Japanese Pantry Staples: A Guide
Little fun fact- Los Angeles is home to the largest population of Japanese residents outside of Japan. They don’t call it Japangeles for no reason. I love our city, I love our neighborhood, and we are surrounded by literally the best Japanese food outside of Japan, so what’s not to like. With that being said, this is where I shop weekly for some of my very specific groceries and pantry items you won’t find at traditional stores like Trader Joes or Vons.
The seafood sections is my personal favorite. I love that I can get everything from fresh ikura (salmon roe) at a reasonable price because Connor eats the whole package if I let him. Fresh saba (mackerel,) hotate (scallops,) and clams are readily at your disposal. Bento lunches are neatly lined up ready to be eaten for the lunch rush. And the rows of onigiri (rice balls) are Conno'r’s favorite to grab through as he likes to scoop one up and eat in the shopping cart.
Rice Vinegar - A pantry staple, rice vinegar is the main component to sushi rice as well as sunomono (pickles), braises, and nimono (simmered veggetable dishes.)
Soy Sauce - Goes without saying, but soy sauce is used almost in every meal. It is made of fermented soy beans and gives off a strong umami taste.
Konbu - Konbu is basically kelp. It is often used in sheets and boiled in water to create a strong broth base for soup stock. It is also super nutritious as it very dense in iron.
Shop the Post
Mirin- Also known as sweet rice wine, I always have a bottle of this in my pantry. It is made from fermented rice which is similar to sake, yet with lower alcohol content and is much sweeter. I use it in all of my marinades for fish and poultry and it makes any sauce that more full of umami.
Panko - Panko is Japanese style bread crumbs and it’s usually used to cover meats before being fried or grilled such as katsu pork and tempura. I like to make panko encrusted cod during the week and it has a perfectly golden brown color without being heavy.
Sake - Japanese fermented rice wine is something that has a really distinct flavor. I cook with it a lot, but if I’m drinking it, I do prefer it hot.
Miso - Fermented soybean paste, I have tubs of miso just in my fridge at all times. Connor loves miso soup so I make it often. Miso can also be used to make different types of marinades, sauces, and ultimately it is good for the gut as it contains a ton of probiotics.
What kind of recipes would you like to see here? I have a long list of homestyle recipes I resort to during the week which I am happy to share with you all. Stay tuned for those, until then! xx
