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 Yumi
Komatsudaira

Koji Pickled Vegetables Beautiful Bento Boxes Colorful Ball-shaped

Temari Sushi

Koji-cured Tofu with Toppings Cold Lime Broth Somen Koji-cured Grilled Salmon

Japanese Superfoods are the life-giving ingredients our bodies need for balance,
wellness, healing and longevity. Discover how these foods not only make you feel
better but also open up a whole new world of rich and satisfying umami flavors. Learn the Secrets of Healthy Eating
Yumi Komatsudaira grew up in her family’s seaweed shop in Japan surrounded by and Longevity—
Longevity — the Japanese Way!
ocean greens. In this book, she shows you how to prepare the simple, super-healthy
meals that allow the Japanese to live the longest and healthiest lives in the world.

YUMI
T UT T L E

ISBN 978-4-8053-1642-9
T UT T L E KOMATSUDAIRA
www.tuttlepublishing.com
Printed in China 2209EP US$26.99
T UT T L E
 Japanese
SUPERFOODS
Learn the Secrets of Healthy Eating
and Longevity—the Japanese Way!

YUMI KOMATSUDAIRA

T UT T L E Publishing
Tokyo Rutland, Vermont Singapore
 Contents
8 Welcome to the World of Superfood Soups & Hot Pots My Go-to Superfood
Japanese Superfoods! 65 Japanese-style Egg Drop Soup Seaweed Recipes
10 The Power of Sea Vegetables with Wakame and Mushroom 97 Red Quinoa Salad with Hijiki and
14 The Magical Soybean 66 Chicken Hot Pot with Mixed Kabocha Pumpkin
17 Five Healthful Japanese Vegetables Vegetables and Tofu 98 Smashed Cucumber Salad with
20 Fresh and Dried Mushrooms 69 Mushroom Hot Pot with Shredded Wakame and Ginger
22 The Superpowers of Green Tea Beef and Watercress 99 Hijiki Stir Fry with Bacon,
26 Japanese Rice 70 Mochi Rice Cake Soup with Bell Pepper and Edamame
30 Japanese Noodles Chicken and Vegetables 101 Okinawa-style Braised Kombu
32 Dashi and Umami 73 Wakame Miso Soup with Tofu with Pork
36 Making Dashi Stock and Scallions 102 Kabocha Pumpkin Hijiki Croquettes
42 Super Japanese Pickles 74 Salmon Miso Soup 105 Wakame and Broccoli Rabe Salad
43 Quick Miso Yogurt Pickles 76 Kabocha Miso Ginger Bisque with Sesame Mustard Vinaigrette
44 Koji Pickled Vegetables 77 Napa Cabbage and Bacon Miso Soup 106 Wakame Rice Balls
45 Quick Mixed Vegetable Pickles 109 Kombu-cured Sashimi
46 Tangy Pickled Daikon and Carrot Super-Healthy Sushi 110 Swordfish-stuffed Kombu Rolls
with Yuzu 80 Colorful Ball-shaped Temari Sushi 113 Wakame and Onion Tempura
47 Crunchy Daikon Pickles with 82 Grandma’s Chirashi Scattered Sushi 114 Simmered Mushrooms with Kombu,
Hot Pepper and Kombu 85 Tofu Pocket Inari Sushi Chicken and Bok Choy
48 Six Fermented Super Seasonings: 86 Futomaki Thick Rolls 115 Spicy Wakame Pepperoncino
Miso, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Sake, Mirin 89 Avocado Hijiki Sushi Rolls 116 Hijiki Hot Dogs
and Koji 90 Pressed Sushi with Grilled Mackerel 117 Kombu Water Blueberry Smoothies
54 The Art of Bento 92 Cup Sushi with Lemon Yogurt and Maple Syrup
61 Traditional Japanese Kitchen Utensils 93 Hand-rolled Party Sushi 118 Avocado Toast with Wakame and
Radish

Wakame Rice Balls, page 106

Cup Sushi, page 92 Wakame Miso Soup with Tofu

Quick Miso Yogurt Pickles, page 43 and Scallions, page 72
 Super Seafood Dishes Soy, Sesame & Eggs Healthy Meat Dishes
123 Koji-cured Grilled Salmon 169 Tofu with Ankake Sauce 204 Miso Marinated Chicken with
124 Crispy Tuna with Green Onion Sauce 170 Braised Koyadofu with Flat Peas Bok Choy
127 Clams Steamed in Sake with with 173 Koji-cured Tofu with Toppings 206 Glazed Chicken Meatballs
Ginger and Shio Koji 174 Chilled Tofu Topped with Wakame, Red 207 Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic
128 Sashimi and Wakame Salad with Onions and Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette Soy Sauce and Butter Glaze
Crispy Wonton Chips 175 Homemade Sesame “Tofu” 208 Japanese-style Beef Stew with
131 Swordfish Steaks Simmered with Sweet 177 Japanese Rolled Omelet Potatoes, Carrots and Onions
Ginger Soy and Shishito Peppers 178 Seasoned Tofu with Green Onion Sauce 211 Japanese Fried Chicken Nuggets
132 Pan-fried Salmon Fillets in a Spicy 181 Fried Tofu with Dengaku Miso Glaze 213 Japanese-style Roast Beef
Sweet Soy Vinaigrette 183 Fried Tofu Pockets with Egg 214 Braised Pork Belly with Daikon
134 Turnips with Shrimp and Wakame in and Wakame and Egg
Shoyu Koji Gravy 184 Tofu Fritters with Edamame 217 Yakitori Grilled Chicken Wings
136 Octopus Salad with Wakame and Okra 187 Savory Egg Custard with Mochi 218 Steamed Shumai Chicken
137 Mackerel Braised in Miso and Wakame Dumplings
138 Scallop Sashimi and Wakame Salad 221 Green Onion Beef Rolls
with Yuzu Vinaigrette Don’t Forget the Veggies! 223 Sake-steamed Chicken with
190 Mixed Mushroom and Watercress Wakame and Goma Sesame
Rice, Noodles and Bread Salad with Walnut Miso Dressing Dressing
143 Vegan Tantan-men 191 Shredded Daikon Salad with Flying Fish 224 Crispy Gyoza Dumplings Filled
144 Ground Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl Roe and Seaweed Flakes with Pork, Shrimp and Cabbage
147 Chikara Soba Noodle Soup with 193 Konnyaku Noodle Salad with
Wakame, Mochi and Kamaboko Umeboshi Dressing Healthy Desserts
Fish Cake 194 Crispy Vegetarian Spring Rolls 228 Mochi with Black Sesame Sauce
149 Cold Noodle Salad 196 Lotus Root Chips with Aonori 231 Matcha Mochi Muffins with Adzuki
150 Traditional Udon Noodle Soup with Seaweed Sprinkles Sweet Red Beans
Fried Tofu, Eggs, Green Onions and 197 Braised Burdock Root with Carrot 232 Matcha Green Tea Almond Cookies
Ginger and Kombu 235 Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake
153 Cold Lime Broth Somen with Eggplant, 199 Japanese-style Coleslaw 236 Sesame Cream Pie
Wakame and Grated Daikon 200 Edamame Hummus 237 Amazake Panna Cotta with
154 Tomato Somen Cold Noodles 201 Cherry Tomato and Avocado Salad with Strawberry Sauce
157 Salted Grilled Salmon Rice Bowl with Shredded Nori, Shiso and Sesame Dressing
Green Tea Dashi 238 Index
158 Yakisoba with Homemade BBQ Sauce
161 Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl
Sashimi and Wakame Salad with
162 Tomato Rice with Kombu and
Crispy Wonton Chips, page 128
Shio Koji
164 Miso-glazed Grilled Rice Balls

Koji-cured Tofu with Toppings, Matcha Green Tea

page 173 Cheesecake, page 235
 Welcome to the World of
Japanese Superfoods
The earth’s best foods are now increasingly available to all of us. The news isn’t news any more:
plant-based, nutrient-dense whole foods energize, nourish and, most importantly, they’re
easily transformed into a range of delicious dishes. Superfood-based recipes combine natural
ingredients that deliver powerful amounts of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and
minerals. They’ll make you feel as good as they taste!

Nature’s Most Powerful Foods taste, despite its ardent proponents. Made from
It’s no wonder more and more people are turning whole soybeans that have been soaked then
to the Japanese diet as a model for maintaining boiled or steamed, and then fermented, it’s low-
health and sustaining well-being. Life expectancy carb, high-protein, high-fiber and packed with
in Japan is consistently at the top of the charts. a range of nutrients, including extremely high
Low levels of obesity and cardiovascular disease levels of vitamin K2, which plays an important
add to the attractions and benefits of the Japanese role in bone mineralization, cancer prevention
superfoods that lie at the heart of the nation’s and cardiovascular health. Natto also contains an
cuisine. Nutrient-rich, low-calorie superfoods enzyme that helps break down proteins involved
boast a long list of benefits: extending life, in blood clotting to reduce the risk of heart
boosting immunity, reducing inflammation attacks and stroke.
and helping restore and maintain gut health.
The cumulative benefits of healthful superfood- The Power of Sea Greens
centered eating are irrefutable. But if I had to choose one true star of Japanese
superfoods, it would have to be seaweed (also
What Are Japanese Superfoods? called sea greens or sea vegetables.) They come in
Many are foods you’re already familiar with and a variety of guises. Wakame is nutrient-dense, low
have been integrating into your diet for years. The in fat as well as an amazing source of omega-3s,
benefits of probiotic “ferments” are an increasing which lower the risk of heart disease, depression
reason Japanese superfoods play more and more and arthritis. Seaweed is rich in minerals and
of a starring role on contemporary tables. Tofu iodine, supports thyroid hormones and improves
is not only low in fat and calories, it contains all skin health.
the essential amino acids that help our bodies to I spent my youth playing and working in my
function properly, as well as iron, calcium and family’s seaweed factory, so I’ve long known the
other vitamins and minerals. benefits of a superfood diet. And in this book, I
Miso is another ingredient enjoying wider present my affordable, accessible and reinvented
exposure. A fermented paste, it’s a great source versions of family favorites and classic comfort
of probiotics and high in bone-building minerals dishes. You’ll look at Japanese food in new ways
like calcium. The bright green hues of matcha after reading this book, and but best of all, you’ll
green tea powder have surfaced beyond teatime. learn to unlock the power of Japanese superfoods.
Adding its distinctive flavor to a range of desserts,
drinks and dishes, matcha contains antioxidants, Clockwise from top: An array of superfood goodness,
specifically L-theanine, an amino acid that helps including a selection of pickled vegetables; matcha
powder; miso and soybeans; enoki mushrooms; and two
you to stay alert.
forms of wakame. The superfood superstar, seaweed,
Natto may be the new kid on the block for
does double duty not only as a nutritious powerhouse,
many. With its pungent smell, sticky texture and but also removes large amounts of carbon dioxide from
musty taste, it’s often described as an acquired the atmosphere.

8 Japanese Superfoods Welcome to the World of 9

 The Power of Sea Vegetables: Wakame
The Japanese word “wakai” means young, and in

Japan’s Most Super Ingredient the old days wakame was prized for its powers of
rejuvenation. In the Nara period (C.E. 710–784),
harvesting seaweed such as wakame required a
Shinto ritual. Wakame has the medicinal effect
Like terrestrial plants, seaweed performs photosynthesis and grows by absorbing water and of preventing aging and its slimy components
nutrients. Seaweed mostly thrives in rocky areas with a strong current, and breeding is carried cleanse the blood and promote good circulation.
out by spores transmitted through the water. Seaweed is divided into three categories based on It is rich in water-soluble dietary fiber, so foods
leaf color: green algae (chlorella and spirulina), brown algae (wakame, kombu and hijiki) and red eaten with it are absorbed more slowly. Because
algae (nori and dulse). The difference in color is a result of the depth of the waters in which the blood glucose levels increase more slowly as
a result, wakame is beneficial for diabetes
seaweed grows. The color ranges from green in shallow waters (where more sunlight reaches),
prevention. In addition, it helps lower blood
to brown and red in deeper, darker waters. There are approximately 20,000 kinds of seaweed in
pressure. At the same time, because it helps
the world, of which 50 are regularly eaten today—most notably brown algae such as wakame,
to reduce the absorption of cholesterol, it also
kombu and hijiki in Japan. Let’s learn more about these.
prevents arteriosclerosis. How to prepare dried wakame
Wakame contains a wide range of vitamins, 1. Place the dried wakame in a small bowl and fill
minerals, iron and calcium including vitamin it with plenty of water.
Kombu How to prepare dried kombu
B12. It is a great source of plant-based omega-3 2. Let the wakame rehydrate for 5 minutes, or until
The word “kombu” is similar to the Japanese word 1. Wipe the kombu with a dry paper towel, but
fats which regulate healthy cell function as well it softens.
for joy (yoro kobu), contributing to the idea that don’t remove the white powder that’s on the
as helping to prevent strokes and heart disease. 3. Drain and quickly rinse under water in a colander,
consuming kombu brings joy. Kombu contains surface. This is called mannitol, which is sweet and
Wakame promotes urination, while the slime then squeeze out the excess water.
a great deal of iodine and amino acids, both of adds to the flavor.
components promote healthy bowel movements. 4. Wakame will expand as much as eight to ten
which support healthy thyroid function. The body 2. Soak the kombu in room-temperature water for
Finally, wakame is rich in fucoxanthin, which times in volume after being soaked. Most dried
tends to be acidic as a result of the processed 30 minutes or according to the package directions.
reduces fat by heating adipose tissue, thus wakame is precut into bite-sized pieces, so follow
foods in today’s diet. In order to maintain a 3. Squeeze out the excess water. The kombu pieces
promoting weight loss. In addition, fucoxanthin the instructions on the package.
healthy body, we need to maintain an alkaline are now ready to be sliced and added to your recipes.
is an antioxidant with properties that contribute
state, keeping the body close to its natural pH
to beautiful skin and hair. How to store dried wakame
level. Eating alkaline foods such as kombu, helps How to store dried kombu
Store in an airtight container or a resealable
to achieve that. When boiled, kombu acquires In an airtight container, store it in a cool, dry place.
plastic bag in a cool, dry place away from heat
a slippery texture indicative of its water-soluble Hidaka-kombu (named for the part of Hokkaido
and moisture. The shelf life for dried seaweed
dietary fibers such as alginate and fucoidan. These where it’s harvested) should be trimmed into
is one year.
suppress the absorption of carbohydrates and rectangles from 3 to 5 inches (about 8–13 cm)
lipids and help reduce blood-cholesterol levels. on each side. The shelf life of dried kombu is
The mineral content of kombu is highly digestible approximately one year.
and is easily absorbed into the body, with about
an 80% absorption rate. The main source of Top: A sheet of wakame
umami found in kombu dashi Left: Fresh wakame
is glutamate, a type of amino Right and below: A ripple effect: kombu Bottom: Dried precut (left)
in its natural state (full leaves after drying) and after rehydration (right)
acid. When there is umami,
and after being cut into pieces.
it’s possible to reduce the
amount of salt in a dish. In
addition, glutamate acts on
sensors in the stomach to
improve the function of the
gastrointestinal tract and
prevent overeating. Fiber
and natural sugars found
in kombu support healthy
bacteria, which helps to
improve your gut health.

10 Japanese Superfoods The Power of Sea Vegetables: 11

 Dried (back), fresh (front) A thorough soaking

Thin strands of dried hijiki Rinse several times The end results Delicate paperlike sheets of nori Just be careful not to overtoast the sheets

Hijiki How to prepare dried hijiki Nori How to store dried nori
Dried hijiki is known for its high nutritional 1. Place dried hijiki strands in a bowl and fill with Nori has approximately 40% protein by weight, Keep it in an airtight container or double reseal-
value—with about 12 times more calcium than plenty of water. Let sit until softened, about 15 to which is why it is called “ocean soybeans” in able plastic bags and store in the refrigerator or
milk, seven times more dietary fiber than burdock 20 minutes at room temperature, or in hot water Japan. It not only contains more protein than freezer. You can also store in a cool, dry place away
root and twice as much magnesium as almonds. (about 190ºF/80ºC) for 4 to 5 minutes, or follow soybeans, but also all the essential amino acids from heat and moisture. Unopened, the shelf life
There are two different types of hijiki: me hijiki the manufacturer’s instructions on the package. needed to support a healthy body. It is rich in is about six months to a year; after opening, about
(sprouts), which looks like black tea and has a The water will initially turn brown. vitamin C, containing 210 mg per 100g (vs. 100 one to two months. Nori has a glossy, smooth side
tender texture, and naga hijiki (long), which is the 2. Drain the water in a colander. Repeat this mg in lemons). and a rough side. The glossy side is the front.
stem part of the plant and has a crispy texture. process five or six times, rinsing each time with Nori is sensitive to moisture. You need to re–
Hijiki contains high amounts of folic acid, an fresh water, until the water runs clear. fresh it by toasting it before serving, which gives it a Vegetable-based rolls wrapped in dried nori
important nutrient before and during pregnancy 3. Squeeze out the excess water. The hijiki is now crispy texture and a great smoky aroma. Depending
that helps prevent major birth defects. It contains ready to add to your recipe. Hijiki will expand as on the type of dishes you are serving, different
more folic acid than spinach and beef liver. much as five to eight times in volume after being kinds of nori are available, ranging from powdered
Calcium promotes the formation of strong bones soaked. nori (such as aonori flakes), to shredded nori
and teeth, and dietary fiber helps to shape the (kizami nori). The most common type, however, are
intestinal environment. In addition, magnesium How to store dried hijiki the sheets used for making sushi.
helps maintain good blood circulation, while a Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic
rich iron supply serves to carry oxygen to cells as bag in a cool, dry place away from heat and How to toast nori
a component of hemoglobin in red blood cells. moisture. The shelf life for hijiki is one year. 1. Heat a wire toasting pan, griddle or grill pan
Hijiki is also rich in vitamins for healthy skin and over medium heat.
hair. It is also rich in water-soluble plant fibers 2. Fold a piece of nori in half with the glossy
that lower blood cholesterol levels and slow the surface on the inside.
absorption of sugars. Overall, hijiki is one of the 3. Toast the rough outer side of the nori for about
best ways of adding iron, minerals and calcium to 5 to 7 seconds on each side.
our daily diets—elements that are often under- 4. Toast until the nori becomes crispy and the
represented. color turns slightly greenish.

12 Japanese Superfoods The Power of Sea Vegetables: 13

 The Magical Soybean

Beans and soy products are key ingredients in the Japanese diet. They are rich in nutrients
essential for maintaining our health, such as polyunsaturated fat and vitamins, and they can
also help reduce cholesterol, improve immunity and prevent lifestyle-related diseases. Beans
contain high amounts of dietary fiber, which promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.
Buddhist monks follow a strict vegan diet, receiving essential amino acids and high quality
plant proteins mainly from soybeans and soy products. The Japanese have long recognized
the benefits of processing soybeans through fermentation and other techniques, transforming
them into tofu, miso, soy sauce and many other delicious ingredients. The Japanese were
already eating processed and fermented soybean products such as miso and natto by the Nara Clockwise from top: koyadofu (freeze-dried tofu), Miso and tofu, two key Japanese ingredients
period (C.E. 710–784), a healthful tradition that continues to this day. soy sauce, dried yuba, kinako (roasted soybean powder), miso

Soybeans have been one of the most important Blue soybeans, which are actually green in color, Processed foods made with soybeans Kinako roasted soybean powder is widely used
crops grown in Japan since the Jyomon era (300 are a rare variety also called “emerald soybeans.” In recent years, Japan has become the country as a healthy alternative to sugar to sweeten
B.C.E.). There are different kinds of soybeans, Because they’re difficult to grow, the production with the greatest longevity in the world, Japanese desserts. It contains vitamins, dietary
including yellow, blue and black. Soy is one of the volume is small. While most soybeans turn yellow according to the World Health Organization. fiber and a high amount of isoflavones which
most common crops to be genetically modified, or black when ripe, these remain green when ripe. One of the reasons for this is that the Japanese lowers cholesterol levels. Kinako is also added
so I make sure that the beans used are organic Blue soybeans have less fat than yellow or green diet has a good nutritional balance and we have to beverages as a plant-based protein powder.
and/or non-GMO when I purchase soy products soybeans, but contain high amounts of natural successfully incorporated a wide variety of soy It is often served swith mochi rice cakes as a
such as tofu and natto. sugar. A popular dish in the northern Tohoku products into our daily diet. Here are some of powdered topping.
region is hitashi-mame, in which boiled blue the popular soybean products that we enjoy
Edamame are green when immature and in soybeans are marinated in dashi soy sauce. on a daily basis. Koyadofu or freeze-dried tofu is a traditional
the pod (these are steamed and served with a preserved food in Japan that originated in a small
sprinkling of sea salt as a popular snack in Japan). Black soybeans are the biggest, sweetest and Aburaage (thin sheets of tofu) and atsuage (thick mountaintop Buddhist community south of
Once the edamame are fully matured, hardened firmest of all soybeans. They’re widely eaten at slices of tofu) are both deep-fried until golden Kyoto. Koyadofu is easier to digest than plain tofu
and dried, they turn yellow. special celebration meals, such as the New Year’s brown and crispy on the outside. Aburaage forms and is an excellent source of protein, iron and
Day dish kuro mame, in which the beans are a pouch when the top is sliced off. Seasoned sushi calcium. It is a versatile pantry staple found in
Yellow soybeans are grown throughout the simmered in sugar. The color black has long been rice mixed with vegetables is stuffed into the almost every Japanese household.
country and are used to make a variety of soybean regarded as providing protection against evil spirits pouch to make the well-loved Inarizushi. Both
products such as tofu, natto, soy sauce and in Japanese culture. In addition, the word mame types of fried tofu are either sliced or shredded Miso fermented soybean paste is made with salt
miso paste. Yellow soybeans are simply matured means beans as well as high energy with good to add to soups, stews, salads and stir-fries with and koji (a mold called Aspergillus oryzae.) It is
edamame. health and strength, which represents good luck. other ingredients. used to make soups, dressings and sauces, and
as a seasoning to add umami flavor to meat or
fish. Miso is classified by its three main types of
ingredient combinations: rice miso, barley miso
and bean miso. Miso varies in color from white
(shiro), the mildest, to red (aka), the strongest
and a combination of red and white (awase miso).
They can be used interchangeably in most recipes.

Moyashi sprouted soybeans, one of the most

popular Asian vegetables, are grown in a dark
place until the roots are long. Despite being low
in fat and calorie-free, they are a rich source
of protein. This is a great ingredient to add to
Blue soybeans (left) and yellow soybeans (right) Edamame Aburaage: thin slices of deep-fried tofu stir fries, salads and as a topping for noodles.

14 Japanese Superfoods The Magical Soybean 15

 Five Healthful Japanese Vegetables
The Japanese have long known that fresh seasonal ingredients are a source of necessary
nutrients. For example, watermelon eaten in the summer hydrates and cools the body due to its
high water content. Since Japan has such diverse topography, a wide variety of vegetables are
grown to suit the regional climate and terrain.

Spring Vegetables
Spring vegetables, which grow slowly in the soil
over the winter, are characterized by a slight
bitterness. Common vegetables are bamboo
shoots (takenoko), wild herbs such as butterbur
(fuki), slightly bitter rapeseed plant (nanohana),
soft and tender spring cabbage and sweet onions.

Summer Vegetables
Vegetables with a high moisture content cool the
body during summer heat. Some examples are
cucumbers (kyuri), tomatoes, eggplants (nasu),
Top: natto; bottom: yuba Try different soy sauces and note the subtle differences.
corns, edamame, Japanese ginger (myoga), shiso Daikon
(a basil-like herb) and bitter melon (goya).
Daikon
Sprouted soybeans have a crunchy texture and a percentage of ingredients and the length of the Fall Vegetables This versatile radish pops up in a range of main
mild soybean flavor that goes well with any dish. fermentation process used. These are dark and Fall vegetables contain protein and starch to and sidedishes and is great cooked or raw.
light, tamari (gluten-free), twice-brewed and white. provide energy. Examples include potato varieties
Natto is made with soybeans that have been such as taro yams (satoimo), sweet potatoes Preparation
fermented with Bacillus subtilis. It has a sticky Tofu is made from soy milk that is coagulated (satsumaimo) and mountain yams (nagaimo), Grated daikon is a
texture with a strong fermented aroma and is a and pressed into solid white blocks by using the pumpkins (kabocha) and mushrooms such as popular condiment
highly nutritious probiotic food that’s uniquely coagulant nigari, a bitter-tasting sea salt. Tofu matsutake. served with grilled fish,
delicious (although it’s an acquired taste for many, is one of the most popular and versatile soybean tamagoyaki egg omelette,
and even some Japanese do not like it.) Natto is products and is eaten in a variety of dishes with Winter Vegetables tempura, soba noodles,
served as part of a traditional Japanese breakfast. many different flavors and cooking methods. Winter root vegetables are sweet because they hot pots and sauces to
It has a variety of textures ranging from soft to firm. store sugar as protection from the cold. Leafy enhance the flavor of the
Okara is the leftover soy pulp from making vegetables such as Japanese mustard spinach dish. It’s slightly spicy
tofu. It is used in a popular sidedish called Tonyu is soy milk produced by soaking and (komatsuna) and green onions (negi) are also with a refreshing aftertaste. Raw daikon contains
unohana, which is made with soy sauce, mirin grinding soybeans. Used for sweet desserts as well popular in winter miso soup and hot pots. Root natural digestive enzymes so that eating it with
and vegetables. It is hard to find at general as a soup base for healthy hot pots, it’s a great vegetables such as daikon, burdock (gobo) and oily food helps promote digestion and better gut
supermarkets, even in Japan today, but if you find alternative to cow’s milk. Freshly made tonyu is lotus roots (renkon) are widely available. Yuzu heath. For mild to sweet grated daikon, use the
a specialty tofu shop, they normally carry it. Okara great for making homemade tofu, which has a citrus abounds. Winter vegetables are also top portion closer to the leaves rather than the
contains both soluble and nonsoluble fiber, which naturally sweet flavor and extra creamy texture. popular for pickling. bottom as that tends to be spicier and harder
is more nutritious than most soybean products. in texture. Cut off the amount you want to use,
Yuba is a film created on the surface of soy milk then peel it and shred it using the fine holes on a
Soy sauce is a familiar fermented seasoning when it is heated. It can be consumed either fresh or grater.
liquid made from soybeans, wheat, salt and koji dried. Fresh yuba has a smooth, silky consistency.
(a fungus called Aspergillus oryzae). It’s the most When dried, yuba takes on a chewy texture. Yuba How to store daikon:
popular condiment in Japanese cuisine and is has a unique nutty, sweet flavor that goes well with Wrap daikon in newspaper and keep it in the
categorized into five different types based on the salads, simmered vegetables, soups and hot pots. refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

16 Japanese Superfoods Five Healthful Japanese Vegetables 17

 Whole and sliced lotus root Bitter melon, or goya Kabocha is an increasingly common sight on Western tables Burdock root or gobo

Lotus Root (Renkon) Bitter Melon (Goya) Japanese Pumpkin (Kabocha) Burdock Root (Gobo)
Lotus root, a popular vegetable throughout As the name suggests, this is a bitter-tasting Kabocha, a type of squash, is a staple vegetable Burdock root, a long thin root vegetable about 3
Asia, is full of fiber, vitamins and minerals. It’s vegetable, though one with a delicious and during the fall and winter seasons in Japan. It’s feet (1 m) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter,
available fresh, uncooked, whole, vacuum packed somewhat addictive flavor. It’s a source of powerful increasingly popular and available in the United is very common in Japan. Available at any Asian
in slices, or whole in water at any Asian market. antioxidants that boosts our immune system and States and Europe. It tastes similar to sweet market or health food store, it’s also increasingly
I prefer to use uncooked lotus root because it’s reduces blood sugar levels. The skin of bitter melons potato or chestnut and has a silky texture when appearing at many well-stocked American
fresher and has a crunchier texture. is uneven and rough. Once largely produced in the cooked. The skin is edible. Due to its versatility, supermarkets. Burdock
Okinawa and Kyushu regions of southern Japan, it’s used in soups, simmered dishes, tempura and root is used in kinpira
Preparation: today it’s grown all over the country. My family in desserts. As an added benefit, it’s loaded with gobo, a very popular
1. Look for lotus root the Honshu region grows bitter melon in our garden beta-carotene, which transforms into vitamin A, Japanese sidedish.
that is heavy and firm which we enjoy during the summer. A famous a powerful antioxidant that boosts immunity. Burdock root contains
without any bruising Okinawan dish is goya-chanpuru, which combines powerful health
or soft spots. When tofu, pork, eggs and bitter melon in a stir fry. Preparation: benefits—it helps
it’s fresh, the color is 1. Cut it in quarters and scoop out the seeds. to detox the liver,
whitish-light brown. Preparation: 2. Cut it into 2-in (5-cm) chunks. You can peel the balances and maintains
When it matures, the 1. Cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds skin or keep it on, depending on the dish you’re stable hormones and
color tends to change to with a spoon. making. improves the blood
darker brown, so look 2. Cut it into thick slices for a stir fry or into thin circulation throughout
for a lighter flesh color. Do not eat raw lotus root as slices for a salad. You can eat it raw or cooked. If How to store it: the body.
it has an unpleasant tannic quality. it’s too bitter in flavor, sprinkle it with some salt Wrap it whole in newspaper and keep it in a cool,
2. To prepare the lotus root: peel it, slice it, and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Rinse with dry place for up to 1 month. Once cut, store it in Preparation:
soak for 10 minutes in water, then rinse under water and drain. Now the refrigerate and use it within 5 days. 1. Peel it then thinly
cold water. Fresh lotus root will start to darken it’s ready to be added slice it on the diagonal.
immediately so it needs to be kept in cold water to a salad or simply Then cut it into thin
before cooking. eaten with katsuobushi strips about 2 inches
3. For pickling or salads: boil for a couple of bonito flakes and soy (5 cm) in length.
minutes in vinegar and water. Then add it to sauce on top. 2. Soak in water for
your pickling brine or salad. Use an aluminum or 10 minutes, changing
stainless-steel pot to retain the root’s light color. How to store it: the water a couple of
4. For stir-frying or soups, pair it with meat, You can store it in times to get rid of the
seaweed or vegetables for a crunchy yet tender a plastic bag in the bitterness. Drain well.
texture. You don’t need to boil it first. Simply add refrigerator for 2 to 3
raw lotus root to the dish you’re cooking after days. If you don’t use How to store it:
soaking it in a vinegar solution for 15 minutes. it right away, seeded Wrap whole roots in
and cut pieces will newspaper and keep in
How to store it: keep well-wrapped in the refrigerator for up
Wrap lotus root in newspaper and keep it in the the freezer for up to 1 to 2 months.
refrigerator for up to 1 weeks. month.

18 Japanese Superfoods Five Healthful Japanese Vegetables 19

 Fresh and Dried Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Many different varieties of
mushrooms are sold throughout Japan, both at supermarkets as well as at local vegetable
stands (often located near rural train stations). Whenever I travel back to Japan, it is a treat
to cook aromatic dishes using fresh local mushrooms. Mushrooms contain large amounts of
Maitake Matsutake Nameko Shiro shimeji
vitamin B, fiber and protein—which support a strong immune system—and an abundance of
antioxidants. Studies show that foods with high antioxidant content help lower blood pressure
and reduce cholesterol, which helps fight cancer and prevent diabetes. Mushrooms also matsutake are similar to truffles because of their Donko has a thick and meaty texture with a
support a healthy digestive system. Due to a toxin found in most mushrooms, it is unsafe to distinctive aroma and unique pine-like, nutty stronger mushroom flavor and makes a darker
eat them raw (with the exception of white mushrooms) and most mushrooms should be cooked flavor. My uncle, who lived in Iwate prefecture in brown dashi stock than koushin. The unique
before serving. Some of the most popular Japanese mushrooms are profiled here. Try them all! northeastern Japan, often picked them in his own cracked pattern on the caps are a result of being
backyard in the mountains and sent some to us in air-dried in a cold climate during the winter
the fall. They were a treat that we enjoyed eating months, which creates the most delicious and
with steamed rice and a simple soup to truly enjoy high-priced mushrooms in the market today.
the beautiful fall flavor.
Koushin are grown between spring and fall during
Nameko is well known for its earthy, silky the short humid summer months. They have much
and natural gelatin-like, slippery texture. It’s thinner caps and a smooth texture that makes a
commonly served with tofu in red miso soup light brown dashi stock, with a more delicate flavor.
as a breakfast staple. It has a brownish-orange It works well in any type of dish.
color and is commonly sold in convenient pre-
Buna shimeji Enoki Eringi Hiratake cut pieces packed in a small plastic bag. Nameko Shiro shimeji or white beech mushrooms have a
easily oxidizes, resulting in a sour taste, so I soft and tender texture. They’re popular among
recommend buying it with the stems attached so non-mushroom lovers because they have a very
Buna shimeji has a great aroma and is packed Hiratake or oyster mushrooms have a high it will have a longer shelf life. mild flavor. It’s common to boil them and add
with umami flavor. This spindly specimen is often moisture content, making them suitable for stock- them to salads and simple marinade dishes and it
cooked with steamed rice or found accompanying based dishes, such as soups and hot pots. They Shiitake (fresh) is the most widely sold and lend an elegant shape to any meal.
dashi-infused dishes. Buna shimeji is considered have a mild flavor and delicate, leafy caps and are consumed mushroom in Japan. It’s available in
an all-purpose mushroom in Japanese cuisine, great to serve in kombu-based soups. a variety of sizes and thicknesses and is popular White mushrooms were introduced to Japan
one that is versatile with a rich, nutty flavor, in hot pots or as tempura or grilled and simmered in 1922, popular due to their versatility in both
beautiful shape and a firm cap. Maitake is a recent addition to the scene, and in stir fries. Popular since the Edo period, Western and Japanese cooking. This is the only
known for its distinctive shape. It’s a large bulky its main characteristics are its thickness and type of mushroom that can be eaten raw, so it has
Enoki is the second most popular type of mushroom (known in other countries as “Hen of meaty texture. become a popular ingredient in salads. It often
mushroom in Japan (after shiitake). It has been the Woods”) that is cut into smaller pieces for the comes with dirt clinging to it, so make sure to
cultivated since 1928 and is now the most widely- convenience of home cooks. There is interesting Shiitake (dried) There are 2 types of dried shiitake wipe it with a dry towel. You can wash it, but some
grown mushroom. It is either white or brown, has folklore behind the name “Maitake.” Because it mushrooms available for cooking. of the rich flavor will then be lost.
a mild flavor and slippery noodle-like texture that was historically extremely rare, it was called the
is unique. “phantom mushroom.” Thus, when people found
it in the woods, they would jump up and down
Eringi is originally from the Mediterranean and with joy, a movement that resembles floating or
was introduced to Japan in 1993. The thick stem dancing, and the word mai means to dance or
has a meaty texture that is often referred to as move in Japanese.
“abalone of mushrooms” because of its chewy,
tender texture. Its mild flavor makes it adaptable Matsutake is the king of all mushrooms in Japan.
to many types of dishes, both Japanese and You can find them at high-end department
western. You can slice the stem into thin or thick stores where they are sold as a gift item that
slices depending on the dish you are making. comes with a high price tag. I often think Shiitake (fresh) Shiitake (dried), donko, Shiitake (dried), kouchin White mushrooms

20 Japanese Superfoods Fresh and Dried Mushrooms 21

 The Superpowers of Green Tea
Japanese tea has become one of the most popular drinks in the world. Japanese Buddhist monks
first brought green tea back from China to Japan in the early 9th century, C.E. In the 12th century
a Buddhist monk named Eisai founded Japan’s first Zen temple and introduced green tea as a
medicinal beverage with health benefits, which was the beginning of a popular green tea culture
Matcha Genmaicha Hojicha
that has since spread throughout Japan. Today, people around the world cannot get enough green
tea, especially matcha—from hip neighborhood coffee shops serving matcha lattes to local
grocery stores selling matcha-flavored snacks. Why has green tea become so popular in recent the lack of sunlight. This results in an intensified bamboo whisk is used to mix the matcha powder
years? One major reason is its wide range of health benefits. Green tea, known to be one of the sweet flavor and a vivid green color. This is a with hot water in a special tea bowl until it
healthiest beverages in the world, is loaded with powerful catechin, natural antioxidants that result of increased L-theanine, an amino acid with becomes foamy. The Japanese tea ceremony has
help protect against cancer, lower the risk of heart disease and support healthy brain function. a range of health benefits including a boost to become a cultural activity revolving around the
the immune system and stress relief. Matcha also ceremonial preparation of matcha green tea.
has a rich umami flavor due to the glutamate in
the young green tea leaves. Matcha was developed Genmaicha is made by blending green tea with
in the 16th century among tea growers in Uji, roasted brown rice in approximately a 50:50 ratio.
near Kyoto, and has made high-quality green tea This makes genmaicha relatively inexpensive
more widely available. Both matcha and gyokuro compared to other Japanese teas. It has a smaller
contain the same level of caffeine as coffee, amount of caffeine, making it suitable for children
making them the most caffeinated of all green and pregnant women. Genmaicha can also be
teas. This is because the young tea leaves used blended with matcha or gyokuro, resulting in a
to produce matcha and gyokuro contain more more expensive type of tea with slightly different
caffeine than the stems and mature leaves used tastes and aromas. The brown rice imparts a nutty
to make other teas. They also help deliver longer- aftertaste, making it a popular tea to drink after
lasting effects of the caffeine—the L-theanine meals. The best way to bring out the aroma and
Sencha Gyokuro Daifukucha or Oubukucha amino acid, which slow the release of caffeine in flavor is to brew it using very hot water—hotter
your body, providing a calming effect. Matcha is than making sencha. High-quality tea can also be
made by removing the stems and veins from the brewed slowly with cold water as cold brew, but in
Sencha When Japanese people talk about green when the young leaves are developing, resulting green tea and then stone grinding the leaves into the case of genmaicha, hot water is recommended
tea they generally mean sencha, which is widely in larger amounts of chlorophyll being produced a fine green powder. Because matcha is green (about 200ºF/95ºC, or slightly higher), so the tea
consumed and dominates the green tea market to compensate for the lower amount of sunlight tea consumed in a more conventional form, it gives off its unique savory flavor and aroma after
in Japan. In the 18th century, distinctive new available. This results in a brighter green color and provides maximum health benefits. The method steeping for 1 to 2 minutes in a teapot.
styles of sencha green tea were developed in a higher level of amino acids known as L-theanine, of preparing and drinking matcha is completely
Japan. Sencha is made from tea plants grown which gives gyokuro a well-balanced, sweet flavor different from other types of green tea. A special Hojicha is a type of caffeine-free roasted green tea
under strong sunlight, which results in a darker and an elegant aroma. At New Year, an important that originated in Kyoto in 1920. The tea leaves,
color and a stronger, more savory flavor. The holiday in Japan, a special green tea drink called Matcha is prepared using special implements in Japan stems and twigs are all steamed, then roasted in
process of making sencha includes steaming daifukucha (or oubukucha) is served representing and forms the basis for the Japanese tea ceremony. a special pan over high heat until the tea turns a
(to prevent the tea from oxidizing), then rolling, good luck and good health for the upcoming year. reddish-brown color. This process removes the
drying and sorting the leaves according to their Oubukucha is made with green tea and kombu kelp caffeine and gives hojicha an earthy and smoky-
sizes and shapes. I drink sencha every morning, with umeboshi pickled plums added. It originated sweet flavor, making it the most popular caffeine-
either before or after my breakfast so that I feel in Kyoto over 1,000 years ago. The first crop of tea, free tea. Although the color of hojicha is quite
energized and ready to start my day. Sencha called shincha, is only available between mid-April dark compared to other types of green tea, it’s not
provides caffeine, but one-third less than coffee, to mid-May, when the young tea leaves have less bitter and is the perfect beverage to drink before
making it a great alternative for anyone wanting astringency, a sweeter taste and a bright green going to bed or for relaxation. For hojicha, hot
an energy boost from a less-caffeinated beverage. color, giving the tea greater flavor and nutrition. water is highly recommended, about 200ºF (95ºC)
or slightly higher, so the tea gives off its sweet and
Gyokuro This type of green tea, the first in the Matcha green tea powder is made from tencha, a smoky flavor after steeping for 1 to 2 minutes,
market, is grown in the shade in the spring-time shade-grown tea with increased chlorophyll due to similar to genmaicha.

22 Japanese Superfoods The Superpowers of Green Tea 23

Green tea storage tips making sencha at home, Japanese style.
The main cause for the deterioration of the quality 1. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 5 minutes
of green tea, including the aroma, is oxidation. without a lid (this helps remove any chlorine
Other factors that can cause oxidation are light, odors). Remove from the heat and allow to
oxygen, moisture and temperature. So the best cool down to about 155ºF (70ºC), the perfect
way to store these teas is to keep them away from temperature for sencha. Pour the hot water into
heat or moisture in a dark, cool area in an air- the teacups to keep them warm and to cool the
tight container. The shelf life of green tea varies water. Kobucha Mugicha Kuromamecha
depending on the type and manufacturer. In the 2. Add the tea leaves to the teapot. For 4 people, you
case of sencha, for example, it is often labeled will need about 1½ tablespoons of sencha, or follow
as six months to one year. However, since the the guidelines on the packet. When the water is at
the cups), transfer it from the teacups to the teapot, like soups and quick pickles, as a source of extra
deterioration begins as soon as the package is the correct temperature (you should be able to hold
then cover and let the tea steep for 2 minutes. Be umami flavor.
opened, it’s recommended to use the tea
mindful of the timing—if you steep too long, the tea
within 2 to 3 weeks of opening in order
will get bitter, and if you steep too little, the flavor Mugicha is a common summertime drink in
to enjoy the full taste and aroma.
will not develop. Japan, a roasted barley tea that is caffeine-free
3. If there are multiple cups, pour it little by little and therefore a popular choice for children and
Preparation tips for sencha
in several round to fill each cup. After pouring one pregnant women. It reduces constipation and
Sencha may become bitter or lose its
round, pour the tea in the reverse order the next stomach pain and promotes sound sleep. Mugicha
flavor if you are not careful with the
time so that the flavor of tea distributes evenly. is widely available in convenient tea bags, but
temperature of the hot water. Warming
Only fill the teacups about 70 to 80 percent full. the traditional method of making it is to boil and
up the teacups as well as cooling the
steep the grains in a big teapot, resulting in an
hot water down are important steps in
Other healthy “teas” amazing roasted nutty aroma. I love the smell of
brewing aromatic and delicious sencha
Japanese people are obsessed with healthy teas roasted barley in my kitchen—so much so that I
tea. Here is the step-by-step process for
that have strong medicinal properties. Here are still make my mugicha in this traditional way. I
other kinds of popular healthy beverages that are strain it and store it in a pitcher in the refrigerator
treated as “tea,” even though they do not contain to drink cold as iced tea year-round.
any tea leaves. The Japanese word for tea is cha,
Homemade Hojicha Roasted Tea minutes. When the tea leaves have turned from
and although these teas do not use traditional tea Dokudamicha is a caffeine-free tea made from
When I have leftover sencha that has expired, green to brown, turn off the heat.
leaves, they have become important parts of the the leaves of the dokumai plant (this name means
I often make my own hojicha by roasting the 4. Remove the tea from the pan and quickly
Japanese diet and are treated as teas. So I want to “poison blocker.”) It is known to have medicinal
old tea leaves in a pan at home. It’s very easy to spread it on a tray. Let it stand for about 10
introduce them to you. The best way to store these properties that support the immune system,
make. Here is how to make my hojicha. minutes, until the leaves are completely cooled.
teas is to keep them away from heat or moisture, as well as containing the powerful antioxidant
Store in a tightly sealed glass jar or other type of
and keep them in a dark, cool area in an air-tight polyphenol and acts as a detoxifier too. Native
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes airtight container and keep it in a cool, dark place
container. The shelf life of these teas is from 6 to Asia, dokudami grows in dark, moist areas.
away from moisture. The shelf life is 30 days.
months to one year. As always, check the label on While it has a strong, unpleasant odor, I’ve come
4 oz (100 g) leftover sencha green tea that has 5. To brew the hojicha (4 servings): combine 2 to
the package for more information. to appreciate it as an adult both for its health
expired 3 tablespoons of tea leaves with 4 cups of boiling
benefits and its nutty flavor. The plant, which has
water, (200ºF/95ºC), steep in a teapot for 1 to 2
Kobucha literally means “kombu kelp tea,” not heart-shaped leaves and pretty little white flowers,
1. Heat a small-sized heavy saucepan or Dutch minutes and serve.
to be confused with kombucha, the fermented grew in the backyard of my childhood home.
oven over medium heat. Spread the tea black tea known in the West (called “mushroom
leaves evenly in the pot, cover and cook tea” in Japan). Kobucha is made from kombu Kuromamecha This is a tea made from black beans
for 2 minutes. Shake the pan frequently kelp powder, sometimes with green tea powder that originated in Hokkaido. It is available as whole
to prevent burning. or umeboshi plum powder added, along with black beans or ground powder form and is caffeine-
2. Remove the lid and raise the heat to some seasoning salts that give it a savory, salty free. If you’re brewing whole black beans, you
medium-high. Using a wooden spoon, flavor. Because kobucha comes in a fine powder, can use the leftover softened beans for cooking.
constantly stir the tea leaves to prevent it dissolves quickly in water. It’s packed with Kuromamecha has a naturally sweet and slightly
burning for about 2 to 3 more minutes. minerals, vitamins and fiber, and the glutamic nutty flavor that children like. It’s packed with
3. When smoke starts to rise from the acid found in kombu gives a natural umami fiber, high in vitamins that reduce blood pressure,
tea leaves, turn the heat to low and flavor to the tea. In addition to drinking kobucha has anti-aging properties that foster healthy skin
continue roasting for another 3 to 5 as tea, it can also be used in food preparations, and nails and also improves metabolism.

24 Japanese Superfoods The Superpowers of Green Tea 25

 Japanese Rice
because it is so often used in desserts and sweet Uruchimai is semi-translucent, while mochigome
snacks. Traditionally, mochi is made by steaming is milky-white and opaque. Both types of rice
mochigome and pounding it with a mallet in a absorb water while being stored. Since the quality
wooden barrel until it becomes a sticky, elastic of rice deteriorates quicker after it is polished,
Perfectly-cooked rice is the foundation of the Japanese diet. Brown rice, genmai, is considered dough with a soft, smooth consistency. it is important to check the date on the bag
special due to its health benefits as a non-processed food. When we talk about rice within The difference between the two types of rice indicating when the rice was milled, and buy only
Japanese cuisine, however, we are referring to machine-polished white rice, uruchimai. is the type of starches they contain. Uruchimai small amounts. In Japan, the “best before” date
contains 80% amylopectin, which is the starch (expiration date) is about one to two months in
Uruchimai when cooked is called gohan in Japanese. It is a Japanese short-grain variety, known
that makes rice sticky, and 20% amylose, which the winter, one month in the spring and two weeks
as japonica, which becomes sticky when cooked. Sushi Rice is also made with uruchimai. The
makes rice harder. On the other hand, mochigome in the summer, depending on the year of milling.
two most popular brands are Koshihikari and Sasanishiki, preferred by most Japanese, myself
contains 100% amylopectin, so it is very sticky Keep uncooked rice in a cool, dark place or in the
included, for their high-quality flavor and texture. They are the perfect rice for a bento box, as
and moist after being cooked. In addition, vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in an
the rice remains moist and chewy for a long time at room temperature.
uruchimai and mochigome look different. airtight container or resealable plastic bag.

Another popular Japanese rice is mochigome or

glutinous rice. Mochigome is best known for its
very sticky texture and is eaten as a staple in many
Asian countries. Compared to uruchimai, it is
whiter in color and rounder in shape. The best
known traditional mochigome dish is sekihan,
red bean rice, which is steamed together with red
adzuki beans. Because the dish is dyed red (which
is a symbol of celebration) by the adzuki beans, it
is served on special occasions such as weddings,
holidays and birthdays.
Another popular ingredient is mochi rice
cakes (see photo on page 29), which have a
chewy sticky texture and a naturally sweet flavor. How to Cook Japanese Rice in a Pot and 1½ cups water and soak for 30 minutes.
Glutinous rice is often referred to as “sweet rice” 3. Drain the rice completely in a colander.
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes 4. Combine 1½ cups water and the rice in a small
SOAKING TIME: 30 minutes (2.5 quarts/2.4 liters) heavy pot or Dutch oven (or
COOKING TIME: 50 minutes in a rice cooker, if using.)
SERVES 4 5. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat for 8 to
10 minutes, until the water comes to a boil. (If you
1½ cups (330 g) uncooked Japanese are not sure if the water is boiling, you can quickly
Left: Rice is much more than a simple staple. Try adding short-grain white rice open the lid at this point to check.) If there is still
different Japanese rice varieties to your pantry. You’ll 1½ cups (375 ml) water water inside, close the lid and continue cooking
soon discover that there are subtle differences! for a few more minutes.
1. Place the rice in a large bowl or pot and cover 6. Turn the heat to low and continue cooking,
with water. Lightly stir the rice with your hand covered, for 13 to 15 minutes. (From this point
five to six times, then drain the cloudy water onward, do not open the lid until the rice is fully
immediately. Do not leave the rice in the cloudy cooked.)
water after the first wash as it will absorb the 7. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam in
bran, resulting in an undesirable taste. the covered pot for another 15 minutes. Do not
2. Cover the rice with water again. Use the palms remove the lid. If using a rice cooker, follow the
of your hands to gently press the rice about 10 instructions.
times, then drain the cloudy water. Repeat this 8. When the rice is done cooking, fluff the rice
process three to four times, until the water runs quickly by using a wet rice paddle and serve in
clear. Then, refill the bowl with the washed rice individual bowls.
Genmai (brown rice) Uruchimai (polished white rice) Mochigome (glutinous rice)

26 Japanese Superfoods Japanese Rice 27

Other rice products acetic acid. The flavor of rice vinegar is mellow,
Sake is made from a mixture of steamed sweet and less acidic than distilled white or
rice, rice malt and water that goes through malt vinegars. Rice vinegar is the best choice of
a fermentation process, producing alcohol. when making sushi rice due to its sweetness and
“Alcoholic fermentation” refers to the conversion umami flavor. When white rice is fermented and
of sugar into alcohol, but the rice used to make processed into vinegar, 15 kinds of amino acids
sake contains no sugar; therefore, it cannot be and more than 70 kinds of organic acids are
fermented. To solve this problem, koji (cooked produced. In particular, rice vinegar contains a lot
rice that has been inoculated with a mold of citric acid, which helps to burn off amino acid
called Aspergillus oryzae) is used to convert rice fats, which is beneficial in weight loss. Since the
starch into sugar (glucose) using koji enzymes aroma disappears when it’s heated, rice vinegar is
(saccharification), and alcoholic fermentation is better suited for marinades and dressings that are
carried out by yeast. The technique of performing used without heating them to high temperatures.
saccharification and alcoholic fermentation, two
Above and right: Two mochi favorites are
chemical reactions that occur simultaneously Rice crackers (senbei) are made by steaming and shiratama dango and adzuki-stuffed daifuku.
in the same tank, is called parallel double crushing leftover cooked rice, then forming it
fermentation. It’s a unique Japanese brewing into rounds and drying it. The crispy texture and
method that produces a high-alcohol-content the natural sweet flavor of rice is often seasoned wagashi. The best known, shiratama dango to baked dishes. It is widely used as an alternative
beverage. Under Japanese liquor laws, sake is with umami-packed soy sauce, salt, sugar or (mochi dumplings), are made from shiratamako to wheat flour since the texture is perfect for
labeled with the word seishu, meaning clear other flavorings such as curry or wasabi. The dough that is boiled for a few minutes in water making cakes and cupcakes.
liquor. Sake has been made for over 1,000 years flavors become more intense when baked. While until tender. Shiratamako has a satisfying bouncy Joshinko is rice flour made from common
ago, and there are over 10,000 types—with slight senbei are typically baked, in recent years, they texture and is the most popular type of rice flour suruchimai white rice. It is white in color and
differences in the brewing methods. For example, are also fried, resulting in a thin, flat shape and a used for Japanese home cooking. It maintains has a powdery texture like all finely milled flours,
sake brewed with locally-grown rice and water is moderately hard and crispy texture. its softness the next day better than mochi made making it perfect for gluten-free breads and
called jizake. The alcohol content in sake is, at with other rice flours, which get hard if not eaten creamy white sauces. Since joshinko is made from
most, about 20 percent. As sake lovers know, it Rice flours, which are gluten-free, are a great right away. Shiratamako is also used to make a uruchimai, it has less elasticity and chewiness than
can be enjoyed both hot and chilled and sake has alternative to wheat flours. There are three major popular dessert called daifuku mochi which has glutinous rice flour. A popular dessert made with
a wider range of drinking temperature compared types of rice flour made from Japanese short a smooth and soft texture and is filled with sweet joshinko is yomogi mochi with adzuki beans. Since
to other alcoholic beverages, from 41ºF (5ºC) to grain rice that are popular for making savory and adzuki red bean paste. joshinko can be slightly tough due to its less elastic
131ºF (55ºC). Depending on the temperature, the sweet dishes. Mochiko is a finely milled flour that is also nature, it is commonly mixed with shiratamako to
aroma and flavor of sake changes. made from mochigome glutinous rice, but is make it chewier and softer. It’s used to make bite-
Shiratamako is made from mochigome glutinous used differently in cooking. It is more suitable for sized mochi rice balls, the traditional molded and
Rice vinegar refers to a liquid seasoning made rice. The coarse granules lend a chewiness and baking due to being softer and more pliable than steamed treat called uiro and the oak-leaf-wrapped
by fermenting rice to create alcohol and then to elastic texture to many traditional desserts called shiratamako, which lends a satisfying chewiness confection, kashiwa mochi.

Sake comes in hundreds of varieties Traditional sake flasks and cups Rice vinegars Rice crackers Mochi (glutinous rice cakes) Fine and coarsely ground rice flours

28 Japanese Superfoods Japanese Rice 29

 Japanese Noodles
Healthy Comfort in a Bowl

Wheat began to be cultivated in western Asia around 7000 B.C.E. It then migrated via the Silk
Road to China, where the original noodles were born. It is said that the history of Japanese
noodles began in the Nara period (C.E. 710–794), when a type of somen noodle, called muginawa, Somen Fresh ramen Shirataki yam noodles Dried udon
was made by combining salt water with wheat and rice flour, mixing it into a dough, stretching it
into a rope and baking it into a confection. During that time, noodles were only eaten by wealthy Somen Smooth and refreshing, somen wheat shoots and chopped green onions. Ramen is
aristocrats. Today, noodles such as soba, udon and ramen have become staples of Japanese noodles are a summertime tradition in Japan. typically served with a delicious flavored stock
cuisine. They are made from a variety of ingredients including wheat, buckwheat, konjac yam They are dried noodles with a smooth and that is unique to each ramen shop. Some shops
and seaweed, and are packed with vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber that support the healthy pleasant texture. After boiling, they are cooled only use bone broths, while others might add
Japanese diet. Since Japanese noodles are made with salt, unlike Italian pasta, it is not necessary under cold running water and flavored with a soy- kombu or katsuobushi, creating a synergistic
to add salt to the water when you boil them. The salt activates gluten in the wheat flour making based dipping sauce which provides a refreshing effect between the natural amino acids, such
the noodles chewy. Here is a survey of the most popular noodles you can find in Japanese cuisine. taste to the dish. Japan is a heavily forested as glutamate and inosinate, and packing lots of
mountainous country with many great sources umami flavor!
of soft water which make delicious noodles.
Soba Buckwheat as a plant was introduced to Japan check the package ingredients for buckwheat only, Somen are extremely thin wheat noodles that are Shirataki (the name literally means “white
quite early, but only transformed into soba noodles and note that it is more expensive. Beside wheat kneaded and carefully stretched to about 1/16 in waterfall.”) are thin and translucent, jelly-like
from the late Muromachi period onward. It was ini- flour, you might find soba with mountain yam, (1.5 mm) in diameter as dictated by a Japanese noodles. They are also called konnyaku noodles,
tially eaten in special places, such as tea rooms, and seaweed or egg added as binders. Common labels manufacturing standard. There are two methods because they’re made from the konjac yam,
then later spread more widely in the 17th century. for soba with wheat flour added might say, Hachi- of manufacturing somen noodles: tenobe, and can be either white or dark brown in color.
The highest quality soba, both fresh and dried, is wari soba, which means buckwheat flour is used in the traditional hand-stretching method or by They are mainly composed of water (97%) and
made only with buckwheat flour and water, which is an 8:2 proportion with wheat flour. Various types machine. They look the same, but tenobe somen dietary fiber (3%) and are low in calories and
what I love about soba because of its distinctive nutty of flavored soba are also available, such as matcha has a unique chewy texture that is considered carbohydrates, making them a healthy, low-carb
buckwheat aroma and flavor. It is considered good soba—which has a green color and a slight green to be the best quality. Since somen are very thin form of pasta. They’re sold as fresh noodles (soft,
manners in Japan to enjoy soba served in soup, either tea taste. Buckwheat contains powerful polyphenols noodles, keep the cooking time short, about packed in water and kept in the refrigerated
hot or cold, by noisily slurping the entire noodles up called rutin that help reduce blood sugar levels, 2 to 3 minutes, and then immediately rinse the section), or as dried noodles. The noodles have
in a continuous motion without biting them. This prevent blood clots and reduce heart disease. Rutin noodles under cold running water to retain their no flavor on their own, so we season them with
custom is not considered polite outside of Japan, has powerful antioxidant properties that are more chewy texture. flavorful dressings or sauces and serve them with
however. The importance of slurping the noodles is effective when taken with vitamin C. Thus soba in vegetables in light and refreshing salads. They
that it allows the aroma of the buckwheat to waft up soup with grated daikon radish is a nutritious way Ramen have become popular all around the are also added to popular hot pot dishes such as
into one’s nose, enhancing the flavor. However, be- to serve it. Rutin dissolves in water and so after eat- world today. They were introduced to Japan from shabu shabu, sukiyaki and oden.
cause buckwheat flour is fragile, soba are often made ing the soba, sobayu (the leftover water in which the China during the Meiji period in the late 19th
with wheat flour added to help bind the dough, with soba was boiled) is served in a tea pot so you can century. Ramen are eaten both dried (often as Udon are thick and chewy wheat noodles that
the added gluten resulting in a more durable noodle. drink it together with the soy and ponzu dipping the ubiquitous instant noodles) and fresh. They have been eaten since the Muromachi period
If you are looking for gluten-free soba be sure to sauce to finish off your meal. are made with wheat flour, salt water and kansui, (1337–1573) as a substitute for rice, and were
which is an alkaline water similar to baking soda often served as a celebratory foods. They are
that helps the dough rise and gives it a chewy, made from a wheat flour and salt water dough
Different varieties of soba Matcha green tea soba Fresh udon noodles
firm texture. Ramen noodles have a wavy shape which is kneaded and stretched out to about 1/10 in
and a yellow color, though they are made without (2.5 mm) diameter. Udon is the basis for unique
eggs—rather, it is the kansui that turns the local dishes in every region of Japan, each using
noodles yellow naturally. Ramen are served with different production methods, shapes and sizes
various kinds of soups such as soy sauce (shoyu), of noodles, as well as different preparation styles.
miso (fermented soybean paste), salt (shio) and It’s at its most delicious when freshly cooked,
pork bone stock(tonkotsu), to name a few popular either served cold with a dipping sauce or hot
choices; andtoppings, such as boiled eggs, sliced with a soy-sauce dashi broth made with kombu
pork chashu, nori and wakame seaweed, bamboo and katsuobushi.

30 Japanese Superfoods Japanese Noodles—Healthy Comfort in a Bowl 31

 Dashi and Umami
The “Secret Sauce” of Japanese Cooking

Dashi is perhaps the most important ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Packed with umami, it’s a
flavorful, traditional broth made of seaweed and dried and smoked tuna fish flakes. But beyond
this classic form of dashi, there are other full-flavored versions made with kombu, shiitake
mushrooms, noboshi (dried sardines) or awase miso. Dashi is the most important Japanese
superfood hiding in plain sight—the most singular and definitive of all Japanese ingredients,
and a ubiquitous presence in the Japanese diet. Miso, ramen, stews, omelettes—the list goes
on and on. The key ingredients are normally kombu and katsuobushi—simmered, smoked,
fermented and flaked skipjack tuna. Together they produce a strong and distinctive umami flavor.
Katsuobushi contains inosinic acid and essential amino acids and is rich in minerals. High in
It all starts with dashi Kombu cold brew Strips of wavy-edged dried kombu
protein, low in calories and fat—it strikes all the right superfood notes.

Kombu makes its own ultra-nutritive contribu- Today, commercial powdered dashi is available is why dashi stock is characterized by a clean
tions, while shiitake mushrooms are another and popular for its convenience; however, it is and light flavor. If you want to cook healthier
often overlooked superfood. The stems of shiitake not the same as handmade dashi since it’s loaded food with reduced sodium, fat and sugar, these
mushrooms are a good source of beta-glucans, with MSG, preservatives and other artificial umami ingredients not only contribute a savory,
linked to lower blood cholesterol levels. Mush- flavors. Homemade dashi on the other hand is delicious flavor, they also make your food light
rooms, in general reduce the risk of cancer and very easy to make once you know how. And it is and satisfying. When you combine these umami
type 2 diabetes and contribute to cardiovascular much flavorful and more healthy. components in a balanced way, the taste of the
health. They contain protein, vitamins, minerals ingredients stands out with only a little extra
and antioxidants, which help eliminate free radi- More about umami seasoning to help them along. That is the secret
cals from the body. Among the antioxidant agents In 1908, Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo of Japanese cuisine, which is known for it light
in mushrooms is choline. It can help facilitate University discovered that the main source of and clean yet complex flavors.
muscle movement, learning and memory, and the flavor in kombu is glutamic acid and amino
assists in maintaining the structure of cellular acid. This compound makes any dish naturally The basics of dashi making
membranes while playing a role in the transmis- more tasty. He decided that this unique taste Two ingredients, then add water. Does it get any
sion of nerve impulses. ought to be called umami—which refers to any simpler than that? For some, making dashi is
food with an inherent savoriness. Umami is said like brewing a delicate tea as opposed to other
Discovering dashi to be one of the five basic tastes—along with cuisines where you need to simmer a stock for
Dashi is a clear broth which lies at the heart of sweetness, saltiness, sourness and bitterness. It many hours. Smoky and simple, it’s a flexible
Japanese cuisine as one of the most important is the natural flavor of amino acid and proteins. concotion that serves as a building block for so
ingredients in most recipes. Dashi differs from You can find umami flavor in a variety of foods, much of Japanese cuisine.
condiments that add flavor, such as soy sauce such as parmesan cheese, meat, tomatoes, There are two types of dashi: natural dashi,
or miso. Instead, dashi helps bring out the mushrooms and miso, which contains high made with natural ingredients without any added
flavors of the ingredients you are cooking with levels of the amino acid glutamate. Newborn flavorings; and processed dashi, made with food
to their full potential. The source of umami in babies typically have their first taste of umami in additives (synthetic preservatives, synthetic colors
dashi stock most commonly comes from the breast milk, which also contains large amounts and antioxidants). This book focuses on dashi
following ingredients: kombu or kelp (glutamic of glutamate. So, there is a sense of familiarity made from natural ingredients. All of the dashi
acid), katsuobushi or dried bonito flakes in all umami flavors, as it is among our earliest ingredients are readily available at Asian grocery
(inosinic acid), niboshi or small dried sardines taste memories. Western and Chinese cooking stores, health food stores and online. By learning
(inosinic acid), and dried shiitake mushroom normally use soup stocks made with fresh meat the basic methods of making dashi, you can cook
The raw ingredients for dashi (clockwise from top): kombu
seaweed, thick katsuobushi slices, whole katsuobushi (guanylic acid). The combination and heating and vegetables. By comparison, Japanese dashi authentic Japanese food at home that is healthy
skipjack tuna, niboshi dried baby sardines, dried shiitake of these ingredients results in the umami being stock uses dry ingredients containing almost no and wholesome for you and your family. Now let’s
mushrooms and shaved katsuobushi flakes. intensified by as much as seven or eight times. fat however with not as much umami flavor. That talk about the key ingredients.

32 Japanese Superfoods Dashi and Umami—The “Secret Sauce” of Japanese Cooking 33

 Sliced kombu A shaving box used to shave whole Thicker slices of katsuobushi Niboshi Shiitake mushrooms Store away from heat and moisture
pieces of katsuobushi into flakes

Kombu adding to its nutritional benefits and flavor. preshaved, however if you want to try it, then you cuisine. It’s also rich in eritadenine (an element
Historically, Japanese soil was lacking in minerals The mold absorbs moisture from the tuna, so need to get a shaving box. Once the package has that makes blood smooth) and lentinan, (which
and it was difficult to get much nourishment the water content drops to less than 15%. This been opened, the flakes begin to oxidize and the strengthens the immune system). When shitake
from eating vegetables. Therefore, the tradition of hardens the katsuobushi and breaks down the fat color will start to dull. So store open flakes in the mushrooms are sundried, the proteins are broken
eating seaweeds such as kombu arose. Kombu is content, which gives the dashi stock made with refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container or down into amino acids, which increase the umami
an ocean vegetable that grows by photosynthesis. it a more elegant, refined flavor. This process resealable bag and consume it within six months to a level ten times greater than fresh shiitake
It’s one of the richest sources of minerals, also increases its shelf life and concentrates the of opening the package. mushrooms. Shiitake dashi is widely used to make
vitamins, fiber and protein—vital nutrients that umami flavor. simmered and rice-based dishes.
are indispensable in any diet. Kombu is also Most katsuobushi production is located in Niboshi (small dried sardines)
low in calories, rich in glutamic acid (one of the Kagoshima and Shizuoka prefectures. The main Niboshi, also called iriko are boiled and dried baby How to select and store shiitake mushrooms
sources of umami) and contains lots of nutrients umami component of katsuobushi is inosinic sardines. They are mainly harvested in the coastal Choose well-dried shiitake mushrooms that have
along with soluble plant fiber, fucoidan, alginate acid, which is found in animal products such as regions of Kyushu and Shikoku islands, where beautiful, brown-colored caps with a slightly shiny
and iodine. The most popular, high-quality types meat and fish; but the amount of inosinic acid the Kuroshio current, known as the Black Stream, surface. The underside of the caps should be light
of kombu get their prefixes from the areas in in katsuobushi is by far the highest of any foods is filled with these tiny fish. Blue fish such as beige-yellow in color with short stems. Store them
Hokkaido where they’re harvested: Ma-kombu, (at over 600 mg per 100 grams). It takes up to sardines are rich in unsaturated fats and contain in an airtight container or resealable bag in a cool,
Rishiri-kombu, Rausu-kombu and Hidaka-kombu. six months for a single batch of katsuobushi high amounts of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and dry place away from heat and moisture. You can
to be made, as over ten manufacturing steps EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), as well as calcium also dry them by laying them flat on a tray and
Katsuobushi are required to create this unique product. and vitamin D, which helps to maintain low blood setting them in the sun for 2 to 3 hours before
Katsuobushi (dried skipjack tuna) is often Traditionally, every time katsuobushi is prepared, pressure and good brain function. Dashi made cooking, increasing the amount of vitamin D.
classified as a fermented food; however, not all it must first be shaved into flakes using a wooden from niboshi contains plenty of umami (from
katsuobushi is fermented. It’s broadly divided into box with a sharp blade attached (like a mandolin), the inosinic acid). Niboshi dashi is often used for Soft vs. hard water?
two types: ara-bushi (not fermented) and honkare- which is how I grew up eating it as a child. ramen and udon noodle broths, and is also used to Water, an important element of cooking, has char-
bushi (fermented). Depending on the production Today, however, packaged katsuobushi flakes enhance the flavor of miso soup. acteristics—such as flavor and mineral content, or
process, skipjack tuna is filleted into pieces, boiled are widely available, with options that include hardness—that varies greatly by location. Water in
and then smoked to create ara-bushi, which is thinly shaved (hana-katsuo), thicker shaved Shiitake mushrooms Japan is naturally soft, which helps in effectively
then shaved into flakes. Ara-bushi is not fermented (atsukezuri) and powdered (kezuri-ko). The type to Historically, shiitakes were very expensive and extracting the umami components of glutamic
as it does not undergo the molding process and is buy depends on the type of dish you are making. used only by samurai and the wealthy. They also acid and inosinic acid. High levels of minerals
the most common type of katsuobushi (sold under Katsuobushi is also used as a topping for cold and factor heavily in Shojin cuisine (plant-based such as calcium and magnesium over 120 ppm
the name of hana-katsuo.) hot dishes and is delicious sprinkled on tofu and Zen Buddhist cooking). Shiitake mushrooms (parts per million), result in hard water which
After the ara-bushi is made, the surface is over okonomiyaki pancakes. cultivation began in the Edo period (1603–1868) causes the umami to be trapped inside the ingre-
scraped off with a grinder to remove the tar and and spread widely during the 1970s as a result dients. My recommendation is to use soft water, if
it is then covered with a mold and dried in the How to select and store katsuobushi of popular health fads. Dashi made from dried possible, for the best results when making dashi at
sun to transform into honkare-bushi, a fermented Choose a light pinkish color for thinly shaved shiitake has an intense flavor and aroma and home. Living in New York City, I use the tapwater
form of katsuobushi that is more expensive than katsuobushi flakes, or slightly shiny ones with a is highly nutritious. It is umami-rich as a result (which is considered soft to moderately hard at 65
ara-bushi. Honkare-bushi is fermented with dark color for the thickly shaved slices. Freshly- of containing guanidyl acid (guanylate), one of ppm), and I always let the water sit overnight to
a healthful bacteria (Eurotium herbariorum), shaved katsuobushi has much more aroma than the three major umami ingredients in Japanese remove the chlorine odors, which evaporate.

34 Japanese Superfoods Dashi and Umami—The “Secret Sauce” of Japanese Cooking 35

 Second-Brew Dashi Stock Quick Dashi Stock in a Teapot
Making Dashi Stock You can reuse the kombu and katsuobushi This is my quick version of Basic Dashi Stock for times
used to make First-Brew Dashi by when I only need a small amount, just enough to make
repeating the same process one more a bowl of soup or noodles or a few condiments. This is
Dashi stock is the foundation for most Japanese cooking—whether it’s made with dried fish or time with this recipe by adding more an easy way for you to incorporate dashi into your daily
with purely vegetarian ingredients like kombu or shiitake. Dashi is used not only in soups but katsuobushi flakes to the pot. Second cooking. It only requires kombu, katsuobushi, a teapot
in many other dishes as a seasoning. It will make any dish taste better once you know how to Brew Dashi Stock has a less intense flavor, and boiling water. It is the same as brewing a pot of
use it. Dashi plays a different role from other seasonings like salt, sugar, soy sauce and miso. but is still a good soup base for noodles, tea—simply place all the ingredients into the teapot
It is an umami-rich liquid made from kombu and katsuobushi flakes. It gives a dish a deep, simmered dishes and miso soups. and steep them for 1 to 2 minutes. For a basic dashi
satisfying flavor and the umami effect reduces the amount of salt needed. In combination with stock, use both kombu and katsuobushi. For a plant-
other ingredients, dashi offers unlimited possibilities. Various dashi recipes are given here YIELD: approx. 4 cups (1 liter) based version, use kombu and/or shiitake mushrooms
along with ways to use the dashi and to reuse the dashi ingredients. Leftover kombu and katsuobushi from only. This quick method is perfect to make miso soup
First-Brew Dashi (previous page) in the morning for breakfast, a dish enjoyed by many
¾ to 1 cup (10 g) additional katsuobushi Japanese. Simply add miso paste, diced tofu, wakame
flakes seaweed and/or chopped green onions to a cup/bowl
4 cups (1 liter) water of hot dashi stock from the teapot.
Basic Dashi Stock (First-Brew Dashi)
This is the most popular type of dashi stock, made with a combination of kombu and katsuobushi. Basic 1. Combine the YIELD: approx. 2 cups (500 ml)
Dashi Stock has an intense flavor and elegant aroma that goes well with clear soups, delicate dishes such leftover kombu and SHELF LIFE: Store in an airtight
as steamed egg custard (chawanmushi), and vinaigrette dressings (sunomono). It adds deep and savory katsuobushi with container in the refrigerator for
umami flavors to any dish. The primary umami ingredients, glutamic acid from the kombu and inosinic the water in a small up to 2 days, freezer for 1 month
acid from the katsuobushi, are combined here, making any dish naturally more delicious and satisfying saucepan. Turn the RECIPE IDEAS: Soups, dressings,
simply by incorporating this stock. heat on until you sauces and condiments
just start to see small
YIELD: approx. 4 cups (1 liter) to see small bubbles forming around the edges of the bubbles around the 2 small squares (3 in/8 cm) dried
Three 5-in (13-cm) squares of dried kombu pot (150ºF/65ºC). Do not allow the water to boil. edge of the pan. kombu
(about ½ oz/15 g) 4. Remove the kombu from the saucepan. 2. Add the new ½ cup (7 g) katsuobushi flakes
1¼ cups (15 g) katsuobushi flakes 5. Add the katsuobushi flakes and turn off the heat. katsuobushi to the 2 cups (500 ml) boiling water,
4 cups (1 liter) water Let the katsuobushi sit for 2 to 3 minutes. saucepan and turn off about 175ºF (80ºC)

6. Line a colander or a strainer with a layer of paper the heat.

1. Gently wipe the surface of the kombu with a dry 1. Combine the kombu and
towel and place it in a bowl. Strain the broth without 3. Let the mixture sit
paper towel. Do not remove or wash off the white katsuobushi in a teapot.
squeezing the katsuobushi. Once it has cooled, store for 2 to 3 minutes.
powdery substance on the surface of the kombu, 2. Pour the boiling water into the
it in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for 4. Line a colander or
which is a source of umami flavor called mannitol. teapot and steep, covered, for 1 to
up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to a month. a strainer with a paper
2. Soak the kombu in the water in a saucepan for at You can reuse the kombu and katsuobushi by 2 minutes.
towel and place in a
least 15 minutes, or more, at room temperature. repeating the process one more time, adding more 3. Pour the stock into a cup and
bowl. Strain the broth
3. Heat the kombu and soaking liquid in the same katsuobushi to the pan (see Second Brew Dashi Stock without squeezing the use as needed, or strain through
saucepan over medium-low heat just until you start on the next page). katsuobushi. Store in a a colander or strainer into a bowl.
resealable plastic bag Strain the broth without squeezing
in the refrigerator for the katsuobushi.
up to two days or in 4. Transfer any unused broth to a
the freezer for up to a sterilized glass bottle or jar with a
month. lid. Let it cool to room temperature
before storing, tightly covered, in
the refrigerator.
5. For ways to use the leftover
kombu and katsuobushi, check out
the other recipes and suggestions in
this section.

36 Japanese Superfoods Making Dashi Stock 37

Kombu Dashi Stock (Hot Brew) Kombu Water (Cold Brew) Shiitake Dashi Stock Niboshi Dashi Stock (Hot Brew)
Kombu dashi is a vegetarian stock made Kombu Water is the cold-brew version of Kombu This is a cold brew stock that is This is the dashi stock that I grew up drinking in our daily
by soaking pieces of kombu in water then Dashi Stock—a simple method for extracting the very simple to make; you just miso soup. It’s made by soaking dried baby sardines in water
gently heating the liquid, but not to boiling natural umami flavor from kombu by soaking pieces soak the dried mushrooms in then simmering the liquid gently. It’s a popular dashi to use
(150ºF/65ºC), then removing it from the of kombu in water overnight. You can drink Kombu water overnight. Or, if you are in for ramen, udon and soba noodle dishes. It has an immensely
heat and allowing it to steep. This stock has Water as a beverage, or add it to smoothies, soups, a hurry, soak them in hot water powerful and deep savory flavor, with a rich oceanic aroma.
a stronger umami flavor than Kombu Water dressings and sauces. Kombu Water has a clean and for 20 minutes before removing
(Cold Brew), the other recipe on this page, as fresh oceanic flavor and is full of nutrients. It will the stems. After soaking them to YIELD: approx. 4 cups (1 liter)
the gentle heat helps release more flavor into keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. obtain the liquid, you can cook and 8-10 pieces (½ cup/15 g) niboshi dried
the liquid. Use it for miso soups and noodle eat the caps and stems. Shiitake baby sardines (see page 35)
broths, as well as dressings, sauces, stir-fries YIELD: approx. 4 cups (1 liter) Dashi Stock is a key ingredient 4 cups (1 liter) water
and simmered dishes. Kombu Dashi Stock Three 4-in (10-cm) squares dried kombu (¾ oz/20 g) in Shojin-style Buddhist temple
has a savory flavor with a hint of the ocean. 4 cups (1 liter) water vegetarian cooking. 1. Remove the heads and innards, if
necessary, of the niboshi then break them
YIELD: approx. 4 cups (1 liter) 1. Gently clean the surface of the kombu with a dry YIELD: approx. 2 cups (500 ml) in half lengthwise.
Three 4-in (10-cm) squares dried kombu towel. Do not remove or wash off the white powdery 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, with 2. Soak the niboshi in the water in a
4 cups (1 liter) water substance on the surface of kombu, which is a source of stems attached saucepan for at least 15 minutes, or more, at
umami flavor called mannitol. 2 cups (500 ml) cold water room temperature.
1. Gently clean the 2. Place the kombu and the water in a container and let 3. Heat the niboshi and the soaking
surface of the kombu it steep in the refrigerator overnight. 1. Gently wipe liquid in the same saucepan over medium-
with a dry paper towel. 3. Remove the kombu from the water the following day. the surface of high heat. When bubbles begin to appear
Do not remove or wash the shiitake (175ºF/80ºC), reduce the heat to low and
4. Store the liquid in a resealable plastic bag or a
off the white powdery mushrooms cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Skim the foam
container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 3 days,
substance on the surface with a dry from the surface of the liquid using a ladle or sieve.
or in the freezer for up to a month. You can reuse the
of the kombu, which is a paper towel.
kombu pieces by repeating the process using half the 4. Turn off the heat. Line a colander or strainer with a paper towel
source of umami flavor 2. Place the
amount of water. and set it in a bowl. Strain the broth without squeezing the niboshi.
called mannitol. shiitake and Store the liquid in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for up
2. Soak the kombu in water in a to two days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
the water in a saucepan small container
for 15 minutes or more, or jar.
as long as overnight, at
room temperature. If
3. Cover the Niboshi Dashi Stock (Cold Brew)
container and This is another version made using the cold-brew method,
soaking overnight, keep place it in the
the saucepan in the which is an easy way of extracting natural umami flavor from
refrigerator
refrigerator. the niboshi. It simply requires soaking the niboshi in water
to steep
overnight. You can use this stock to make
3. Heat the kombu and the soaking liquid in overnight.
miso soup and noodle soup broths. It will
the same saucepan over medium-low heat until Remove the
keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
you start to see tiny bubbles forming around shiitake the
the edges of the pot (150ºF/65ºC). Be sure not next day and
YIELD: approx. 4 cups (1 liter)
to boil the water. Remove from the heat. reserve the
liquid. 1½ cups (15 g) niboshi dried baby sardines
4. Remove the kombu from the saucepan. Once
(see page 35)
it has cooled, store the dashi in a resealable 4. Store
4 cups (1 liter) water
plastic bag or a container with a lid in the the liquid
refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer in a resealable plastic bag in the
1. Remove the heads and innards from the
for up to a month. You can reuse the kombu by refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the
niboshi, then break them in half lengthwise.
repeating the same process with 50% less water. freezer for up to a month.
2. Place the niboshi and water in a container
and let it steep in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Remove the niboshi from the water. Store
the liquid in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to
two days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

38 Japanese Superfoods Making Dashi Stock 39

Ponzu Sauce Kaeshi Sauce Simmered Kombu and Katsuobushi Tsukudani
Surprise! I’m using orange juice in this all-purpose Kaeshi is a thick soy-based sauce that Tsukudani is seafood, meat, seaweed or vegetables simmered in a sweet and soy-based
sauce instead of Japanese yuzu citrus. If you prefer a is one of the most popular condiments sauce. A delicious appetizer or sidedish, it will keep in the refrigetator for up to 2 weeks.
tarter ponzu, use lemon or a combo of the two. You can in Japanese cooking. Many people
buy bottled ponzu, but it is fun to make your own! buy premade Kaeshi because of its 3 or 4 pieces rehydrated or leftover 2. Combine the kombu, katsuobushi, Kaeshi
convenience—you would be surprised how kombu (from making Basic Dashi Stock) Sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sake, sesame
YIELD: approx. 1¼ cups (300 ml) 1 or 2 cups leftover katsuobushi seeds and dashi in a small saucepan, cover, and
many different brands are on the shelves of
2 tablespoons Kaeshi Sauce (page 40) set over medium-low heat. Cook until the kombu
SHELF LIFE: Store in an airtight container in the Japanese supermarkets—but it is extremely
1 teaspoon brown sugar is soft, about 20 minutes. If the liquid starts to
refrigerator for up to one week. easy to make, using a few basic ingredients
1 teaspoon rice vinegar evaporate during cooking, add some more dashi
that you may already have in your pantry.
1 tablespoons sake and cook until the water is almost gone, and the
¹⁄³ cup (80 ml) soy sauce What is unique about this family recipe
1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds kombu has become soft and tender. Serve with
¹⁄³ cup (80 ml) rice vinegar is that we add a piece of kombu to the jar
½ cup (125 ml) Second-Brew Dashi Stock steamed rice, noodles or in a bento box.
¹⁄³ cup (80 ml) Basic Dashi, Kombu once the sauce is made for an extra boost (see page 37) 3. Store leftover Tsukudani in a container or a
or Shiitake Stock (pages 36, 38–9) of rich umami flavor. Having ready-made
¹⁄³ cup (80 ml) fresh-squeezed resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to
Kaeshi in the refrigerator allows you to 1. Cut the kombu into 1-in (2.5-cm) squares.
orange juice (see headnote) seven days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
make so many different dishes by adding
it to your dashi stocks, vinegar, oil, miso,
Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, Dashi Stock and
spices or simply using it to season meats,
orange juice in a sterilized glass bottle or jar with a lid.
fish, tofu and vegetables. Once you become Kombu Marinated in Ponzu
Shake it well to combine all the ingredients and then store,
familiar with how to make Kaeshi, you can Citrus-based sauces and preparations are ideal for marinades, dipping and on salads. With its mildly
tightly covered, in the refrigerator.
control the sweetness to your liking by tangy flavor, ponzu adds a flash of acid, pairing perfectly with marinated tomatoes. Here, strips of kombu
adjusting the amount of mirin sweet rice come to life when bathed in citrusy ponzu.
wine and granulated sugar.
Goma Sesame Salad Dressing 3 or 4 large pieces rehydrated or leftover kombu
Here I use Basic Dashi Stock, but if you want an extra- YIELD: approx. 1½ cups (375 ml) ½ cup (125 ml) Ponzu Sauce (page 40)
creamy plant-based dressing, you can replace the stock SHELF LIFE: Store in an airtight container 1-in (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and
with soy milk for a satisfyingly rich texture. cut into thin strips
in the refrigerator for up to one month.
RECIPE IDEAS: For fish, meat, vegetables
YIELD: approx. 2 cups (500 ml) 1. Slice the kombu into thin strips by first rolling the
SHELF LIFE: Store in an airtight kombu up (see photo.)
½ cup (125 ml) mirin sweet rice wine (or
container in the refrigerator for ½ cup [125 ml] sake or white wine mixed 2. Combine the kombu, ponzu and ginger in a bowl or
up to one week. with 2 tablespooons sugar) container and mix well. Cover and marinate overnight, or up to seven days in the refrigerator.
4 tablespoons granulated sugar Serve as is, or added to salads, tofu, steamed rice or noodles.
¼ cup (65 ml) soy sauce 1 cup (250 ml) soy sauce
¼ cup (65 ml) mirin sweet rice wine One 6-in (15-cm) square dried kombu
1 cup (250 ml) Basic Dashi Stock (page 36)
¼ teaspoon grated garlic 1. Add the mirin and sugar to a small
Stirfried Kombu and Niboshi 2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-
2 tablespoons maple syrup or granulated sugar Sweet, spicy and with umami undertones, this sidedish pulls high heat and add the kombu and niboshi.
saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-
¼ cup (65 ml) neri goma sesame paste or tahini in all the flavor notes, the perfect fusion of superfood goodness. Stir them with a spatula continually for
high heat.
3 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds two to three minutes to revive them.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add 3 or 4 pieces leftover kombu from
the soy sauce to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 Basic Dashi Stock (pages 36–37) 3. Add the sesame oil, Kaeshi Sauce,
1. Add soy sauce, mirin, Basic Dashi Stock, garlic, and fish sauce and garlic to the skillet and
minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved and 1½ cups leftover niboshi from Niboshi
maple syrup to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over contimue to cook over medium-high
you start seeing small bubbles around the Dashi Stock (page 39)
medium heat. heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the maple
edges of the pan. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
2. Reduce the heat to low and add the neri goma and 1 tablespoon Kaeshi Sauce (page 40) syrup, stirring continually, and cook for
3. Transfer to a sterilized bottle or glass jar
sesame seeds to the pot and cook, while stirring with a ½ teaspoon fish sauce an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until the
with a lid and add the kombu. Let it cool
spatula until the ingredients are well-combined and the ½ teaspoon minced garlic liquid has completely evaporated. Serve
to room temperature before storing, tightly
sauce has a smooth consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. 1 tablespoon maple syrup with steamed rice, bento box or appetizers
covered, in the refrigerator.
3. Transfer to a sterilized glass bottle or jar with a lid. ¼ teaspoon red pepper (optional) and sprinkle with chili pepper, if you like.
4. To use the leftover kombu, cut into small
Let it cool to room temperature before storing, tightly 4. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7
pieces, to add to soups.
covered, in the refrigerator. 1. Cut the kombu into thin strips (see photo above.) days, or the freezer for up to a month.

40 Japanese Superfoods Making Dashi Stock 41

 Super Japanese Pickles Quick Miso Yogurt Pickles
There is nothing better than freshly pickled seasonal vegetables with a bowl of steamed rice
for a tasty Japanese-style breakfast! While the most popular Japanese pickles are made in the
In Japan there are many different kinds of umami-rich pickles that utilize fresh seasonal vege- nukazuke style—by fermenting the vegetables in a bed of rice bran—this approach requires
tables. There are many different pickling methods, including pickling with salt, with fermented a lot of attention. The contents need to be stirred by hand once or twice a day to ensure
rice koji, salted rice bran, sweetened sake, seasoned vinegar and miso. Since fermented pickles proper pickling and to avoid mold. I wanted to create similar pickles without all the work.
contain probiotics, beneficial to maintaining gut health, they have been an important part of the So I asked my mom. I was very surprised when she suggested mixing awase miso with yogurt.
Japanese superfood diet over the centuries. Japanese pickles are always included in traditional She thought it would create a flavor very similar to nukazuke with no effort required, and she
ichijyu-sansai, set meals consisting of rice, soup and three main dishes. Here, I show you how was right. Mom knows best. Fermented foods such as miso and yogurt are a great source of
to make various Japanese-style pickled vegetables (called tsukemono in Japanese), made with probiotics because they contain live bacteria, which support your gut heath. If you’re lactose
fermented ingredients such as miso and yogurt, and umami-rich ingredients such as kombu. intolerant, substitute a plant-based yogurt (such as coconut, cashew or soy milk) for the Greek
There are also several quick and easy pickles that can be eaten immediately like a salad by yogurt. These pickles are ready to eat within a day, or less.
simply cutting up vegetables and dressing them with a pickling liquid or sauce.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes 1. Cut the vegetables in half lengthwise. Sprinkle

Umeboshi are pickled plums that are dried in Nukazuke are seasonal vegetables pickled in rice PICKLING TIME: half day to one day the salt on them and let them sit for 10 minutes at
the sun, then matured for three years in barrels. bran, to which about 15 percent salt and the same SERVES 4 servings room temperature. The salt draws the water out and
Traditionally they are pickled in 25-30% salt to amount of water are added. Other additions are seasons the vegetables. Remove it by wiping and
give them a long shelf life, making them very red pepper for an antiseptic effect and kelp for 1 medium carrot, peeled dabbing the vegetables with paper towels.
salty. However, with the growing trend of eating umami flavor. Pickling has been used for 2,000 2 Japanese or baby cucumbers 2. Place the miso, yogurt and kombu strips in a
less salt, the salt content has dropped to less than years as a way of not only keeping vegetables from 4 small red radishes resealable bag or a glass container with a lid and
20% During the pickling process, the mineral spoiling, also adding great flavor and increased 1½ teaspoons sea salt mix well.
content (especially calcium and iron) increases. nutrition to foods. Raw vegetables provide the 6 tablespoons miso paste
3. Add the vegetables to the miso mixture. Gently
Umeboshi are popular in bento boxes as the citric body with their full dose of vitamins, fiber and 6 tablespoons whole milk Greek yogurt
massage the vegetables through the bag for a couple
acid prevents the growth of bacteria. Umeboshi carotene without compromising their nutritional 1 piece of dried kombu, 2 x 6 in (5 cm x 15 cm)
of minutes, or if using a glass container, massage
are also an acidic food, keeping our bodies value. This, provides vitamin B for beautiful skin, with your hands inside the container. Remove the
alkaline—and as the body becomes more alkaline, lactic acid bacteria to relieve constipation, boosts air and close the bag tightly or put a lid on the
it is said that the immune system is strengthened. immunity, improves sleep and helps to relieve glass container.
Other benefits include recovery from fatigue, fatigue. 4. Let the vegetables pickle in the refrigerator
improvement of bowel movements, prevention of overnight. They will be ready in anywhere from 12
blood clots, stimulation of sugar metabolism and hours to a day, depending on the vegetables and the
strengthening of liver functions. type of miso you’re using.
5. Remove the vegetables from the bag or glass
container. If you like a strong umami flavor, leave the
sauce on the vegetables. For a milder flavor, wipe the
Far left: Assorted Homemade
excess sauce off with a paper towel. To serve, cut the
Japanese Pickles, Vinegars and vegetables into bite-sized pieces and the kombu into
Koji. Left: Nukazuke, vegetables thin strips. The kombu will rehydrate in the pickling
fermenting in a bed of seasoned liquid. You can store the pickles in the refrigerator
rice bran. Below: Umeboshi. for up to 7 days.

42 Japanese Superfoods Super Japanese Pickles 43

 Koji Pickled Vegetables Quick Mixed Vegetable Pickles
I often watched my mom make the pickling for fermented rice pickles by combining 3 parts These pickles are made using a homemade pickling salt recipe that has been passed down
salt, 5 parts rice koji and 8 parts steamed rice. It took her ten days! And as much as I love in my family for generations: sea salt, kombu, dried shiitake mushroom and dried red chili
pickles, I wanted to be able to make something similar that was fast and easy. So I developed pepper. This recipe is truly simple and quick—the pickles are ready to eat in only 15 minutes!
this recipe, which uses amazake and sea salt to create a similar pickling base, but in much By sprinkling some salt on the vegetables, the water is drawn out while preserving and
less time. Amazake, which means “sweet sake,” is a naturally sweet rice drink with a thick concentrating their flavors. In Japan we generally use a pickling container with a press for
and creamy texture made from fermented rice koji. It contains a high amount of amino acids, this dish, but here we use a resealable plastic bag with a weight of some kind. The weight
vitamins and probiotics, and is known to improve digestion. For this recipe, you will need helps squeeze out excess water and heightens the natural flavors of the vegetables. A mix of
amazake made from rice koji (or brown rice or oat koji). The vegetables are ready to be eaten green and white napa cabbage leaves, along with colorful carrots and cucumbers, will give
after 8 hours to a day of pickling. Don’t remove or rinse off the sauce, as it’s packed with you a beautiful presentation. The result is a great crunch and clean taste without too many
malty, savory umami flavor! pungent, overpowering flavors.

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

PICKLING TIME: half day to one day PICKLING TIME: 15 minutes to two days
SERVES 4 SERVES 4

½ carrot, peeled ¼ head napa cabbage, cut lengthwise

1 Japanese or baby cucumber 1 Japanese cucumber or baby cucumber
1 large bok choy stem ½ carrot
1 piece, 1 x 2 in (2.5 x 5 cm) peeled 1 piece of dried kombu, 2-in (5-cm)
daikon square
1 cup (250 ml) amazake sweet sake 1 small dried shiitake mushroom
1½ tablespoons sea salt, divided 1½ tablespoons sea salt
1 small red chili pepper, seeds removed
Peel of ¼ yuzu or lemon

1. Cut the vegetables in half lengthwise and place on a 1. Remove the core of the cabbage and cut the leaves into
plate. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of the salt on the vegetables bite-sized pieces, about 2 inches (5 cm). Thinly slice the
and let them sit for 10 minutes at room temperature, cucumber. Peel and julienne the carrot.
allowing the salt to draw out the water from the vegetables. 2. Using scissors, cut the kombu and shiitake into a couple
Remove the salt by wiping the vegetables with a paper towel. of smaller pieces. Put the kombu, shiitake, salt and chili
2. Place the amazake and the remaining 1 tablespoon of pepper in a blender or food processor and coarsely chopped
salt into an airtight glass container with a lid or a resealable by pulsing for 10 to 12 seconds. Do not overblend into a
plastic bag, and mix well. powder. You want to see small bits and pieces of kombu,
3. Add the vegetables to the amazake mixture. Gently shiitake and chili pepper in the salt.
massage the vegetables with your hands in the container, or 3. Put all the vegetables and the pickling salt mixture into
through the bag for a couple of minutes. Put the lid on the a resealable plastic bag and massage the bag with your
glass container or remove the air and seal the bag tightly. hands until the vegetables begin to soften and are well-
4. Let the vegetables pickle in the refrigerator overnight. coated, about 1 minute. Remove the air from the bag and
They will be ready in anywhere from 8 hours to 1 day, seal it tightly. Put the bag on a plate and place another heavy
depending on the vegetables you’re using. plate or pot on top of it to weigh it down. Place it in the
refrigerator and leave it to pickle for at least 15 minutes. The
5. Remove the vegetables from the glass container or the
salt will draw the liquid out of the vegetables and turn it into
bag. Leave the sauce on the vegetables. To serve, slice the
a brine. You can let the vegetables pickle for up to two days in
vegetables into bite-sized pieces and serve with steamed rice
the refrigerator.
and miso soup as a complete meal, or serve as an appetizer
paired with tea or alcoholic beverages. 4. Squeeze the liquid from the vegetables with your hand. Or
lightly rinse them in cool water to remove the salt, if needed.
Garnish with the grated yuzu peel on top.

44 Japanese Superfoods Super Japanese Pickles 45

 Tangy Pickled Daikon and Carrot with Yuzu Crunchy Daikon Pickles with Hot Pepper and Kombu
This sweet and tangy pickled daikon called namasu is a traditional New Year’s dish. Raw This pickled daikon is highly addictive—a mix of sweet, salty and tangy with a hint of umami
vegetables are thinly sliced and marinated in sweet vinegar. We always make these cool and from the kombu (which boosts both the flavor and the minerals). Additionally, the dried chili
crunchy pickles in big batches at home and mix in some fresh crabmeat or ikura salmon roe to adds a little heat, giving the dish a more balanced flavor. When you pickle fresh daikon, after
make it more festive for the holiday. It’s a very refreshing sidedish that goes perfectly with BBQ 30 minutes of pickling, it releases its water, which in turn dilutes the brine, resulting in the
or sandwiches or can be simply snacked on directly from the jar. My family likes to serve this flavors being perfectly blended once it’s ready. Although the soy sauce might look like too
pickle dumpling-style by taking a slice of daikon and using it as a wrapper for stuffing shredded much, the flavors will balance out in the end. Adding sliced celery to the pickling brine along
carrots inside. (I call this a “raw vegan dumpling.” ) In addition to being fun to eat, it’s very easy with daikon is one of my favorite variations. This is an easy and delicious pickling recipe that
to make. If you’re in a hurry, simply julienne both the carrot and daikon and marinate it in the can be adapted for use with other vegetables. Enjoy it as a side dish with steamed rice and
vinegar sauce and serve as is without assembling them into dumplings as shown. soup or as a simple snack with cold beer or sake.

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
SERVES 4 MARINATING TIME: 30 minutes to 3 days
SERVES 4
4 in (10 cm) piece of daikon (7 oz/200g)
1 medium carrot (4 oz/100g) 1 lb (450 g) daikon radish
Peel of ¼ yuzu or lemon 1 small piece of rehydrated kombu, 2 inches
1 teaspoon sea salt (5 cm) square
¼ cup (65 ml) rice vinegar 1 whole dried red chili pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar ¹⁄³ cup (80 ml) Kaeshi Sauce (page 40)
¹⁄³ cup (80ml) rice vinegar
1. Peel and thinly slice the daikon using a
mandoline (or use a sharp knife to cut it into thin 1. Peel and cut the daikon into ¼ in (6 mm) thick
slices, about 1⁄₁₆ in/1.5 mm) and put the slices in a quarter moons.
small bowl. Peel and julienne the carrot into thin 2. Using scissors, cut the kombu into smaller
pieces and put them in a separate bowl. pieces, about ¼ in (6 mm) square.
2. Carefully strip off the topmost layer of yuzu 3. Gently crush the dried chili into small pieces,
peel using a small sharp knife or vegetable peeler, using your hands, and discard the seeds.
then julienne the strips into thin slivers.
4. Put the daikon, kombu, chili pepper, Kaeshi
3. Sprinkle half the salt over the daikon and half Sauce and rice vinegar in a resealable plastic bag.
over the carrot. Let it sit for 10 minutes to allow Remove the air from the bag and close and seal it
the salt to draw out the water. Remove the water tightly. Place the bag in the refrigerator and leave
either by draining the vegetables in a colander it to pickle for at least 30 minutes. You can let the
over the sink, or by patting them dry with a vegetables pickle for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
paper towel. Squeeze the excess water from the The pickles can be stored in the refrigerator for up to
vegetables with your hand. 3 weeks.
4. Combine the rice vinegar and sugar in a small 5. To serve: For a strong flavor, empty the pickles
bowl. Mix well. and pickling liquid into a serving bowl, or individual
5. Add half of the vinegar sauce to each bowl bowls. For a milder flavor, drain the liquid. Serve
of vegetables and let them marinate in the with steamed rice and miso soup, if you like.
refrigerator for 10 minutes.
6. To serve, take about 1/2 teaspoon carrot and
wrap it inside a slice of daikon, folding the daikon
in half like a dumpling wrapper. Garnish with
yuzu strips on top.

46 Japanese Superfoods Super Japanese Pickles 47

 Six Fermented Super Seasonings: Miso,
Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Sake, Mirin and Koji
Miso is a fermented soybean paste that has supported a heathy Japanese diet for over
1,300 years. Miso soup is one of the most popular Japanese breakfast items—a mixture of
ingredients boiled in dashi stock and seasoned with miso paste. Miso is a great source of
essential nutrients (vitamins B12, B2, E and K and dietary fiber) and probiotics that support
heathy digestion and slow the effects of aging. Studies show that having a bowl of miso soup Clockwise from top left: White, red Three shades of shoyu From left to right: Kombu vinegar,
and awase miso kombu soy sauce and miso
every day lowers the risk of breast cancer. Miso also helps to alkalize the body, strengthening
the immune system. Made with soybeans, salt and koji, there are many different types of miso.
Koji is a fungus (or a mold—Aspergillus oryzae) that contributes a strong, savory flavor to Extra tips about miso first made miso at home when I was a child—I
many traditional Japanese foods, such as soy sauce, sake and rice vinegar. The high humidity Miso is paired with dashi in Japanese cooking saw a big puddle of thick, dark brown liquid in
levels in Japan are conducive to the fermentation process, making miso and other fermented and you often see miso packages labeled “dashi- the middle of the miso barrel and I asked him
products suitable for the climate. So, how do you know which miso to purchase? Read on! added.” This means that additives such as MSG what it was. He explained that it was moisture
or other artificial ingredients have been added that appeared on the surface of the miso from
to the miso. If you want to avoid those, look for a the soybeans that were not submerged in liquid.
Miso is classified by its koji content and ingredi­ Maillard reaction, in which amino acids in the label that lists only three ingredients: soybeans, We saved the liquid, called tamari soy sauce, and
ents as well as by its color. There are 3 basic types miso react with the sugar and change color. The salt and koji (rice, barley or soybean malts)— served it frequently with sashimi. JAS (Japanese
of miso based on the type of grain malt used in longer the fermentation process, the darker the preferably also non-GMO products, if that is on Agricultural Standards) divides soy sauce into five
producing it. color, and the more antioxidant and anti-aging your check list. Adding your own vegan or non- different types, depending on the ingredients as
1. Rice Malt Miso—This is the most popular type properties the miso has. Miso also helps the body vegan dashi is easy to do (see pages 36–39 ). Also, well as the length of fermentation.
of miso, accounting for 80% of all miso sold in protect against free radicals and strengthens the barley (wheat) koji contains gluten, so make sure 1. Koikuchi Dark Soy Sauce—Made with an almost
Japan. It’s made from soybeans, rice malt and immune system. to pick other varieties for gluten-free options. equal ratio of soybeans to wheat, koikuchi is the
salt. There are many varieties of rice miso, based Here are the three basic miso types based on most popular soy sauce in Japan, accounting for
on the ratio of ingredients and the length of their colors: Storage 80% of the soy sauce consumed in the country.
fermentation, each with slightly different colors 1. Awase miso—Light brownish yellow in color, Be aware that mold can grow on low-salt misos. With a reddish brown color and a great aroma, it’s
and tastes. this is the most versatile and popular miso in Keep the miso in a cool, dark place before opening a versatile soy sauce that can be used in any type
2. Barley Malt Miso—This miso, also called Japan. Awase means “combined or blended.” This the package, and after opening it store it in the of dish. In this cookbook, I use koikuchi soy sauce
“country style” or homestyle, is found in Okinawa miso has a medium shade, between light and refrigerator. Use a clean, dry spoon when you take for all my recipes unless noted otherwise.
and Kyushu. When I make my own miso, I prefer dark. It has a well-balanced flavor that goes well miso from the container to prevent mold from 2. Usukuchi Light Soy Sauce—Made with
to make this type for its beautiful barley aroma with any type of dish. For this reason, it’s the most forming. After taking miso from the container, soybeans and lightly roasted wheat, this light soy
and slightly nutty, sweet flavor. It’s made from versatile and commonly used type. If you want to flatten the surface and replace the thin white paper sauce is a popular choice in the Kansai region (in
soybean, barley malt and salt. choose just one type of miso, this is the one. that lies directly on the surface of the miso—this western Japan). It has a higher level of sodium
3. Soybean Malt Miso—This is produced in the 2. Shiro miso—Whitish to light yellow in color, prevents the miso from being exposed to air and than koikuchi, so a little goes a long way. The
central Tokai region of Japan (mainly Aichi, this miso has a sweeter flavor because it isn’t oxidizing, and prevents it from drying out. lighter color is a result of the shorter fermentation
Mie and Gifu prefectures) and is made from fermented as long. It has a shorter shelf life than period. The light brown color and thinner
soybeans, soybean malt and salt. This type of other misos. It is commonly used for vegetable Soy Sauce (Shoyu) is a fermented seasoning liquid consistency allows the flavors of the ingredients
miso is called hatcho miso and has the darkest miso soup, salad dressings and as a pickle made from soybeans, wheat and salt with koji (a you’re using to shine through.
brown color and an intense salty, umami flavor. seasoning. This variety of miso is popular in the fungus called Aspergillus oryzae). It is the most 3. Tamari—Made with soybeans as its primary
This type of miso is used to flavor udon noodle Kansai region of western Japan. popular condiment in Japanese cuisine and is ingredient, tamari has a thick, syrupy texture
soups as well as miso pork cutlets, a well-known 3. Aka miso—Reddish brown in color, this miso used in a wide variety of dishes. My first field and a dark brown color. It’s popular in the Tokai
local dish from Nagoya. has a salty-savory flavor that is a result of its trip in middle school was to visit the Kikkoman region (mainly in Aichi, Mie and Gifu prefectures).
Miso is also classified by its colors, which longer fermentation time, which gives it deeper soy sauce factory in Chiba prefecture. Soy sauce The fermentation process is longer than that of
fall into three different categories. The color umami flavor and aroma. It’s commonly used was discovered accidentally when the liquid that other soy sauces, resulting in a darker color and
is the result of several factors such as the ratio with seafoods, such as clam miso soup and was accumulated on the surface of the miso was and the highest amount of umami of any soy
of ingredients, fermentation time, climate and simmered dishes. Soybean malt miso is included thought so delicious, people started to save it sauce. Recently, there have been some tamari
production location. Together these create the within this group. to season their food. I remember when my dad soy sauces produced that do not contain wheat,

48 Japanese Superfoods Six Fermented Super Seasonings: Miso, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Sake, Mirin and Koji 49
making them a popular gluten-free soy sauce Extra tips about soy sauce and its storage most popular seasonings in Japanese cuisine.
outside Japan. This is a great choice for dipping Soy sauce works well in dishes that are simmered, There are three types of mirin available at
sauces to accompany sashimi and sushi. fried and grilled, and as a dipping sauce. I suggest different price points. While they all say “mirin”
4. Saishikomi twice-brewed soy sauce— that you purchase a few different types and taste on the label, there is only one real mirin on
Saishikomi, which originated in Yamaguchi them to see the wide range of different flavors they the market—the other two types are mirin-like
prefecture, has the darkest brown color of any have. Natural umami flavor comes from the amino condiments that have a completely different
soy sauce due to the length of the fermentation acids created during the fermentation process. manufacturing process and ingredients. Let’s see
period. This soy sauce is brewed from another The shelf life of soy sauce is generally six months what they are.
soy sauce, instead of using salted water, which after opening. Some people like to keep it with 1. Hon-mirin (real mirin)—Golden brown Hon-
makes it double fermented. This rich, aromatic oil and other condiments near the stove, but it is mirin is the genuine, traditional mirin—the word
soy sauce goes well with tofu salad and sashimi as better to store it in the refrigerator as the flavor “hon” means “real” in Japanese. It is made with
a dipping sauce. does degrade more quickly at room temperature. a mixture of glutinous rice, rice koji and Shochu
5. Shiro white soy sauce—Made mostly from (alcohol beverage), that is then aged for 40 to
wheat with a small amount of soybeans, this soy Sake The word “sake” literally means “alcoholic 60 days. Hon-mirin adds depth and complexity
sauce has the lightest brown color and a sweet drink” in Japanese. Sake is made from rice, water of flavor to foods, with a natural sweetness that
aroma that results from a shorter fermentation and koji (a fungus called Aspergillus oryzae) and helps eliminate fishiness or gaminess of proteins.
and maturation process. Thus it has less umami generally has an alcohol content that ranges from To incorporate hon-mirin into a dish, first burn
flavor than other types of soy sauce. It originated 15% to 20%. Here, I am discussing sake that is off the alcohol over high heat, as with sake.
in Aichi prefecture in the Edo period and is used as a cooking condiment, a common practice Sake. Hon-mirin has the highest price point of
popular because it increases the saltiness of a in the Japanese kitchen. Sake not only removes all mirins and its alcohol content of around 14
dish without turning the ingredients a dark color. unpleasant odors from ingredients, but it also percent necessitates that retailers have a liquor
It is often used for steamed egg custards and adds umami flavor, as well as tenderizing meats license to sell it. Store it in a cool, dark place such
simmered vegetables. and fish and enhancing the flavor. It is best to as in a cabinet that is away from a heat source and
choose a sake for cooking that you would enjoy use up within three months after opening. You
drinking, the same as with cooking wines. There can purchase hon-mirin at Japanese grocery stores
Mighty and mild marinades
are many cooking sakes available in the markets, and online. If you can find it, I highly recommend
Kombu Soy Sauce but they usually contain salt, sugar and other you get Hon-mirin rather than other types of
Kombu soy sauce is simply strips of kombu mirin on the market. it undrinkable. Since salt has already been added,
additives. Those are not real sake, rather they are
added to a bottle of soy sauce and allowed to 2. Fermented mirin-style seasoning—This you need to adjust the seasoning of your dish
a sake-like condiment that has a slightly different
naturally infuse over time. You can start using it seasoning is similar to hon-mirin in terms of accordingly. To incorporate it into your dish, first
flavor from real sake. So when using one of those,
after soaking the kombu overnight. It instantly alcohol content (between 8 to 14 percent), but it burn off the alcohol over high heat, as with sake
be sure to check the flavor of the dish you are
adds another layer of natural umami flavor to contains other ingredients—such as salt, glucose and hon-mirin. This mirin, which is less expensive
cooking as it will tend to get saltier or sweeter
an ordinary soy sauce, giving food more flavor syrup, water, alcohol, rice and corn syrup, making than hon-mirin, is available at Asian and Japanese
than when using regular sake. When you add sake
without adding anything artificial. You can use grocery stores and online.
during cooking, make sure to cook off the alcohol
this kombu soy sauce as you would any regular Store it in the refrigerator and use up within
completely. If you cannot get sake where you live,
soy sauce. Sake Types of Mirin
you can substitute a sweet marsala wine, white three months after opening.
wine, Chinese wine or dry sherry. 3. Mirin-style seasoning—This is not exactly mirin
YIELD: approx. 1 cup (250 ml) as it only contains a small amount of alcohol (less
SHELF LIFE: Store in an airtight than 1%), and has sugar or high-fructose corn
Mirin is sweet rice wine that is a staple in every
container in the refrigerator syrup, salt, vinegar and monosodium glutamate
Japanese kitchen. Mirin was enjoyed as a sweet
for up to 3 months.
alcoholic beverage in the 16th century. By the late added. This is widely sold in regular supermarkets
Edo period (19th century), it became a popular at a lower price point as an alternative to mirin.
1 cup (250 ml) soy sauce Store it in the refrigerator; use within three
condiment and was used to season sauces served
1 piece, 6-inch (15-cm) kombu
on grilled eel and as a dipping sauce for soba months after opening.
Combine soy sauce and kombu
noodles. From the Meiji era to the pre-war period,
a limited number of people began to use mirin, An Alternative to Mirin
in a container with a lid. Let
but it was still a luxury item and was most often If you are unable to get mirin, you can substitute
it brew in the refrigerator at
used in Japanese restaurants. After a significant 1 tablespoon sake or white wine mixed with
least overnight, or longer, and use up within three
months. Leftover kombu can be cut into thin strips tax cut on mirin in the 1950s, it became more 1 teaspoon sugar (or ½ teaspoon honey) for
and added to soup. affordable for home cooks and is now one of the 1 tablespoon mirin.

50 Japanese Superfoods Six Fermented Super Seasonings: Miso, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Sake, Mirin and Koji 51
Sushi Vinegar Rice Vinegar has a sweet, mellow and rich flavor and
This is a versatile seasoned vinegar that is is widely used in Japanese cooking in such dishes
used not only for making sushi rice, but is also as sushi and pickles. It is made from grains such
added to many dishes to lend a sweet and sour as rice, wheat or sweet corn, as well as sake, which
flavor. You can buy sushi vinegar at almost adds a refreshing note with less acidity. Rice vinegar
any grocery store today, but it is easy to make does not have the intense sourness of most western
at home and you only need three ingredients, vinegars. It is used to prevent food—including fish
which you might already have in your pantry. and meat—from changing color, and has also been
an important ingredient historically in preventing
YIELD: approx. 1 cup (250 ml) food spoilage.
SHELF LIFE: Store in an airtight container in Rice Koji Koji Vinegar Top: Shio Koji; bottom : Shoyu Koji
the refrigerator for up to 3 Koji is a mold—Aspergillus oryzae—that contributes
months. a strong, savory flavor to so many traditional
Japanese foods. It has played a major role in
1 cup (250 ml) rice vinegar Japanese cuisine since ancient times. All traditional Shio Koji
¹⁄³ cup (80 g) granulated sugar Japanese seasonings are made from koji and thus Shio Koji is the most popular salty seasoning
1 tablespoon salt it is always present on the Japanese table in one in Japan next to miso and soy sauce. You can
form or another. Koji is made from grains or beans purchase it in bottles or jars in an Asian grocery
Combine the vinegar, sugar such as rice, barley and soybeans. It is impossible store, or you can make your own Shio Koji. All
and salt in a container and to physically see the koji because koji itself is not you have to do is mix dried rice koji and salt, add
stir until the sugar and salt eaten as it is. Rather, it is used to ferment other water, and leave at room temperature for seven
have dissolved. Store in the ingredients. It is made by breeding a microorganism to 10 days to make an umami-filled seasoning.
refrigerator. called koji mold on steamed rice. Seasonings such as Though salty, it has a sweet smell, with a creamy
miso, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and sake would texture like rice porridge. When you put it on
not be able to ferment without koji. For example, meat, fish, or vegetables, the moisture in the
Kombu Vinegar miso is made by fermenting soybeans with koji and ingredients is drawn out and the enzymes in the
This is my everyday vinegar. Simply add a salt. Since miso is not strained (as is soy sauce), if koji break down the proteins. This tenderizes
piece of kombu to rice vinegar and let it sit you look carefully, in the case of rice miso, you will them, while also boosting the flavors and adding
overnight. You will wind up with an aromatic, see some grains of rice on the surface—these are the umami flavor without a sharp saltiness.
umami-infused rice vinegar that has a hint of rice koji. While there are other types of koji—such as
sweetness and is free of additives or artificial bean koji or barley koji—since rice is a staple of the YIELD: approx. 2 cups (500 ml)
flavors. You can start using it after soaking the Japanese diet, rice koji is most widely used. SHELF LIFE: Store in an airtight container in the
kombu for overnight. refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Other condiments using koji
YIELD: approx. 1 cup (250 ml) Koji Vinegar—Combine koji and rice vinegar in a 1¼ cups (7 oz/200 g) dried rice koji
1:4 ratio in a glass container, cover loosely and let it 5 tablespoons (¹⁄³ cup/75 g) sea salt
SHELF LIFE: Store in an airtight container in
1¼ cups (300 ml) water
the refrigerator for up to 3 months. ferment at room temperature for seven days. Then,
store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator
1. Combine the koji and salt in a medium-size bowl.
1 cup (250 ml) rice vinegar for up to three months. The koji infuses natural 4. Stir at least once a day with a spatula or a spoon
Using your hands, stir, and occasionally squeeze the
1 piece, 6-inch (15-cm) sweetness into the vinegar without adding any to evenly distribute the koji and salted water if they
Koji and salt tightly in your hands, until well mixed.
kombu sugar. It is great for pickling and making dressings. separate. Ferment for one week in the summer,
2. Add the water to the koji mixture and mix well, and 2 weeks in the winter. Store in an airtight
Combine rice vinegar and using either your hands or a spatula. container in the refrigerator and use it up within
Shoyu Koji—Combine koji and soy sauce in a 1:1
kombu in a container with ratio in a glass container, cover loosely and let it 3. Transfer the mixture to a glass container. (TIP: 3 months. (TIP: The koji becomes soft, fluffy, and
a lid. Let it steep in the ferment at room temperature for seven days. Then, Using a 1-quart container is recommended as similar in texture to rice porridge texture when it
refrigerator overnight and use store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator Since carbon dioxide will be released during the is ready to use. It smells sweet and thick like miso,
it up within three months. for up to three months. The rich glutamic acid in ripening process, it is recommended to use a 1-quart or ripe bananas and the grains of rice are soft
Leftover kombu can be cut soybeans gives it a strong umami flavor, which is container, which will allow enough extra space throughout. As the salted koji matures, the koji
into thin strips and added to for the gasses to be released during fermentation. is broken down and becomes smaller and more
great for marinating meat, fish and tofu. See the
soups, salads or stir-fries. Do not fill the container to the top. Loosen the lid watery. The fermenting process continues slightly
recipe on page 135.
slightly and ferment at room temperature. in the refrigerator as well.)

52 Japanese Superfoods Six Fermented Super Seasonings: Miso, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Sake, Mirin and Koji 53
 The Art of Bento 2. Prepare some dishes the night before
Because of the prep work I do the night before,
I’m able to make a great bento without spending
too much time in the morning. For example, if we
Bento are portable lunch boxes designed to be eaten on the go. These are normally single have miso-marinated chicken for dinner, I always
portions, beautifully designed and arranged. Bento are not only visually appealing and make a double batch. The chicken, marinated
delicious, but also highly nutritious; just a few of the reasons that Japanese bento culture overnight in miso, will be ready to be grilled in the
is attracting growing global attention. In Japan, people either make them at home to bring morning, or if that’s too much work, you can grill
to school or work, or simply purchase them at a local bento shop, convenience store, super­ it the night before, while making dinner. Also,
market, train station kiosk, food court or take-out restaurant. Bento itself has a long history some preparations such as boiling the vegetables
in Japan, dating back to the 5th century. The most popular bento are makunouchi-bento and cutting the fruit can be done the night before.
(“intermission bento”), which were first made to be eaten between the acts of kabuki and Noh Deciding on the arrangement of the foods and
performances in the late Edo period. which bento box you will use is also helpful in
saving time in the morning.

3. Choose your bento boxes carefully

Why bento boxes?
There are many different types and sizes of bento
I have loved making bento since I was a little girl.
boxes available. Choose ones that are easy to
My mom worked outside the home and had a
handle and made of wood, plastic, aluminum or
busy schedule, so I made my own bento for school
stainless steel. The size of the bento box should
before leaving in the morning. After graduating
be appropriate to the person who will be eating it
from college and finding a job, I continued to
and the foods in the box. A two-tiered bento box
make my own bentos for the office. The benefits
can hold a lot of noodles and pastas. Deep bento
of bento are that I can eat whenever I want, I can
boxes works great as a rice bowl.
be proactive about only including healthy foods
in my diet, and I can also save money at the same
4. Tips for assembling your bentos
time! For these reasons, I’ve made bentos every
When you pack a bento, keep in mind that taste,
day of my adult life without fail. Now I have my
container before packing it to prevent appearance and nutrition are all important
own family, and I’ve been making bentos for my
bacteria from growing, especially during elements in creating a great bento lunch.
son since he was in elementary school. He likes
them because they are a varied and fun alternative the summer when it is hot or if you know
to school lunches, which are often unhealthy and that the bento will sit for a long time ● Balance the colors. Place darker colors
not very good. I would like to share some of the before being eaten. beside lighter colors. Try using five different
tips that I’ve gathered during my long career of ● Avoid foods that require refrigeration. colors, such as red (tomato, strawberries),
making bentos. If you’re not familiar with bentos, yellow (corn, egg), green (broccoli, snow
● Except for salads, choose cooked foods.
I hope you will try it out! peas), white (rice, noodles) and black (nori,
● Includes seasonings with antibacterial sesame seeds). Using five different colors
Tips for making bento boxes properties (like shiso basil, umeboshi will also give you five different types of
plums and ginger). nutrition to create a well-balanced bento.
1. Food safety
● Squeeze excess moisture from the cooked ● Place the rice in the box first, slopping
Since there are many hours between making and
vegetables before packing them in the box. diagonally, so it is at an angle and you can
eating your bento, bacteria can grow during that
time. To prevent this from happening, here are ● Let the contents cool completely before place in the sidedishes at an angle also.
some important tips. putting the lid on to reduce condensation. The rice should fill about 50% of the bento.
● Use tongs or chopsticks to pack the food, ● Place the large, main dish starting at the
● Wash your hands frequently before and not your bare hands. back and work your way to the front.
during the preparation, and use clean ● Pack any sauces in a separate container ● Once you’ve placed the rice and main dish, you
cookware and bento boxes. and pour it on just before eating. then fill in smaller sidedishes around them.
● Soak a paper towel in a 1:1 combination ● Keep bento in an insulated bag if the Try to pack the box as tightly as possible, so
of water and vinegar and quickly wipe the weather is very hot. there are no gaps between the items.

54 Japanese Superfoods The Art of Bento 55

Homemade Furikake ● Instead of laying the sidedishes flat, you “Instant” Miso Soup Balls
Furikake is an all-purpose rice topping. Make can place them tilted upright, to give All the essential ingredients for miso soup can
homemade furikake using katsuobushi flakes them a three-dimensional look and make be concentrated in a small miso soup ball that is
leftover from making dashi stock. This is a quick them look more appealing. designed for one individual serving. Make them in
and easy recipe without any artificial flavors, and ● Place shiso leaves or leafy lettuce or other batches, then wrap them in plastic and keep them
is great for bentos, breakfast or onigiri rice balls. leaves between the dishes to keep them in the freezer so you can have a cup of delicious
separate, add color and to prevent the miso soup anytime you want!
MAKES: ½ cup furikake flavors from running together.
● Place wet sidedishes (high-moisture SERVES 4
1 piece rehydrated or leftover kombu, 2 x 5 in
content or oily foods) on paper towels
(5 x 12 cm) 2 tablespoons miso paste
to absorb the liquid and prevent it from
3 tablespoons leftover katsuobushi flakes 2 tablespoons shredded dried kombu
spreading.
1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons katsuobushi flakes
½ teaspoon sea salt ● If you want to make an easy bento, called 2 tablespoons dried wakame, nori, tofu, fried tofu
½ teaspoon brown sugar a nokke-ben, simply place a single main or wheat gluten cakes (fu)
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds dish on top of the rice. 2 tablespoons green onions, green part only,
1 tablespoon dried aonori flakes ● Top the rice with furikake rice sprinkles thinly sliced miso paste, along with the other ingredients.
(see recipe at left), sesame seeds or an 4. Tightly gather and twist the plastic wrap
1. Using scissors, cut the kombu into a couple of umeboshi pickled plum to finish. 1. Cut a small piece of plastic wrap and place it on together to form a ball. Repeat with the remaining
smaller pieces, put them in a blender and turn them your work surface. ingredients, making 3 more balls. Store them in
into a powder, about 20 to 30 seconds. Set aside. 2. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of miso paste in the the freezer in a resealable bag.
5. Making simple and quick bentos
2. Cook the leftover katsuobushi in a non-stick If I only have a few minutes to put the bento middle of the plastic wrap. 5. To serve, add 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water to
skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly with a together in the morning, I suggest making an 3. Add ¼ of the kombu and katsuobushi to the a cup with 1 miso soup ball.
wooden spoon until completely dried, about 2 to 3 onigiri rice ball and miso soup bento (the rice
minutes.
is already made in my rice cooker). For quick
3. Add the sesame oil, sea salt and brown sugar miso soup, I make tiny miso soup balls called
to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for miso-dama which are a popular way to create
another 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. a homemade instant miso soup anytime (see
4. Add the kombu powder and sesame seeds to recipe on next page.) You combine miso paste
the skillet and continue cooking over medium-low with dashi ingredients including shredded
heat for another minute. Make sure not to burn the kombu and katsuobushi along with wakame or
sesame seeds, as they will become bitter. other ingredients and form them into individual
5. Turn off the heat and add the aonori flakes. Mix servings balls which are then wrapped in plastic
until well-combined. Sprinkle on a bowl of steamed wrap and kept in the freezer. When you want to
rice, onigiri rice balls, noodles, salads as a topping make a portion of soup, unwrap and place the
in bentos. Add shichimi hot chili peppers if you miso-dama in a cup, add hot water and wait for
prefer it spicy. one minute. Having miso soup in the morning
6. Store in the airtight jar in a dark, dry place for nourishes the body, and makes you feel energized
up to one month. for the rest of the day. And if it’s difficult to find
the time to have it in the morning, you can have
it for lunch instead. I make these miso balls
in batches and freeze them so that I can have
delicious homemade miso soup whenever I want.
I like having soups for lunch and take a thermos
to work with me. You can store miso balls in the
freezer up to 1 month. Taste the soup, and add
more or less miso paste as needed, as the salt
varies between different manufacturers.

56 Japanese Superfoods The Art of Bento 57

 Packing your bento box
Here, I am going to show you the step-by-step
process of making an authentic Japanese-style
bento box. The only thing you will need to make
when you’re packing the box is rice. All of the
sidedishes can be made the day before and stored
in the refrigerator. But if you have time in the
morning, you can also prepare the fried chicken.
If all the side­dishes are too much to handle, only
include the main and one or two sidedishes.

1. Gather all the foods you’re going to use to fill

the bento box on a table. Fill the bento about
50% full of the rice, placing it diagonally in the
box. (I’m using brown rice in the photo.) Use
shiso, basil or lettuce leaves to separate the rice
and other dishes from one another.
2. Pack the main dish: Japanese Fried Chicken
(page 211).
3. Pack a sidedish like rolled omelet (page 177).
4. Pack a salad like Wakame and Broccoli Rabe
Salad (page 105). Wrap the salad in a lettuce
leaf before placing it in the bento so that the
dressing will stay separate from the other
dishes. Bento boxes for children vs. adults Tools for making delicious bentos
5. Fill a cupcake liner or silicone cup with 2 When I make bentos for both myself and my son, There are several items that I always use when
tablespoons of rehydrated hijiki and place it I make the same dishes for both of us. Try to making bento.
into the bento box. keep in mind the following basic tips:
● Onigiri and sushi molds
6. Pack the sidedish (2 tablespoons): braised
● Using cookie cutters to cut boiled carrots, ● Cupcake liners (waterproof)
burdock.
sweet potatoes or daikon interesting
7. Pack cherry tomatoes into gaps between the ● Bamboo toothpicks
shapes can be a fun addition to children’s
dishes. bentos. ● Cookie cutters
8. Place sliced sweet potato on top of the rice. ● Cut the children’s versions into smaller ● Chopsticks or tongs
Fill the gaps on the edge of the bento box with bite-sized pieces than the adult versions,
shiso leaves or lettuce. so all the foods are easy to eat without a
9. Place two thin slices of pickles on top of the knife.
rice. ● Onigiri rice balls are an easy-to-eat child-
10. Sprinkle furikake or sesame seeds on top of friendly dish.
the rice. ● Creating popular anime or cartoon
11. Place an umeboshi plum on top of rice characters in your child’s bento is called
(optional). kyaraben. (Cut a nori sheet into a character
12. Wrap the bento box with a cloth and don’t shape by using scissors, for example.)
forget the chopsticks or a fork! ● Use a fun and colorful bento box, napkin
and chopsticks/fork for kids. Be sure the
bento box is appropriately sized for them.
● Use colorful cupcake liners to hold smaller,
looser ingredients.

58 Japanese Superfoods The Art of Bento 59

 2

Traditional Japanese Kitchen Utensils

What kind of cooking utensils do you need to create Japanese superfoods at home?
Here I’ve collected all the useful things from my kitchen that you need to know about.

1 Bamboo colanders Used for 4 Mortar and pestle Used for

washing vegetables and draining grinding sesame seeds. Different
noodles after being cooked. sizes are available.
You can also serve cold noodles
1 in them. Having a range of 5 Mesh ladles A fine strainer
different sizes from small to or sieve-like device that makes
large is useful. it easier to remove the residue
from soups. Also used to remove
2 Vegetable Peeler Used to peel food from hot oil or from
12 root vegetables such as carrots boiling water.
and radishes. The blade is sharp,
so use it with caution. 6 Rice paddle Used to serve rice.
Soak it in water before using to
3 Long kitchen chopsticks prevent the rice from sticking
These are longer than normal to it.
chopsticks and are used for 14
13 cooking, frying, mixing and 7 Sushi mat Used to roll sushi
serving. rice and also to form the shape
of an egg omelet.
3
8 Kitchen knives Used to
11 cut a variety of food. As with
9 10
An earthernware nabe hot pot is all cutlery, exercise propoer
useful for preparing and serving precaution.
Japanese hot pots.
9 Wooden spatula Used for stir- 13 Mandolines I have a bit of an
4 frying and mashing. obsession with this item. Used
to slice any vegetable to the
10 Ladles Used for mixing and desired thickness. The blade is
serving miso soup. sharp, so use it with caution.

11 Grater Used for grating 14 Chopstick rests It prevents

ginger and wasabi root. the implements from rolling
around. They also keep the ends
12 Drop lid Placed on top of of the chopsticks that touch the
simmering ingredients, it allows food from coming into contact
6
them to absorb flavors more with other objects.
evenly, and also prevents them
from falling apart. Wooden,
7 silicone, glass and stainless-steel
8 versions are available.

60 Japanese Superfoods Traditional Japanese Kitchen Utensils 61

5
 Superfood Soups
& Hot Pots
This chapter introduces classic, much-loved miso soups and hot
pots using widely available ingredients. Miso soup lies at the heart
of Japanese cuisine. A daily staple for many,
it serves as a consistent supplier of superfood goodness.
This soothing dashi-based treat is primarily made from kombu
(kelp), katsuobushi (dried smoked tuna flakes) and miso
(fermented soybean paste), three essential Japanese superfoods.
Kombu is full of minerals from the sea, while katsuobushi and
miso are fermented foods. They provide calcium, necessary for
building strong bones, and help to regulate and maintain healthy
intestinal function, skin and hair. Incorporating seaweed,
which is rich in fiber, into your daily diet also helps in
preventing heart disease and cancer.
When the weather turns cold, nabe hot pots are the perfect food.
From late October throughout the winter, they’re one of the most
frequently served dishes in Japanese households. Typically, they’re
prepared on tabletop gas burners. They warm the body’s core,
raising metabolism and burning fat.
On top of that, they taste so good. Simmer up any of these
steaming seasonal soothers and enjoy!

62 Japanese Superfoods
 Japanese-style Egg Drop Soup
with Wakame and Mushroom

This light and fluffy Japanese-style egg drop soup is made with Basic Dashi Stock
(page 36). Dashi adds a deep savory flavor to so many foods, no wonder it lies at
the heart of much of Japanese cooking. This warm and cozy soup is packed with
fiber and vitamins from the various mushrooms such as shimeji, shiitake and
enoki, as well as minerals from the seaweed in the stock. I prefer to use white soy
sauce (see page 49) to keep the soup a light color and to give it a sweeter flavor,
but regular (dark) soy sauce will also be fine. You can also add some cooked rice
or protein such as chicken or tofu cut into bite-sized pieces, which will turn this
soup into a nice hearty meal.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes 1. Trim the base of the mushrooms, and either separate by
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes hand into individual stalks or slice thinly. Trim the roots off
SERVES 4 the green onion and cut into thin slices on the bias.
2. Place a strainer in a bowl, add the fresh wakame and
2 cups (150 g) mixed fresh mush­ fill the bowl with water. Let it sit for a few seconds. Drain
rooms, such as shimeji, shiitake, and rinse the wakame under running water until the salt is
enoki or white mushrooms removed and the wakame doubles or triples in size. Squeeze
1 green onion (scallion), both green out the excess water and cut into bite-sized pieces. If using
and white parts dried wakame, follow the instructions on the package, or
3 tablespoons fresh or dried wakame rehydrate in a bowl of water for 5 minutes, then drain and
4 cups (1 liter) Basic or Kombu Dashi squeeze out the excess water. Set aside.
Stock (pages 36 and 38)
3. Put the Basic Dashi Stock, mushrooms and ginger in a
½-in (1.25-cm) piece fresh ginger,
medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high
peeled and cut into thin strips
heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms
2 teaspoons soy sauce (see
are tender.
headnote)
2 teaspoons sake 4. Add the soy sauce, sake, mirin and salt to the stock and
2 teaspoons mirin sweet rice wine mushrooms. Let it simmer for a minute over medium-high
½ teaspoon sea salt heat.
2 eggs, beaten 5. Holding a fork over the stock, slowly pour the eggs
1 teaspoon sesame oil through the tines into the hot dashi stock. Let the stock
simmer undisturbed for a minute to allow the eggs to cook.
6. Gently stir the eggs wih the fork and simmer another
minute. Add the wakame and sesame oil to the stock.
7. To serve, ladle 1 cup of hot soup into each soup
bowl and sprinkle scallions on top.
TIP
You can use
Kombu Dashi Stock
as a vegan substitute
for Basic Dashi Stock.

64 Japanese Superfoods Superfood Soups & Hot Pots 65

 Chicken Hot Pot
with Mixed Vegetables and Tofu

Nabe hot pots are a very popular one-pot dish eaten with friends and family.
They’re especially enjoyed during the cold winter months in Japan. A portable
gas burner is placed in the center of a table along with a variety of ingredients
ready to go into the pot: vegetables, meat, fish, tofu and egg. This is a self-serve
dish, which everyone cooks while seated at the table. Serving chopsticks are used
to build the customized bowl. If you don’t have a portable gas burner, you can
make this dish on the stovetop then transfer the pot to the table. The clear broth
is made from chicken, kombu, katsuobushi, sake and mirin. It is so rich and
savory it will warm you from the inside out. After cooking the tender chicken and
vegetable pieces in the stock, dip them into the homemade Ponzu Sauce before
popping them into your mouth. I’m sure your guests will love this dish!

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes 1. Cut the chicken into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Trim the
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes ends of the green onions, then cut the white parts into 2-in
SERVES 4 (5-cm) lengths and the green parts into crosswise slices,
about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Peel the ginger and cut it into
2 lbs (900 g) chicken breasts, thighs fine strips. Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms.
and wings with skin and bones Cut the cabbage into about 2-in (5-cm) lengths and separate
5 green onions (scallions), green the white stems from the green leaves. Cut the tofu into
and white parts, divided 1½-in (4-cm) cubes.
1-in (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, divided 2. Combine the water, shiitake stock, shiitake, kombu,
4 shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated sake, mirin and salt in a large pot or Japanese style donabe
1 cup (250 ml) Shiitake Dashi Stock hot pot. Heat on a portable stove at the dining table, or on
(page 39) your stovetop, covered, over medium-high heat and bring
½ head (1 lb/500 g) napa cabbage to a boil.
One 14-oz (400-g) block medium-firm
3. Add the chicken and sliced ginger to the pot and cook
tofu
over medium heat until the chicken is almost tender, about
3 cups (750 ml) water
3 to 5 minutes. Skim the foam and fat from the surface of
2 pieces of dried kombu, 2 x 6 in (5 x
the broth using a sieve. Then turn the heat to medium-low
15 cm)
and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes.
½ cup (125 ml) sake or dry sherry
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine) 4. Add the white stems of the cabbage and the tofu to the
or sweet sherry pot and simmer, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-
1 teaspoon sea salt low heat. Skim the foam from the surface again.
1 cup (250 ml) Ponzu Sauce (page 40) 5. Add the white parts of the green onions and the leafy
green parts of the cabbage to the pot and cook over medium
heat for 1 minute, or until all the ingredients are soft and
fully cooked. Keep adding more ingredients to the pot as you
take out those that are cooked and eat them hot.
6. To serve, divide the Ponzu Sauce, green onions and
ginger between four small serving bowls. Each diner
can individually dip the cooked ingredients in the sauce
before eating.

66 Japanese Superfoods Superfood Soups & Hot Pots 67

 Mushroom Hot Pot
with Shredded Beef and Watercress

Kombu, which contains the highest levels of glutamate of any food, is a rich
source of umami. Katsuobushi contains high levels of inosinate, and dried
shiitake mushrooms are packed with guanylate. Cooked together, the amino acids
combine to create intense flavor. I also like to add oyster mushrooms, which have
a mild flavor and a tender, soft texture that makes them perfect for hot pots. They
cook fast and absorb all the delicious flavors from the broth. Enjoy a big bowl of
this earthy, hearty homecooked comfort food served over rice or noodles!

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes 1. Trim the bases of the mushrooms, and either separate
COOKING TIME: 25 minutes them by hand into individual stalks or slice them into bite-
SERVES 4 sized pieces. If using dried shiitake, soak in hot water for 20
minutes before removing the stems. Cut the shiitake in half.
10 oz (330 g) mixed mushrooms (such 2. Cut the shortribs into thin strips. Cut the watercress in
as oyster, shiitake, white, shimeji, half lengthwise. Peel the ginger and cut it into fine strips.
maitake, enoki—see pages 20–21)
3. Peel and slice the burdock root into thin strips, about 2
1 lb (500 g) boneless beef shortribs
in (5 cm) in length. Soak the burdock in water for 10 minutes
1 bunch (4 oz/100 g) watercress
and change the water a couple of times to get rid of the
1 in (2.5 cm) fresh ginger
bitterness. Drain well.
¼ (4 oz/100 g) burdock root
4 cups (1 liter) Basic Dashi Stock (page 36) 4. Combine the stock, Kaeshi Sauce, tobanjan and
4 tablespoons Kaeshi Sauce (page 40) nerigoma in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-
1 tablespoon tobanjan spicy black bean high heat. Add the shortribs, ginger and burdock and
paste simmer over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Skim the foam
2 tablespoons nerigoma (Japanese sesame and fat from the surface of the pot using a sieve.
paste), or tahini 5. Add the mushrooms to the pan, reduce the heat to
Steamed rice or cooked noodles, for medium and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms
serving (optional) are tender. Add the watercress and cook for one more
minute over medium heat. Continue skimming the foam
and fat from the surface of the pot using the sieve.
6. To serve, ladle about 1 cup of soup, along with beef and
vegetables, into each serving bowl. Serve with a bowl of rice
or cooked noodles, if you like.

TIP I often dry my mushrooms for a day or two by placing them in

the sun to dehydrate so the flavor intensifies; the vitamin D content
increases as well. Sundried oyster mushrooms are completely
dried on the outside and still slightly soft on the inside.

68 Japanese Superfoods Superfood Soups & Hot Pots 69

 Mochi Rice Cake Soup
with Chicken and Vegetables

Ozoni is a traditional Japanese New Year’s dish that is filled with mochi rice cake,
vegetables and chicken in a flavorful dashi stock. My family has a long-running
tradition of celebrating New Year’s Day at my grandma’s house (now my uncle’s and
aunt’s), where we eat osechi, or ceremonial foods. The celebration usually starts at
noon with a variety of hot and cold dishes—some traditional, some non-traditional—
and the eating continues late into the night. There are two styles of ozoni: kanto
(a clear stock found in the Tokyo area) and kansai (a white miso stock from the
Kyoto area). In this Tokyo-style recipe, I use a flower-shaped cutter to prepare the
vegetables, to give them some New Year’s flair. This is a versatile recipe that can use
any vegetables, meat or fish, including leftovers. Sometimes, I make this dish just to
clean out my refrigerator!

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes 1. Peel and slice the daikon and carrot into ⅛-in (3-mm)
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes rounds, then cut them into flower shapes using a cookie or
SERVES 4 vegetable cutter. Or simply cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Trim the roots off the spinach and cut into 1-in (2.5-cm)
3-in (7-cm) length daikon pieces. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
1 carrot 2. Combine dashi stock, daikon, carrot and chicken in a pot
1 cup (2 oz/60 g) spinach and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
One (8 oz/250 g) chicken thigh
3. Add Kaeshi Sauce and salt to the pot and cook, covered,
4 cups (1 liter) Basic or Kombu Dashi
over low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Stock (pages 36, 38)
¼ cup (65 ml) Kaeshi Sauce (page 40) 4. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat; spray or
½ teaspoon sea salt coat lightly with oil if it’s not a nonstick surface. Place the
4 pieces unsweetened mochi rice mochi in the skillet and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on
cake 1.5 x 2.5 in (4 x 7 cm) each each side until the mochi puffs up and turns light brown.
1 tablespoon yuzu or lemon peel, Remove the mochi from the skillet.
grated or in strips, optional 5. Add the mochi and spinach to the stock and cook over
medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mochi gets a little
soft but still retains its shape and the spinach becomes
tender. Turn off the heat.
6. To serve, ladle 1 cup of hot soup along with some mochi
TIP and vegetables into each soup bowl and top with the yuzu or
Mochi is sold precut
lemon peel, if using.
at Asian markets and
online. Mochi is also eaten
as a dessert, but as this
is a savory dish, be sure
to buy unsweetened
mochi cakes.

70 Japanese Superfoods Superfood Soups & Hot Pots 71

 Wakame Miso Soup
with Tofu and Scallions

Since my parents ran a seaweed factory when I was growing up, we always had
everything we needed to quickly make miso soup at home. The most important
ingredient is the dashi. It’s the foundation of Japanese cuisine and the backbone
of any type of soup. The second most important ingredient is miso. The enzymes
found in the koji help break down the rice grains and soybeans into amino acids,
creating a sweet and savory flavor. In my family, my dad oversaw making the
miso, and we always had plenty of it in a big clay barrel. The final key ingredient
is the wakame. It helps reduce high blood pressure and supports healthy heart
function. It also provides a lot of dietary fiber, which is why my mom always
makes a point of eating seaweed daily. So make a big bowl and enjoy it with
steamed rice on the side, or by itself as a light meal.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes 1. If using fresh wakame, place a strainer in a bowl, add the
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes wakame and fill the bowl with water then let it sit for a few
SERVES 4 seconds. Drain and rinse the wakame under running water
until the salt is removed and the wakame doubles or triples
3 tablespoons fresh or dried wakame in sized. Squeeze out the excess water and cut into bite-sized
3 cups (750 ml) Basic or Kombu Dashi pieces. If using dried wakame, follow the instruction on the
Stock (pages 36, 38) package, or rehydrate it in a bowl of water for 5 minutes,
½ block (7 oz/200 g) medium-firm tofu then drain and squeeze out the excess water. Set aside.
2 green onions (scallion) 2. Put the dashi stock in a medium saucepan over medium-
2½ tablespoons awase miso (page 15) high heat and bring to a simmer. Cut the tofu into 1-in
(2-cm) cubes and add them to the soup. Cook for 2 to 3
minutes over medium-low heat.
3. Cut the green onions in 1-in (2.5-cm) lengths.
4. Add the wakame, green onions and miso to the stock
TIP Miso soup can be and stir over low heat to dissolve the miso gradually. Remove
from the heat just before it boils.
stored in the refrigerator
for up to 2 days. For a vegan 5. To serve, ladle 1 cup of hot soup into each soup bowl.
option, use Kombu Dashi or
Shiitake Dashi (pages 38–9)
instead of Basic Dashi
Stock, which has fish in it.
For other miso options, see
page 15 for basic guidelines
on choosing the right miso
for your dish. Be sure to
add the miso at the end as
boiling it kills the beneficial
probiotics in the miso.

72 Japanese Superfoods Superfood Soups & Hot Pots 73

 Salmon Miso Soup

This is my favorite fish soup to make when salmon is in season (September to

November in Japan). This dish is from Ishikari, a city located on the northern
island of Hokkaido, and it uses their local ingredients. It’s served as a hot
pot called Ishikari nabe, because this is where the best quality salmon is
found. The local fisherman prepare this easy, nutritious fish stew with winter
vegetables. So, if you need warming up and are looking for a heathy and
nutritious dish, this is the perfect choice.

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes 1. Cut each salmon fillet in half crosswise. Sprinkle salt on
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes both sides and let it season for 8 to 10 minutes.
SERVES 4 2. Place the fish in a colander set in the sink and slowly
pour boiling water over it until the surface turns whiteish in
4 skinless salmon fillets (1 lb/500 g) color. Then, rinse it well with cold water.
½ teaspoon salt
3. Peel and slice the daikon and carrot into ⅛-in (3-mm)
2-in (5-cm) piece of daikon
pieces. Peel and cut the potato into 1-in (2.5-cm) pieces and
½ carrot
then soak them in a bowl of cool water for 5 minutes and
1 potato, any type
drain. Tear the cabbage leaves in bite-sized pieces and set
2 leaves cabbage or napa cabbage
aside.
4 cups (1 liter) Kombu Water or
Kombu Dashi Stock (page 38) 4. Combine the Kombu Dashi Stock, daikon, carrot and
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger potato in a medium pot, cover and simmer over medium
4 tablespoons awase miso (page 15) heat for 7 to 10 minutes.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided 5. Add the salmon to the pot, reduce the heat to medium-
into 4 pieces low and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, covered.
1 tablespoon chopped green onion 6. Add the ginger, miso and cabbage to the pot, reduce the
(scallion), white and green parts, to heat to low, and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until the cabbage
garnish is tender. Taste the broth, adding more miso as needed.
Turn off the heat.
7. To serve, ladle 1 cup of hot soup along with some salmon
and vegetables into each soup bowl and top with butter and
green onions.

74 Japanese Superfoods Superfood Soups & Hot Pots 75

 Kabocha Miso Ginger Bisque Napa Cabbage and Bacon Miso Soup

Kabocha Japanese pumpkins are denser, starchier and smaller than Western pumpkins, and This is a classic bacon and potato soup with the addition of leafy napa cabbage and savory
they have a creamier texture when cooked. They’re naturally sweet as well as high in nutrients miso paste, adding a Japanese twist. This recipe is a great example of how miso can elevate
like beta-carotene and vitamin A. Kabocha lends a subtle, nutty flavor and thickness to the the flavor of non-Asian ingredients. A spoonful of miso adds a nice balance and savory flavor
soup. This is a dairy-free (and vegan) recipe with a Japanese twist. Instead of using to whatever you’re cooking. I also appreciate how light this soup is—using Basic, Niboshi or
a cream-based stock, I use Kombu Water seasoned with white miso, which is lighter and Kombu Dashi Stock not only lends a great umami flavor, but creates a lighter, healthier dish.
sweeter in flavor than regular miso. Enjoy this lighter version of a classic comfort food served If you don’t have napa cabbage, feel free to substitute green cabbage, kale or spinach.
hot or cold for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes 1. Peel and dice the potato, then soak in a bowl of water. Cut the napa
PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes COOKING TIME: 15 minutes cabbage and bacon into ½-inch (1-cm) pieces.
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes SERVES 4 2. Place a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and
SERVES 4 to 5 cook until crispy. Discarded the leftover oil.
1 yellow or Yukon gold potato
3. Add the dashi stock and potato to the bacon and bring to a simmer
½ kabocha pumpkin (about 1½ lbs/750 g) 2 leaves napa cabbage
over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the potato is
1 medium onion 4 strips of bacon
tender.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 4 cups (1 liter) Basic, Niboshi or
Kombu Dashi Stock (pages 36, 4. Add the napa cabbage to the stock and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over
2½ cups (625 ml) Kombu Water (page 38)
38, 39) low heat.
½ cup (125 ml) soy milk or almond milk,
plus 2–3 tablespoons for drizzling 1½ tablespoons awase miso 5. Add the miso to the stock and stir to combine. Turn of the heat.
1½ tablespoons white miso paste (page 15) (page 15) 6. To serve, ladle 1 cup of hot soup into each soup bowl and sprinkle
½ teaspoon fresh ginger juice 1 tablespoon mitsuba Japanese mitsuba on top.
Pinch of sea salt parsley or Italian parsley
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, toasted, to garnish
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley,
to garnish (optional)

1. Halve the squash with a sharp knife and scrape out all
of the seeds with a spoon. Peel off the skin and cut the flesh
into small pieces. Set aside. Peel and thinly slice the onion.
Set aside.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the onion and cook
for 5 to 7 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned.
Add the squash and Kombu Water to the pot and bring to a
simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or
until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.
3. Use a food processor or blender to puree the soup in
small batches (to avoid accidentally getting splashed with
hot liquid, place a kitchen towel over the lid of the food
processor or blender). Pour the soup back into the pot.
4. Add the soy or almond milk, miso, ginger juice and salt
to the pot and cook over medium-low heat for another 5–7
minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
5. To serve: ladle 1½ cups of hot soup into each soup bowl
and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley. Drizzle the
few tablespoons of soy or almond milk on top of each bowl
of soup.

76 Japanese Superfoods Superfood Soups & Hot Pots 77

Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
 One sees a little “dinky” engine come shooting into the converter building
with its ladle of molten iron from the “mixer.” With America’s time saving
routine not a single minute is lost while emptying the metal into the converter,
now in a horizontal position. Almost before the ladle is out of the way, the
converter swings to the upright position with the blast already on, for otherwise
the metal would flow into the tuyère holes at the bottom.

Comparison of Ingots

A. From Four Pot Crucible Furnace: Each Heat 400 Pounds in 4 Hours or 100 Pounds an Hour,
Each Heat Pours 4 Ingots 3 × 3 × 36″. B. From Fifteen Ton Bessemer Converter: 30,000 Pounds
in 20 Minutes or 90,000 Pounds an Hour, Each Heat Pours 6 Ingots 19 × 20 × 62″. C. From
Fifty Ton Open-Hearth Furnace, 100,000 Pounds in 8 Hours or 12,500 Pounds an Hour, Each
Heat Pours 6 Ingots 24 × 32 × 72″.

Reddish-brown smoke and a shower of sparks come from the converter.

These gradually develop into a flame.
The blast shows considerable partiality in selecting for its first attention the
metalloids silicon and manganese, in preference to the iron itself or any other of
the metalloids present. After from three to five minutes half of the silicon and
manganese have been burned out. If the temperature of the metal and other
conditions have become right the carbon then begins to burn. This gives a
change in the nature of the flame which becomes large and of a dazzling
whiteness.
The metal is hot—very hot—so much so that pieces of cold steel often must be
dropped in to cool it somewhat. This is known as “scrapping” the charge.
An experienced blower can judge through every period of the operation of the
condition of his metal and just how things are progressing.
After some minutes the flame begins to waver and later “drops”; i.e., there is
scarcely a flame at all. This signal, which is very definite to an experienced man,
cannot be lightly disregarded. Oxygen has affinity for iron as well as for the
metalloids and it is only because of its greater love for silicon, manganese and
carbon that it has thus far largely neglected the iron. With the metalloids
mentioned out of the way, as they are when the drop occurs, the iron will begin
to burn. Were the “blowing” continued we would shortly have no iron left, but in
its place a mass of iron oxide and slag.
Thus we see that during the first minutes of the blow, more than one-half of
the silicon and manganese are burned. The remainder of these and all of the
carbon are removed in the subsequent five or six minutes. At the end of this
short blowing period we have practically pure iron.
 Two Converters in Operation and a Third Pouring

The metal is not yet in condition to pour well, however, largely because of the
dissolved air and gases which it holds. Something akin to the “killing” of the
steel which we observed in the crucible process must be accomplished or ingots
from it will be spongy. And, having practically no carbon, it is not yet “steel.”
Bessemer, knowing that the finished steel should contain carbon, tried to stop
the blow long enough before the drop of the flame to leave exactly the desired
amount of this element. He found this difficult to do and therefore uncertain. It
was found to be far better to blow until the drop of the flame and then put back
sufficient carbon to give the proper composition.
An English metallurgist named Mushet discovered that addition of
manganese ridded the metal of injurious gases and oxides and what is known as
“red-shortness.” After a period of difficulty without it Bessemer acknowledged
the necessity of manganese and adopted its use. It had before this been used in
crucible steel.
Upon turning down the converter at the drop of the flame, the blast is turned
off and a smaller ladle is run in on a track above. This brings a molten mixture
of irons, usually known as “spiegel” or “spiegeleisen” which contains just
enough carbon, manganese and silicon to give to the whole of the molten metal
in the converter the metalloids needed to make of it steel of the composition
desired. This addition also accomplishes the “deoxidation” of the metal. By
deoxidation we mean that the iron is relieved of the oxygen and gases which
have remained as a result of the blast. This is necessary in order to give proper
fluidity for pouring and the best physical properties to the finished steel.
After “recarburization,” as this addition of manganese-silicon-carbon metal is
called, the steel and slag are quickly poured out into a ladle waiting below from
which the steel is “teemed” (i.e., poured), through a “nozzle” or hole in the
bottom into ingot molds arranged on trucks on the railroad track which runs
through the building.
When the molds have been filled and a
strong crust develops on the steel the cars are
pulled to the “stripper” where the molds are
removed, leaving the white-hot ingots
standing on the cars.
The ingots mentioned in the chapter on
Cementation and Crucible Steel were usually
small enough that one pot of 100 pounds of
metal filled the mold. A four pot furnace
therefore produced 400 pounds. Now for the
first time, we are talking in tonnage figures.
Teeming the Finished Steel Instead of a batch of steel making four 3″ ×
into the Ingot Molds 3″ × 36″ ingots of 100 pounds each, the
ordinary “heat” of Bessemer steel from the
15–ton converter gives six or seven ingots
about 18″ × 20″ × 60″ in size. Each of these weighs about two tons. The total is
30,000 pounds.
From the stripper the ingots go to the gas-fired soaking pits where the molten
interiors of the ingots gradually solidify by cooling while the outer crusts are
reheated. After equalizing the temperatures of exteriors and interiors in this
way, the ingots are white-hot again and ready for rolling.
 Molds Being Stripped from Ingots

The purpose for which the steel is intended, of course, determines the shapes
and sizes into which the ingots are rolled. For rails they are rolled down directly,
each ingot making about six rails, of thirty-three-foot length. For most other
purposes the ingots are rolled in the slabbing mill into billets or slabs which are
of intermediate shapes and sizes which are reheated and further rolled down
into axles, bars, shapes, wire or other products.
Meanwhile the converter which we saw emptied has not been idle. The
American steel engineer has genius for mechanical efficiency and all parts of a
great steel plant are so co-ordinated that enormous quantities of material can be
handled with not a moment lost between trips. Almost before the ladle of steel
had swung away from the converter’s mouth, any remaining slag was dumped
from the converter by further tipping, the vessel returned to receiving position
and the ladle car, back again from the mixer, poured in the next charge.
Thus blow after blow is made without loss of time.
Repairs are allowed to take no longer than is absolutely necessary. When the
lining around the tuyères gets too badly cut by the action of the air and metal
the bottom is removed, another one is quickly substituted and the steel making
goes on.
Blowers, ladlemen, cranemen, pourers, patchers, vesselmen, sample boys and
the other workmen are relieved by their “partners” at the end of each shift, each
man of necessity working until relieved—twelve, twenty-four, or even thirty-six
hours, for there must be no delay. So day and night, through the entire week
from Monday morning at six, when they begin, until the next Sunday morning
at six, when the plant shuts down for a brief spell, the converters go on turning
out three heats per hour or four to five hundred per week each.
It has been mentioned that most of Bessemer’s first licensees failed with the
new process. The reasons for this were various, but one in particular was the
attempt of many to use metal of high phosphorus content. Bessemer soon
discovered that no phosphorus was removed during the “blow” and that, as
phosphorus in quantity over one-tenth of one per cent was detrimental to steel,
it was necessary to use raw material which had little of this element.
This could be done, but it barred many pig irons otherwise good. Fortunately
Swedish and many English irons had low phosphorus. Germany’s vast beds of
high phosphorus ores, however, were useless for the purpose.
For twenty years this situation existed, during which time many metallurgists
endeavored to make the process applicable to irons which contained high
phosphorus. After long study and many experiments the problem was solved by
Sidney Thomas, an English metallurgist. With a cousin, Percy Gilchrist, he made
hundreds of blows with a toy converter holding only eight pounds of iron.
Bessemer’s linings had been of sand, clay and other earths which are known
chemically as “acid” materials. By using “basic” materials such as limestone,
dolomite, etc., for the converter lining and additions of limestone or burnt lime
to the charge before and during the blow to make and keep the slag “basic,”
Thomas was able to make the phosphorus burn after the carbon had been
removed. Therefore, a three or four minute “after blow” following the “drop” of
the carbon flame took out the phosphorus,—again, with generation of heat.
So there are two varieties of the process—the acid Bessemer and the basic
Bessemer, but the former, only, is used in this country as we have few high
phosphorus ores. The analogous open-hearth processes, which are next to be
described, are both used in this country with the basic open-hearth greatly in
the lead.
However, the basic Bessemer process of Thomas and Gilchrist is credited with
making Germany’s great industrial development possible.
 Year Table No. 1 Table No. 2
Materials Used for Rails[6] Total Steel Made by Processes[6]
Wrought Bessemer Open- Bessemer Open-Hearth Crucible
Iron Steel Hearth Steel Steel Steel Steel
1849 21,710
1850 39,360
1855 124,000
1860 183,000 No Data
1865 318,000
1867 410,000 2,280 2,679
1868 445,970 6,450 7,589
1869 521,370 8,620 10,714 893
1870 523,000 30,360 37,500 1,339
1875 448,000↘ 260,000 335,000 8,080 35,180
1880 441,000 ↘852,000 12,160 1,074,000 110,850 64,660
1885 13,000 959,000 4,280 1,515,000 133,000 57,600
1890 14,000 1,868,000 3,590 3,689,000 513,000 71,200
1895 5,810 1,300,000 700 4,909,000 1,137,000 68,700
1900 695 2,384,000 1,330 6,685,000 3,398,000 100,500
1905 318 3,192,000 183,000 10,941,000 8,971,000 102,200
1906 15 3,391,000 186,000 12,276,000 10,980,000 127,500
1907 925 3,380,000 253,000 11,668,000↘ 11,550,000 131,000
1908 71 1,349,000 572,000 6,117,000 ↘7,837,000 63,600
1909 1,767,000 1,257,000 9,331,000 14,494,000 107,400
1910 230 1,884,000↘ 1,751,000 9,413,000 16,505,000 122,300
1912 1,100,000 ↘2,105,000 10,328,000 20,780,000 121,500
1913 818,000 2,528,000 9,546,000 21,600,000 121,200
1914 324,000 1,526,000 6,221,000 17,175,000 89,900
1915 327,000 1,775,000 8,287,000 23,679,000 113,800
1916 440,000 2,270,000 11,059,000 31,415,000 129,700
6. In United States—long tons of 2,240 pounds.
The well-known “Thomas Slag” which is in demand as a fertilizer on account
of its phosphorus content is the by-product of the basic-lined converter.
An idea of what the invention of the Bessemer process meant to railroad
development alone may be gained by studying for a moment Table No. 1.
Wrought iron was our first material for rails, but, being very soft, it did not give
long service. But a short time was required for Bessemer steel to displace it for
rails when steel became available. The greater uniformity, strength and
hardness of the alloy gave such excellent wearing properties that few rails of
iron were laid after the year 1880.
During recent years rails have been made of greater and greater strength and
hardness to keep pace with the fast increasing weight, speed and frequency of
railroad trains, steel being susceptible to much modification of properties.
Now it appears that Bessemer steel is giving way to other products which
show even superior properties.
 What happened in the railroad world to a great extent has happened
elsewhere, as the figures of Table No. 2 show. They are a barometer which
indicates what has been our industrial development and our advance in
civilization.
 CHAPTER IX
THE OPEN-HEARTH PROCESS

Bessemer’s was a wonderful process, but the time seemed to be

ripe for great development along metallurgical lines, and the method
of converting pig iron into steel which he devised soon had a
competitor which was destined eventually to take the lead in steel
production. Many years passed before the tonnage turned out
annually by Bessemer’s process was equaled by that of the new, but
as shown in the last chapter the Siemens-Martin or open-hearth
process in 1907 produced the greater tonnage. It has since retained
its lead and probably will continue to do so.
As far back as 1845 John Marshall Heath took out a patent for a
process for making steel patterned after the old puddling process. In
a way he may therefore be said to have devised or forecast the open-
hearth process, but because of the great obstacles that had to be
surmounted in getting a furnace that would fulfill the requirements
he was unable to carry out his scheme. You will remember that in the
puddling furnace the purified metal became pasty because of its high
melting point. Because of the great heat required it was not until the
invention of the regenerative system by C. W. Siemens in 1860 that
the open-hearth process was possible. Siemen’s furnace was the first
one that could keep the iron molten. It was in Birmingham, England,
that the first successful open-hearth furnace was used.
 alt='GAS PRODUCER FURNACE AND REGENERATIVE SYSTEM'

Early Type of Gas Producer, Regenerators, and Open-Hearth Furnace.

Course Taken by Air, Gas, and Products of Combustion Are Plainly Shown,
as Are the Valves That Reverse Direction of Flow

While not as speedy nor as prolific a producer as the Bessemer

process and far less spectacular, the open-hearth has several
advantages.
The acid Bessemer was always handicapped because pig iron with
less than 0.1 per cent of phosphorus was necessary. The majority of
ores carry more than this amount. The basic Bessemer requires pig
iron containing not less than 2 per cent of phosphorus. The vast
quantities of material which contain percentages of phosphorus
between these limits are useless as far as the Bessemer process is
concerned.
To be successfully used the pig iron must be further limited as to
composition. It must have sufficient silicon, manganese, and carbon
to give the heat required for Bessemerizing, as the burning of these
metalloids has to be depended upon for the conversion to steel and
to give proper fluidity to the finished alloy.
Then, too, the large amount of air forced through to a certain
extent “over-oxidizes” the bath and some of the gases are
mechanically retained by the steel no matter how complete the
deoxidation. There also is loss of metal due to unavoidable “spitting,”
for the rapid streams of air mechanically carry some metal and slag
with the flame out of the vessel.
 On the other hand, for the open-hearth process can be used pig
iron of widely varied character and composition and, further, large
percentages of low-priced steel scrap can be utilized in the charges;
as no air is blown through the metal and little comes in contact with
it, the conversion takes place quietly and smoothly and with much
less loss by oxidation, the yield of steel usually being from 90 to 97
per cent of the metal charged as against 83 to 87 per cent which is
the yield by the Bessemer process; besides giving less over-oxidation
and gases in the metal, the slowness of the conversion is an
advantage, as control is very easy, and, when desired, samples for
test may be taken. From his tests the melter can be quite certain
when he taps out the steel that it is of the composition desired.
The melting in an open-hearth
furnace is done largely by indirect or
radiated heat, and it is not intended
that the flame shall impinge too
directly upon the surface of the bath.
Except
Section Through Typical
during
Stationary Open-Hearth
the
Furnace, Showing
melting
Construction of
down of
Furnace, Lining, Bath
the pig
and Air and Gas Ports
iron and
other
materials charged in the furnace, the
flame and air take little part in the
Boxes of Steel Scrap and actual elimination of the metalloids.
Electric Charging Their main function is to furnish the
Machine in Front of heat necessary. Being used so
Charging Doors at Rear indirectly—mostly by radiation from
of Furnaces the roof and walls—very great heat
must be used and much would be
wasted if special precautions were not
taken to save it. The bath must be kept hot enough to remain molten
after purification of the metal, which we were unable to accomplish
in the wrought iron puddling furnace.
 Under each end of the rectangular furnace are two chambers built
up with checker-work of fire brick. These sets are in duplicate and
each has one chamber for air and one for gas.
Thus an open-hearth furnace will be
seen to occupy a sort of hollow square,
the furnace proper forming one side,
the regenerative chambers two sides,
with the chimney and flues the
remaining side. “Reversing” valves
force the incoming gas and air to travel
each through its respective hot Charging Machine with
regenerating chamber up through the Box of Scrap Half Way
ports and into the furnace where they into Furnace
unite and burn with a very hot flame.
The hot gases leave through similar
ports in the other end of the furnace and on their way to the chimney
heat the checker-work in the regenerative chamber. Every fifteen or
twenty minutes the valves are reversed and the direction of flow is
changed. In this way the incoming gas and air are preheated and in
the furnace burn with a very much hotter flame than would cold gas
with cold air. No blast is required, the draft caused by the chimney
being sufficient.
For protection of the roof from the great heat developed and the
metal of the bath from too great oxidation, the air ports usually are
located above the gas ports. The streams of air, while protecting the
roof from the flame, at the same time are prevented from directly
impinging upon and too strongly oxidizing the metal of the bath.
The diagrammatic sketches given show roughly a furnace,
regenerative chambers, ports, etc.
The original intention was to melt pig iron and reduce it; i. e., burn
out the silicon, manganese, and carbon by action of the flame and
addition of iron ore. This was the process worked out by Siemens in
England. In France, P. and E. Martin altered the method by diluting
molten pig iron in the Siemens furnace by melting and dissolving in
it steel scrap. It was soon found that a combination of the two
methods was better than either one alone and the open-hearth
process acquired its name—the Siemens-Martin—in this way.
 In the United States about
20,000,000 tons of steel are made
annually by the basic open-hearth
process while only 1,100,000 tons are
produced by the acid open-hearth
process.
The two processes are practically the
same except that by the basic process
the phosphorus as well as the silicon,
manganese, and carbon are reduced or
Charging “Hot” Metal eliminated. In order to take out the
phosphorus, additions of lime (i. e.,
calcium oxide or calcium carbonate)
are made just as occurred with the basic Bessemer process.
Should we use lime in a furnace having an acid lining, much of the
lime, which is a “base,” would react with the “acid” (silica) bricks of
the lining, and, becoming neutralized, would not do its work. So, as
in the basic Bessemer process, we here have to use either “basic” or
“neutral” lining.
The material generally used is burnt magnesium carbonate which
is known as “magnesite.” Dolomite, which is a combination of the
carbonates of calcium and magnesium, is sometimes used. Chrome
bricks, the usual neutral material, are rather too expensive for
extensive use. The best magnesite comes from Austria and is usually
not very cheap. As acid materials (those of silica or clay) are cheaper
and mechanically stronger, a compromise is ofttimes effected by
using basic materials for the furnace bottom and acid bricks for the
sidewalls and roof. A few rows of chrome bricks may be put in to
form a neutral dividing line just at and above the edge of the bath
where the action of the slag is the most severe. It also serves to keep
the basic and acid materials apart and from reacting with each other.
At the commencement of charging, limestone or sometimes burnt
lime is shoveled in upon the bottom or “hearth” of the white-hot
furnace.
When cold metal is charged, the pigs of iron are conveyed into the
furnace by the melter and his helpers by means of long handled flat
iron tools called “peels.” This is followed by charging some or all of
the scrap or iron which is to be made a part of the charge.
 Even in the smaller 15 or 25–ton furnaces hand charging takes a
great deal of time, sometimes as much as six or eight hours, and the
labor cost as well as the heat loss is therefore excessive. Modern
machine charging which requires not more than an hour is therefore
highly desirable.
During the melting down of the pig
iron with the scrap that has been
charged, the air and flame burn out
about half of the silicon and
manganese of the metal. To remove
the remainder of these and the carbon
of the charge, additions are made from
time to time of sufficient ore to keep
the bath “boiling.” This phenomenon
results from the giving off of carbon
monoxide gas formed from the oxygen Row of Open-Hearth
of the iron ore and the carbon of the Furnaces Showing Pit or
metal, just as happened when the Tapping Side
puddler in the manufacture of wrought
iron used iron ore in his furnace. The
covering of slag which forms and protects the bath from the flame
undoubtedly transfers oxygen from the furnace gases to the bath and
this helps to burn out the carbon.
The lime charged unites with the phosphorus of the iron and takes
it into the slag which covers the bath. If necessary, further additions
of lime may be made from time to time during the melting and the
“working down” (elimination of the metalloids) of the charge. As
long as the slag is kept basic it retains the phosphorus, but should it
turn acid the iron of the bath would take the phosphorus back again.
These reactions are all chemical, just as much so as are the
burning of wood and coal and the thousands of reactions which are
brought about in chemical laboratories.
Additions of ore are made from time to time and the bath rabbled.
Samples are taken now and then with a long handled iron spoon or
ladle and these are poured into molds to form small bars of steel,
which, after quenching, are broken.
The melter has become very proficient in judging the composition
of the metal of the bath from the fracture of these broken test pieces.
 By means of the samples taken he
watches the elimination of the
metalloids. When he thinks the
reactions have progressed far enough
he takes a last sample which is rushed
to the chemist who makes a hurried
“control” analysis for carbon and
phosphorus, the metal being held in
the furnace meanwhile. If the results of
Open-Hearth Furnace this analysis show the bath to have the
“Tapping” desired composition the steel is
poured. If the reactions have not been
complete, the chemist’s report shows
that the carbon and perhaps the phosphorus are still too high, in
which case the charge must be still further worked down.
Some melters are able to make fairly uniform and satisfactory steel
without a chemist, but for best results a chemical laboratory is
desirable.
When ready to tap, the big ladle is suspended from a crane under
the spout of the furnace. With a tapping bar the plug of clay is
removed from the tap hole and the molten steel gushes out into the
ladle. The slag which has covered the bath is the last to drain out.
Many times this will overflow the ladle, making a beautiful cascade
as it pours over the sides all around to the floor beneath. Especially
at night is this a glorious sight.
Recarburization is not done to the same extent as it is in the
Bessemer process. As the open-hearth elimination of carbon is
slower and under so much better control, the furnace usually is
tapped when the carbon has been reduced to the percentage desired
in the finished steel. When it is necessary to add carbon it is done
sometimes by adding pig iron to the bath and sometimes by throwing
a weighed amount of coal or coke in the ladle as the steel is going in.
Molten iron and steel have strong appetites for carbon and dissolve it
very readily. Ferro-manganese is used to prevent red-shortness and
to deoxidize the metal. This also is usually put into the ladle as too
much loss would occur were it added in the furnace.
While the furnace is again being charged through the charging
doors at the rear, the steel is teemed through the nozzle of the big
ladle into the waiting ingot molds.
These go to the stripper, to the soaking
pits, and then to the rolls of the
blooming mills just as did the
Bessemer ingots.
In the
acid-
lined
furnace
no
attempt
is made
to reduce
the
phospho Teeming the Steel into
At the “Stripper” rus. It Ingot Molds
would be
futile.
Therefore the materials charged must be very low in phosphorus and
sulphur. No lime additions are made, the flame simply melts down
the pig iron and scrap, the iron oxide later is added from time to time
to keep up the boil until the test bars show that the carbon as well as
the silicon and manganese have been eliminated as fully as is
desired. The metal is then tapped as described above.
Three or more hours are usually required to melt down cold
charges. The elimination of the remainder of the silicon, manganese,
and the carbon requires about four or five hours more. So for each
heat the open-hearth furnace requires from eight to twelve hours,
depending largely upon the speed of charging and melting.
Of late years the difficulties attending the use of molten metal from
the blast furnace in place of cold pig iron have been largely
surmounted. The use of uniform metal from the “mixer,” which was
described in the article on the Bessemer process, has aided the open-
hearth process also. Of course, when molten metal is added none of
its silicon and manganese is reduced by the flame as occurred with
the cold metals during the melting down, so the molten metal
charged is usually low in these elements to compensate. By use of
“hot” (molten) metal the time necessary to produce a “heat” of steel
is considerably shortened.
The first and perhaps the majority of furnaces yet building are
“stationary.” Some have found it advantageous to construct furnaces
that can be tipped to pour the metal into the ladle. Such are known
as “tilting” furnaces. One furnace designer has even gone so far in a
smaller type used for steel castings as to make the furnace
removable, thus doing away with a ladle entirely. The big crane
simply lifts the whole furnace out from between the housings which
contain the ports. It is taken bodily to the molds which are poured
directly.
Open-hearth furnaces have been built of larger and larger capacity.
A great many fifty-ton furnaces have been built and furnaces which
produce eighty or more tons at a heat are now not uncommon.
Furnaces of the Talbot type are built for as much as 200 and even
300 tons of metal, but from these only part of the finished steel is
tapped at a time, the remainder being left to help work down the
additions of new material which is added to replace the steel tapped
out.
The rolling mill industry is so intimately connected with and
dependent upon the steel-making methods and equipment that each
is designed with reference to the other.
Bessemer steel has been largely used for the manufacture of rails,
rod, wire, pipe, merchant bar, etc., while open-hearth steel has gone
into plate, boiler tubes, structural shapes, billets for axles, etc.
Recently it is being used for rails and very many of the products
which were formerly made from Bessemer steel.
It should not be inferred from this
that Bessemer steel is no longer in
demand or that it is not good steel. As
you will notice from the table given in
the last chapter, the production of
Bessemer steel has not declined
appreciably, if at all. The fact is that
open-hearth steel production has been
increasing at a great rate, while the
production of Bessemer has remained
stationary. With the growing scarcity Lower Half of a
of ores suitable for pig iron for “Battery” of Modern Gas
Bessemerizing, the open-hearth Producers
process is becoming able to compete
with the Bessemer process in the
matter of cost. For some purposes the steel is considered to be a little
more desirable, but, as is the case with many good things, the
pendulum swings too far and there is no doubt that open-hearth
steel is often demanded and used for purposes for which Bessemer
steel would be just as good and perhaps better.
For many years it has been said that the Bessemer process is
“doomed.” This, of course, was because of the scarcity of low
phosphorus ores. Just how “doomed” it is, it is perhaps impossible to
say. Certainly it is still a very live process and the combining of
processes, such as “duplexing,” will probably prolong its life.
By the “duplex” process, molten blast furnace iron from the mixer
is “desiliconized” in the Bessemer converter. Before too much of the
carbon has been burned, the metal is transferred to a basic open-
hearth furnace where the remainder of the carbon and most of the
phosphorus is removed. By this method the advantages of the open-
hearth and much of the speed of the Bessemer process are combined.
The output of the open-hearth furnace is thus greatly increased.
To-day all kinds of combinations of Bessemer, open-hearth, and
electric furnace are being projected and it is difficult and likely
impossible for any one to predict the future of any of the processes.
Lest the metallurgical facts scattered through several chapters
escape, let us summarize a little. Roughly speaking, the capabilities
of and materials required for the processes are as follows—the
chemical symbols for silicon, manganese, carbon, phosphorus, and
sulphur being used for brevity:
 Process Refining Capability Material Required
Removes no metalloids, but
Crucible Process. Very low Si. P. S. and C.
simply remelts.
Acid Bessemer Very low P. and S. (under
Takes out Si. Mn. and C.
Process. 0.1%).
Basic Bessemer Takes out Si. Mn. C. P. and
Very high P. (2% and over).
Process. some S.
Acid Open- Very low P. and S. (under
Takes out Si. Mn. C.
Hearth Process. 0.1% of each).
Basic Open- Takes out Si. Mn. C. P. and
Wider Variety.
Hearth Process. some S.
Electric Furnace Takes out Si. Mn. C. P. and
Wider Variety.
Process. S.

In further explanation of the competition in quality of Bessemer

and of open-hearth steels it should be understood that in both the
acid Bessemer and the acid open-hearth furnaces we get out in
quality just what we put in. While for some purposes phosphorus and
sulphur of 0.1 per cent is allowable, for other purposes they should
not be over 0.025 or 0.03 per cent. To produce steel of the latter high
quality, material containing slightly less than this of sulphur and
phosphorus must be charged, and these are usually much higher in
price than are pig iron and scrap containing greater percentages of
these metalloids.
Where materials of 2.5 to 3 per cent
of phosphorus are obtainable, as,
generally speaking, they are not in this
country, the basic Bessemer should
make as low phosphorus steel as does
the basic open-hearth.
The great advantages of the basic
open-hearth process, then, are that for
Charging Floor of the it can be utilized a much wider variety
Battery of Gas of raw materials than is possible with
Producers Showing the acid open-hearth or either of the
Rocking Arms for Bessemer processes, and, particularly
that here, at least, the proper materials
are readily available.
Gradual Feeding of the The fuels used vary, of course,
Coal according to what is most available,
considering quantity, quality, and
price. Natural gas has been a favorite
fuel, as also has oil. But in many localities natural gas never was
available and in others which were thus blessed, the supply has been
exhausted. By-product coke oven gas and tar are being experimented
with with some success.
Largely because of the great size of the open-hearth furnace solid
fuel, such as coal which can be used for puddling furnaces, is not
adaptable.
As far back as 1839 attempts were made to gasify coal by burning it
to ash and utilizing the gaseous products for industrial purposes.
These attempts succeeded and the process has been brought to quite
a high state of development. There are to-day a large number of
efficient types of “gas producers” which furnish gas for general
industrial use and it is with this “producer gas” that a great deal of
the steel nowadays is made.
While endeavoring to leave out of these articles most of the
chemistry and as much of the technical detail as is consistent with
clearness, the chemistry of combustion and the “gas producer” is so
interesting that it will be well to explain that carbon (coal, coke,
wood, etc.) can burn either in one or two stages. Nearly every one has
noticed the blue flame with which coal burns in the parlor coal heater
or in other furnaces where little draft is used and most of us
remember that the gas which is given off from such a fire has
asphyxiated many who were unfortunate enough to be sleeping in a
closed room, when through insufficient chimney draft or a leaky
stove some of the unburnt gas filled the room.
This gas, which is carbon monoxide, is labeled CO in books on
chemistry. It is the result of burning the coal with insufficient air.
Chemically it is explained by the second of the chemical “equations”
which follow. The third equation explains the second stage of the
burning which would occur were further air or oxygen admitted to
the upper part of the furnace.
The usual one-stage combustion with plenty of air:
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