A Guide to Japanese Food Items

With the emergence of the online Japanese supermarket UK consumers have begun to discover the delights of real Japanese food – a cuisine that has a well-deserved global reputation for being delicious, intricate and healthy. It is not so long ago that Japanese food culture was something of a mystery here in the UK, with Sushi being the only dish the average British consumer could name – and even then, there would be some confusion regarding what Sushi actually was.

But British food culture has changed. Not only are British cooks and British diners increasingly enthusiastic about experimenting with different dishes from around the World, they are also increasingly determined to make those dishes as authentically as they possibly can. That means using the right ingredients and the right techniques. So, can a UK based online Japanese supermarket really supply everything a home cook who wants to create authentic Japanese cuisine needs?

Naturally we cannot speak for every food emporium out there, but we are completely confident that we absolutely supply anything and everything even the most ambitious UK cooks might require. We have all of the fresh, frozen, dried, picked and canned ingredients you could think of, along with authentically Japanese homewares and the same branded products that you would expect to find on supermarket shelves from Miyazaki in the south to Sapporo in the north, but also products that are made elsewhere but are authentic to the flavours and textures of Japanese food.

We believe that authenticity is important if you truly want to understand what a food culture is all about. If you want to experience the real flavours and textures of a dish you simply must have the right components to make that dish. If the recipe calls for Saki, for example, there are some who will tell you that dry sherry will do just as well. We disagree. Sherry is nice enough, but it does not really bear even a passing resemblance to the flavours and aromas of Saki. So, if the recipe calls for Saki, that is what you need. The same is true of all of the other ingredients – if you want the authentic food experience you cannot do without the authentic ingredients. This is why we carry such a large range of authentic Japanese produce, and products deeply rooted in Asian food cultures.

It is important to understand, however that authenticity is not simply about only using products and ingredients available in Japan, what matters is not compromising – after all, most British home cooks to not exclusively use products that are made in the UK. The same is true of Japanese cooks – and non-Japanese companies have been making authentically Asian ingredients here in the UK for many years precisely to avoid the “use sherry if you cannot get Saki” trap.

Take Maysan curry sauce paste, for example. Carefully crafted to bring a distinctively authentic Asian flavour to your cooking Maysan curry sauce paste was created by the Maysan company to make the distinctive flavour of authentic curry paste available to British cooks. Maysan is a family firm that was founded in 1962 and has spent fifty years building a reputation for excellence and authenticity that has earned them a loyal following amongst cooks who long for an authentic Asian curry flavour.

They use a top-secret blend of spices that they mix at in Ponteland, near Newcastle. The authentically Asian flavour is as authentic as it would be if it were blended at the base of Mt Fuji – this is no “best fit” situation, but are real Asian curry paste that just happens to hail from the Noth East of England, a local product with an Asian heritage that we are immensely proud to have on our shelves.

We also have other non-Japanese products that are also a part of Japanese food culture. A good example is Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa. This is a herbal product that is immensely popular in Japan but is in fact a traditional Chinese natural herbal remedy that is generally used for the relief of sore throat, coughs, hoarseness, and loss of voice.

Pei Pa Koa is a syrup that is made using a blend of traditional herbs and honey, which give it a soothing and expectorant effect. It was created in the early eighteenth century by a physician called Ip Tin-See who used it to cure the mother of a provincial commander. This is reflected in the name of the product which translates into English as “in memory of my mother” a name which reflects both the origins of the product and the Chinese virtue of filial piety.

Pei Pa Koa is popular in many food cultures across the whole of Asia where it is used not only as a cold remedy but also as an ingredient in a variety of food and drinks. Mixed into hot water Pei Pa Koa makes a deliciously soothing tea which is particularly satisfying if you are experiencing cold and flu-like symptoms – in Asia this “Pei Pa Koa tea” is consumed in much the same way Europeans might drink honey and hot lemon.

Beyond cold remedies if you mix Pei Pa Koa with heavy cream, a little condensed milk and a dash of vanilla extract then put that mixture in a freezer you get an absolutely delicious ice-cream. If you hanker for something a little more savoury you can mis up your Pei Pa Koa with a little garlic, minced ginger and a dash of dark soy sauce to make an absolutely fabulous marinade for chicken.

So, if you were thinking that the only things that you would find in a Japanese supermarket would be rice and fish, think again. You will of course find those things too – we have every variety of rice and noodle imaginable because they form the foundation of Japanese food and it is so very important to get the foundations right.

But we also carry all kinds of Japanese desserts such as Mochi, and drinks such as green tea and plum wine. Products made in Japan but also from across Asia so that you can cook using all of the products that the Japanese love, and produce the dishes that are eaten all across the Japanese islands. When you ask “what food items are available at our Japanese Supermarket?” we can only respond “everything you need, and perhaps a little bit more!”

If we look beyond food items, we also have all manner of homeware items, from chopsticks to rice cookers to knives – all of the kitchen equipment you could ever need as you create Japanese culinary masterpieces in the comfort of your own kitchen. We will even deliver everything directly to your door!

If you have decided to discover the magic of Japanese cooking our online Japanese supermarket puts everything you need just one, click away - all you have to do is reach for your mouse and begin a journey of discovery with a whole new world of food just waiting to be enjoyed!