Japanese Ingredients: A Good Place To Find Them

[MayFox]

I've been wanting to try to make all sorts of different Japanese dishes, mostly sweets as most of them provide a decent challenge and a great deal of patience. But there are some dishes that are ingredient specific, or that I'm not willing to substitute, anything in order to keep it as close to the traditional dish as possible. One of the dishes I want to make is Mochi.

In order to make it I need Mochiko (sweet rice flour) and Katakuriko (potato starch). I will settle for cornstarch, but Mochiko I need. Does anyone know of a good store that would carry it? There is a World Foods close to me, but I wanted to know of other stores so that I'm not going almost two hours out of my way.

 

[ChanellG]

Ever thought about mail order? Many major cities have at least one Asian market or an international food store, and World Market carries some things, but the easiest way to get exactly what you want, especially if you are partial to a particular brand and want to stay traditional, is to order it online.

 

[Berties]

i know in the uk we have specialist oriental supermarkets,but i have bought specialist ingredients on line,i bought mochi in a supermarket and a few goodies at the start of the year on a day trip to Dublin

 

[cupcakechef]

Where abouts in the states are you near? In California I know there's a few Japanese grocery stores called Mitsuwa that sell all manner of Japanese goods!

 

[CoolCat]

Most areas have a good Japanese grocery store or Asian grocery store nearby.

I used this list at Just Hungry to find the one closest to me: http://justhungry.com/handbook/just-hungry-handbooks/japanese-grocery-store-list

You will need to do a search for your state in order to find what you're looking for, because it is a user generated list and the comments are in order of input, not sorted into geography.

If you can't find anything on that list, I would order online. You aren't looking for anything refrigerated or super perishable so you shouldn't have an issue. (I order baking ingredients online all the time.)

 

[smartmom]

I must say that I have never tried making Japanese food but this would be something to try. I am always saying that I am tired of eating the same thing. I have tried making Chinese food and did a pretty good job without using any recipes. I know it will be a challege but I would love to try.

 

[CoolCat]

I must say that I have never tried making Japanese food but this would be something to try. I am always saying that I am tired of eating the same thing. I have tried making Chinese food and did a pretty good job without using any recipes. I know it will be a challege but I would love to try.

It's pretty simple to get started with some simple Japanese dishes. You will want to get to an Asian preferably Japanese specifically) grocery store for some staples:

• Dark and light soy sauce*
• Sake
• Mirin
• Sesame seeds
• Rice vinegar

Most Japanese dishes use these as the base for sauces and seasoning, along with ingredients that you would commonly find in your regular grocery store like ginger, onion, salt, and sugar.

Then look up recipes online to get the proportions for things like teriyaki glaze and ponzu sauce. Serve with short grained Asian rice (sometimes called sushi rice in the west, though sushi rice is actually a preparation that includes seasoning).

* Note that this refers to the color and not the salt content. Light soy sauce actually has more salt than dark (regular) soy sauce.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It's pretty simple to get started with some simple Japanese dishes. You will want to get to an Asian preferably Japanese specifically) grocery store for some staples:

• Dark and light soy sauce*
• Sake
• Mirin
• Sesame seeds
• Rice vinegar

Most Japanese dishes use these as the base for sauces and seasoning, along with ingredients that you would commonly find in your regular grocery store like ginger, onion, salt, and sugar.

Then look up recipes online to get the proportions for things like teriyaki glaze and ponzu sauce. Serve with short grained Asian rice (sometimes called sushi rice in the west, though sushi rice is actually a preparation that includes seasoning).

* Note that this refers to the color and not the salt content. Light soy sauce actually has more salt than dark (regular) soy sauce.

All of those except perhaps the sake can be purchased in supermarkets in the UK. Are US supermarkets that different from UK ones that you can't get standard items like light or dark soy sauce in them?
And light or dark soy sauce refers to how long it has been fermented. Dark soy sauce is aged for a longer period of time, contains molasses/caramel and a touch of cornflour/cornstartch. Hence, it is slightly thicker and darker in colour than light soy sauce and has a more full-bodied flavour but is strangely less salty. I've not worked out that last bit, usually things that are aged for longer tend to be more salty not less salty!

 

[Morning Glory]

All of those except perhaps the sake can be purchased in supermarkets in the UK. Are US supermarkets that different from UK ones that you can't get standard items like light or dark soy sauce in them?

Well you can get them in the supermarket but Asian stores tend to be a lot cheaper and sell more authentic brands (not always).

 

[CoolCat]

All of those except perhaps the sake can be purchased in supermarkets in the UK. Are US supermarkets that different from UK ones that you can't get standard items like light or dark soy sauce in them?
And light or dark soy sauce refers to how long it has been fermented. Dark soy sauce is aged for a longer period of time, contains molasses/caramel and a touch of cornflour/cornstartch. Hence, it is slightly thicker and darker in colour than light soy sauce and has a more full-bodied flavour but is strangely less salty. I've not worked out that last bit, usually things that are aged for longer tend to be more salty not less salty!

A lot of people (at least in the U.S.) are so used to seeing the regular soy sauce and low sodium soy sauce on the table in restaurants that when they first encounter a recipe calling for light soy sauce, they assume it refers to the sodium content. I was just clarifying that because it's a distinction a lot of people aren't aware exist, and if you think it's based on sodium your flavor profile will be off.

Well you can get them in the supermarket but Asian stores tend to be a lot cheaper and sell more authentic brands (not always).

Yup, for price and variety reasons you want to find a specialty store. The main grocery store may have a lot of the staples, but they will be considered gourmet items a lot of the time with the markup that goes with it. You will also only have one brand/variety to choose from whereas at the specialty store there will be a whole shelf dedicated to each item.

 

[Rosyrain]

All of those except perhaps the sake can be purchased in supermarkets in the UK. Are US supermarkets that different from UK ones that you can't get standard items like light or dark soy sauce in them?
And light or dark soy sauce refers to how long it has been fermented. Dark soy sauce is aged for a longer period of time, contains molasses/caramel and a touch of cornflour/cornstartch. Hence, it is slightly thicker and darker in colour than light soy sauce and has a more full-bodied flavour but is strangely less salty. I've not worked out that last bit, usually things that are aged for longer tend to be more salty not less salty!

We can get all sorts of ethnic ingredients in our grocery stores, but most of them are Americanized versions of the ingredient. The actual Asian food stores have a much better selection, have better prices, and the ingredients are often times imported so you know they are the real thing. Most major US cities have international districts or "China Towns" where Asian food stores are abundant.