World Cuisines
Japan
Japan's most famous export: vinegared rice paired with raw fish, seafood or vegetables, shaped by hand or rolled in nori. Ingredients: sushi rice, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, fresh sashimi-grade fish (tuna, salmon), nori, wasabi, pickled ginger, soy sauce. Recipe: 1) Cook short-grain rice and season with warm vinegar, sugar and salt; cool to body temperature. 2) Slice fish against the grain. 3) For nigiri, press a small rice mound and lay fish on top with a touch of wasabi. 4) For maki, spread rice on nori, add filling, roll firmly and slice. Serve: with soy sauce for dipping (fish-side down), ginger as a palate cleanser. History: from a Southeast Asian fish-preservation method, refined in Edo-period Tokyo into the fast, fresh food known today.
Wheat noodles in a rich, savory broth, crowned with chashu pork, soft egg, nori and spring onions. Ingredients: ramen noodles, pork or chicken broth, soy sauce or miso, chashu pork, soft-boiled eggs, nori, spring onions, sesame oil, ginger, garlic. Recipe: 1) Simmer broth with ginger and garlic; season with soy or miso. 2) Marinate soft eggs in soy. 3) Cook noodles separately until just springy. 4) Assemble: broth, noodles, sliced chashu, halved egg, nori and onions. Serve: piping hot, eaten with chopsticks and loud, appreciative slurping. History: arrived from China in the 19th century and became a Japanese obsession, with regional styles from Sapporo miso to Hakata tonkotsu.
A thick pork cutlet in a shatteringly crisp panko crust, sliced and served with shredded cabbage and dark tonkatsu sauce. Ingredients: pork loin cutlets, flour, egg, panko breadcrumbs, cabbage, tonkatsu sauce, oil, salt, pepper. Recipe: 1) Score the cutlet edges, season, dust with flour. 2) Dip in beaten egg, coat thickly with panko. 3) Deep-fry at 170°C until golden, about 5-6 minutes. 4) Rest briefly, slice into strips. Serve: with shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup and sauce for dipping. History: adapted from European cutlets in late-19th-century Tokyo, it became a beloved yoshoku (Western-influenced) classic.
Open the full collection page
Go to the store