Japanese Style Originators

[Ericandblueboy]

Available on Netflix.  It's a show about different aspects of Japanese culture, including lots of food knowledge.  

The first half of episode #2 is all about tempura.  Tidbits from the show.  1.  Tempura may be from Portuguese fried fish.  2.  A good tempura joint will you give salt, dipping sauce, and minced daikon.  3.  Tempura should be served on wooden plates (so the food does not cool down too quickly).  4.  Great tempura joints don't play music, so you can hear the frying.  5.  Eat your prawn with salt and not dip in the sauce because the salt enhances the flavor of the prawn.  5.  Don't mix the daikon into the dipping sauce, rather put the daikon on top of the food and dip the food - so the taste of daikon can accentuate the food.  6.  Eat vegetable tempura as palate cleanser.   7.  Throwing battered items into the oil helps shake off excess batter and that makes the batter stand up/look spiky (it's a sign of skill).

Maybe I'll summarize some other episodes so I can reference them later.

[Ericandblueboy]

Ep # 15.  Sushi

1.  There’s no rule about what to order first.  2.  Pick up sushi with hand, dip the fish only in soy sauce and then place fish side on the bottom when you eat.  Okay, so some sushi chef eat with fish on top (30% in informal survey).  3.  Sushi chef put their own spin on tamago (egg), which is usually served last.

Typical 8 piece sushi (i.e., regular) delivered in Japan are tuna, shrimp, salmon, squid, salmon roe, minced tuna (like spicy tuna) and scallions, conger eel and scallop.  In typical deluxe sushi delivered, red tuna is switched with medium fatty tuna, the minced tuna is switched with uni,  shrimp is switched with fresh deep water shrimp, the scallop is switched for something I can’t recognize.

There are other rules regarding eating sushi that wasn't mentioned in the episode.  For example, sushi should be eaten in one bite, don't put wasabi in soy sauce, etc.

From another episode, I learned salmon is a white flesh fish.  Its flesh turns red from its diet on krill.

[ktmoomau]

14 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Ep # 15.  Sushi

1.  There’s no rule about what to order first.  2.  Pick up sushi with hand, dip the fish only in soy sauce and then place fish side on the bottom when you eat.  Okay, so some sushi chef eat with fish on top (30% in informal survey).  3.  Sushi chef put their own spin on tamago (egg), which is usually served last.

Typical 8 piece sushi (i.e., regular) delivered in Japan are tuna, shrimp, salmon, squid, salmon roe, minced tuna (like spicy tuna) and scallions, conger eel and scallop.  In typical deluxe sushi delivered, red tuna is switched with medium fatty tuna, the minced tuna is switched with uni,  shrimp is switched with fresh deep water shrimp, the scallop is switched for something I can’t recognize.

There are other rules regarding eating sushi that wasn't mentioned in the episode.  For example, sushi should be eaten in one bite, don't put wasabi in soy sauce, etc.

From another episode, I learned salmon is a white flesh fish.  Its flesh turns red from its diet on krill.

If you ever want a book on sushi- The Story of Sushi is a pretty good read on the subject, it deep dives into a few subjects and history. 

[Ericandblueboy]

Store miso in the freezer.  They don’t actually freeze, just stops the fermentation process.