Dice, Toss and Flip!

The journey at Shiro is always filled with a surprise which offers an eclectic mix of Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and Thai flavours. “There is something for every mood and every sense which gives you a bespoke experience in a Zen-like ambience.”

With an emphasis on seasonality integral to Japanese cuisine, Shiro ensures an unrivaled gastronomic experience that is sure to pass every expectation. For those who eat, live and breathe food will enjoy discovering the nuances and unravel its history. Japanese cuisine is indeed filled with exotic influence and ‘Teppanyaki’ is one such dish that could give you this desired experience.

The teppanyaki style is about kitchen showmanship with minimal cooking (soy sauce and garlic butter are the only basic condiments used) and careful temperature control. It’s the right kind of food you’d wish to have this season when the interplay of the heart and the humidity can make the weather

quite oppressive. The temperature control is at the base of the teppanyaki because the griddle gets as hot as 280-320 degrees C. It is now being widely used to cook food infront of the guests at various Japanese restaurants.

The set teppanyaki meals at Shiro are served with miso soup, fried rice or noodles, and grilled vegetables. No matter what the ingredients are, the style of preparation of the dish is what does the magic. At the end of the day, teppanyaki is a style of grilling meats and vegetables.

Entertain is what Chef Vadim Shin Ryoji does from behind the teppanyaki counter at Shiro – he entertains with magic, food and music. He is a master of the art of culinary theatre. The chef cooks in three acts, begins with card tricks and wraps up by crooning a Bollywood number. Vadim is a reason for you to go back and rediscover the magic of teppanyaki.

So be there to experience the magic and entertain your palate with the exotic taste of teppanyaki.

Essential Japanese ingredients!

Essential Japanese ingredients

Every good chef must have a number of key ingredients at their disposal to create wonderful food as easily as possible. Be that olive oil or salt and pepper for French cooking, or spices for Indian cooking, Japanese cooking also requires a number of ingredients at hand.

These are the 10 essential ingredients for Japanese cooking. They are all cheap and available. They all also last for a long time, so it’s worth stocking your cupboards with them so they are always on hand.

1.   Japanese  Rice

This may be self evident, but it is essential that you use Japanese rice in Japanese cooking. Some will attempt to cook using Jasmin rice or Thai rice, but it just doesn’t work. Japanese rice is totally scentless and is sticky enough to hold together which is essential for dishes such as sushi. 

2.   Japanese Soya Sauce

There are several countries which produce soy sauce so it may not be immediately evident that you are not buying Japanese soy sauce. Recommendations- the one that you’re most likely to find at western supermarkets is Kikoman. Sometimes you may find two types – Koikuchi  (black, deep colour) and Usukuchi (lighter colour but saltier). 

Soy sauces produced by various soy-sauce-using countries do differ. For Japanese food, use Japanese soy sauce, rather than Chinese, etc. A good, widely available and not too expensive brand is Yamasa. Kikkoman is okay, and generally not expensive since the company produces it worldwide rather than shipping it from Japan. You can spend a lot for good soy sauce, an there is a difference in flavor, but it's not totally necessary to do so for most everyday needs.

3.   Saké-

Sake“>Saké (Japanese alcohol) is often used in Japanese cooking much like white wine is used in western cooking. You can actually substitute white wine if you have no ne, but make sure it isn’t a sweet white. Any brand is fine.

4.   Mirin-

 Mirin is is an essential condiment used in Japanese cuisine, consisting of around 50% sugar. It is a kind of rice wine similar to Saké, but with a lower alcohol content. It is used to sweeten dishes (but less than sugar), reduce the smell of certain fish dishes and give vegetables and other food a shiny appearance.

5.   Fish stock powder (hon dashi)

Normally the stock is made from swordfish, but it doesn’t have a fishy taste at all – it is used as chicken stock would be in western food, but is far more common. It is hard to describe exactly what it tastes like or what it does to the dish, but if you imagine the fantastic taste of miso soup, this is created from miso, water and fish stock alone! 

6.   Japanese Mayonaise

 Japanese are very fussy about mayonnaise. They cannot understand the popularity of western egg mayonnaise since their mayonnaise is so different in flavour. Most recommended brand is Aji no Moto. Perhaps you can find it in any grocery shop, but if not, Kewpie is a good alternative. 

Make sure you use Japanese rice vinegar in all the recipes features on this site, not any other type of vinegar even Chinese rice vinegar which is readily available in the west.  It is used for dressings and sauce. Harusame saladis a delicious and refreshing salad using rice vinegar.

7.   Ponzu

Ponzu is a citrus based sauce used in many delicious Japanese sauces, in dishes such as Japanese hotpot, Chijimi (Korean pancakes) and hamburgers.

8.   Potato starch (kata kuri ko)

This is used when you want to make sauce a little thicker and stickier like flour may be used in western cooking. It is often used when frying to make the sauce stick to the meat, (as in this Chinese and pepper stirfry) or in deep frying to make the meat super crisy. It creates more crisp than flour would.

9.   Pan ko

These are bread crumbs, but softer and fluffier than western alternatives. They are used to make deep fried dishes light and crispy. If you can’t get hold of it, you can just shred white bread into tiny pieces and use it in the same way. J

Courtesy:- http://bit.ly/nu0Xv9 

The Beginnings of Sushi

The Beginnings of Sushi

Sushi has been around for a surprisingly long period of time, although not in its present form. The history of sushi is an interesting tale of theevolution of a simple dish. What was to become sushi was first mentioned in China in the second century A.D. Originally, sushi arose out of a wawhich allowed an individual to keep the fish edible for some time. The rice was thrown away and the fish was eaten when needed or wanted. 

The method spread throughout China and by the seventh century, had made its way to Japan, where seafood has historically been a staple. The Japanese, however, took the concept further and began to eat the rice with the fish. Originally, the dish was prepared in much the same manner. In the early 17th century, however, Matsumoto Yoshiichi of Edo (now Tokyo) starting seasoning the rice with rice wine vinegar while making his ‘sushi’ for sale. This allowed the dish to be eaten immediately, instead of waiting the months it might normally take to prepare the ‘sushi.’

The Evolution of Sushi

In the early 19th century, a man by the name of Hanaya Yohei conceived a major change in the production and presentation of his sushi. No longer wrapping the fish in rice, he placed a piece of fresh fish on top of an oblong shaped piece of seasoned rice. Today, we call this style ‘nigiri sushi’ (finger sushi) or “edomae sushi” (from Edo, the name of Tokyo at the time) and is now the common way of eating Japanese sushi. At that time, sushi was served from sushi stalls on the street and was meant to be a snack or quick bite to eat on the go. Served from his stall, this was not only the first of the real ‘fast food’ sushi, but quickly became wildly popular. From his home in Edo, this style of serving sushi rapidly spread throughout Japan, aided by the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, as many people lost their homes and businesses and moved from Tokyo. 

After World War Two, the sushi stalls were shut down and moved indoors, to more sanitary conditions. More formal seating was later provided (the first iterations were merely an indoor version of the sushi stalls) and sushi changed from ‘fast food’ to a true dining experience. Sushi spread around the globe, and with the advent of the promotion of seafood, this unusual style of serving fish was quickly adopted by western cultures, always eager for something new, especially something that had grown as sophisticated and unique as sushi. 

Modern Sushi

Sushi, the artful dining experience once uniquely Japanese, has now evolved to another level beyond the traditional Japanese methods. Western influences have given rise to new styles of sushi, such as California rolls and the many elaborate ‘fusion’ creations at upscale sushi restaurants. The history of sushi is a long one, at least 1,800 years in fact, but the current iteration is popular around the world, and rightly so. It is not often that something so singly cultural can not only take the world by storm, but also influence the direction of food in other cultures. Demand for sushi is only increasing and seems to be continuing to evolve. Traditional sushi restaurants sit alongside ‘fusion’ restaurants and both are popular for their own reasons. The history of sushi is still far from over.

Source: http://bit.ly/nzHOqU 

Sushi Fun Facts

Read here a collection of interesting tid-bits about sushi, sashimi, maki, and related Japanese food that seem to fit perfectly together without being explained. 

• Not long ago, a sushi chef (itamae) had to undergo ten years of training before working in a restaurant. Today, demand for these skilled food artists is so high that many start work after only two years of training.
• Approximately 80% of the world's bluefin tuna catch is used for sushi.
• Sushi dates back to at least the second century A.D., beginning as a method of preserving fish in China. See our History of Sushi page for more details about sushi history.
• Nearly half the fish consumed as food worldwide are raised on fish farms rather than caught in the wild, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
• Japan's Agriculture Ministry has set up a panel to discuss a certification system for Japanese restaurants abroad. Possible gastronomic crimes include slicing fish too thick, using too little or too much wasabi and over-boiling rice. Japanese tourists have also been known to complain about greasy tempura, floppy, lifeless noodles and seaweed that is not crispy enough. The ministry said its aim was to "spread correct Japanese gastronomic culture" and "improve the reliability of our country's food" in foreign countries.  
• The highest price ever paid for a sushi grade Bluefin Tuna was $173,600 for a 444 pound fish ($391/lb) on January 5th, 2001 at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.
• The United States Food and Drug Administration stipulates that all fish to be eaten raw (with the exception of tuna) must be frozen first, in order to kill parasites.

Source: http://bit.ly/nzHOqU