Kikeru Archive

Thursday, 18 November 2010

JAPANESE CUISINE


The most delightful thing about Japans four seasons is not only its changing scenic beauty but also the dishes that comes with each season. By Autumn which is the time of harvest, a lot of ingredients are available by the end of autumn making the autumn and winter menu at its most delicious. The Japanese place heavy emphasis on seasonality of food thus through out the year Japanese dishes remains mouth watering.


Ramen (Noodles)
Japanese dishes evolved along with the political and social changes that Japan experience. The introduction of western and ethnic food and some foreign dishes that Japan adopted and call it its own, using Japanese ingredients and traditional methods of cooking. Japanese dishes is based on combining staple food like rice and noodles with soup dishes usually made from fish, meat, vegetables or tofu. Japanese dishes comprise of more seafood and vegetables its only recent that the Japanese started eating meat due to restrictions of Buddhism.

The typical cooking methods are raw, grilled, boiled, steamed, deep fried, vinegared or dressed. The cooking techniques varies depending on the dish and instructions.
Japanese cuisines is further split into regional dishes namely Kansai region and Kanto region. These dishes are specialized dishes using local ingredients grown in that particular area and the local cooking techniques. What is obvious is that the food originating from Kanto have a much stronger taste than those from Kansai, even manufactured produces are produced that way also. For example, A cup noodle produced for Kanto region will have a stronger flavor than the exactly the same cup noodles produced for Kansai region. However the local ingredients became more available than before making it easier to cook anything that is considered a speciality to only one region.
Bento (Lunch box)
Noodle or ramen is another staple food in Japan. It is served with soup either hot or cold and can be eaten as a substitute for rice. The Japanese began eating bread sometimes in the 19th century and it is more popular now than before however its not native to Japan. Even the Japanese word for bread is borrowed from Portuguese, Pan.
Pre-cooked Frozen dumplings
Japanese Dishes are relatively easy to pull together even if it your first time. The ingredients are easy to find, most Japanese dishes are pre-cooked and packaged. Still its always best to start from scratch. Some of the easiest dishes are yakisoba (fried noodles), Okonomiyaki ( Japanese pizza-like dish), Kara-age (adapted. Deep fried coated chicken pieces)  and many more. One can never go wrong while cooking Japanese dishes and its easy to adapt these recipes to your liking or to fit the palate of the local populace.
For most foreigners our knowledge about Japanese food ends with sushi or sashimi but theres is a lot more to Japanese food than we realise. Japanese food is really healthy and balanced with side dishes, soup and pickles. However the common trend among the younger generation right now is live off pre-cooked frozen food. Japanese pre-cooked frozen food are quite good and easy to prepare. Another popular part of Japanese food is the bento (lunch box) where assorted Japanese prepared food are combined in one lunch box with rice and sold at the convenient shops or Bento shops.
The izakayas (bar) offers a lot of traditional Japanese dishes ranging from a few regional speciality to the everyday Japanese dishes. Some Izakayas specialise in one particular dish with tonnes of variation, eg. The Hiroshima Okonomiyaki shops in Tokyo.
Don't hesitate to try cooking Japanese dishes they are easy and will always please even if you substitute the ingredients or adapt it to your preference.

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