Japanese foods--itamemono

[torakris]

The Japanese aren't too well known for their stir fries, but they do have them.

What are some of your favorites?

[DavidJS]

Are you talking about Sukiyaki? Cuz that's the only dish I can think of eating on occassion during my youth.

[torakris]

sukiyaki is considered a nabe mono.

Itamemono are things like kinpira or champuru

there are very few "traditional" itame dishes, but in today's Japan this probably one of the most common cooking technigues used for the everyday meal. You can itame anything, meats, seafood, tofu, vegetables, sea vegetables with any type of seasoning.

[margaret]

I can't think of any Japanese stir fries that I enjoy either. Does kinpira count?

I guess buta-kimchi is a popular one in Japan (pork stir fried with kimchi), but that's not really Japanese. Or chinchao ro-su (beef with peppers), but that's Chinese. As is ma-bo dofu. I'm sensing a trend.

Sometimes I'll make a simple yasai-itame (stir fried vegetables) with more of a Japanese flavor as opposed to a Chinese one, but it's never anything too interesting (or distinctly Japanese).

[smallworld]

Well, I think it's safe to call buta-kimchi and tonkatsu Japanese, even if the technique or certain ingedients originated in other countries. If you go back a thousand years, Japanese cooking would be really different than what is considered 'traditional' today- no soy sauce, sushi, miso, or tea, no oil was used for cooking, and rice was a luxury common people couldn't enjoy.

So let's not be too picky here! Itame can also be translated as saute, which might help broaden the category a little.

I like kimpira with burdock and lotus root.

In the spring my favourite stir-fry is with rapini and slices of chicken breast. Flavoured simply, with a bit of garlic, hot tougarashi pepper, sake and salt. I love rapini so much and it's a shame that it's not more popular back home in Canada.

Most of the stir-fries I make are itame-ni, which are dishes that are sauted first and then simmered.

A favourite itame-ni is thinly sliced daikon stir-fried with chunks of drained firm tofu, simmered in sake and soy sauce.

[Jason Perlow]

Today while food and produce shopping at a local Korean/Japanese supermarket, I was browsing the aisles looking for some oil to fry our Latkes in and noticed that there was a HUGE abundance of sesame oil but much less neutral vegetable oils and peanut oils (which is what we use for deep frying most of the time) than I thought.

What types of oil for what purposes are used in

1) Japanese Cuisine?

2) Korean Cuisine?

3) Chinese Cuisine?

4) Southeast Asian Cuisines?

I know from experience in Chinese supermarkets that there are different oil blends for stir frying and also they use peanut oils and other kinds of oils for deep frying.

I thought that all of these cultures used basically the same types of oils, but I now realize this is a much more complex issue.

I had thought sesame oil was primarily a condiment. Do Koreans and Japanese really deep fry with it?

[wesza]

Jason: There is avast disparity about the oils used for most Asian Cooking, especially in the USA.

The oil most commomly used in American Chinese Restaurants is whatever Vegetable Oil is most reasonably priced in 5 Gallon Containers. Where there is a choice the most popular oils are Peanut or Soy Bean.

For enhancing Flavor, Taste or Finishing Dishes the Toasted 1st press Seseme Oils or Refined Peanut Oil are utilized.

For Chinese Cooking in Hong Kong and China, where the favorite Peanut Oils are produced locally they tend to have a lower smoke point then our domestic oils, plus invariably have a residue peanut taste.

This generally is alleviated plus adds a tasty character to the oil by putting some sliced Ginger and Garlic into the Hot Oil placed into the Wok before actually starting to cook the food. Thois is strained off from the hot oil, removing the Peanut Tastes. Thisis sometimes attributed to the unique taste of Hong Kong Chinese Food.

The other major Oil used for Cooking in Hong Kong is a rendered type of Lard imported from Holland that combines Beef Fat together with Pork Fat [often imported from the USA into Holland] that is shipped by the Boatload into Hong Kong and China in 30 Kilo Containers. This fat is also given the Garlic, Ginger Treatment before being used for Cooking. It's also the preferred shortning for most Bakeries. It's the most reasonable priced Oil Product. It is especially popular in Peking and Shanghai Foods.

For Taiwan the most popular Oil used is Rape Seed Oil imported in Large Containers and Drums as well as Peanut Oils.

Most of the other countries also import various oils in Bulk for repacking, but receive mostly vegetable and nut oils.

The Japanese and Koreans both are capable of refining oils, and even are manufacturing them in Australia, Canada and the United States but still continue to import Lard and other Solid Fats.

The type of Seseme Oil that is used for Deep Frying is oil that has been filtered and refined so that there is no Seseme Taste remaining, very similar to our refined commercial Peanut Oil. This is the prefered oil that is used in most Tempura Restaurants in Japan traditionally.

There are many variations on Oils that are used for Flavoring or Marinating Different Foods, even for preparing Chili Oils or Codiments.

In a Japanese Department Store with a Retail Food Court you will find a very large selection of Seseme Oils, that are more expensive then the finest Olive Oils in our Gourmet Shops.

Irwin

[Jason Perlow]

Wow. I had no idea it got this complicated.

[Pan]

In Malaysia, and I figure Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, coconut oil is traditional.

[torakris]

I can really only speak for Japan, the most popular oil here for everything from salad dressings to deep frying seems to be plain old vegetable oil. Canola oils seem to be edging them out for home use though and a variety of others have popped onto the market recently including a lot of "healthy" oils.

Peanut oil is rarely used in Japan and for the foreigner (me ) who is looking for it it can be impossible to find.

Deep frying in restaurants will of course depend on the restaurant and the food but in general it is a mix of lard and vegetable oils.

Some tempura places do use all sesame oil, others a mix and I have often seem recipes calling for just a couple of tablespoons to be added to the regular at home.

Sesame oil also is used for stirfrying some dishes like kinpira or dishes of Chinese origin.

[JC]

Here in Malaysia, peanut oil is very popular for home cooking (incl. deep frying). Soy bean oil is gaining more acceptance (seen as more healthy) but the higher price is keeping it from really taking off.

Right now I'm using rice bran oil (from Thailand). Supposedly has many good benefits: http://www.thaiedibleoil.com/more_info/main.htm

[Pan]

JC, has peanut oil made some inroads into the use of coconut oil in Malaysia? How recent is the phenomenon? And is it mostly restricted to Chinese cooking, or are there many Malays and Indians who use peanut oil nowadays?

[wesza]

There are still areas in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillipines that use Palm Kernal Oil and Coconut Oil for stir frying, but it doesn't get used often for deep frying as it easily becomes solid after use and often becomes rancid if kept at warm tempertures.

The majority of Coconut or Palm Oils are commercially refined and processed for special uses for export and not for domestic markets.

The oil of choice seems to be pourable vegetable oils for the majority of cooking applications as the Wok is mostly used for stir frying, deep frying or braising together with using skewers on charcoal. Overall the amount of oils in the average diet are lower then that consumed in the colder Asian climates, where it's been traditionally assumed that in the cold climates its beneficial.

Irwin

[Dejah]

In my restaurant days, we used Tenderflake lard in huge blocks in our deepfryers.

We tried vegetable oil, but found lard gave us the lighter and fluffier batter. Canola oil was our choice for stir-fries, because of the cost factor. Canola is like a clean slate, you can develop different flavours with what you add as you cook.

[helenjp]

When I worked in a Chinese grocery, we sold mainly peanut oil to Chinese families. New Zealanders preferred sunflower seed oil for deep frying.

When I first came to Japan, the rule of thumb was "salad oil" (either soybean oil or a blend) for shallow frying and dressings, rapeseed oil (natane-abura) for deep-frying, with a little brown sesame oil added for flavor. Picky people used safflower (benibana-abura).

Since then I've developed a soybean allergy. I use Canola for deep-frying, and Olive or sesame for most other purposes. I often wonder whether the occasional reports I hear that rapeseed is not good for us are hysteria or not. I can't find any specific evidence of why it should be bad to eat, but I keep my ears open...

[Gary Soup]

I think cost is a major factor in choice of cooking oils for home cooking in China. Cooking oil has historically been expensive relative to other ingredients, and the cheapest useable oil tended to prevail.

When my wife first came to the US, she was astounded that cooking oil was actually cheaper than soy sauce here. I've had her using nothing but Canola oil, for general health considerations, from the git-go and she has had no problems or complaints about it. As Dejah pointed out, it's neutral in taste and doesn't get in the way of the ingredients which are used to give a dish flavor.

[torakris]

we never did discuss many stirfried foods in this thread...

Like I mentioned near the top, this is not a technique used in most traditional cooking but it is a very common way to prepare foods in homes today.

Last night I made a yasai-itame or vegetable stirfry.

this is a very simple dish made with what is on hand, though cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots and onions are very common. It often includes some kind of protein (pork being the most popular I think), I used chikuwa (a tube like fish paste product). Mine is seasoned with just salt and pepper and then a good amount of ponzu is poured over the top.

Very simple but very good!

A friend of mine in college would make yasai-itame almost every night but he drizzled it with tonkatsu sauce...

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Now that I think about it, my mom never made stir fry dishes that I can really call Japanese. Most of the Japanese dishes Mom made, barring yakisoba, were simmered dishes. I don't think Mom has ever owned a wok, and I'm pretty sure that my Nana (mom's mother) doesn't either.

That said, I love kinpira gobo.

I deep fry with canola at home. I don't know why, but I prefer it to soybean oil. I don't ever use peanut or sesame oils due to my kids allergies.

[torakris]

another very simple itame-mono

nira (garlic chives) and moyashi (bean sprouts), sauteed in sesame oil with just sesame seeds and salt for seasoning, this was devoured by my daughters...