Every good chef must have a number of key ingredients at their disposal to create wonderful food as easily as possible. Be that olive oil or salt and pepper for French cooking, or spices for Indian cooking, Japanese cooking also requires a number of ingredients at hand.
These are the 10 essential ingredients for Japanese cooking. I use at least one of them in every Japanese dish I create. They are all cheap and available readily in the west – don’t worry if you can’t get the one shown in the picture – as long as your ingredient has the word ‘Japanese’ on it, the chances are the quality will be good
They all also last for a long time, so it’s worth stocking your cupboards with them so they are always on hand.
The most essential of these ingredients are available to be delivered direct to your door in our handy and convenient Sumobox™. Click here to learn more.
All photography unless otherwise stated was taken by Kram at Gold Hat Photography.
1. Japanese Rice
This may be self evident, but it is essential that you use Japanese rice in Japanese cooking. Some will attempt to cook using Jasmin rice or Thai rice, but it just doesn’t work. Japanese rice is totally scentless and is sticky enough to hold together which is essential for dishes such as sushi. There are many different brands, but I recommend Japanese rice that is made in the USA. The taste is the same as good Japanese rice, but cheaper than other brands. My personal favourites are Akita Komachi and Koshi Hikari which are also made in California and are identical to their Japanese counterparts since the same seeds are used.
Sometimes in my recipes such as Sticky Chicken Rice I use mochikome which is sticky Japanese rice.
2. Japanese Soy Sauce
There are several countries which produce soy sauce so it may not be immediately evident that you are not buying Japanese soy sauce. My favourite brand and the one that you’re most likely to find at western supermarkets is Kikoman. Sometimes you may find two types – Koikuchi (black, deep colour) and Usukuchi (lighter colour but saltier). It doesn’t really matter which one you use but in all my recipes here I used koikuchi.
This essential ingredient for Japanese cooking is one of the products included in the Sumobox™, delivered direct to your door. Click here to learn more.
3. Saké
Saké (Japanese alcohol) is often used in Japanese cooking much like white wine is used in western cooking. You can actually substitute white wine if you have no ne, but make sure it isn’t a sweet white. Any brand is fine.
This essential ingredient for Japanese cooking is one of the products included in the Sumobox™, delivered direct to your door. Click here to learn more.
4. Mirin
Mirin is is an essential condiment used in Japanese cuisine, consisting of around 50% sugar. It is a kind of rice wine similar to Saké, but with a lower alcohol content. It is used to sweeten dishes (but less than sugar), reduce the smell of certain fish dishes and give vegetables and other food a shiny appearance.
This essential ingredient for Japanese cooking is one of the products included in the Sumobox™, delivered direct to your door. Click here to learn more.
5. Fish stock powder (hon dashi)
I use this in almost every meal I make here. Normally the stock is made from swordfish, but it doesn’t have a fishy taste at all – it is used as chicken stock would be in western food, but is far more common. It is hard to describe exactly what it tastes like or what it does to the dish, but if you imagine the fantastic taste of miso soup, this is created from miso, water and fish stock alone! My latest recipe using fish stock is the super popular dish Oyako Don.
This essential ingredient for Japanese cooking is one of the products included in the Sumobox™, delivered direct to your door. Click here to learn more.
6. Japanese mayonnaise
Japanese are very fussy about mayonnaise. They cannot understand the popularity of western egg mayonnaise since their mayonnaise is so different in flavour. My favourite brand is Aji no Moto but it is not available in Australia. Perhaps you can find it in your country, but if not, Kewpie is a good alternative. I use it a lot for curries, salad, pasta, sauces and Japan’s favourite dish, Ebi mayo!
This essential ingredient for Japanese cooking is one of the products included in the Sumobox™, delivered direct to your door. Click here to learn more.
7. Rice vinegar
Make sure you use Japanese rice vinegar in all the recipes features on this site, not any other type of vinegar even Chinese rice vinegar which is readily available in the west. It is used for dressings and sauce. Harusame salad is a delicious and refreshing salad using rice vinegar.
8. Ponzu
Ponzu is a citrus based sauce used in many delicious Japanese sauces, in dishes such as Japanese hotpot, Chijimi (Korean pancakes) and hamburgers.
9. Potato starch (kata kuri ko)
This is used when you want to make sauce a little thicker and stickier like flour may be used in western cooking. It is often used when frying to make the sauce stick to the meat, (as in this Chinese and pepper stirfry) or in deep frying to make the meat super crisy. It creates more crisp than flour would.
10. Pan ko
These are bread crumbs, but softer and fluffier than western alternatives. They are used to make deep fried dishes light and crispy. If you can’t get hold of it, you can just shred white bread into tiny pieces and use it in the same way. Japanese hamburgers are always made with panko and milk.
This essential ingredient for Japanese cooking is one of the products included in the Sumobox™, delivered direct to your door. Click here to learn more.
Yeah, this is definitely a great blog. I have to say, though, that Kanako would never ever let me buy Panko from the store. bread + blender = panko
Hi, I went to an Asian supermarket looking for mirin – what I found was called Mirin but also had a description on the bottle as ‘sweet sake’. Can you confirm if that is actually mirin? Thanks so much!
Yes, mirin is sweet sake.
Hello,
Do you know where there is an asian supermarket in Melbourne that stocks Japanese products? Or where I can buy them online?
Hi there. Sorry no I’m not familiar with Melbourne
I can answer this one. Here’s a list of Japanese grocers around Australia.
http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/food/foodshopping.html
I lived in Hawthorn many years ago and used Suzuran a lot. It may have changed hands many times since I’ve been living in Japan, though.
Sumo-san (g), lovely looking blog you have here! I especially like your photography. Do you have any special lighting, etc., you use for your shots?
My Japanese food blog covering mainly Orange Page recipes is still in its infancy. Getting home from work at 7 pm and trying to eat by 8, I don’t have a lot of time to muck about with the camera, and you know the joys of Japanese lighting, I’m sure (g).
Wow thanks Saffron
regarding the photos, no it’s just bad kitchen lighting really! I use a Nikon d40 with a 35mm 1.8 lens, if that helps 
Tokyo Deli, 418 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick
can you tell me if potato starch is the same as corn starch? I can get cornflour which is a lighter thickening agent than flour but am struggling to find potato starch
Hi Leeanne! Yes they’re practically interchangeable in Asian cooking, so you’ll be fine
Hi there,
kakko ii saito desu yo (=Awesome website)! Your site has got me salivating for Japanese cuisine all over again.
I have a question about hondashi. You wrote above that it is normally made from swordfish. Are you really sure about that? I had read that it is made from “bonito”, a smaller member of the tuna family (“katsuo” in Japanese).
Thankyou most kindly/yorosiku onegai simasu!!
-Craig
Hi Craig! Yes you’re right, it is more commonly made from bonito. I think I must have only used swordfish varieties in the past or something?! Thanks for the comment
Can any one please tell me how much these ingredients are approximately (in dollars)?
I don’t have a lot of money and I need an idea before I hit the market. Forgive my ignorance I’m just a family mother with low income who wants to cook new things for her famliy. Thank you!
Can any one please tell me how much these ingredients are approximately (in dollars)?
I don’t have a lot of money and I need an idea before I hit the market. Forgive my ignorance I’m just a family mother with low income who wants to cook new things for her famliy. Thank you!
Hi Nina! If you stick to an Asian grocery or market rather than a western super market, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the cost of ingredients