One of the most delicious summer foods is shaved ice with shaved ice shavings. In Japan this year, shaved ice coated with fresh cream and topped with fruit to resemble shortcake is very popular. Shaved ice stores offering shaved ice made with natural ice to make it fluffy have long lines of customers every day. This shaved ice machine is convenient for those who want to eat it at home. Since it is an automatic type, shaved ice can be made simply by pulling the lever on the right side toward you.
The lightweight cup for Japanese rice is 1 cup (180 ml) and it is called “1 合(Ichi Gou)”. The key to cooking good rice is not to wash the rice too much. Soak the rice once in water, then discard it and stir it without water. A milky, starchy liquid will come out, which is then poured off. Repeat this two or three times until the water becomes slightly clear. Then cook the rice in a regular Japanese lightweight cup with 200 ml of water per cup.
Measuring cups are useful for anything. Japanese measuring cups have a standard maximum capacity of 200 ml, so please keep this in mind when preparing Japanese dishes. In this video, I used a measuring cup to make mentsuyu (Japanese noodle soup). This soup is a bit thick, so please dilute it with water or hot water to your liking. It can be used as a sauce for noodle dishes such as udon, soba, and somen, as well as for simmered dishes, etc. It is very versatile, so please try making it!
An indispensable part of Japanese cooking is the chopsticks called “Saibashi”. They are longer than the chopsticks used for eating, and are used not only while cooking, but also when dividing food among plates. Normally, only two chopsticks are used, but this time I will introduce the cooking chopsticks along with some dishes where using four of them is convenient.
Mortar and pestle is said to be “Suribachi” and “Surikogi” in Japanese. A characteristic of Japanese mortar and pestle is that it has ridges on the surface of the the mortar make it easy to crush ingredients to some extent without exerting much effort. And because they are made of ceramic, they are lightweight, and final product can be displayed on the dining table as they are.
Do you like gyoza? I love gyoza, so I often make them at home. And I use this gyoza spatula when I do. Of course, you can use a spoon, but this tool is very time-saving because it allows you to quickly put the right amount of ingredients on the gyoza skin and spread it nice and thin. And of course, it can be used not only for dumplings, but also for spreading jam or butter on toast. For Gyoza & Gyoza Pastry recipe, please visit my food blog “YUCa’s Japanese Cooking”!
Have you all heard of Okonomiyaki? In Japan, we use this kitchen tool for this dish, I thought I’d give it a whirl and see what it can do for okonomiyaki! This oil container has a brush so that just the right amount of oil can be drawn thinly and evenly over the pan.
Do you have leftover food scraps scattered all over your workbench while cooking? In such cases, I would like to recommend this Multi-Eco Stand. I love it so much that I use it every time I use it on my recipe video channel. If you don’t like to use plastic bags, I recommend covering them with bags made of newspaper or paper. Aside from being a trash can, it can also be used as a holder to dry glasses, cups, etc. It can be folded compactly for easy storage.
In Japan, we use this drop Lid called “Otoshibuta” when we cook simmered or stir-fried dishes. People sometimes use wooden ones or cooking sheets, but I like this product because it can be easily adjusted to fit the size of my pots and pans. Regardless of its appearance, it is also easy to wash. It’s thin and small and it’s also convenient for storage.
When you are cooking, do you ever have a lot of things out on the cooking table and before you know it, they are all in a mess?
This is especially true when you are cooking something you don’t usually cook or when you are cooking a recipe for the first time. In such cases, I would like to recommend this cooking utensil.
I used to make miso soup with chopsticks in my right hand and a spoon in my left, and it took a long time to dissolve the miso. However, since I started using this miso muddler, I can cook with only one hand, and miso dissolves quickly in the broth, making the cooking time shorter. You can measure the larger one as 2 tablespoons and the smaller one as 1 tablespoon.
It is called a miso muddler, but it is useful not only for making miso soup, but also for making homemade dressing, mixing eggs, making pastries, and stirring little things. I really recommend this kitchen tool!