REPOST: 8 Japanese dishes for beginners

If you are new to Japanese dishes, this Huffington Post article shares eight mouthwatering recipes recommended for the beginners.
 

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Fried cheeseburgers served with a thousand island dressing at Bamboo Izakaya.

What do you think of fermented soybeans (natto), firefly squid with pickled wasabi, chicken bones (nankotsu) and hearts, arugula salad with dried baby fish topped with a poached egg, and sea eel with soy and lemon? Probably not much or unappealing if you're not too familiar with Japanese food.

But if like me, you love experimenting and trying new foods, taking a trip to Japan should be on your list of places to visit. Japan is the epicenter, heaven on earth for food porn. Not only do they have an endless variety of ingredients and dishes, everything seems to taste better too. From their pasta (always al dente), breads (deep fried curry buns), convenience store food (a David Chang favorite), and even canned drinks (muscat grape juice with peeled grapes inside), the Japanese food industry caters to a culture ingrained in quality ingredients, balance and perfect execution. Going to Japan without diving head first into their culinary world is like going to Paris and do an entire trip without wine, while hanging out at Starbucks and eating Mc Donald's.

So when I take you to a Japanese restaurant and say 'wanna try the arugula salad with dried baby fish topped with a poached egg?', what I mean is 'do you wanna try the best arugula salad you'll ever have?'

Nothing is gained from living in fear and I've discovered some terrific dishes by initially eating them out of respect, so as not to offend a relative, friend, or chef. Working my way up to enjoying a bowl of fermented soybeans was a challenge. I must admit I wasn't a natto fan until I got used to the taste. Slimy, stinky fermented soybeans is about as disgusting as it gets, but I can firmly say that I now I love and crave natto. Thus, I completely understand why some people cringe at the thought of stepping outside their comfort zone, and risk biting into something so vile they might go into traumatic shock. But let's face it; it doesn't happen very often and you could be missing out on some really good stuff by only sticking to what you know.

Japanese cuisine has a lot of wonderful flavors and textures to offer, and by no means are they all intimidating. A lot of it is simple, delicious and familiar to what you're used to eating.

I asked chef Toshio Sakamaki, executive chef at Bamboo Izakaya, to share 8 dishes taken from his menu he thinks will seduce even the pickiest of eaters.

8 Japanese dishes to try (for beginners)

1. Goma chicken salad

Cabbage, bean sprouts, cucumber, tomatoes and shredded chicken tossed in sesame dressing.

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2. Gyoza

Lightly fried pork dumplings with soy chili dipping sauce.

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3. Tori nanban

Deep fried marinated chicken served with tartare sauce.

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4. Yosenabe (hot pot)

Healthy and savory hot pot of salmon, prawns, clams, and tofu in soy dashi broth.

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5. Kinoko kami tsutsumi

Assorted steamed Japanese mushrooms with truffle and ponzu sauce.

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6. Kushiyaki (yakitori)

Assortment of grilled skewered meats, seafood and vegetables. A Japanese classic!

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7. Kalbi

Sake soy marinated kalbi ribs (beef shortribs).

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8. Ebi cream croquettes 

Deep fried shrimp croquettes in creamy bechamel sauce, served with a tomato salsa. An absolute must try!!

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Bamboo Izakaya is located at 1541 Ocean Avenue, Suite 120, Santa Monica, California, 90410. Photography: Ben Conley

JC Uni-tec is the premier distributor of a specialized line of kitchen equipment in the United States. Visit this Facebook page for more updates.

Panko: Adding crunch to your Japanese meals

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First used during World War II, panko was created out of a necessity to make bread without using heat.

Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb with a light, flaky texture, typically used as a coating for fried food. Panko uses crustless bread, and is coarsely ground into light flakes. The crumbs are used to coat food to give it a crunchy texture. Compared to ordinary breadcrumbs, Panko browns food more nicely and keeps it crispy for longer since it doesn’t absorb that much grease.

The use of panko was popularized with the Japanese fried pork tonkatsu. While it’s generally used in Japanese cookery, panko is also widely used in Western cuisines. It is now used as breading for salad entrees and as a binding agent for burgers, crab cakes, and the like.

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Panko is also versatile enough to be used in other types of food, not just fried food. Below are more different ways to use this crunchy breadcrumb:

• Turkey meatballs in marinara sauce

• Panko-coated chicken Schnitzel

• Chicken parmesan with pepperoni

• Chicken and cheese jalapeno poppers

• Crab cakes and curry mayonnaise with apple salad

• Macaroni and cheese with a crusty crunch

• Sausage-stuffed zucchini with roasted pepper puree

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Panko is a must-have in every kitchen. For dishes bursting with flavor and appealing to the eyes, a cook should never do without panko.

JC Uni-tec’s kitchen equipment are designed for the easy preparation of panko-inspired dishes. Its catalog is available at its official website.

Simple yet filling: The wonder of Japanese rice balls

When thinking of Japanese food, it is easy to summon up images of the most popular fare: there’s sushi, there’s the donburi or ricebowls, and there’s ramen or the noodle dishes. For many people who have never been to Japan, the simpler dishes like the onigiri remain somewhat a mystery. Some may even mistake these rice balls to be a form of sushi.

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The onigiri is incredibly popular in Japan. The name literally translates to "taking hold with one’s hands." Onigiri is usually eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or as part of a larger meal or a bento box lunch. Rice balls stuffed with various fillings such as salmon, Japanese sour plums, or even mayonnaise, and then wrapped in seaweed, onigiri are typically easy to prepare.

However, the appearance may vary depending on the skill of the preparer, and it may take some instruction and some practice before one can learn to make them look as appetizing as they seem in photos.

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For enthusiasts of Japanese cuisine, the onigiri holds a certain appeal. They’re something that’s found in most convenience stores in Japan, and yet they’re still regarded by many people as a must-try item. The commercially available ones already come in various choices of filling, and a person can have a filling meal with a few onigiri pieces plus soup or other viands, perhaps.

Meanwhile, for the adventurous, experimentation is also okay. They can experiment with non-traditional fillings for their own rice balls, and they can even try out using other varieties of cooked rice for a little variation in their meal to go.

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Find kitchen equipment for easy preparation of Japanese dishes on JC Uni-tec’s official website.

REPOST: Fujitsu to bring Japanese food and agriculture industries to the cloud

Akisai is a new cloud-based platform that was launched by Fujitsu. How will this new platform improve the food and agricultural industries in Japan? This Forbes.com article has the answer.

Fujitsu announced Wednesday that it will be launching “Akisai,” a cloud-based platform to improve management of Japan’s food and agriculture industries, this October. The company says it has spent three years researching Japanese farming practices and markets before developing the new platform.

The SaaS-based agricultural production management solution will provide comprehensive management tools for administration, production and sales. Farmers will be able to collect, store and analyze data about on-farm operations, crop plantings and yields via mobile and tablet devices. Combining these records with historical records, as well as external sensor, weather and map data, Fujitsu aims to help farmers improve operations, earnings and efficiencies. Additionally, Fujitsu will offer innovation support services.

Image Source: forbes.com

In the future, Fujitsu will also offer services to food processors, wholesalers, retailers and restaurants, allowing them to leverage this centrally managed data to manage orders and quality control with their producers.

Image Source: forbes.com

Why is Fujitsu getting into the food and agriculture business?

Japan sees increasing revenue in the agricultural industry as key to overcoming challenges facing the country with regards to food security, local economic development and job creation. Yet, its current agricultural infrastructure is outdated and inefficient. Over 60 of Japanese agricultural workers are over the age of 65, and many do not calculate production costs and revenue on a per crop basis. In the future, however, farmers will to need start focusing on profitability, which will mean making more informed decisions about what crops to grow, say Fujitsu.

The company aims to sign up 200,000 customers to the service and generate 15 billion yen (US$190 million) in revenue by 2015.



Aside from distributing Japanese kitchen equipment, JC Unitec provides food safety and sanitation consultancy to restaurants and businesses in the U.S. Visit this Facebook page to know more about the industry.