JAPANESE STYLES OF COOKING.
Introduction.
Japan has excellent cuisines that are well balanced and have a variety for one to choose from. These cuisines have different cooking styles, with Hibachi and Teppanyaki being among the most common and popular. Hibachi and teppanyaki both employ the grilling of food technique and are used to prepare different food types. These two styles of cooking appear similar to each other, and people easily confuse the two.
It is common to see the hibachi method being referred to as teppanyaki on various platforms. This confusion is compounded by the fact that the term hibachi has been accepted to refer to cooking devices used in teppanyaki in western countries. What is the difference between the two cooking styles, many would ask? Well, the two differ in the design of their cooking instrument grills.
Other Japanese cooking styles include tataki, nimono, and kushiyaki technique.
Popular Japanese dishes.
When it comes to food, Japan has some of the most popular dishes globally due to its uniqueness and preparation methods. Japanese food is very healthy also due to its comprehensive nutritious nature ranging from vegetables, meat, starch, fish, and seafood. When most people hear of Japanese food, they think of sushi, but there is more, you can sample a variety of traditional and regional cuisines that are part of the rich food culture.
Japan’s cuisines mainly consist of rice, which is accompanied by side dishes. These side dishes are mostly made of fish, seafood, vegetables, and any other meat type. Japanese dishes are generally classified into rice dishes, soybean dishes, meat dishes, hot pot dishes, noodle dishes, seafood dishes, and yoshoku dishes, with rice being most common in all of them. We find well-known cuisines within these classes, such as sushi, tofu, yakitori, donburi, sashimi, tamagoyaki, and takoyaki.
- Hibachi cooking technique.
Hibachi is an open grate brazier on which food is grilled. They are made from cast iron and use charcoal for heating food. Hibachi grills are also small and portable. Below are pictures of an old and new model of the Hibachi grill.
Hibachi word is derived from ‘hi,’ which loosely translates to fire and ‘hachi’ for pot or bow; hence hibachi means ‘fire bowl or pot.’ Originally hibachi was used for heating purposes of a house during winter. It was never used initially as a cooking device. It later evolved whereby a grill was included allowing food to be cooked or heated. It is commonly referred to as shicirin in Japan and was widely used by the samurai military, upper-class citizens, and aristocrats. Animal meat and vegetables would mostly be cooked on the hibachi with little seasoning on them as the Hibachi cooking method mainly focuses on the natural flavor of food. The modern hibachi in western countries provides efficient grilling on a minimum space where it can grill foods such as meat, fish fillets, vegetables, chicken yakitori, and many more. It is a common sight to find barbecues being prepared on a hibachi grill. Hibachi grills have also become household items for people who love to grill their food.
- Teppanyaki cooking technique.
Teppanyaki (Teppan) is a cooking griddle with a long flat solid surface with stainless steel on the front and back and uses propane for heating, but it can also use electricity for the modern ones. Below is an electronic Teppan.
It is believed that teppanyaki originated in the year 1945 in a restaurant known as Misono. Others believe that it might have developed 200 years earlier when families would gather and prepare food together. Irrespective of the period of origin, the popularity of teppanyaki cuisines started to grow after the Misono restaurants, especially among foreigners who enjoyed the food and the shows chefs would put up while preparing the food. A variety of food is designed on the teppan due to its grilling capability. The most popular foods being chopped vegetables, seafood, steaks, rice, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba noodles soybean. The teppan’s flatness ensures that the food is excellently moist and well flavored as it can catch all the fluid from the cooking. It is now common to find restaurants offering teppanyaki cuisines outside of Japan, in western countries. The chefs of these restaurants prepare food which is ordered in front of guests. These chefs undergo specialized training, which can go for up to months to learn culinary tricks to entertain their guests.
- Tataki cooking technique
The technique is used for preparing meat and fish. The product is briefly seared and left raw at the Centre. Meat and fish prepared using this style are often seared on both sides, then it’s later placed in an ice bath for it to have a cooling effect. The food is subsequently cut into slices and neatly arranged on a plate. Meat and fish products prepared using this style can be served as a single dish, thus acting as an appetizer or done alongside other sashimi dishes.
- Nimono cooking technique
The style involves simmering of the foods. The most common dishes prepared using this method include vegetables and fish. Before simmering, base ingredients, including vegetables, seafood, fish, and tofu, are usually blanched in water and then cooked in Shiro stock for an extended period until the liquid is almost fully absorbed or evaporated. Some of the most famous nimono foods include “nizakana or netsuke,” which is fish poached in sweetened dashi.
- Kushiyaki cooking technique.
The technique involves screwed and grilled meat, seafood, vegetables, and even tofu. The process consists of placing the ingredients on a bamboo skewer and later seasoning them using salt or a soy sauce referred to as tare. Some of the accompaniments of the dish include edamame salads or pickled vegetables. Beer and sake are usual accompaniments for every kushiyaki type.
Conclusion
For the Japanese, a meal goes beyond the food and eating it. Meals aims to protect the Japanese heritage and also transmit knowledge to the future generation. It’s therefore crucial for you to know various cooking techniques. The guideline will help you to understand the methods that you can use to prepare different meals.