Tofu is a block of pressed soybean curd. Like many things, tofu originated in China and figures in Chinese and Japanese cuisine, as well as being coveted by vegetarians of all nationalities for its high protein (and nonexistent cholesterol).
Neutral-tasting tofu tends to take on the flavor of whatever it's cooked with, kind of like chicken. It comes in many guises, including soft and firm, dried and processed.
A versatile ingredient, tofu can be eaten raw, cubed and marinated and added to salads or stir-fried dishes at the last minute (it holds its shape but must be treated with some delicacy). Or it can be cut into slices and fried until crispy. Tofu can also be mashed up and used to make non-dairy desserts, like "cheese"-cake.
Nori is a Japanese word for edible seaweed that is shredded and dried into sheets, in a process similar to making paper. It is usually toasted.
A rich source of protein, vitamins, calcium, iron and other minerals, nori is produced in Japan, Korea and China and is most commonly used as a wrapper for sushi. The seaweed is crunchy when dry but quickly becomes soggy once it comes into contact with damp sushi rice. Nori can also be cut up into fine strips and added to miso soup or noodle dishes.
Yakitori is a Japanese word that means "grilled" (yaki) "fowl" (tori) and usually refers to chicken kebabs that are made by lacing bite-sized pieces of chicken meat or offal on skewers and grilling them over charcoal.
Popular in Japan, where you can find yakitori stands lining the streets, yakitori can be served with salt and lemon juice or with tare sauce made from mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar. The Japanese like to wash their yakitori down with a beer.
Sushi is a Japanese dish now famous the world over.
It is named after one of its main components: boiled sushi rice that is flavored with sweetened rice vinegar while still hot and left to cool. Sushi rice is often rolled up in dried seaweed called nori and paired with ingredients that commonly include raw fish, as well as vegetables, tofu, eggs, cooked fish and other ingredients. Sushi is served with soy sauce with wasabi paste, or ponzu and shredded daikon radish.
But sushi is not Japanese for raw fish.
That dish is called sashimi. So the next time someone says they don't like sushi, what they're really saying is that they don't like rice.
Why does Cookthink use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
Why does Cookthink use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
We use red pepper flakes so often that we've come to think of them as the third standard seasoning, after salt and pepper.
Why do we use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
We use it as a flavor highlighter. In addition to the fives tastes -- sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami -- our tongues detect capsaicin, the main ingredient found in any hot chile. The heat of capsaicin in red pepper flakes "points up" the taste of ingredients they season. So, no matter what tastes and flavors you have going on in a dish, a pinch of red pepper flakes will help clarify and those tastes and flavors without necessarily adding heat (though you can add plenty of heat by adding red pepper flakes).
Experiment with red pepper flakes by starting out with a pinch in a dish like this Fusilli with Broccoli Raab and Parmesan. Increase (or decrease) the amount you use to get a sense of how much you like to add.
Recipe: New York Strip With Spicy Gremolata Dressing (Cookthink)
Reference: Measuring freshly ground black pepper (Cookthink)
Dashi stock is the base of many soups from Japan, including as miso, ramen and soba. It can also be used as a poaching liquid for fish and meats.
The basis for dashi stock is kombu seaweed. Caked with tiny streaks of sea salt, the kombu can be cracked or cut into sheets to make the stock. It imparts the necessary umami, or savory component.
In a stock pot, heat 5 cups of water to almost boiling and add in 1 large sheet of kombu. Remove from heat and let the seaweed steep and plump up. After 5 minutes, remove the kombu.
The next ingredient is bonito flakes -- bits of shaved, smoked and dried skipjack tuna. They add body to the stock.
Reheat the kombu-flavored water to just under boiling, add 2 cups of bonito flakes, take it off the heat and let it steep for 5 minutes.
Strain out the bonito flakes and it's done!
The tastes of sweet, salty, bitter and sour are familiar, but there is a fifth taste we can perceive with our tongue. Called umami, its taste has been described as rounded, rich and savory.
Of the five tastes, umami (a Japanese-coined name) is our favorite to think about when cooking. It’s usually matched with salt to add depth and complexity to foods that may lack depth and complexity on their own. Traditional examples (the map comes from the Umami Information Center) of umami-rich foods include soy sauce, miso paste and bonito flakes in Asian cuisine; and cured ham, cheese, tomatoes, ketchup and mushrooms in Western cuisine.
Let’s leave the origin of taste to evolutionary biologists and just agree that our tongues have evolved to make us want the things we need to live. The compounds that exude umami form the essential building blocks of proteins, which we need along with sugar and salt to survive. Somewhere along the line, we developed an aversion to bitter and sour tastes, probably to help us avoid dangerous substances. But we’ve learned to overcome those aversions and often enjoy those tastes, too.
Recognizing the power of umami helps us understand our cravings. It also helps explain why we crumble cheese on a roasted beet and arugula salad or why we add a dollop of tomato paste to the base of a stew or why we splash soy sauce in a stir-fry. They all make a meal more satisfying.
Recipe: Arugula Salad With Roasted Beets And Ricotta Salata
Recipe: Beef Osso Buco
Recipe: Stir-Fried Chicken, Bok Choy And Chiles With Basil
Image courtesy of the Umami Information Center
