Essentials in Japanese Food

[betty gao]

Besides rice, seafood is highly consumed in Japan since the country is surrounded by oceans. Seaweed, fish, clams, fish cakes are essential ingredients in Japanese cooking. Dashi soup stock used in Japanese-style meals is made from katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) or konbu (kelp). Other essential ingredients in Japanese cuisine include mushrooms, noodles, beans, ginger, and more. Essential seasonings in Japanese cuisine are soy sauce, mirin (sweet rice wine), miso (bean paste), sake (rice wine), rice vinegar, wasabi (Japanese horseradish), and so on.

[Deb]

This is awesome! I love Japanese food, and especially love cooking with Japanese seasonings. Something I've been pretty interested in lately is the Japanese bento, especially the character ones, which I think are really creative (but I'm not really sure I would ever try making them, because I read that it can take hours when you first start!) I've collected some of the blogs I've been reading about the bento at http://bleditor.com/bledit.php?bleditID=15851 if you may be interested in them, too. Do you cook Japanese food often?