Rie’s japanese cooking starter pantry kit and tool guide

Step 1

SOY SAUCE: All of Japan’s neighboring countries have their own types of soy sauce. When you make Japanese food, try to use Japanese soy sauce for the best results. Kikkoman is the most widely known and accessible brand in the US. I use Kikkoman in all of my recipes. If you are gluten-free, use “Tamari” style soy sauce. San-J is a Japanese brand that makes high-quality Tamari Soy Sauce.

Step 2

HON-MIRIN: Avoid using brands that contain mainly corn syrup.

Step 3

SAKE: Cooking sake has added salt, which makes it hard to control the seasoning in your food, so I like to use real sake. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on your sake, think of it like cooking with wine.

Step 4

MISO: In the US, miso is categorized by colors. I use yellow miso most often because I find it to have a nice, balanced flavor and versatile

Step 5

SHORT GRAIN RICE: I exclusively use short grain Japanese rice whenever I am cooking Japanese food. If you use a different type of rice, the recipe will not end up as intended.

Step 6

RICE VINEGAR:I use rice vinegar so I can control the seasoning of the dish and avoid using sushi vinegar when I am cooking because of the added salt.

Step 7

KEWPIE MAYO: TJapanese mayo is made with just egg yolks instead of the entire egg, which gives it a deep yellow color and makes it taste rich and flavorful. I only use Kewpie Mayo in my kitchen!

Step 8

FRESH RAMEN NOODLES: I love using fresh ramen noodles in my recipes. If you don’t have access to fresh ramen noodles, you can cook spaghetti noodles with baking soda to make them taste just like ramen noodles! My favorite fresh noodle brand is Sun Noodle.

Step 9

COOKING CHOPSTICKS: I use cooking chopsticks for everything! They can be used in place of tongs, a spatula, or even plating tweezers! They are compact and easy to store.

Step 10

GINGER GRATER: A ceramic ginger grater is great because it’s easy to use, doesn’t wear down, and collects the juice around the rim. You can also use it to grate garlic or anything else you’d like.

Step 11

MISO STRAINER: If you are like me and drink miso soup everyday, then you’ve got to get a miso strainer. It will keep the chunky soy bean bits out of your soup for a deliciously smooth consistency.