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ec^oasia - cuisine

To think about food
is to think about life.

On this page:

JAPAN:

Principles of cuisine
Philosophy of cuisine
Restaurant culture
Basis of food
Geological influences
Methods of cooking
Pantry Staples in Japan
Foreign influenced dishes in Japan
Specialty Japanese dishes

CHINA:

History of Chinese Cuisine
Five Elements of Chinese Cooking
Szechuan Cuisine

OTHER PAGES:
Asian Cooking at Home

Principles of cuisine in Japan

Wa means things indigenous to Japanese culture; so washoku means Japanese food, which is summarized by five principles:

Things to keep in mind in preparing, serving, and partaking of food:

Goals of the cook when preparing and serving food:

Philosophy of eating in Japan

If you can eat anything straight from the ground or out of the water, it's the best-if not the only-way to experience the natural flavor of food.

Food is most often a single ingredient with the sauce served separately

Buddhism banned slaughter and eating of animals led the country to vegetarianism, which lasted until the 19th century when foreigners came to Japan and reintroduced the practice of eating eat

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Basis of food in Japan

Cooked rice - Goham or meshi, which means 'meal,' has clear mouth-cleansing taste and soft flavor so all other dishes go with it

Rice derived foods - Mirim, sake, vinegar, miso

All other dishes - Called okazu, which means 'accompaniments'

Flavorings - Miso and shoyu (Japanese soy sauce).

Hishio using rice, barley, or beans is basis of today's shoyu and miso. A mixture or salt and animal or plant fibers and proteins to produce a nutritious fermented food and seasoning

Hishio using fish is origin of sushi. Fish is fermented with rice and vinegar or salt. Today, it is called nigiri-zushi, which is finger sushi with a slice of raw fish on top

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Japanese wine and liquor

Sake - brewed from rice, regarded as sacred, cleanses evil spirits, deeply associated with Shinto, the indigenous religion, and its traditions and rituals

Blend of all 4 tastes: Sweet, sour, salt, bitter so it goes with all foods

Shochu - Distilled rice spirit. 25 percent alcohol. Served hot or cold. Also used to make umeshu (plum liqueur)

Umeshu - Japanese apricot liqueur sold as plum liqueur but made of white spirit, Japanese apricots, and sugar. Served over ice or diluted with water.

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Methods of cooking

Cook in water by simmering for a short period of time
Cook over direct flame
Use oil only sparingly for foods such as tempura, which is lightly fried in thin batter and dipped in broth to wash off excess oil

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Japanese Foreign influenced dishes

Tonkatsu (pork cutlets)
Ramen

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Japanese Restaurant culture

Restaurants often specialize in one type of food, such as sushi or tempura rather than offer a diverse menu like those found in American eateries. Diners first decide what kind of food they want to eat, and then choose a restaurant that serves it.

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GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCES ON JAPANESE CUISINE

Geological influences on food

SPECIALTY DISHES OF JAPANESE CUISINE

Specialty dishes of Hoddaido

Ishikari-nabe - Fresh salmon and vegetables cooked in miso soup

Shishamo - Llightly grilled whole smelt are popular with sake drinkers
Ekiben - Crab flakes on top of rice

Ghenghis Khan-nabe - Lamb barbeque

Miso-ramen - Chinese style noodles

Specialty dishes of Hoddaido

Kiritanpo - Stick with rice pasted around it, grilled over charcoal,
then cooked in soup

Shottsuru - Hotpot dish using local Hata Hata (sail fin sandfish),;
also salted for sushi

Sendai miso - Soup flavoring made in Sendai

Sasa Kamaboko - Ground fish cake wrapped in bamboo leaves

Miso-ramen - Chinese style noodles

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Specialty dishes of Tokyo

Sushi - Nigiri-zushi is finger sushi with slice of fish on top
Odon or Kanto-daki - Fish cakes hot pot

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Specialty dishes of Central region

Specialty dishes of Kinki region

Most famous for cooking style Kaiseki rather than food and dishes, including kushi-yaki (fried seaweed food) and udon-suki (udon hot pot)

Yatsuhashi - Cinnamon biscuit

Fushimi produced soft, feminine sake; Nada makes masculine, dry, strong sake

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Specialty dishes of Kyusha (south island),
Satsuma (now Kagoshima), and Okinawa

Satsuma region:
Satsuma-imo - Sweet potato

Satsuma-age - Fried fish paste

Satsuma-jiru - Miso soup containing pork, chicken, and vegetables

Mikan - Sweet citrus fruit

Soy and soya bean - Satsuma dialect for shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)

Other:
Mentaiko - Salted cod's roe

Hakata ramen - Noodle soup

Nagasaki chanpon - Ramen mix of vegetables and meat

Champuroo - Stir-fried tofu with vegetables

Uruchee- Simmered pork with various ingredients

Unbushee - Ingredients cooked in miso sauce

Shochu - Distilled rough sake

PANTRY STAPLES OF JAPANESE CUISINE

Beans

Azuki - Small red bean makes sweet paste for called an for cakes/desserts

Daizu - Soy bean basis of tofu and most sauces, such as miso and shoyu

Edamame - Fresh green soy bean in pod that is boiled and eaten with salt

Natto - Fermented soy beans used for norimaki (nori-rolled sushi) or mixed with grated daikon, spring onions, shoyu, and mustard

Flavorings

Miso - Made from boiled soy beans, crushed, then mixed with Koji (yeast-like culture) is a spice, preservative, and nutritious food.

It is rich in protein, has excellent fatty acid profile, full of vitamins and minerals. Believed to lower cholesterol. Diluted into fish stock or broth to make soup; in salad dressing; casseroles; pickling; dressing meat. Used a seasoning in simmered dishes. Used as marinate for meat

Rice miso - Made from soy beans, malted rice, salt.

MOST COMMON
Barley miso - Made from soybeans, malted barley, salt
Soybean miso - Made from malted soybeans, salt

3 grades of strength of flavor and color to match

Shiro-miso - White and light;
Ordinary miso- khaki and medium
Aka-miso - red and strong
Kuro-miso - special dark and strong
Kinzanji mizo - eaten with vegetables

Shoyu - Japanese soy sauce used as a dip for sushi, sashimi, pickles and more. Made from soy beans, wheat, and salt

Dark soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) used in wide range of foods

Light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu) used in white or light-colored foods

White soy sauce (shiro shoyu) used to retain light color of dish

Tamari soy sauce is mixed with dark soy sauce and used on sushimi

Low salt soy sauce has half the salt

Su - vinegar / Yonezu - Rice vinegar used exclusively and contains other grains unless marked pure rice vinegar
Acidity is 4.0 to 4.5 percent, a lot milder than Western vinegar
Kills bacteria, slows down decay, prevents food from darkening, suppresses unpleasant odors maintains crispness in some foods.

Mirim - Sweet cooking sake (14% alcohol/1/2% amino acid) made from shochu (distilled rice spirit) mixed with glutinous rice and koji (yeast-like culture made from rice.) Adds sweetness and a glaze and slightly alcoholic flavor to food

Used in simmering dishes and in glazing sauces such as teriyaki. Eliminates strong food odors

Kinome buds - Pepper buds from Sansho tree added to soups and broiled dishes

Sato - Sugar Crystalline for baking. Sugar is used as meat tenderizer

Shio - Salt

Sake - rice wine. Tenderizes meat. Enhances soup stock

Shichimi - 7-spice mixture. Japanese pepper flakes, rough ground pepper pods, fine ground nori, white sesame seeds, fine ground mandarin orange peels, black hemp seeds, or white poppy seeds, shiso leaf flakes

Fruit

Daidai - Citric fruit too sour to eat as fruit. Mixed with shoyu for dipping sauce to eat mainly with pot dishes

Yuzu - Citric used for its exquisite rind. Tiny pieces of skin are used to garnish soups, salads, simmered dishes, pickles, relishes, and sweets. Fruit is too sharp to eat; Juice is used in dressings. Also ponzu, a citric flavoring made commercially to resemble yuzu

Umeboshi - Salted and dried Japanese apricots is a unique pickle eaten with rice for breakfast to aid digestion. Can be pickled with red shiso leaves for flavor and color and used for nori-rolled sushi

Herbs and Spices

Garlic - Almost never used

Shoga - Ginger root- Grated and only the juice is used. Grated ginger is used to cleanse palante between sushi courses

Goma - Sesame seeds sold roasted. Re-roast to enhance flavor

Sansho - Pepper-like seasoning from prickly ash tree

Kinome - delicate young sprouts

Hana-zansho - tiny greenish-yellow flowers

Mi- or tsubu-zansho - bitterly pungent berries

Kona-zansho - condiments for yakitori made from seed pods and green pods, dried and powdered

Shiso - Mint herb, green variety used for flavor in sashimi, tempura, and vinegared salads. Red variety for color/aroma and making umeboshi (salted, dried apricots)

Taka-no-tsume - Dried red chili used to make momiji-oroshi, a dipping sauce

Wasabi - Mountain hollyhock less sharp than horseradish. Commonly used in paste or powdered form. Used for sashimi and sushi, pickling, and in salad dressing

Mushrooms

Enoki-daké - Tiny berry cap mushrooms used in hotpot shabu shabu, salads, soups

Matsutake - Pine mushroom - King of Japanese mushrooms like a cep or porcini. Never dried so rarely eaten outside Japan

Nameko - Slippery mushroom available in tins used in miso soup and hor d'oeuvres

Shiitake - Donko is the best. Dried shiitakes have richer aroma/flavor. Soaking water can be used instead of fish stock or broth for vegetarian cooking

Shimeji - Fresh, but not strong character is good in clear soup, or grilled/fried dishes

Noodles

Ramen - Means stretched noodles available fresh, dried, or frozen

Soba - Buckwheat noodles with wheat added as a smoothing, binding agent. Color varies from dark brownish-gray to light gray depending on how finely buckwheat is ground. Cooks in 10 minutes

Chasoda soba is green because powdered tea has been added
Soba is eaten dipped in fish stock/broth/based sauce or in soups

Udon - Wheat noodles available in dried and cooked form

Hiyamugi udon is thin white noodles cut very thinly

Somen is wheat noodles in which dough has been stretched with help of vegetable oil to very thin strips and air-dried; cooks in 1-2 minutes

Pickles (Tsukemono)

Daikon, turnips, daikon green, turnip greens, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, eggplants most commonly used for pickling. Rice bran is most common pickling ingredient.

Rice

Japan grows 300 varieties of short grained rice

Japanese rice sold in US is grown in CA; brands are Kahomai, Nishiki, Maruyu, Kokuho

Minori - soft Japanese rice grown in Spain

Genmai - unpolished brown rice

Mochigome - glutinous rice used for making mochi (rice cakes)

Seafood and seafood products

Dashi - Fish stock best made fresh or use dashi granules for quick broth

Hijiki - Small, twiggy, black, marine algae sold dried in packets. Stir-fried and simmered in shoyu-based sauce with other vegetables or used to garnish rice

Ikura - Salmon caviar used for sushi and hor d'oeuvres; available in jars

Kabayaki - Grilled, broiled, or steamed eel

Kanten - Agar-agar taken from seaweed, freeze-dried works like gelatin and used in desserts and cakes. Sets at higher than room temperature

Katsuo - Bonito or skipjack tuna

Tataki - Katsuo dish. Seared/sliced, eaten with ginger, garlic, scallions mixed with soy sauce

Kazumoko - Herring roe salted and dried that is soaked and desalted before eating

Kezuribushi - Katsuo is cooked and sun dried to hard block and shaved for use. Source of dashi. Mixed with soy sauce as accompaniment to hot, boiled rice or rice balls

Konbu - kelp used to make dashi along with Kezuribushi flakes. Used to season sushi rice, simmering vegetables, and for hot pots

Manuro - Blue fin tuna used for sashimi (prepared fish) and sushi.

Akami is red tuna meat; toro is oily tuna meat, the more expensive.

Tarako - Cod's ovary with roe eaten with boiled rice and used in sushi

Uni - sea urchin ovary eaten raw as a regular sushi topping and used as a golden coating for seafood

Wakame - young seaweed is brownish orange algae in dried or salted form. Popular soup ingredient and good in vinegary salad. Cut wakame in packets softens almost instantly and is widely available

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Vegetables

Names of cuts:
          Sengiri - Shreds
          Wagiri - Rounds
          Hangetsu - Half-moons
          Tanzaku- Poem Card/thin rectangle
          Hyoshigi - Clapper board/thick rectangles
          Saimone - Cubes
          Arare - Dice
          Sasagaki -Shavings
          Hanagiri - Flowers
          Kirichigai kyuri - Cucumber cross cut
          Hanmaru kabu - Flowered turnip
          Jabara giri - Snake-belly cut
          Hanagiri tamago - Flower cut egg
         Kinoha ringo - Tree leaf cut for apples
          Ran jiri - Rolling wedges
          Senroppon giri - Rolling wedges
          Katsura giri - Sheets

Types of Vegetables:

Asatsuki - Chives

Daikon - Grated for garnish for dipping sauces; finely sliced to eat raw; sliced thick and boiled; eaten with oily food for its digestive properties, but enzymes are only active for 20 minutes after being grated so should be eaten immediately

Ginnan - Gingho nut from Japanese maple tree. Fried and served as hor d'oeuvres, used in simmered and fried dishes, and in soups

Edamame - Fresh green soybeans. Pods are not eaten, just beans

Ginnan - Gingko nuts boiled to remove inner shell, last of three shells

Gobo - Burdock root that adds texture and flavor. Used to make kinpira, stir-fried shredded carrots and gobo with chilli and shoyu. Available fresh or canned

Hakusai - Chinese cabbage is salted to accompany freshly cooked rice, simmered dishes, hotpots, and steamed dishes

Kabocha - Squash (Japanese pumpkin). Steamed or boiled as a nutritious snack; used for frying tempura, or simmering with other vegetables and chicken meat.Green on outside and orange on inside

Kaiwarena or Mabikina - Daikon - White long radish cooked in soup, chopped in salad, shredded for sashimi garnish, used as condiment, pickled to make takuan, a bright yellow pickle used in nori-rolled sushi

Kampyo - Dried gourd ribbon from flesh of calabash gourd , member of marrow family.It ties food together or makes decorative bow on food. Used in simmering with vegetables and meat and in sushi

Mitsuba - Trefoil herb from parsley family used as garnish in soup and simmered in steamed dishes

Renkon - Lotus root adds interesting feature in dish due to crunch and unique pattern.Used in simmering dishes, vinegary salads, tempura, and sushi. Fresh in season; also canned or frozen

Sato-imo - Taro, (sweet potato) a kind of potato with dense grey-white flesh and nutty flavor. Boiled or steamed and dipped in shoyu as a snack or used in simmered dishes and soups

Satsuma-imo- Sweet potato used for simmered, fried, and steamed dishes and for barbeques. Also an ingredient in cakes and desserts

Sayo endo - Snow peas

Shishi togarashi or ao togarashi - Green peppers hotter than bell peppers

Shoga - Ginger. Beni Shoga ginger variety that is soaked in vinegar, dyed red

Shungiku - Leaves of chrysanthemum family with bitter taste used in soups, hotpots

Togarashi - Red peppers

Takenoko - Bamboo shoots used in dashi. Young shoots cooked with rice; older shoots for slow cooking, with chicken, or in stir-frying

Takuan - Pickled daikon in nuka, dry rice bran and salt for a soft, crunchy texture to accompany hot boiled rice and also used in nori-rolled sushi

Tofu - bean curd

Wakame - Seaweed used in salads and soups. Can be dry and reconstituted. Never cook more than a minute

Wasabi - root of Japanese horse radish used in sushi to kill parasites. Sharp taste

Yuzi - Citron used as garnish. Substitute limes or lemons

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Other products:

Fu - dried gluten cakes extracted from wheat flour and used as decorative garnish

Goma - Sesame seeds. White or black. High in calcium and magnesium
Should be stir-fried and ground

Harasume - Spring rain noodles that are translucent and made from starch. Used in cooked salads, soup, hotpot, or to coat fish and vegetables

Hijiki - Black stringy seaweed served with carrot slivers or peas

Ichimi - Course ground hot peppers. Hot red peppers come fresh and called togarashi or aka togarashi

Karashi - Japanese mustard combined with vinegar in dressings

Natto - Fermented whole soybeans. Foams when stirred. Popular breakfast food

Konnyaku - Yam cake that is dense, gelatinous substance eaten raw or cooked
with other vegetables, meat, in soup, or hotpots. May be too slimy for Western tastes. Good for diets as it is filling with no calories

Shirataki noodles - Means white waterfall and is used in hotpot or cooked salads. Parboil and rough cut before using

Kelp - Use highest quality, which is Rishiri from Rishiri Island in Hokkaido, N. Japan

History of Chinese Cuisine

history of Chinese cooking, as
many friends requested in their email.

The art of Chinese cooking has been developed and refined
over many centuries. Emperor Fuxi taught people to fish,
hunt, grow crops and to cook twenty centuries before Christ.
However, cooking could not be considered an art until the
Chou Dynasty (1122 - 249 B.C.).

The two dominant philosophies of the Chinese culture are
Confucianism and Taoism. Each influenced the course of
Chinese history and the development of the culinary arts.
Confucianism concerned itself with the art of cooking and
placed great emphasis on the enjoyment of life. To the
Chinese, food and friends are inseparable. A gathering
without food is considered incomplete and improper.

Confucius loved and respected the art of cooking. He
established culinary standards and proper table etiquette.
Most of these are still considered to be the standards even
today. The tradition of cutting foods into bite size pieces
during preparation is unique to the Chinese culture. The
use of knives at a Chinese dinner is considered "poor
taste."

Confucius taught that good cooking depends on the blending
of various ingredients and condiments rather than the taste
of the individual elements. He believed that in order to
become a good cook one must first be a good matchmaker. The
flavors of the ingredients must be blended with harmony.
Without harmony there is no taste. He also stressed the use
of color and texture in preparing the dish. Most certainly
Confucianism helped elevate cooking from a menial task to
the status of an art, "the art of Chinese cooking."

Taoism was responsible for the development of the hygienic
aspects of food and cooking. The principle objectives of
this philosophy were people's wish for longevity. In contrast
to supporters of Confucianism who were interested in the
taste, texture and appearance, Taoists were concerned with
the life-giving attributes of various foods.

Over the centuries the Chinese have explored the world of
plants, roots, herbs, fungus and seeds to find life-giving
elements. They discovered that the nutritional value of
vegetables could be destroyed by improper cooking and that
many items had medicinal value. For example, ginger, a
favorite condiment, is also used to soothe an upset stomach
and as a cold remedy.

Unlike the majority of eastern cuisines most Chinese dishes
are low-calorie and low-fat. Food is cooked using
poly-unsaturated oils; milk, cream, butter and cheese are
not a part of the daily diet. Animal fats are kept to a minimum
due to the small portions of meats used. Please note, however,
that some dishes served in Chinese restaurants may be
considerably higher in calories and fats than those in this
cookbook that you prepare at home.

Five Elements Theory of Chinese Cooking

He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skills of the physician."
(Chinese proverb)

Like the concept of yin and yang, the Five Elements Theory is at the cornerstone of Chinese culture. What is the Five Elements Theory? The Chinese believe that we are surrounded by five energy fields: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. However, the elements are not static: they are constantly moving and changing. (In fact, some scientists think the term "element" is misleading, and prefer to refer to the "five phases" or "five forces.")

Once the Chinese identified the five elements, they set about categorizing all phenomena within the five categories. Everything, from a river to sounds to the organs in our bodies, can be described in terms of the five elements. How things are characterized depends on their individual qualities. For example, earth is associated with growth and nourishment, so the spleen, which monitors the blood - digesting debris and producing antibodies when necessary - is categorized as an earth element.

Just as an imbalance between yin and yang can produce destructive forces, keeping all elements in balance promotes harmony both in our surroundings and ourselves. Of course, balancing five elements is a little more complicated than achieving harmony between two opposing forces. According to Chinese belief, each element acts upon two others, either giving birth to it or controlling it. For example, wood gives birth to fire and controls or suppresses earth. Similarly, fire gives birth to earth and controls metal. All the elements are constantly interacting with other elements - none stand alone. The table below outlines the relationships.

Gives Birth To	Controlling
Wood - Fire	Wood - Earth
Fire - Earth	Earth - Water
Earth - Metal	Water - Fire
Metal - Water	Fire - Metal
Water - Wood	Metal - Wood

To give an example from nature, a plant (wood) grows when it is given water. When burnt, wood gives birth to fire, and the burnt ashes subsequently return to the earth.

What role does the Five Elements Theory Play in the Chinese diet?

You'll see adherence to the five elements theory in many facets of Chinese life. Martial arts, for example: many schools have a series of basic movements, each designed to keep the body in harmony with one the elements. And the five elements theory plays a large role in Feng Shui, the latest trend in both landscaping and interior decorating. Literally meaning "wind and water," Feng Shui is all about aligning energies in your home or work environment in a way that is most conducive with your own personal energy.

As for diet, Chinese herbalists believe that, to properly treat a patient, you must know the state of the five elements in their body. A deficiency or an excess of an element can lead to illness. In The Chinese Kitchen: Recipes, Techniques, Ingredients, History, and Memories from America's Leading Authority on Chinese Cooking, Eileen Yin Fei-Lo provides some wonderful examples of how her grandmother used the principles of the five elements theory to cure common illnesses. Treating a cough with winter melon tea and fresh water chestnuts is just one example.

A detailed look at the use of five elements theory in diagnosing and treating illnesses is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice to say that practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine rely on it to explain the relationships between the body organs and tissues, as well as between the body and the outside environment. The table below outlines the relationship between the five elements and body parts, feelings, colors, and taste.

Element	Yin	Yang	Feelings	Colors	Tastes
Wood	Liver	Gall Bladder	Rage	Green	Sour
Fire	Heart	Small Intestine	Happiness	Red	Bitter
Earth	Spleen	Stomach	Thought	Yellow	Sweet
Metal	Lungs	Large Intestine	Sorrow	White	Spicy
Water	Kidneys	Bladder	Fear	Black	Salty

How would a physician use the above information to make a diagnosis? Let's say a patient suddenly developed a preference for sour food. This could indicate liver problems. Of course, the actual process of examining a patient and making a diagnosis is much more complex than merely consulting a chart. It requires a thorough understanding of the interaction between all the elements. Because time and date of birth are also thought to play a role in an individual's "state of the five elements," many physicians will consult astrological charts before making a diagnosis.

Szechuan Cuisine

Szechuan dishes originated in the late Qin (248~207 B.C.)
and the early Han Dynasties (206 B.C.~A.D. 220). This cooking
style is further developed in the Tang (A.D. 618~907) and
Song (A.D. 960~1279) Dynasties, but it only became famous in
the Ming (A.D. 1368˘�1644) and Qing (A.D. 1616˘�1911) Dynasties.
The natural environment and abundant resources in Szechuan
have help and developed the Szechuan style.

The Chuan (another name for Szechuan) style of cooking mainly
consists of four branches: Chengdu, Chongqing, Zigong and
vegetarian.

Chuan style of cooking puts much emphasis on ingredient
selection, design and colorcoordination.

Chuan style of cooking is best known for its special flavor.
There are five basic tastes: salty, sweet, tingling, hot and
sour. From these five groups they have derived 23 unique
flavors, such as homelytaste, saltydelicious, hot and
tingling and fishflavored.

Oily, delicate and strong flavor are distinguishing
characteristics of Chuan style of cooking. There are more
than 40 cooking methods in Szechuan but the most commonly
used are roast, stew, stirfry, and steam.

Chinese food reflects the eating culture and tradition of
the Chinese nation. Chinese foods is renowned for its originality and uniqueness.

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ecoasia - cuisine

History of Chinese Cuisine

Five Elements Theory of Chinese Cooking

What role does the Five Elements Theory Play in the Chinese diet?

ec^oasia - cuisine