Japanese Meat Dishes: A Basic Guide
Japanese Meat Dishes: A Basic Guide
Anonim

What comes to mind when you hear "Japanese cuisine"? Sushi, ramen, sake … Connoisseurs will also remember about natto, nabemono and "Japanese barbecue" teppanyaki. There is a stereotype that the Japanese only eat seafood, soy and strange vegetables that are not in our stores. But Japanese cuisine is much more varied. We will tell you about several meat dishes from the Land of the Rising Sun, which do not require outlandish ingredients to prepare.

Japanese Meat Dishes: A Basic Guide
Japanese Meat Dishes: A Basic Guide

Negimaki

Negimaki - meat dishes
Negimaki - meat dishes

The word maki in translation from Japanese means roll, roll. Negimaki are grilled thinly sliced beef rolls with green onions.

In a properly cooked negimaki, the onion does not taste bitter. It only makes the meat juicy and aromatic. Beef, in turn, gives the dish a special “meaty flavor”. What is called umami in Japan. In addition, the rolls, beautifully cut and sprinkled with sauce, look spectacular when served.

Teriyaki

Teriyaki - meat dishes
Teriyaki - meat dishes

Europeans are familiar with the phrase teriyaki chicken. Many restaurants serve chicken breasts, wings, or even thighs sprinkled with this sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. At the same time, garlic and spices are added to the sauce. Authentic teriyaki is made only with soy sauce, sugar, sake and sweet rice wine - mirin. This sauce is not difficult to prepare. The main thing is to keep the proportions.

Kushiyaki / Yakitori

Yakitori - meat dishes
Yakitori - meat dishes

Literally translated from Japanese, Kushiyaki means grilled on a spit. In fact, these are small meat and fish kebabs on bamboo skewers, fried over charcoal.

Kushiyaki is often identified with the yakitori. The latter is also a shashlik, only from chicken and always with a special sauce, which is poured over the chicken during cooking and serving. There are many variations of yakitori: sho niku (chicken legs with skin), hatsu (chicken heart), ninnikuma (chicken legs with garlic), and so on.

Yakitori is a popular street food in Japan, much like triangular rice onigiri and fried octopus balls takoyaki. Yakitori pair well with beer and are often served with a frothy drink at izakaya Japanese bars.

Tsukune

Tsukune - meat dishes
Tsukune - meat dishes

Tsukune are round or oval meatballs. In Japan, they are most often prepared from chicken; there are also recipes with pork and beef.

Usually tsukune is grilled with yakitori sauce, but sometimes the meatballs are simmered, baked in the oven, or pan-fried.

Karaage

Karaage - meat dishes
Karaage - meat dishes

Karaage is not a dish, but a culinary technique. This is deep-frying food. Most often, chicken is cooked in this way, but maybe fish and vegetables.

The karaage chicken is first marinated in soy sauce, garlic and / or ginger. Then breaded in potato starch and fried. As a result, the chicken is crispy and very juicy.

Katsu

Katsu - meat dishes
Katsu - meat dishes

The word katsu can be translated as "cutlet". But in Japan, cutlets are not minced cakes. The Japanese borrowed the term from French, where côtelette originally meant a thin piece of meat.

Therefore, katsu is pork chops breaded with bread crumbs. To be more precise, Japanese katsu is a complex dish, when pork cutlet (sometimes chicken), cabbage salad, boiled rice and a bowl of miso soup are served on the table.

Yakiniku

Yakiniku - meat dishes
Yakiniku - meat dishes

Literally translated, yakiniku is fried meat. This word is used to denote the method of cooking meat and the name of the dish - grilled beef.

Yakinik restaurants have special tables with gas or coal burners in the center. Visitors are served the finest slices of raw beef, vegetables and various sauces. The traditional yakiniku sauce is ponzu, which is made with lemon juice, soy sauce, mirin rice wine, kombu seaweed and katsuobushi dried smoked tuna.

Guests themselves prepare the meat to the desired degree of doneness. The process is very appetizing and the result is delicious.

Kakuni

Kakuni - meat dishes
Kakuni - meat dishes

These are pork cubes stewed over very low heat in fish (!) Dashi broth and mirin rice wine. Sometimes a little sugar is also added. Served with fresh ginger and leeks. Pork brisket is used to prepare the traditional kakuni.

This dish is especially popular in Nagasaki. It is believed that the kakuni recipe came to the Land of the Rising Sun from China.

You can easily find detailed recipes for the presented dishes in Russian on the Web. Moreover, as a rule, they are not adapted, but close to the original. There are many dishes in Japanese cuisine, the ingredients for which can be purchased at your local supermarket.

Have you tried any of this article? Share your gastronomic experience in the comments.

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