- Traditional handcrafted soy sauces
- White soy sauces (Shiro Shoyu)
- Black garlic
- Yuzu
- Yuzu Kosho
- Sansho-Pfeffer
- Furikake
- Shio Koji
Traditional handcrafted soy sauces
In Japan, more and more small manufacturers are returning to the craft of traditionally made soy sauces. They try to uphold the classic aging process in wooden barrels. They give their soy sauces time to mature over months and years. They develop exceptional products to offer something valuable in contrast to mass-produced goods.
This enriches the range of soy sauces with Shoyu and Tamari aged for several years in wooden barrels, "raw" soy sauces (nama shoyu), smoked soy sauces, double-fermented soy sauces (saishikomi), as well as "white" soy sauces (shiro shoyu) or Tamari (shiro tamari).
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White soy sauces (Shiro Shoyu)
White soy sauce is not really white, but it differs from "normal" soy sauces by its particularly light color. A higher wheat content is used for Shiro Shoyu, which explains the light color. At the same time, this makes it milder than the well-known soy sauces.
Use as a mild soy sauce for
- Sushi and
- Carpaccio
- Bowls
Black garlic
Black Garlic is also a relatively new product in Japan. For this, regular garlic is matured under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. During the maturation, the black color develops and the naturally occurring sugars in the garlic caramelize. Black Garlic is softer in texture and has a less pronounced garlic smell. Its taste is sweet and slightly sour at the same time.
Black garlic is not sautéed, but cut into tiny pieces or pureed.
Use:
- As a colorful element, it looks great on a pizza.
- As small cubes, it goes well with roast pork.
- As a paste, it is a great dip for grilled foods.
The photos show the Shiromi Farm
Yuzu
Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit with an aroma between grapefruit and mandarin. The scent of yuzu alone is stunning.
The yuzu fruit is not eaten as a fruit itself, but juice, peels, and the pulp are extracted from it.
Use:
- Yuzu juice as an ingredient for sauces and desserts
- Yuzu juice diluted with water and honey or sugar as a beverage
- Yuzu marmalade as a spread for bread or for cakes or with cheese or...
- Yuzu peel strips as an ingredient for fish or, for example, for Canard à l'Orange
- Yuzu powder mixed with salt for grilled seafood
Yuzu Kosho
Yuzu Kosho is a typical Japanese seasoning paste made from yuzu mixed with chili and salt. Compared to chili pastes from other countries, the yuzu notes make this paste wonderfully lemony and fresh. Yuzukosho has a sharp taste.
Use:
- in sauces for fish and seafood
- as a dip for grilled fish or meat
- alternative to Wasabi
Sansho-Pfeffer
The Japanese Sansho pepper is not related to black pepper, but to citrus plants. Its aroma is consequently lemony-fresh. On the tongue, it leaves an intensely tingling to numbing sensation, so it is used only in very small doses or finely ground.
Use:
- Cut into tiny pieces as an ingredient for fish or meat tartare
- Finely ground for pork steak, light fish
Furikake
The Japanese also love variety with rice and have developed the so-called "Streugewürze", known in Japanese as "Furikake". Furikake consists of spice blends with additional elements such as roasted rice balls, which are added as a topping to a bowl of rice in Japan. Japanese Furikake is often very colorful as well.
Use:
- to rice bowls
- Sesame furikakes depending on the flavor for steak, pork, fish
- for advanced cooks as an element of a roast crust
Shio Koji
Shio Koji consists of briefly fermented koji rice, salt, and water. Koji rice is "normal" rice inoculated with the fungus Aspergillus Oryzae; this is the first step in the production of, for example, miso. In Japan, actually an ancient ingredient, Shio Koji was rediscovered there a few years ago and is now an absolute hit. Shio Koji combines acidity, sweetness, salt, and umami. The enzymes in a Shio Koji marinade break down proteins and thus make the texture of the marinated food more tender. They also enhance its umami. At the same time, any starch present is converted into sugar.
Use:
- how the Japanese marinate fish, meat, and vegetables to make them more tender and flavorful
- as an ingredient for sauces (provided the salt content is not too high)