Japanese food culture and the fermented food

I'm currently interested in about Japanese fermented food. Once i studied and obtained the certification of " Japanese fermented meister " issued by Japanese fermented culture organization. I wanted to learn about correct understanding of Japanese food culture and fermented food to share the knowledge with my cooking class students from over the world.

Since the COVID-19 has occurred this spring and and had time for stay-home, I had chance to read books related to fermented food. I understood more about Japanese food culture and the healthy benefits of ferment ingredients.

I believe the health benefits of the foods might fascinate people not only Japanese people but people in the world. I'll break down the Japanese ferment food and explain the production process, healthy benefit and aspect of the taste of umami.

What is definition of Japanese food?

We Japanese enjoy cooking and eating wide variety of daily food, such as ramen, curry, crocket, pasta, spring rolls, grilled fish and etc. However, an image that reflect I our mind is dish which is cooked with soy sauce and miso.

Japanese restaurants are existing all over the world, and the taste has been fascinating the people over the courtiers as well. As my experience of teaching Japanese cooking for people from the world, they eager to learn the cooking and techniques and willing to recook at their kitchen at home. Some students sent me the picture of elaborate homemade ramen, set of the vegetable dishes just I taught at the class and marinated sashimi beautifully arranged in a local porcelain. I believe the Japanese ingredients are pricy in countries other than japan, but they tried to cook Japanese home dishes by themselves.

I believe it worth to cook the food at home. Although you need initial cost to purchase Japanese seasoning and I believe it is bit pricy other than Japan. If you already have left of miso container in your fridge and wondered how to use it, please refer to my easy recipes.

Gyoza

Gyoza is a popular dish for men and women in all ages among Japanese, but now I know it's been popular in universally. Many people from the world came to take gyoza

cooking class and hope they cook the dish at home country.

The ingredients of gyoza are easy to get, I would say everywhere in the world cities. If there is an Asian super market nearby, you are lucky!, you can get all the ingredients.

・Ground pork

・Cabbages or Nappa cabbage

・Scallions

・Soy sauce

・Oyster sauce if possible

・Sake or you can omit this

・Ginger and garlic

・Gyoza wrappers You can get it in Asian market or you can make it with AP flour and bread flour ・

・Starch either potato starch or corn starch

・Cabbages or Napa cabbage use it doesn't contain MSG. I can tell all the outside gyoza use MSG for producing better taste and good umami. Since I am sensitive for MSG, I will be parched after eating. I like gyoza very much, so if I want to eat, I cook them at home.

Gyoza is originally from China and it is deformed in Japan, such as steamed or boiled style in China and steam-fried style in Japan. Gyoza wrappers are different. Chinese gyoza wrappers are thicker and more chewy and Japanese gyoza is more crispy with thin wrappers. I like Chinese style gyoza.

When I worked as a flight attendant, the crew flew to Dalian round trip in a day. We had small rest in Dalian in the cabin, not allowed to leave airplane because of the aviation act. While we stayed in the cabin, the airport staff treated us for right cooked steamed gyoza. The gyoza was really delicious and can't forget the taste and reminds me of how sweet they are. Always good food tastes accompany with good memories.

I've been trying many recipes for cooking perfect gyoza, so my recipe will never stop evolving. I'd like to stay the ingredients simple, but techniques are improving each times when I cook gyoza myself.

So my recipe might change in near future, but this is my original recipe and many people tried this in my cooking class. They really enjoy the taste and textures.

Ingredients for 20-25 pieces

<Filling>

Ground pork 150g

Cabbage 3 big leaves minced

Chinese chives 100g minced *can be omitted if not available

Green onion 1/2 ea minced

Ginger 20g grated

Garlic 1 clove grated of finely minced

Oyster sauce 1/2 Tablespoon *can be omitted if not available

Sake 1 Table spoon * can be omitted if not available

Soy sauce 1 Table spoon

Sesame oil 1/2 Table spoon

-----------------

Gyoza wrappers 20-25 sheets

Vegetable oil 1 Table spoon

Sesame oil 1 Table spoon

<Dipping sauce>

Soy sauce 1 table spoon

Rice vinegar 1 table spoon

Chinese chili oil (ra-yu) as needed

Directions

1 Salt cabbage and mix well for dehydrating cabbage about 10 min. In a mean while

prepare another medium bowl, add ground pork, oyster sauce, sake, soy sauce and sesame oil and mix well until the ground pork become sticky.

Squeeze the liquid out of cabbage roughly and add into the pork mixture into the cabbage bowl. Add minced Chinese chives and minced green onion, and mix them lightly, and completely. Store the bowl in a fridge for about 30 min to incorporate the flavor of meat and vegetables.

2 Prepare about 50 mil of water in a small bowl. Place a wrapper in your palm and place approximately a table spoon of the filling in the center. Wet your pointer with water in the bowl and apply the water along the edge of the circle with your finger. Fold the wrapper in half with the filling in the middle, pinch the edges of the semi-circle at several places to make pleats and seal. Make sure to remove the air in the inside of the wrapper.

3 Prepare a pan, preferably non-stick, with spread vegetable oil and turn on the medium heat. Place the dumplings, sealed- side up, in a single layer in the pan. Cook the dumplings over medium –high heat until the bottoms are golden brown.

4 Add about 50ml of hot water, or cover1/3 level of the dumplings along the edge of the pan and cover and keep cooking over medium heat. Let the dumplings steam until the water is gone, for approx.5 min.

5 Uncover and add 1 Table spoon of sesame oil and cook over high heat until the bottom of the dumplings become nice golden brown.

6 Transfer the dumplings on a serving plate bottom side up. Set the dipping sauce in a small dish and serve alongside. Serve gyoza with soy vinegar sauce and spicy sesame oil.

The Goza recipe on YouTube

Tonkatsu Pan Fried Pork

Tonkatsu literally means pork “cotelette", the word and the cooking technique came from French about 250 years ago. The cotelette is originally cooked with veal and searved with demi-glace sauce. A western style restaurant started to cook the dish with pork and the dish became the staple style of dish.

As a home style cooking, we eat pork more often than beef because pork is less expensive. Currently beef has been imported from Australia and USA and those are less expensive than the domestic raised beef. I think the price is similar to domestic good-quality pork. We also cook chicken as a Chicken cutlet for the dish, but still pork coutlet is more popular than other meat and poultry.

I used pork shoulder for the recipe at this time but using pork loin is better for making Tonkatsu. In fact, pork loin, the back area, contains less fat and more tender and that suits to cook tonkatsu. I think most suitable part is the tenderloin or medallion those are good-quality part of pork. We also cook chicken as a chickinkatsu, but still pork cutlet is more popular than other meat and poultry.

Additionally, As I explained, Tonkatsu is usually cooked as a deep fry, but my recipe doesn't call litters of vegetable oil. I usualy fry them with shallow depth of vegetable oil. My home style Tonkastu is " pan fried pork". When the pork cooking in the oil over medium-high heat, you shouldn't move while the panko breadcrumbs are cooked completely and the color turns golden brown. As long as the pork stays in the oil enough time in certain temperature, the pork will be fried crispy.

Japanese restaurant serve Tonkatsu with fresh shredded cabbage and vegetables such as tomato wedges and cucumbers. Chilled vegetable refreshes mouth greases from the fried pork. I also serve those vegetables when i cook Tonkatsu at home.

The tonkatsu sauce I use a bottle of Tonkatsu sauce, which is commonly sold in Japanese grocery stores and the taste similar to A-one sauce or Worcester sauce.

If you have enough time and energy, there is a recipe for the sauce accompany with the tonkatsu.

The tonkatsu sauce I use a bottle of Tonkatsu sauce, which is commonly sold in Japanese grocery store and the taste similar to A-1 sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Some restaurants serve a tiny sesame grinder with seasonings and ground sesame with Tonkatsu plate to the table. People grind and mix the seasoning to finish the sauce. Then ready to eat Tonkatsu meal. Miso katsu is also a popular dish. The sauce is made from little acidic and sweet miso. That is originally from Nagoya area and now popular nationally.

I often asked a nasty question to them that the fried pork is similar to Schnitzel, and just cook pork instead of chickens, right? Then they shook the head and denied. Tonkatsu seems like a must-try food for tourists.

Tonkatsu Deep fried Pork Cutlet for 2 people

Ingredients for 2 people

Pork loin 1 cm to 3 cm thickness choose the thickness as you like

room temperature at least 30 min before cooking.

Salt 1/2 teaspoon or more, depend on the thinness

Pepper moderate amount to coat over the pork slice

Flour moderate amount to coat over the pork slice

Egg 1 each for the egg wash

Panko bread crumbs moderate amount to coat over the pork slice

Vegetable oil 4 cm from the bottom of the frying pan

Sliced cabbage

Wedged tomatoes

Sliced cucumber

for the sauce

Ketchup 3 Tablespoons

Miso 1 Tablespoon

Soy sauce 1/2 Tablespoon

Honey 1 Tablespoon

Dijon Mustard 1 teaspoon

* Adjust your favorite taste

Prep

Remove the fat, rim of the meat slice, and poke the muscles, white part, with point of the cooking knife.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the both sides of sliced pork, and dread with flour, egg wash, and dread with panko bread crumbs.

prepare vegetable oil in a deep pan and heat about 180 ℃ over medium to medium high heat. Cook the dreaded pork both sides for 3 min. Do not move while the pork is cooking. Turn over and cook another 3 min or until the pork will be cooked completely. Transfer them to the rack and leave for a while.

Cut the fried pork into the crosswise and serve with shredded cabbage and vegetables. Spoon the sauce over the Tonkastu.

If you like to learn how to cook crispy pan-fried Tonkatsu,

take the lesson