Shopping List

Just about to start Japanese cooking? Here is the shopping list for you :)

Staples

• Sugar 
• Salt 
• Shoyu(Soy sauce)
• Mirin( Rice sweetener)
• Sake (Rice wine)
• Rice Vinegar
• Miso (Fermented Soy Bean)
• Dashi powder (Soup Stock)

Good to have

• Katakuriko(Potato Starch)
• Sesame Oil

For nutritional benefits, you could choose cane sugar, coconut sugar and sea salt. Shoyu has gluten free(Tamari Shoyu) and Low-sodium options.

Dashi is soup stock used in Japanese cuisine, helps enhance Umami, savory taste. There are multiple choices of dashi such as iriko(anchovy), konbu(sea weed), katsuo(bonito), and Shiitake mushroom. You can choose which dashi to use according to the dishes you make, or just even your preference.. I found katsuo is useful to season any kinds of dishes.

Although dashi powder is useful, dashi tastes the best when it's freshly made, I will add the some recipes soon :)

Miso is a fermented soybean paste with salt, koji and sometimes other grains such as rice.

Like dashi, miso also has variety, such as White miso, red miso, combination of white and red, barley, rice, buckwheat, millet, and so on(More information about Miso ) We usually change types of miso depends on what we cook with.

I would recommend getting rice miso with light brown color for beginners for its milder taste and versatility. Once you start using miso, you will want to try different kinds, like you enjoy mariage of cheese and wine.

Katakuriko(potato starch) is used as thickener, coating for deep frying, and making sauce. Corn starch as a substitute does not give the same effect, and I like using katakuriko for deep frying for it's crispy and crunchy result.

Everything I listed can be purchased at Japanese or Asian grocery stores in the US, or online

Japanese Square
Asian Food Grocer

You will be surprised how far you could go with those items.. you can make so many different kinds of dishes.

Did you get all items? Let's start cooking!