GLOSSARY OF SOME TERMS

OF ASIAN CUISINE
 Sesame oil:
it is an oil made from sesame, widely used in Japanese cooking. However, its
aroma is very strong, therefore it is not used in large quantities. It is used in
some stir-fries and soups for flavoring.

Age:
fried in abundant oil (pronounced “ague”). For example, agedashi tofu (fried
battered tofu) and kara-age (fried battered chicken).

Seaweed:
there are many varieties of seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, which follow
different procedures. The best known are nori seaweed , used in the
preparation of sushi. There is also kombu seaweed , used in the brothdashi ,
aonori , used as a condiment, and wakame , used as an ingredient in many
soups, especially miso .

Anko:
sweet paste or puree made from boiled beans. Generally the word anko
refers to the azuki bean paste (red beans), but the same anko preparation is
used for other bean varieties. It is native to China, but is widely used in
Japanese cuisine, especially in the preparation of desserts such as dorayaki ,
manju , and daifuku .

Aonori:
variety of deep green seaweed, chopped into very small pieces, which is
generally used to flavor dishes, sprinkling it on top. You can substitute
chopped nori , but it doesn’t taste the same.

Carolina double rice:

Gohan rice:
It is rice cooked using the gohan technique, that is, previously washed and
cooked at a low temperature until the water is completely consumed. It is
the basis of the Japanese diet and is served practically at all meals, within the
preparation of the dish or in a separate bowl. It is prepared with a short and
thick grain rice, such as double carolina.
 Azuki:
small red beans or beans. Its flavor is somewhat sweet, which is why it is
often used in the preparation of desserts, generally in the form of paste
( anko ). It can be substituted for another type of bean according to the
recipe.

Pretty:
the katsuo(pretty in Spanish) is a saltwater fish, belonging to the tuna family.
It is often used in Japanese cuisine, dried and cut into small “flakes”
( katsuobushi ), as the main ingredient in dashi broth , the base of almost all
Japanese soups. It is not convenient to find a substitute for it, but if it is not
possible to find one, in the case of preparing soups, it can be replaced by
some other type of fish broth.

Soybean sprouts:
are the prematurely removed shoots of the soybean plant. Very popular in
oriental cuisine, especially in China, where it is used as an ingredient in wok
stir-fries, such as chop suey .. It can be eaten raw in a salad, or sautéed with a
very short cook, to maintain the crunchy texture.
 Butaniku:
pork ( buta : pork, niku : meat).

Cha:
generic Japanese word for tea. Its kanji (ideogram)茶 means both tea and
brown. Green tea is called ocha.

Chaw fan:
previously cooked rice, stir-fried in a wok along with other ingredients, such
as meat, vegetables, mushrooms, or eggs. Typical dish of Chinese cuisine,
very popular all over the world.

Chawan:
It is a kind of cup without a handle, to serve hot drinks or soups. Its main use
is to serve thematcha , the Japanese green tea drunk during the tea
ceremony.
 Chawanmushi:
Japanese savory custard, steamed inside a chawan cup .

Chirashizushi:
A variety of sushi consisting of a layer of sushi rice with fish, tamagoyaki , and
nori seaweed forming another layer on top of the rice.

Chop suey:
Stir-fried bean sprouts, vegetables and meat in a wok. Dish originating from
China.

Chow mein:
also known as chow mien or chaw mein , they are wok -fried Chinese
noodlesalong with meat and vegetables. It can be prepared with both wheat
noodles and rice noodles.

Chukamen:
traditional Chinese noodles, the kind used to prepare ramen .
 Daifuku:
Japanese dessert made with glutinous rice flour dough ( mochiko ), shaped
like a ball a little smaller than a fist, and with different sweet fillings, such as
anko or strawberries ( ichigo daifuku ).

Daikon:
medium-sweet Japanese turnip, elongated in shape and white in color. It is
not as spicy as the radish we eat in the West. It is usually eaten cut into thin
slices, seasoned with vinegar or mixed in salads, and is considered good for
digestion.

Dango:
small dumplings made from glutinous rice flour ( mochiko ), usually boiled or
steamed. They are usually sweet and therefore accompany desserts, such as
sweet soups or sauces.

Dim-sum:
Chinese steamed snacks. There are many varieties and they are served
together with Chinese tea.
 Donburi:
it is a large bowl of gohan rice , accompanied by a dish, such as meat, fish or
vegetables, which instead of being separated, is placed directly on top of the
rice. The most popular varieties are katsudon (pork schnitzel over rice),
oyakodon (chicken and egg over rice) and gyûdo n (meat over rice).

Dashi:
Basic Japanese broth, prepared with kombu seaweed and katsuobushi (dried
bonito flakes). It is used as a base for lots of soups and sauces. It does not
have any good substitute, but you could use a vegetable broth or some other
fish broth, if necessary.

Dorayaki:
Japanese dessert, similar to alfajor, consisting of two disks of pancake-like
dough, with sweet filling in the middle. It may be filled with anko , chocolate,
or any other sweet paste.
 Fugu:
it is the famous puffer fish, some of whose organs are absolutely poisonous
and lethal, and only professional chefs with their due license can prepare this
dish. It’s not very popular in Japan for obvious reasons.

Furikake:
it would come to be a kind of “condiment” made up of various dry
ingredients, such as nori seaweed strips , stuffed fish, eggs and vegetables.
There are many combinations and flavors, and it is usually used to flavor
gohan rice , which does not have any type of dressing. It is sold in oriental
supermarkets in small packages, and to consume it, the content is poured
directly on the rice plate.

Futomaki:
variety of sushi, like a conventional roll (rice and stuffing inside, seaweed
outside) but a little bigger than a normal maki . It usually has several fillings.

Gari:
they are the vinegared ginger slices that are usually eaten together with
sushi. Its refreshing flavor cleanses the palate to appreciate more the flavor
of each piece.
 Gohan:
See Gohan Rice .

Goma:
Japanese word for sesame seeds. There are white and black sesame seeds,
and they are often used previously roasted as a seasoning in many foods, to
give more flavor.

Goma-ae:
Japanese salad prepared with spinach and sesame seeds.

Gyoza:
They are like little dumplings (not like Chinese dumplings, but made of dough
like dumplings), stuffed with pork and vegetables, steamed and sautéed,
eaten with a special sauce. They are originally from China but very popular in
Japan.
 Maki:
Japanese word for “roll” (means roll or roll, depending on context). It is
generally used to name the varieties of roll-shaped sushi.

Makisu:
bamboo mat used to roll sushi.

Manju:
sweet dumplings filled with anko , steamed.

Maruchan:
Brand of instant ramen noodle soups .

Matcha:
powdered green tea. It is the one used in the tea ceremony, but you can get
it in oriental supermarkets or health food houses that have many varieties of
tea.
 Mirin:
sweet rice wine. It is only used for cooking, especially in preparations with
medium sweet and sour sauces and soups. Depending on the preparation, it
can be replaced by white wine or some tasteless sweet liquor.

Miso:
Fermented soybean paste. There are different colors depending on the
fermentation time (white is the youngest and softest, and red and black are
the oldest, with the most intense flavor). It is used as a base for sauces and
soups and also as a filling in some preparations such as onigiri . It lasts more
than 4 months in the fridge if it is kept well packaged, in a glass jar.

Ramen:
Soup with noodles originating from China. It usually has meat, vegetables and
a hard-boiled egg in the soup. The noodles and other ingredients are eaten
with the chopsticks, and the soup is drunk directly from the bowl. They are
very popular as fast food throughout China and Japan, and in the rest of the
world they became popular thanks to the instant ramen that you buy in
supermarkets, which cooks in 3 minutes. The most popular brands in the
West are Sapporo Ichiban and Maruchan, but in Asia there are many brands
of instant ramen. You can get many of these in oriental supermarkets, but
the varieties from China and Korea are much spicier than those from Sapporo
Ichiban and Maruchan.

Sake

:japanese rice wine It can be drunk both hot and cold. It is also used for

cooking. In Japan it is known as osake , and the word sake is used to refer to
salmon.

Soy sauce:
see Shoyu .

Sashimi:
raw fish cut into fillets. It is not a variety of sushi, since it does not have rice.
But it is usually served together with sushi. As it does not require any type of
cooking or seasoning, all attention is focused on its appearance, so a good
Japanese chef must make extremely neat cuts. It is usually presented forming
attractive figures, such as flowers. It is served together with thinly sliced
cucumber, shredded cabbage, and gari .
 Satsumaimo:
Japanese sweet potato.

Sesame seeds:
see Gum.

Shoyu:
Soy sauce, made from fermented soybeans. It is native to China but is widely
consumed in Japan and the rest of the world. The Japanese variety is milder,
and is used in just about everything from soups, to stir-fries, to sauces.

Soba:
Variety of Japanese noodles made with buckwheat flour. They are usually
eaten cold with a soy-based sauce in summer, or stir-fried with other
ingredients ( yakisoba ) in winter.

Su:
Rice vinegar used in Japanese cooking, especially in the preparation of sushi.
 Sukiyaki:
Something similar to a fondue, the ingredients (meat, tofu, vegetables and
mushrooms) are served raw on the table, and a special sukiyaki pot with a
burner, filled with a special broth, is placed in the middle. The ingredients are
cooked over low heat at the moment.