas day. The man who helped Koiso was Harland David Sanders. Better known as Colonel Sanders. The Japanese have been so moved by this act of kindness that they celebrate every christmas with KFC.

Answer 3

Get sukiyaki sauce. In Singapore it costs S$5.00 or US$4.00

prepare sliced beef, sliced onions, toufu, clear/string bean noodle, golden mushrooms and arrange in a microwave pot.

Beat an egg and put it over the ingredients. Add sukiyaki sauce, some soya sauce and black pepper. Do not mix the egg into the sukiyaki sauce.

Microwave it for 5 mins. Serve it with rice.

As simple as that ! :)

Answer 4

You LIKE natto?!!

...OK.

Mountain/long potatoes (technically yams) are scraped of skin and finely grated- so you have a palm-sized pile of mush- which can be added to the top of noodles or a bowl of udon or rice bowl.
Pumpkin (they are kind of greenish) can be sliced thinly and steamed or fried.
Gobo (burdock root) can be peeled and steamed (pressure cooker is best).
Rinkon (lotus root) can be boiled, fried, etc. Many english recipes concerning lotus root.
Sesame flour (cooked/roasted) can be added to your morning yougurt. Mixed with sugar is good too... Or add hot water for a drink.
Miso can be added to a light broth for soup. Try different kinds.

Answer 5

Japanese chicken curry - somewhere in the market will be some Golden Curry made by S&B Foods Inc. it comes in a box. brown some chicken and onion and onion in a fry pan, add some water and the curry, it will disolve and thicken like a gravey add some veg like chunks of carret and brocolie serve over steamed rice.

Answer 6

If you like sushi, look for freshly packaged sashimi and take that home to eat! No cooking. Just eat it with some warm rice, and have your soy sauce and wasabi ready to mix.

Answer 7

What you need to do first is to buy a Japanese cookbook or find some recipes online that you want to try. Then, write down the products on a piece of paper you need to buy at the store. I know that your problem is that it's not easy to find a product because it's written in Japanese. So what you need to do is just to ask. That's all you need to do.

Some people are so embarrased to ask. But it's ok to ask if you don't know what to get. It's much better than you pretending to know about Japanese food or Japaese products, and also it's much better to ask than to take you a lot of time to find the products you want.

By the way, the typical products that many Japanese people buy are:

1. Curry Mix(カレー）:
http://www.maruwa.com/onlineshop/pros_seasoning_yofu/pros_seasoning_yofu.html

(Japanese curry recipe)
http://japanesefood.about.com/od/curry/a/aboutcurry.htm

*there are different brands of curry mix. Depending on a brand, the flaovr varies. Many Japanese people usually try different brands and find out which brand is their favorite. My favorite brand is Vermont.

And also by using the same ingredients for curry you can make Japanese cream stew（クリームシチュー）:
http://foresightedthorn.blogspot.com/2007/03/cream-stew-japanese-version.html

We say that even after we prepare for making curry, we still have time to change our mind to make cream stew because the ingredients are the same.

2. Miso paste + Bonito powder to make miso soup

Miso paste: http://foresightedthorn.blogspot.com/2007/03/cream-stew-japanese-version.html

Miso paste also has different flavors such as aka miso, white miso, awase miso. Japanese people have preferences to make miso soup so you just need to find out which type of miso you like to have. Usually aka miso is strong and white miso is sweet, and awase miso means that white and aka miso is just mixed.

bonito powder：http://www.amazon.com/Hon-Dashi-Bonito-Fish-Soup-Stock/dp/B0000CNU0C

(video of how to make miso soup)
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-miso-soup

*seaweed（わかめ）for miso soup:　http://www.maruwa.com/onlineshop/dry_food/dry_food.html#konbu
3: Rice

There are different kinds of rice. And even Japanese people have preferences. But usually Japanese people don't like" Nishiki" because simply it doesn't taste good. The favorite rice that many Japanese people living in the states are :

ひとめぼれ
あきたおとめ
田牧米

http://www.maruwa.com/onlineshop/rice/rice.html

You can find how to make rice on the back of the package.

I can actully go on and on about Japanese food and products but it'll be too long to post so I need to stop here. Anyway, you need to buy Japanese cookbooks and learn some Japanese language just for buying some Japanese products. If you have a question, just send me an e-mail.

Answer 8

GO TO YOUR LIBRARY, THEY HAVE THE GREATEST COOK BOOKS! THEY TELL YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!