Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Lead out in cuffs
Sep 18, 2012

"That's right. We've evolved."

"I can see that. Cool mutations."




WerrWaaa posted:

Anyone have recommendations for reasonable electric hot plates for cooking at the dinner table?

A portable gas camping stove works pretty well if you're not dead set on electric. You can get them pretty cheap, too.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Thoht
Aug 3, 2006

Suspect Bucket posted:

Whats a good entry level sake for cooking and occasional sipping?

Yaegaki. It's like $4 for a 750ml bottle and is actually very drinkable.

hallo spacedog
Apr 3, 2007

this chaos is killing me
💫🐕🔪😱😱

Suspect Bucket posted:

The chef at my sushi joint gave me sriracha salmon as a freebie and a spicy tuna roll. Who are the proper authorities to report this monster to.

:rolleyes:
That's why I said make it however you like. I wasn't trying to say it was wrong, and I put hot sauce on a lot of things too, just that peppers really weren't widely used for a LONG time in Japan. Same goes for garlic and other really strong flavors like that.

Even now that that isn't necessarily the case, a lot of Japanese people have a laughably low tolerance for spice.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

hallo spacedog posted:

:rolleyes:
That's why I said make it however you like. I wasn't trying to say it was wrong, and I put hot sauce on a lot of things too, just that peppers really weren't widely used for a LONG time in Japan. Same goes for garlic and other really strong flavors like that.

Even now that that isn't necessarily the case, a lot of Japanese people have a laughably low tolerance for spice.

I was just being facetious and silly, sorry :3: . Some reason though, people associate japanese with spicy. Might be the wasabi. Which, hooo! Is the only thing helping my sinuses in this early onset allergy season.

\/\/\/

hallo spacedog posted:

Sorry, I'm really drat terrible at reading sarcasm/jokes in text format!
Who are the proper authorities to report this flawed individual to also hossrads 4eva
\/\/\/

Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Jan 24, 2015

hallo spacedog
Apr 3, 2007

this chaos is killing me
💫🐕🔪😱😱

Suspect Bucket posted:

I was just being facetious and silly, sorry :3: . Some reason though, people associate japanese with spicy. Might be the wasabi. Which, hooo! Is the only thing helping my sinuses in this early onset allergy season.

Sorry, I'm really drat terrible at reading sarcasm/jokes in text format!

Wasabi is tasty but for whatever reason I guess my mouth registers it as something totally different than spiciness, maybe pungency would be how I'd describe it. But yeah it feels terrible and then afterwards, great, to get a big bite of it.

The bright green wasabi they serve outside of Japan is really pungent, because iirc it's primarily horseradish. If you get sushi in Japan a lot of places grate the wasabi fresh and it's a bit more herbal tasting to me.

Riptor
Apr 13, 2003

here's to feelin' good all the time

hallo spacedog posted:

Wasabi is tasty but for whatever reason I guess my mouth registers it as something totally different than spiciness, maybe pungency would be how I'd describe it.

Wasabi doesn't have capsaicin in it, which is what makes chili peppers spicy. Instead its spiciness/pungency is from sulphur compounds. So your assessment is correct! Fundamentally it's working in a different way chemically

shankerz
Dec 7, 2014

Must Go Faster!!!!!

Helith posted:

You can also get Japanese Chili oil which is just Sesame oil with chili in it and it's got a good kick to it. I find mine in the Japanese section of the Asian grocers I use here in Sydney. It's a condiment so it comes in small bottles, but I bet you could make your own too.

Recommend any brands? This sounds exactly what I'm looking for.

hallo spacedog
Apr 3, 2007

this chaos is killing me
💫🐕🔪😱😱

shankerz posted:

Recommend any brands? This sounds exactly what I'm looking for.

The most common brand they usually have at the Asian Markets near me is S&B, and it usually looks something like this:


There are more specialty brands if you live near a Mitsuwa/Marukai or maybe some H-Marts, but generally this one is sold all over the place.

paraquat
Nov 25, 2006

Burp

Suspect Bucket posted:

Whats a good entry level sake for cooking and occasional sipping?

I don't have a brand for you, but it might be worth mentioning that sake doesn't keep well once opened (like two or three days in the fridge)
I'm not very strict on that with the cooking part (as in, I don't really care and might keep it for a month), but you might want to do the
occasional sipping every time you open a bottle.

hallo spacedog
Apr 3, 2007

this chaos is killing me
💫🐕🔪😱😱

paraquat posted:

I don't have a brand for you, but it might be worth mentioning that sake doesn't keep well once opened (like two or three days in the fridge)
I'm not very strict on that with the cooking part (as in, I don't really care and might keep it for a month), but you might want to do the
occasional sipping every time you open a bottle.

If you really wish to drink it at the peak, this is true, but if it's average drinking sake that you want to primarily cook with, I wouldn't really worry too much about this. Also, you don't necessarily need to refrigerate it, unless you do plan to drink it at its peak of quality within a few days.

sleater-cummy
Dec 28, 2005

smile :]

hallo spacedog posted:

The most common brand they usually have at the Asian Markets near me is S&B, and it usually looks something like this:


There are more specialty brands if you live near a Mitsuwa/Marukai or maybe some H-Marts, but generally this one is sold all over the place.

At the tiny grocery near my campus they have Momoya's "Seems spicy, isn't spicy, kinda spicy chili oil." (Yeah, that's the whole name.) Comes in a little glass bottle like this:



It's pretty good! But I don't know how widespread it is, I've been spoiled by this little store. I've had S&B too, it's also good.

eine dose socken
Mar 9, 2008

I've had the same Momoya chili oil and it's the least spicy chili oil I've ever tried.

The taste is pretty good though.

sleater-cummy
Dec 28, 2005

smile :]
Oh, yeah, it's not spicy at all. I guess that's where this conversation started, huh? It's tasty though.

Helith
Nov 5, 2009

Basket of Adorables


shankerz posted:

Recommend any brands? This sounds exactly what I'm looking for.

The one I buy is House Shokuhin. No idea where you are located for availability, but that's the only one that I've tried because it's the only one I've seen on the shelves where I shop. It's spicy though!

http://www.myasiangrocer.com.au/house-shokuhin-chili-oil-30ml/

IndianaZoidberg
Aug 21, 2011

My name isnt slick, its Zoidberg. JOHN F***ING ZOIDBERG!
Noodles like these are used in Ramen, right?

http://www.myasiangrocer.com.au/better-one-brand-chinese-style-noodles-thin-375g/

I have been thinking about making my own Ramen for a while but haven't been able to find the right noodles.

After too many years of eating Ramen from the packet, a few months ago I had REAL Ramen and kind of fell in love. :love:

Also, any tips on making Japanese fried rice? I don't have a wok, but just about every other peice of kitchen equipment on the planet.

e: I just noticed that website is for Australia. :australia: Any good links to simular webstores that are in the US?

IndianaZoidberg fucked around with this message at 09:09 on Jan 28, 2015

KiteAuraan
Aug 5, 2014

JER GEDDA FERDA RADDA ARA!


Going against all my better judgement I decided to try natto. I figure since I've been fine with every other fermented food I've ever had this wouldn't be too bad. At first it was fine, the smell was intense but not all together unpleasant, earthy with a bit of a musty cheese aroma. Then I put it in my mouth. Texture was fine, slimy but find. But the flavor, it tasted like vomit, straight up. Even with the sauce.

Definitely going to stick to other areas of the cuisine from now one, especially udon, love cooking udon.

Soricidus
Oct 21, 2010
freedom-hating statist shill
Actually, natto is delicious

Mr. Wiggles
Dec 1, 2003

We are all drinking from the highball glass of ideology.
Yeah I love natto. But maybe it's not for everyone.

Lawman 0
Aug 17, 2010

I have some dried nori sitting in my pantry what should I do with it?
Also I don't like/don't want to make sushi.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

Lawman 0 posted:

I have some dried nori sitting in my pantry what should I do with it?
Also I don't like/don't want to make sushi.

Tear it into little peices on top of any rice dish

Lawman 0
Aug 17, 2010

Suspect Bucket posted:

Tear it into little peices on top of any rice dish

That's too easy! :mad:

hallo spacedog
Apr 3, 2007

this chaos is killing me
💫🐕🔪😱😱

It's goddamn freezing outside which means it's time for nabemono or hot pot!
I had a sukiyaki party to that effect on Thursday and it turned out amazing, we had a great time and ate a whole lot of food.
Here's my recipe which is nice and simple.

Feeds about 4 people.
Paper-thin sliced beef roast (with plenty of fat)...about a pound (figure 3-4 oz per person as usual). If you don't have an Asian market but you do have a supermarket with a full service butcher or an actual butcher, you may be able to convince them to put the beef through the slicer for you.
While at the butcher, ask them for beef suet (just a few ounces should be enough, and it's usually cheap if not free)
At least 4 shiitake mushrooms, I probably made at least 3 per person. Fresh is better in this case than dried.
Naga-negi (what they call Tokyo onion or big onion/long onion, sometimes, it looks like a longer, fatter scallion, or if not available, leeks will work)... about 2-3.
Shungiku (chrysanthemum greens, I think at the Korean market they had these marked as 'little crown' or something like that) 1/2 a bunch
Enoki mushrooms... one package.
Shirataki... one package. You can use the loose noodles one but I prefer the ones that are tied into bundles.
Yaki-doufu (roasted tofu, sold pre roasted at Japanese markets but if not available, get firm tofu, wrap in paper towels, press out the water for about 10-15 mins, and then you can put it in the broiler for 5-7 mins to get something similar ish)... 1 block.

The "wari-shita" or broth:
Dashi broth...3 cups
Soy sauce...3/4 cup (I use a combination of usukuchi and regular, use what you like)
Mirin...3/4 cup
Sugar... (1/2 to 2/3 cup, per your taste, use white or brown or whatever)

If you like, fresh eggs, at least 1 per person.

1: Most of the active stuff is just preparation. Wash the onions or leeks well and cut on a thin diagonal in easy to eat pieces, chop off the stems of the shiitakes and add a cross shaped decorative cut in the cap to let the liquid soak in easily, chop the bottom stem of the enoki and then tear into easily eatable clumps, cut off the stems of the shungiku and wash well in water, take the shirataki, boil it for a few minutes in water to remove the smell and make it easier to soak up broth, then drain it, cut the tofu into an easily eatable size. Put everything on a plate, put your meat on another plate.

2: Make the wari-shita: put those ingredients in a pot, bring it to near a boil, stir well, then turn off.

3: Get the pot started: In a big iron pot, preferrably something like an iron wok, that gets nicely hot, put it on the fire, add in the chopped up suet and render out the fat oil from it, then put in 1-2 pieces of beef and as those start to cook, pour a little bit of soy sauce directly on top. Take care it doesn't burn, but then add in your broth, and then put in your ingredients, minus the meat and the shungiku. As everything else starts to get well cooked, you'll put the meat and the shungiku in right before you're eating it.

The best way to do this is to have a gas burner stove in the middle of the table and then to cook and eat while everyone enjoys themselves. For maximum deliciousness, crack a raw egg into a bowl, beat up, and then serve your ingredients into the bowl and eat them out of there. Serve with white rice and lots of beer!

Lead out in cuffs
Sep 18, 2012

"That's right. We've evolved."

"I can see that. Cool mutations."




Yes! I did a fully vegan oden last night for my wife for Valentine's dinner. I used a pot with a divider, and did one stock with miso and dried shitake-water stock, the other with a peanut and szechuan pepper stock (not sooo Japanese, but I'd bet they'd do that). In the pot were shirataki, daikon, lotus root, carrot, tofu, sui choy, reconstituted shitaki, shimeji and spring onion.

I took pics but my phone's dead. Will post later once it's charged.

KiteAuraan
Aug 5, 2014

JER GEDDA FERDA RADDA ARA!


Lawman 0 posted:

I have some dried nori sitting in my pantry what should I do with it?
Also I don't like/don't want to make sushi.

Onigiri maybe? Though that may be a bit too similar to sushi if it's the rice you don't like. Maybe a nori bento?

hallo spacedog
Apr 3, 2007

this chaos is killing me
💫🐕🔪😱😱

Lead out in cuffs posted:

Yes! I did a fully vegan oden last night for my wife for Valentine's dinner. I used a pot with a divider, and did one stock with miso and dried shitake-water stock, the other with a peanut and szechuan pepper stock (not sooo Japanese, but I'd bet they'd do that). In the pot were shirataki, daikon, lotus root, carrot, tofu, sui choy, reconstituted shitaki, shimeji and spring onion.

I took pics but my phone's dead. Will post later once it's charged.

I actually had a vegan guest at that party as well so I made a pot of vegan sukiyaki as well. For an even better taste, broth wise, may I recommend trying konbu broth next time? It's really easy, and you can also mix mushroom water in there. I used all the same ingredients, except for konbu broth instead of regular dashi, and I used fried tofu skins instead of meat, and added bok choi for him as well, and it came out so tasty that we started putting fried tofu skins in the regular pot as well.

Just remember when you get fried tofu skins, to rinse them in boiling water first to get rid of some of the oil on the surface.

Lead out in cuffs
Sep 18, 2012

"That's right. We've evolved."

"I can see that. Cool mutations."




hallo spacedog posted:

I actually had a vegan guest at that party as well so I made a pot of vegan sukiyaki as well. For an even better taste, broth wise, may I recommend trying konbu broth next time? It's really easy, and you can also mix mushroom water in there. I used all the same ingredients, except for konbu broth instead of regular dashi, and I used fried tofu skins instead of meat, and added bok choi for him as well, and it came out so tasty that we started putting fried tofu skins in the regular pot as well.

Just remember when you get fried tofu skins, to rinse them in boiling water first to get rid of some of the oil on the surface.

Oh I put konbu into both broths as well. I cut it into strips and tied it into knots so it could be eaten towards the end. But yeah, konbu broth, or alternately konbu dashi-no-moto (available locally here), are definitely the way for vegan.

Let's see, the broths went something like this:

2 tbsp aka miso
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake (actually cheap Chinese cooking wine, but close)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 sheet konbu
3 cups water
1 cup shitaki-soaking water

2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp szechuan pepper
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake (actually cheap Chinese cooking wine, but close)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 sheet konbu
4 cups water

And I topped off with konbu dashi-no-moto stock as we cooked.

I'll definitely try fried tofu next time. It would also make the meal that much more washoku-compliant (just needs something grilled).






Lawman 0 posted:

I have some dried nori sitting in my pantry what should I do with it?
Also I don't like/don't want to make sushi.

I haven't tried this myself, but one of my recipe books suggests boiling it down with soy sauce, chilli pepper, sake and mirin to make a kind of furikake (rice topping) paste. They say 5 sheets nori, 4 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp sake, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp mirin, 1 chilli pepper.

Lawman 0
Aug 17, 2010

Lead out in cuffs posted:

Oh I put konbu into both broths as well. I cut it into strips and tied it into knots so it could be eaten towards the end. But yeah, konbu broth, or alternately konbu dashi-no-moto (available locally here), are definitely the way for vegan.

Let's see, the broths went something like this:

2 tbsp aka miso
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake (actually cheap Chinese cooking wine, but close)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 sheet konbu
3 cups water
1 cup shitaki-soaking water

2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp szechuan pepper
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake (actually cheap Chinese cooking wine, but close)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 sheet konbu
4 cups water

And I topped off with konbu dashi-no-moto stock as we cooked.

I'll definitely try fried tofu next time. It would also make the meal that much more washoku-compliant (just needs something grilled).


I haven't tried this myself, but one of my recipe books suggests boiling it down with soy sauce, chilli pepper, sake and mirin to make a kind of furikake (rice topping) paste. They say 5 sheets nori, 4 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp sake, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp mirin, 1 chilli pepper.

Where would I find mirin and also what sort of sake should I use since the local booze store has a decent selection?

Lead out in cuffs
Sep 18, 2012

"That's right. We've evolved."

"I can see that. Cool mutations."




Lawman 0 posted:

Where would I find mirin and also what sort of sake should I use since the local booze store has a decent selection?

The OP is pretty excellent and worth reading if you really want to get into this stuff:

hallo spacedog posted:

Sake (お酒) - Stop! Don’t buy that cooking sake on the grocery store shelf! (Okay, if you have no other options, by all means, buy it.) But if you have a decent liquor store nearby, about face and pick up a big bottle of Gekkeikan or something of at least semi-drinkable quality, and use that in your cooking. It’s actually maybe cheaper too if you just go to a good liquor store. And you can nip from the bottle while cooking, obviously...
Mirin (味醂・みりん) - There are two types of mirin: hon-mirin and aji-mirin. If you live where you can get hon-mirin, please use that, it’s naturally brewed and tastes much better than the sugar-sweetened version with lower alcohol that is called aji-mirin. It’s another type of rice wine. It is a completely distinct condiment from sake and sugar, and a very essential one that is in everything. For example, have you ever tried to make teriyaki and it was thin and lovely? You probably didn’t have any mirin in there.

Yeah, maybe I should start using Gekkeikan or something rather than the cheap lovely Chinese cooking wine, but I don't tend to drink (or cook with) sake that regularly, so...

For mirin, try Asian grocers, or maybe Whole Foods. Chances are that all you'll find will be aji-mirin, which is basically flavoured corn syrup, but maybe your liquor store would carry the real thing.

SymmetryrtemmyS
Jul 13, 2013

I got super tired of seeing your avatar throwing those fuckin' glasses around in the astrology thread so I fixed it to a .jpg
Both of my local Asian grocers, along with one of the numerous whole foods esque stores in my city, carries hon mirin. It's a bit expensive but well worth it for the vastly superior flavor.

hallo spacedog
Apr 3, 2007

this chaos is killing me
💫🐕🔪😱😱

Alternately though, there's no shame in using aji mirin or cooking sake, though I would personally argue that Chinese cooking wine is getting a little far off track, even that is essentially ok. Where I live I actually don't have access to hon mirin and it's not a huge deal.

I mean, nowadays a lot of Japanese probably don't really either so that's why aji mirin even exists in the first place.

I guess I'm just saying that because I know there's a real tendency on this forum, sub forum in particular to be super perfectionist about stuff like that but I wanted to start a thread like this to show we all can learn to cook good Japanese home food without too much fuss.

pogothemonkey0
Oct 13, 2005

:shepface:God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title:shepface:
I just came across this teriyaki chicken recipe and it looks so amazing. I can't use real booze so I'll probably try aji-mirin and cooking sake and report my findings back to this thread.

Helith
Nov 5, 2009

Basket of Adorables


pogothemonkey0 posted:

I just came across this teriyaki chicken recipe and it looks so amazing. I can't use real booze so I'll probably try aji-mirin and cooking sake and report my findings back to this thread.

That looks really similar to how I make mine. I use the second method because I use skinless thigh meat that I cut into strips, so I seal the meat and then put the sauce on and stirfry it until its become a glaze. I keep a big bottle of homemade teriyaki in my pantry as it keeps really well for a few months. It also goes spectacularly well with duck breasts and Salmon.

Sandwich Anarchist
Sep 12, 2008
So today I discovered that baking some baking soda in the oven for like 30 minutes at 350 or so turns it into an alkaline salt, which you use in noodle dough to make springy, tasty ramen noodles.

Lead out in cuffs
Sep 18, 2012

"That's right. We've evolved."

"I can see that. Cool mutations."




FrancoFish posted:

So today I discovered that baking some baking soda in the oven for like 30 minutes at 350 or so turns it into an alkaline salt, which you use in noodle dough to make springy, tasty ramen noodles.

Baking soda is an alkaline salt. You're just turning them into a more alkaline salt. But sure, sounds like this is a thing. You can also buy sodium carbonate (the stuff you're trying to make by baking the sodium bicarbonate) on Amazon, if you don't want to dick around with your oven. You can also get potassium carbonate, if you don't want your noodles to be packed with sodium at the end.

Sandwich Anarchist
Sep 12, 2008

Lead out in cuffs posted:

Baking soda is an alkaline salt. You're just turning them into a more alkaline salt. But sure, sounds like this is a thing. You can also buy sodium carbonate (the stuff you're trying to make by baking the sodium bicarbonate) on Amazon, if you don't want to dick around with your oven. You can also get potassium carbonate, if you don't want your noodles to be packed with sodium at the end.

Yeah, I've used bicarbonate, but gently caress ordering and waiting for it.

Lead out in cuffs
Sep 18, 2012

"That's right. We've evolved."

"I can see that. Cool mutations."




Here's the oden I made on Saturday. 'Scuse the mess on the table. Also lol what the gently caress kind of cut was I making with those carrots? Next time I'll probably go for fewer ingredients -- this was a bit too much for just two of us, and for that sized pot.



It was tasty, though.

hallo spacedog
Apr 3, 2007

this chaos is killing me
💫🐕🔪😱😱

Japanese would probably consider that more specifically vegetable hot pot, with oden being somewhat different as a stew of mostly fried fish cakes of various types, eggs, daikon and depending on where in Japan you're from, cocktail wieners, but no matter what the name is this looks really tasty. Good mushrooms.

gamingCaffeinator
Sep 6, 2010

I shall sing you the song of my people.

Helith posted:

That looks really similar to how I make mine. I use the second method because I use skinless thigh meat that I cut into strips, so I seal the meat and then put the sauce on and stirfry it until its become a glaze. I keep a big bottle of homemade teriyaki in my pantry as it keeps really well for a few months. It also goes spectacularly well with duck breasts and Salmon.

If you could post or PM me your recipe for the sauce, I would absolutely adore you.

With my stomach currently acting up and not being allowed to eat anything acidic or spicy (so there goes my Mexican cuisine), I've been eating a lot more miso and noodles. I have a recipe I'm going to attempt this weekend that's basically soba with miso and shiitake and it looks fantastic.

Helith
Nov 5, 2009

Basket of Adorables


Sure, I'll post it here as I don't have PM's.
Measurements are all in metric though.

Put 250ml light soy sauce, 200ml mirin, 200ml sake and 80g caster sugar into a saucepan. Heat on low until all the sugar has dissolved then leave it to cool and put it into a bottle to store. It makes about 700ml. Dead easy.

I use about a 1/4 cup of this sauce with about 4 cut up chicken thighs which have been tossed in a teaspoon of cornflour before cooking.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Fleta Mcgurn
Oct 5, 2003

Porpoise noise continues.

Lawman 0 posted:

I have some dried nori sitting in my pantry what should I do with it?
Also I don't like/don't want to make sushi.

Dried nori is tasty sprinkled into chicken soup!

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply