Japanese Condiments

When you eat sushi or go to Japanese restaurants, you will come across several jars or bottles of different condiments placed on the table. But, do you know what those condiments are or what they taste like? Here are some of the basic condiments found in Japanese restaurants.

Soy Sauce - Shoyu

Shoyu, or soy sauce, is perhaps the most well known of Japanese condiments. It's a dark sauce made from fermented boiled soybeans and roasted wheat, creating a salty but pleasant, savory taste. You will find it not only in traditional Japanese restaurants but also in most any restaurant in Japan

It's the most essential condiment for Japanese sushi and sashimi. At traditional sushi restaurants, soy sauce is also called "murasaki." Kikkoman is the largest brand of soy sauce, but smaller, rarer brews of soy sauce in different flavors are made throughout Japan.

Wasabi - Japanese Horseradish

Wasabi is a green paste condiment prepared at traditional Japanese restaurants. This variety of Japanese horseradish is typically eaten with sushi and sashimi. You may experience a burning sensation inside your nose or even pain in your head if you eat too much at once, but this doesn't last very long. This is a completely unique Japanese condiment, so you should definitely try it when here. Remember that a little bit goes a long way!

Pickled Ginger for Sushi - Gari

Pickled and fermented foods in Japan are found everywhere, including at sushi restaurants. Called "gari" in Japanese, this type of pickled ginger is used to freshen the palate when eating sushi. Gari is ranges from a slightly yellow, light color, to a faint pink. Try eating it in between bites of your rolls for a refreshing, spicy and salty treat.

Recipe for Pickled Ginger

Tangy Worcester Sauce for Okonomiyaki, Yakisoba, and Katsu Cutlets

Sauce is found at family-style restaurant chains like Gusto, and at western-style Japanese restaurants. It is black or brown in color and has a sweet-sour taste. It's essentially Worcester sauce, which is made from vegetables, fruits, spices, sugar and soy sauce. In Japanese, it's typically just known as "sauce."

At some restaurants, it may look quite similar to soy sauce, but it is thicker and smells sweet. If you can't tell which one is which, try smelling it before you pour. Sauces come in different varieties and thicknesses, used for katsu pork cutlets (shown in picture), okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and takoyaki. It is an essential condiment for dishes, giving it a tangy, savory, and sweet flavor that is very satisfying.

Ponzu

A classic Japanese condiment, ponzu is a citrus-based sauce that you could easily confuse for soy sauce. Ponzu is typically made from citrus juices including yuzu and sudachi, mixed with vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and dashi. In fact, you can easily make ponzu yourself, but you’ll also find plenty of bottled versions at any Japanese grocery store. Ponzu’s light and refreshing flavour makes it an ideal condiment for dishes like shabu shabu, marinades, dressings and even cold noodles. You can also try dipping your sushi or sashimi in ponzu instead of soy sauce.

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook.

½ cup soy sauce
½ cup citrus juice (See Notes: I love the mixture of 6 Tbsp lemon juice + 2 Tbsp orange juice)
lemon zest from one lemon
2 Tbsp mirin (2 Tbsp sake or water + 2 tsp sugar)
½ cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (packed; 6 g; skip for vegan)
1 piece kombu (dried kelp) (2" x 3" strip; 6 g)

Gather all the ingredients.

Combine all the ingredients in a sterilized mason jar and mix well.

Steep in the refrigerator overnight (minimum), for several days, or for up to a week. Some restaurants steep for a month, especially if you make a big batch.

After steeping, drain over a sieve to get rid of katsuobushi and kombu. You can use leftover kombu and katsuobushi to make homemade furikake (Japanese rice seasoning).

To Store
You can keep homemade ponzu in the mason jar for up to 1 month (to be safe); however, if you substitute mirin with water and sugar, please use it within a week. When you use ponzu, make sure not to cross-contaminate. The sauce can last for 6-12 months if you sanitize and keep everything clean during making the ponzu.

RECIPE NOTES
Citrus Juice: You can use lemon, or mixture of juice from lemon, orange, or grapefruit.

Shichimi Seven Spice Blend and Ichimi Chili Pepper

You will find red flakes of spice at soba or udon noodle restaurants in Japan. There are two types: one is called ichimi, which is ground dried red chili peppers, and the other is shichimi, which has a base of ichimi, with six other spices added to it.

If you’ve eaten at any Japanese soba or udon noodle restaurant, you’ve probably come across a small shaker or wooden block filled with red-coloured spice – that’s shichimi. The seasoning, also known as shichimi togarashi, is a seven-spice blend that’s been around since the Edo period (1603-1868).

Today, the blend varies depending on the region it’s from, but typically the mix includes dried red chili pepper (ichimi), sesame seeds, poppy seeds, hemp seeds, nori (dried seaweed), sansho pepper, and orange or yuzu peel. Although shichimi contains a fair amount of pepper, it’s actually not that spicy; it just adds an extra depth of flavour to any bowl of udon, soba or even nabe hotpot. Shichimi is also popular for sprinkling on meat dishes such as yakitori and gyudon beef bowls.

Pickled Ginger - Beni Shoga

Beni shoga is found at restaurants serving gyudon (beef rice bowl restaurants), like Yoshinoya and Matsuya, and at Hakata ramen restaurants. It is ginger pickled in plum vinegar and colored with shokubeni.* It tastes sour, sweet, salty and spicy all at the same time. Its vivid red-pink hue gives dishes a pop of color and is said to boost your appetite.

Beni shoga is also used often for takoyaki and okonomiyaki in areas like Osaka, adding a refreshing layer of flavor. It can be found as a tempura ingredient sometimes, too.

Sesame Seeds - Goma

Sesame seeds in Japan are a popular condiment used in many dishes, including ramen. The most common types of sesame seeds, or goma, are white, black, and golden (shiro goma, kuro goma, and kin goma), and all contain healthy fats and vitamins, making them a highly-nutritional and tasty condiment. Sesame seeds are found in small grinders or in jars at restaurants and add a nutty, slightly creamy component to the dish you're enjoying. Sprinkle on some whole sesame seeds or crushed sesame seeds to the ramen to try it yourself.

Sesame seeds are used frequently in cooking in Japan––black sesame is used often in sweets, as a topping for mochi and in baking.

Japanese Mustard - Karashi

Karashi is a yellow mustard paste often found in little packages or in a small jar. It's spicier than what you might find in other countries. Karashi is found at Chinese, Japanese, and family restaurants, as well as at food stands. Karashi is usually added to dishes such as katsu (fried and breaded pork cutlet) and oden (a Japanese winter hot pot dish). It also pairs well with hiyashi chuka (a Japanese chilled noodle salad) and shumai pork dumplings. Anyone who is a fan of spice should try this refreshing, hot mustard.

Chili Oil - Rayu

You will find this vivid red oil in Chinese restaurants and at rāmen shops. It's made from chili peppers and it is really potent when added to dishes, even if you only add a small amount. Though it's mostly used to make sauce for gyoza as mentioned above, if you're a spicy food fan, why not add it to other dishes too?

Salt - Shio

Salt is a condiment used in every country, but in Japan, you might discover unexpectedly creative types of salt. In addition to ordinary table salt and rock salt, there is wasabi salt, plum salt, and even . These specialty salts are typically enjoyed with tempura (battered and deep-fried seafood and vegetables) instead of a soy sauce-based tempura broth. This experience will allow you to enjoy different flavors and better taste the tempura.

If you take a closer look at the salt shakers in Japan, you might see some larger white grains inside - it's rice, placed there to absorb moisture and keep the salt dry.

Pepper - Kosho

Pepper is also used in most of the countries in the world and Japan is no exception. There are two types of pepper commonly found in Japan: black pepper and white pepper. White pepper is more commonly found at Chinese restaurants, and because it looks quite similar to salt, it's a good idea to double-check before adding it to your meal. Black pepper could be in either a pepper mill or in a shaker.

The next time you are out at a Japanese restaurant, why not give one or more of these condiments a taste test? You might just find the mild spice you have been looking for.

Vinegar - Osu

You will find vinegar, or osu, at the tables and counters of most ramen shops and Chinese restaurants in Japan. As you know, vinegar tastes sour but adds a sharp freshness to dishes. Most of the vinegar found at restaurants in Japan is rice vinegar. This vinegar is also used when making vinegared rice used to make sushi.

The vinegar in Japan is transparent or slightly yellow in color. A great way to use it is to make a sauce for gyoza (Japanese potstickers) by mixing soy sauce and vinegar together and then adding some chili oil (ra-yu). You can also mix some vinegar into rice to create the classic sushi rice.