Health food stores, including online stores. South East Asian grocery stores Thai, etc. These stores don't stock Japanese ingredients per se, but some of the fresh product and things can be used. South Asian grocery stores Indian, Sri Lankan, etc. These can be a surprisingly good source for 'exotic' vegetables and such that are used in Japanese cooking.
Is it a widely used ingredient in Japanese cooking? Is the recipe something that is normally made in Japan? Ingredient substitutions In certain cases, you can make substitutions without a problem. Some acceptable substitutions [This section added on August 15, ] Mirin and sake. I think more people ask about substitutes for these two ingredients than anything else put together. Both are alcoholic beverages though mirin is never drunk and is only used in cooking. Mirin is stronger and sweeter than sake.
Sake can be used as a substitute for mirin with an added pinch of sugar , and vice versa. If you cannot get a hold of either, you can use sweet sherry or Chinese shiaoxing wine. If you cannot use alcohol for religious or other reasons, even though most of the alcohol will evaporate after cooking, just leave it out - it will affect the flavor, but there's no reasonable non-alcoholic substitute that I can think of. See also: The role of alcohol, onion and garlic in Japanese meat dishes also applies to fish dishes in many cases Vinegar is not a good substitute.
Vinegar makes things sour. I can't believe there are people saying that vinegar is a substitute for sake. Is vinegar a good substitute for wine in a recipe? However, mirin style seasoning often has additives like MSG and sugar, so I'm not a fan of it.
If you do leave out mirin from a recipe, you can add a bit of or more sugar to the recipe to compensate for the sweetness at least. Japanese-style or sushi rice. Keep in mind that 'sushi rice' is a name given by non-Japanese sellers to Japanese style or japonica medium grain rice. Medium-grain Italian rices that are used for risotto, such as vialone and arborio, are acceptable substitutes for Japanese rice; long grain rices including basmati and jasmine rice are not. Dashi stock.
Japanese stock is usually made from kombu seaweed, dried bonito flakes katsuobushi , dried fish called niboshi , or a combination of all or two of these. See basic dashi recipe. You may find it difficult to find these ingredients, or they may be too expensive. Powdered or granular dashi stock is similar to stock cubes, and can be used instead of made-from-scratch dashi; keep in mind that dashi granules are saltier and often contain MSG.
See also vegan dashi stock made with dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu seaweed. If you can't get a hold of any of these, you can use a basic vegetable stock instead - it won't taste that Japanese but it's better than plain water at least!
Miso and soy sauce. There are no substitutes for these. As to whether you should stick to Japanese soy sauce or use other kinds - I do believe that Japanese soy sauce tastes quite different from, say, Chinese soy sauce, but your palate may not be able to detect a big difference. Kikkoman is the most famous Japanese brand, and is available worldwide. Japanese tonkatsu sauce or okonomiyaki sauce, or "bulldog" sauce.
Bulldog is the brand name of a popular line of barbeque-type sauces that are used in a lot of dishes, from panfried noodles yakisoba to deep fried pork cutlets tonkatsu , okonomiyaki , takoyaki and more. If you're in the U. Elsewhere, you can use Worcestershire sauce for the flavor if not the texture. Rice vinegar. White balsamic vinegar is the best substitute, but that's rather more exotic I think than rice vinegar!
You can use also use a mild white wine vinegar instead, with a pinch of sugar to mellow it out. Submitted by maki on Comments Dina 7 June, - Permalink. Jude 7 June, - Permalink. Can you recommend a substitute for kinome? What does it taste like? Cheryl 7 June, - Permalink.
Fiona 15 August, - Permalink. For a peppery flavour, try rocket. Nestor 15 August, - Permalink. Niki 18 August, - Permalink. Hi Maki. If you want to substitute mirin for sake, hon-mirin is highly recommended. Interested in learning more about Cooking Sake Substitutes?
The 6 Best Cooking Sake Substitutes. Cooking sake contains alcohol, salt, and vinegar, on the other hand, mirin consists of alcohol and sugar.
So, you should definitely add sugar if you want to substitute sake for mirin. Click here to see more about Mirin. As it has a stronger flavor than sake, and smaller amounts are necessary for replacing mirin. It also has a darker color, closer to that of soy sauce. Rice vinegar is another close substitute for mirin. Also known as rice wine vinegar, it is non-alcoholic.
The rice wine is put through a fermentation process to get this product, so the alcohol turns to acetic acid. It is especially suitable as a mirin substitute in dipping sauces and dressings. Rice vinegar has a mild flavor and a slightly sweet taste. As a vinegar, it is sour, so add half a teaspoon of sugar to every teaspoon of vinegar to counteract the sourness.
Gluten-free and diluted with water to 4. Less acidic than apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, Marukan rice vinegar has a naturally sweet taste, which makes it very good for savory dishes. When used as a mirin substitute, you need to add sugar to get the resemblance in taste, and it also enhances the natural umami flavor.
Balsamic vinegar is an Italian vinegar, made from boiled down white grapes, including all its skin, seeds, and stem. It must then be matured in wooden kegs for at least 12 years to be called balsamic vinegar. The best quality balsamic vinegar is aged between 18 and years: the longer, the better, and the more expensive. It has a thick consistency, as the moisture evaporates during the maturation process. It has a dark color and a strong flavor, with a rich and slightly sweet taste.
Balsamic vinegar is used in salad dressings, dipping sauces, gourmet marinades, and soup broth. Because of its rich flavor, it is also suitable as a mirin substitute. To get a taste similar to mirin, add a small quantity of sugar as balsamic vinegar is not as sweet. Giuseppe Giusti Balsamic Wine Vinegar is aged for a minimum of 12 years.
The vinegar has notes of plum jam, red fruit, honey, and vanilla. It has a deep brown color and a glossy, velvety smooth texture. It pairs very well with fresh pasta such as ravioli, beef, soft cheese, or fresh fruit, such as strawberries.
The strong flavor and delicate combination of tastes make it a suitable substitute for mirin, as it is naturally sweet. Dry sherry wine is a cooking wine made from wine and brandy. The usual quantity, however, is half a tablespoon of sugar for every tablespoon of sherry this is equal to a tablespoon of mirin. However, the substitute combination will lack a very important part of mirin, and that is the umami taste.
A cooking wine with a semi-sweet but tangy aroma, Holland House Sherry is a cooking wine that will add a perfect silky finish to soups and sauces. It has a nutty, caramel-like flavor and is recommended for use with rice, desserts, soups, and sauces. Vermouth, a flavored wine fortified with brandy, is like dry sherry and is also an excellent substitute for mirin.
But they do have some acidity and a plain kombucha or one flavoured with ginger can be lovely. Both are beverages made from fermented rice but sake is fermented for longer so there is more alcohol and less sweetness.
Mirin also contains salt. For more details on the different types of Mirin see this excellent article. Also see see the Simple Ingredients Substitutes Index. There are plenty of mirin substitutes, that make it hard to justify extra space in your pantry.
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