Do you want to cook with more Japanese food, but not sure where to start? I’ve got you! This guide will go through 5 Japanese Pantry staples which will help kick start your Japanese cooking, along with links to the recommended products.
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This is a very basic list but I want to keep it that way. I know it’s expensive to kit out a whole new pantry and I honestly think that having these 5 basic Japanese ingredients unlocks a whole range of Japanese recipes.
5 Basic Japanese Pantry Staples
- Soy Sauce
- Mirin
- Sake
- Miso
- Dashi
What can I make with these Japanese ingredients?
You can make a whole range of Japanese dishes using these 5 Japanese Pantry Staples. I’ve included some basic ingredients like sugar and oil since I imagine most people would have these.
Soy Sauce + Mirin + Sake = the backbone of Japanese cuisine. You will find these three ingredients throughout most Japanese recipes. They serve as the backbone of Japanese cooking and have a range of uses like flavouring and tenderising.
Miso + Dashi = a basic Miso Soup. Miso soup is extremely versatile and customisable. You can keep it simple or you can add ingredients like veggies, proteins, noodles, rice, dumplings, meatballs, the list goes on! There are many variations such as Tonjiru or Kabocha Miso Soup.
Miso + Sake + Mirin = Miso Marinade. This sauce is great as a marinade for a range of ingredients such as chicken, pork, fish, veggies. My Miso Aubergine recipe uses these three simple ingredients.
Soy Sauce + Mirin + Dashi + Sake + Sugar = Tsuyu. Tsuyu is a Japanese soup stock used in dishes such as udon, soba, and Agedashi Tofu. It is a versatile ingredient as it can be served hot or cold. I use tsuyu in this Agedashi Tofu Salad recipe.
Soy Sauce + Mirin + Sake + Sugar = Teriyaki Sauce. Teriyaki sauce is a popular Japanese sauce and is great to cook with all kinds of ingredient such as salmon, chicken, tofu.
Soy Sauce + Mirin + Sake + Dashi = Japanese Mixed Rice Seasoning. These ingredients make a basic stock for Takikomi Gohan, a flavourful and versatile Japanese mixed rice dish.
Miso + Oils = Miso Dressing. Miso is very versatile and is great for dressings, as well as soups and sauces.
What is Koji?
This isn’t on the list but I wanted to quickly mention it as its a crucial Japanese ingredient in most of the seasonings below. Koji is a grain, most commonly rice, inoculated with a koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae).
You’ve heard of the word Umami, right? If you haven’t – umami describes addictively savoury flavours. As the koji ferments, the enzymes, amino acids and glucose produced gives koji a deeply umami flavour profile.
What is Soy sauce?
Soy sauce, or Shoyu in Japanese, is made with soybeans, wheat, shoyu koji, salt and water. It goes through a number of fermentation stages and has a salty, slightly roasted, and umami flavour.
There are plenty of different soy sauces out there, but this Kikkoman Soy sauce is a dependable and budget friendly option. My cupboard is never without a bottle of this.
What is Mirin?
Mirin is made with steamed glutinous rice, rice koji, and alcohol (commonly shochu). All these ingredients are mixed together, fermented, and filtered. Mirin has a complexly sweet flavour and a syrupy consistency.
Here’s a link to a bottle of Mirin (400ml), if you want a larger one this is a link to a 600ml bottle of Mirin.
What is Sake?
Sake means alcohol in Japanese, but in English it is usually referring to Nihonshu. Nihonshu is alcohol made from rice, koji and water, which is fermented and then strained.
There is cooking sake and drinking sake (nihonshu). You can use the drinking sake for cooking, but you can’t drink the cooking sake. Cooking sake has added salts which make it unsuitable for drinking, and it’s also cheaper to buy.
Sake has a range of uses. It tenderises, removes strong odours from ingredients, speeds up the browning process (maillard reaction), and adds a subtle sweetness to a dish.
Here’s an Amazon link to a smaller Cooking Sake (400ml), and a larger Cooking Sake (500ml).
What is Miso Paste?
Miso is a fermented paste made from soybeans, grains (like rice or barely), salt, and koji. Although different miso pastes will have different flavour profiles it generally has a salty, rich, and umami base.
The classic Miso Soup at your local Japanese restaurant is most likely using white miso paste and dashi stock. The beauty of miso soup is that you can add anything you want!
My favourite is this White Miso Paste (750g) but if you want a smaller one they have a 400g Medium Sweet Miso Paste too.
What is Dashi?
Dashi is a stock made with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and kombu (dried kelp). You’ll find it in recipes like ramen, udon, and miso soup. You can make it fresh, or use instant dashi. If you’re first starting out or are on a budget, I would recommend buying instant dashi.
My favourite instant dashi is this Ajinomoto Hon-Dashi (120g), if you want a smaller option then there is this Shimaya Bonito Dashi Stock Powder (40g).
Final Note
It goes without saying but there are many more Japanese ingredients which would be very useful but I’m a firm believer that to start anything new, it’s best to start with the basics.
There are some phenomenal seasoning which I haven’t touched on yet like shio koji or yuzu kosho, but that’s for another day!
