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Japanese cuisine extends well beyond sushi, tempura, and teriyaki chicken. There are multiple underrated dishes that deserve much more attention for their deep “umami-ness.” You don’t even need to go to upscale Japanese restaurants to try them. With simply the most essential Japanese ingredients, you’ll be able to make a wide variety of Japanese dishes right in your own kitchen.
1. Miso Paste
Miso paste (味噌, みそ) is the most important ingredient in making the most popular soup in Japanese cuisine. It’s made by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji (fermented rice grains). The three main types of miso are rice, barley, and soybeans. Their taste varies depending on the amount of koji used. Their color varies based on the production method, aging period, and other conditions.
You can use any type of miso when making miso soup. If you head to an online Asian supermarket, you’ll typically find that red and white miso paste to be most commonly available.
Miso paste is a versatile Japanese ingredient. From salad-dressings to sweet buttery desserts, having miso in your pantry makes it easier to bring Japanese flavors into your home.
2. Dashi
Dashi (出汁, だし) is another ingredient in making core Japanese dishes. If you use chicken, pork, or beef cubes, then you can think of dashi as the same – it’s a soup stock. But instead of using meat as the base of the stock, it’s made from a variety of dried fish, mushrooms, and seaweed. Dashi is how the fifth taste, umami, was actually discovered.
Similar to miso paste, there are six different types of dashi. However, if you’re only aiming to make basic Japanese foods, then you only need to look for Awase dashi (合わせだし). Awase means “mixed” in Japanese, but it’s actually an all-purpose stock you can use for a wide-range of recipes.
In online Japanese grocery stores, you’ll most likely find Ajinomoto’s brand: Hondashi (ほんだし) as one of the most easily available. That should work well as the dashi to make Miso Soup, Oyakodon, Oden, or Tamagoyaki.
3. Wakame Seaweed
Image source: Dokodemo.
If you have red miso paste, dashi, wakame (若布・わかめ), and hot water, then you can already make Miso soup wherever you are. Wakame is a type of seaweed that is native to Japan. While mixing it in Miso soup is its most common use, you can also find it in some salads and other side dishes.
Wakame is not as easily available in many Asian supermarkets, so if you find one, make sure to buy a pack of dried Wakame. They last long anyway, especially if stored properly.
4. Mirin
Mirin (みりん・味醂) is probably the most essential ingredients in Japanese cooking. If you want to make a variety of Japanese rice bowls (known as Donburi 丼), you need to get this item.
This sweet rice wine is made by fermenting different types of rice and combining it with shochu (distilled liquor). The process gives you an idea as to how it can enhance umami flavors in a dish. There are several kinds of mirin, but they merely differ based on the type and the amount of alcohol used during the production process.
In many Japanese recipes, you’ll notice that mirin is often paired with soy sauce. If you have this item in your pantry, some of the rice bowls you can make include Oyakodon, Butadon, Gyudon, Katsudon and Sukiyakidon.
5. Cooking Sake
Similar to Mirin, Japanese Sake (お酒) is another main ingredient in making Japanese foods. Japanese Sake is an alcoholic beverage, but unlike wine which is made from fermented grapes, Sake is produced by using fermented rice. It also contains lower sugar content than Mirin.
If you can’t get Japanese Sake, you can use dry sherry or White wine.
6. All-Purpose Soy Sauce
If you like watching cooking shows, you might have encountered the two types of soy sauces. It may be obvious, but while light soy sauce is used if you want more subtle flavors to your dish, dark soy sauce is used if you want a stronger flavor and color to your dish. Similar to Mirin though, soy sauce is also a very essential ingredient in a Japanese kitchen. I’ve used it in almost all of the Japanese dishes I’ve made thus far.
Unless the recipe requires it, you can simply use your regular, everyday soy sauce when preparing Japanese dishes.
7. Sesame Oil
A popular ingredient in East Asian cuisine, one of the essential Japanese ingredients, is made from either raw or toasted sesame seeds. Sesame oil (胡麻油) made from untoasted seeds is better for stir-frying food, whereas the oil which came from the toasted type is more suitable for glazing already-cooked meals.
There’s no need to stress about which type to get, as long as you have access to sesame oil, any type would enhance the flavor of the Japanese dish you’re going to make.
8. Sesame Seeds
In Japan, people traditionally present meals on a tray that features a balanced combination of elements, which may include a type of soup, the main dish (often comprising rice and a type of protein), and a side dish
Green beans with sesame sauce (インゲンの胡麻和え read as ingen no gomaae) and Spinach with sesame sauce (ほうれん草の胡麻和え, read as horenso no gomaae) are really good Japanese side dishes you should try making. Aside from the fact that sesame seeds are the base of these side dishes, you’ll find that white or black sesame seeds make a great garnish to a wide variety of foods you can make.
9. Noodles
The three types of noodles you should have in your pantry are soba noodles (buckwheat soba), udon noodles, and ramen noodles (yellow type).
9.1 Soba (蕎麦・そば)
Soba Noodles are made from buckwheat flour. It has a grayish color and has a subtle “earthy” taste. The types of Soba noodles vary in terms of how much buckwheat and wheat flour are used in making them. To cook soba, you just need to dip a portion in boiling water and it is usually done within two minutes.
9.2 Udon (うどん)
Udon Noodles are made from wheat flour, water, and salt. It is white in color, and is thicker and chewier than soba. Cooking udon depends on the type you buy, but generally, it should be ready after soaking it in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
9.3 Ramen (ラーメン)
Ramen Noodles is probably the easiest to find in Asian supermarkets among the three. It’s commonly yellow and can come in wavy or straight forms. Selecting the type of ramen noodles does not matter a lot if you want to make Japanese ramen. It’s often boiled in water for a few minutes before serving.
Regardless of the type of noodles you buy, always check for the cooking instructions in the packaging.
10. Mentsuyu (Noodle Soup Base)
If you have soy sauce, mirin, sake, and dashi (see number two above), you can make your own Tsuyu.
Sometimes referred to as Tsuyu (つゆ), Mentsuyu (めんつゆ) is a Japanese soup base used when making Soba and Udon dishes. Tsuyu, one of the essential Japanese ingredients, is an amazing versatile seasoning. You use it simply by dipping boiled soba in it, or you can add hot water and soba to make a ready-to-eat soba or udon meal.
Wrapping Up
I hope the list above inspires you to explore Japanese cuisine on your own. Japanese culinary richness goes well beyond sushi, and the world of Asian gastronomy offers much more than stir-frying meat and vegetables in soy sauce.
The most essential Japanese ingredients in this list can be found in many Asian supermarkets. If you can’t access them, I recommend checking https://dokodemo.world/en/. Dokodemo can ship a wide variety of Japanese goods to Macedonia as well as other countries worldwide. If you need simple Japanese recipes in English, check out the YouTube channel Cooking with Dog.
To get a glimpse of what its like to live in Japan, check out my post on 10 reasons why you should consider living in Japan, as well as my Japan Tent Experience. You can also check out how I studied for (and passed) JLPT N2.
Do you have any questions about the ingredients I listed above? Which Japanese dish would you like to learn how to make? Let me know if you have any questions or comments below! Thank you for reading!
