Japanese Seasoning Guide | How I Use Them | Onigiri & Bento Making Vlog

Japanese Seasoning Guide | How I Use Them | Onigiri & Bento Making Vlog

Hello everyone, and thank you for watching. An egg I had in the freezer since last night. It peels so easily. I’m going to thaw it. It’s about half-thawed It’s turned into a perfectly round yolk. Soy sauce, 3 tbsp Mirin, 2 tbsp Let it marinate in the fridge for about 4 hours. Just 10 minutes of marinating was enough for a tasty rice topping. Leftover egg whites usually end up in miso soup. Nama shoyu
Hon-mirin
Seasonings Used While it’s thawing, I’ll show you the seasonings I use. Sugar｜砂糖 Cassonade is cane sugar. I use it in sweets or when I want a deeper flavor. I often use either cane sugar or beet sugar. Depending on the dish, I also use unrefined sugars. This is a zero-calorie sugar made with monk fruit.
(Just for me, (´艸`)) Salt｜塩 This is Ako salt. I often use it when boiling vegetables or pasta. Let me take it out so it’s easier to see. Aguni salt. This one has by far the most minerals.
It’s mild and goes great with rice balls. These two are seaweed salt. Goto’s is smooth and rich. Amato’s has a clean, briny kick. This one’s Amato—it pairs perfectly with sashimi. The last two are salt blended with dashi. Salt blended with dashi—bursting with umami. Each one differs in color, texture, and aroma. Vinegar｜酢 I usually use rice vinegar as my go-to. Black vinegar is aged and great for sauces and marinades. I use apple cider vinegar for drinks, dressings, and making pickles. “Yasashii Su” and “Kantan Su” are both seasoned vinegars. “Yasashii Su” is a mild seasoned vinegar,
and “Kantan Su” is a sweeter one often used for pickles. Soy Sauce｜醤油 My go-to raw soy sauce for all kinds of dishes. Light soy sauce is great for keeping the natural color of ingredients. It’s perfect for Kansai-style dashi dishes. This soy sauce is specially made for tamago kake gohan.
(rice with raw egg) Miso｜味噌 I mainly use this light-colored miso these days. That dented container got me a 10% discount! ^_^ It’s a blend of red and white miso, commonly called awase miso. This one’s red miso. I like adding a bit of this to deepen the flavor. This one’s the red miso version with dashi added. Dashi｜だし This is a basic dashi made with grilled flying fish,
bonito flakes, and kombu—packed with umami. This one’s a low-sodium bonito dashi. These two are my go-to bonito dashi. When I have a bit more time,
I make dashi from dried bonito flakes. There’s almost none left now… Kombu dashi is great when you want to bring out the umami of kelp. White dashi is a light and flavorful liquid broth
made from bonito, kelp, soy sauce, and more. Dashi powder made from whole roasted flying fish and bonito. Since it’s made from whole ground fish,
it’s packed with calcium—great for adding to all kinds of dishes. Sake｜酒 These are the two I usually use. This cooking sake is tasty enough to drink.
It enhances the depth of any simmered dish. It has a mild flavor and low sweetness,
so I use it in a wide range of dishes. Mirin｜みりん This mirin is my one and only choice. So delicious, you could drink it on its own.
Adds gloss, richness, and mellow depth. Highly recommended！(≧∇≦) Sauce｜ソース These two are usually the main sauces.
(Out of medium-thick sauce, so the mini is stepping in.) Okonomiyaki sauce. A slightly thinner sauce for takoyaki. Mayonnaise｜マヨネーズ My go-to is Kewpie mayo. Matsuda’s additive-free mayo is my favorite—
I’d use it every day if I could! Ponzu｜ポン酢 Seems like I tend to go for ponzu with a strong citrus kick. I like blending the grated turnip ponzu
with the one next to it. Dressing｜ドレッシング At our place, the favorites are sesame and French dressings. This wasabi dressing goes perfectly with root vegetables. My top pick is this carrot dressing. I love everything in this series
—and the fact that it’s additive-free is a big plus. Shio Koji｜塩麹 Salt koji is a fermented seasoning made from rice,
salt, and koji (a type of fermenting agent). It brings out natural umami and helps tenderize meat and fish. Chinese Soup Base｜中華だし This one’s a powdered seasoning made from whole chicken. Weipa is like a richer, upgraded version of chicken stock—
made with pork, vegetables, and more for extra depth. I use it when I want to add extra depth of flavor. Japanese Condiment Paste
｜和の薬味ペースト Karashi is Japanese mustard—hot, sharp, and punchy. A citrusy, spicy paste made from yuzu peel and chili – Yuzu Kosho. Wasabi is a spicy green paste with a sharp, nose-tingling kick. Both in action (￣▽￣;) This garlic paste isn’t really my thing (´罒`). This one’s just for my son. It’s Marotan’s walk time, so I’ll be off now. Peach juice break for me too. This one’s for sashimi—I totally forgot to mention it! It has a mellow, well-rounded flavor—perfect for sashimi or sushi. Lately, I’ve been into okahijiki. The crunch when you bite in is just perfect. Just a quick boil or sauté, and it tastes amazing. It only needed a minute, but I overboiled it a bit (´Д` ) Just sesame oil and salt is all it needs—it’s so good. Just added a bit of sesame seeds. Delicious! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) Might be good as tempura too! Taiko sesame oil
Moshio from the Goto Islands Next up is one of my top picks—beef & burdock shigureni. Adding burdock for extra volume and more texture. Burdock on the side. It’s semi-frozen from being in the chiller (°▽°) First, add sake and sugar, then simmer for 2–3 minutes. Adding the sake and sugar first
helps remove any unwanted smell and lets the flavors soak in. mirin Sugar takes time to absorb, so adding it early is key. Mirin is best added midway or at the end, depending on the dish. Add water and simmer gently over low heat. I completely forgot to add the all-important ginger… (๑¯ω¯๑; ) I meant to sauté the julienned ginger first… Let’s wrap it in beef and steam it. Add the soy sauce at the end. If you add it too early,
it keeps the other flavors from soaking in—and can toughen the meat. “Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So” is the golden rule in Japanese cooking. It stands for the order of adding sugar, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and miso. Soy sauce
｜醤油
Sake
｜酒
Mirin
｜みりん
Cassonade
｜カソナード Let’s make spicy cod roe & cream cheese spread. This filling is also one of the most popular choices
at “Bongo,” a famous rice ball shop in Tokyo. At Bongo, they marinate the cream cheese in soy sauce overnight. With my ingredients, the flavor felt a bit sharp—
so I thought mentsuyu might be a good alternative (・∀・) Mayonnaise
｜マヨネーズ
Soy Sauce
｜醤油 Next up is our classic: Tuna Mayo. Just mixing tuna with mayo
won’t give you that classic convenience store flavor (´Д` ) My tuna mayo is still a work in progress,
but I mix in mentsuyu, sugar, and seaweed salt. I also add a bit of bonito powder for extra umami. Bonito Powder
｜粉末鰹
Moshio
｜藻塩
Mayonnaise
｜マヨネーズ
Mentsuyu
｜めんつゆ I recently found this boneless salmon at the supermarket—ready to eat! Gave it a quick sear for that nice, toasty flavor The egg yolks I soaked in soy sauce this morning have really taken it in. All the ingredients are ready. Got my hands on some super-aged rice! Rice prices are still high, so I’ve been buying older stock. I got 5kg for ¥1,944 on Amazon. It’s really helpful that they deliver it right to my door. The room’s starting to get dim… I’m having rice balls for dinner tonight. I sprinkle a pinch of seaweed salt on the rice balls. Seaweed salt goes perfectly since I wrap them in nori. The rice weighs about 180g (about 6.3 oz). Topped it with okahijiki. Next up, tuna mayo. With the filling, it comes out to about 200g. Topped with shibazuke pickles. Next up: mentaiko. Topped with mentai cream cheese. The salmon one is simple—salmon inside and on top. The fifth one has beef shigure inside, topped with an egg yolk. To keep it from slipping off, I made a little spot for the yolk. Five hearty, flavor-packed onigiri—complete! Since miso soup goes perfectly with rice balls,
I’m making some to go with them. Onigiri is usually eaten in the morning or at lunchtime. But I put quite a bit of effort into making them today, so they were finally done in the evening… Which means—onigiri for dinner! Kayanoya’s dashi is fine to use
even if you tear the packet and add it directly. When I want a more refined finish,
I simmer it without tearing the packet. If my dad ever saw this, I’d be in trouble—
so I’m thinking I should properly make dashi once in a while. (笑) I’m mixing one whole egg
with the leftover egg white to use as miso soup topping. Too much egg… total fail (but hey, that’s my excuse ( ᐪᐤᐪ )) I came across pickled corn and couldn’t resist buying it out of curiosity. Not sure why, but it’s super tough—
even I had to use some muscle to cut it… (･ω･;) (*´﹃`*) The miso soup’s looking a little tired—
let’s perk it up with some toppings Add a calcium boost with some iriko powder. do re ni shi yo u ka na… What the heck!?🤣 Onigiri Plate Gotta make one for my son who just got home too… Next morning Making a bento today
using leftovers from yesterday and whatever I have at home. We call this an “arumon-de bento”—
basically, a “whatever-I-got” lunchbox. First, I’m making some sautéed shishito peppers. Quickly sautéed in sesame oil. Seasoned with soy sauce and a splash of white dashi. Finish with bonito flakes and white sesame seeds—done! Soy sauce
｜醤油
White dashi
｜白だし
Bonito powder
｜鰹節粉 I love adding cheese to chikuwa seaweed fritters,but… Today, I’m sneaking in some raclette cheese. I’m still not fully used to using raclette cheese,
so I’m a bit worried about how it’ll turn out. I just mixed some rice flour, wheat flour,
and aonori (green seaweed) together for the coating I use a bit more oil than usual and pan-fry them. Just like making tempura, I add a bit of extra batter at the end. After about 2 minutes of frying, it’s done. I had some shiso leaves too, so I fried those as well. They’re super crispy—almost like savory rice crackers, and so tasty! Time to wake up the “Inca no Mezame” potatoes too. Cheese stretched way more than I expected!! This type of potato is only available during this season. I grab them the moment I see them. The most exciting moment when I’m making a meal (´ω`). Out of nowhere, I suddenly got curious about this. I never meant to grow this,
so why did I leave it alone this whole time? ( ¯▽¯ ) Making dashimaki tamago with our new egg pan. 3 eggs, 2 tsp white dashi, ½ tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp water Might’ve needed a bit more heat… It’s best to make proper dashi from scratch,
but I usually cheat with white dashi—it’s just easier. (´∀｀) My dad was a chef,
so he always told me that dashi is the most important part. He’d probably give me an earful if he knew how I cook ( ¯▽¯ ) Let’s compare how the rolled omelet turns out
when made with mentsuyu instead of white dashi. I used cane sugar for this. It’s already looking a bit dark at this point. White dashi is made with light soy sauce,
while mentsuyu uses regular soy sauce. That’s why white dashi brings out the natural colors
and gives a cleaner finish. Here’s the version made with mentsuyu. Here’s the version made with white dashi. It’s a subtle difference—but can you tell (´･ω･` ) It’s just a small difference,but it really stands out in a bento. The one made with mentsuyu gets even darker as time goes by. A brighter tamagoyaki makes the bento feel lighter too. So I think it’s actually a pretty important detail Japanese Rolled Omelet
| だし巻き卵 White Dashi
| 白だし
Mentsuyu
| めんつゆ Rice with Konjac (Mannan Hikari) blend
that my son brought home from his part-time job. Making round rice balls—filled with beef shigureni. Just shape and give it a gentle squeeze. Sanitized with food-grade alcohol spray. I made it with 90g of rice, and it turned out way too big. About 80g is just right for this wappa bento box. These paper cups are great—they absorb excess oil from the food. They’ll help keep the chikuwa nice and crispy, too. Time to pack in the rest of the sides! If it were for me, I’d make it an all-shishito bento. I always end up putting in more of their favorites… Aru-mon de Bento
(“whatever I had on hand” bento) Time for the Kasukabe Defense Force to step in. The kids are on summer break, so I made an okiben. An “okiben” is a lunch prepared in advance and left at home to eat later. As always, I’ll leave it in the insulated bag. Thank you so much for watching until the end.
Wishing you a lovely week （＾ω＾） ［ I would be happy if you subscribe to my channel ］
See you soon…

This video is a long-overdue response to a viewer comment—thank you so much for your suggestion!
Today, I’m introducing the seasonings I often use, but since I’m not great at speaking directly to the camera, I present them while arranging the bottles or cooking.

One thing I forgot to mention in the video:
I added a little vinegar, oil, white dashi, and salt to the rice before cooking.
Even though I used very old rice (3+ years old), it turned out surprisingly delicious!

Hope you enjoy this casual kitchen vlog 😊

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🍳 “Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So” – The Golden Rule of Japanese Seasoning 🍳

In Japanese cooking, we often follow a traditional order when adding seasonings, known as “Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So”（さ・し・す・せ・そ）. Each syllable stands for a key ingredient:

Sa（さ / 砂糖・Sugar） – Added first so it can soak into the ingredients.
Shi（し / 塩・Salt） – Comes next; adding it too early can make ingredients tough.
Su（す / 酢・Vinegar） – Added mid-way to preserve its acidity and aroma.
Se（せ / 醤油・Shoyu / Soy Sauce） – Added later to keep its deep flavor and aroma.
So（そ / 味噌・Miso） – Always added last to avoid losing its flavor.

🍱It’s said that adding seasonings in this order helps balance sweetness, saltiness, acidity, and umami, enhancing the natural flavors of Japanese dishes ( ^ω^ )

　
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【Recipe】

⬜︎ Rice for Onigiri – Tastes Great Even When Cold｜冷めても美味しいおにぎりご飯

【Ingredients｜材料】
– White rice … 3 cups (uncooked)｜米……3合
– Salt … 1 tsp｜塩……小さじ1杯
– Rice oil (or any neutral oil) … 1 tsp｜米油（他の油でもOK）……小さじ1杯
– Vinegar … 1 tsp｜酢……小さじ1杯
– Shirodashi … 1 tsp｜白だし……小さじ1杯

✨I actually used 4 cups of rice since I had lots of fillings—still turned out delicious!

⬜︎Beef & Burdock Shigureni｜牛肉とごぼうのしぐれ煮
Serves 2–3｜2〜3人分

【Ingredients｜材料】
– Thinly sliced beef (offcuts or scraps) … 200g｜牛肉（切り落とし・こま切れ）
– Burdock root (stick form, about 15cm) … 1 piece｜ごぼう（約15cm）
– Fresh ginger (julienned) … 10g｜生姜（千切り）
– Oil … ½ tbsp｜油 大さじ½
– Sugar … 1½ tbsp｜砂糖 大さじ1½
– Sake … 1½ tbsp｜酒 大さじ1½
– Mirin … 1½ tbsp｜みりん 大さじ1½
– Soy sauce … 3½ tbsp｜醤油 大さじ3½
– Water … 200ml｜水 200ml

✨Simmered in a sweet-savory sauce — perfect with a bowl of rice!

⬜︎ Mentaiko Cream Cheese Dip｜明太クリームチーズディップ

【Ingredients｜材料】
– Mentaiko (pollock roe) … 50g｜明太子 50g
– Cream cheese … 30g｜クリームチーズ 30g
– Soy sauce … 1 tbsp｜醤油 大さじ1
– Mayonnaise … 25g｜マヨネーズ 25g

✨A rich and savory dip—perfect for veggies, toast, or rice balls!

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【My Favorite Items】
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□ Hokkaido Beet Sugar
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□ Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine)
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□ Sake (Cooking Rice Wine)
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□ Kayanoya Dashi Broth
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□ Takoyaki Sauce
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□ Okonomiyaki Sauce
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□ Matsuda Spicy Mayonnaise (Bulk 5-Pack)
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□ Carrot Dressing
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I’m adding subtitles while studying English.
I’d be so happy if this helps me connect with people around the world…
If you notice any weird English, feel free to laugh :)))

Right now, I’m preparing to open a miniature food shop.
My dream is to have a booth at flea markets around the world someday.
I’m working toward that dream, little by little ⭐︎

You can select subtitles from the settings.
If you’d like another language, feel free to leave a comment (´ω`)

To all of you kind-hearted people—
thank you always.
I’m truly filled with gratitude ♡

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#japanesefood
#japaneseseasoning
#onigiri