Have you ever tried to cook a certain meal and you felt like you are lacking something? Perhaps your stir-fried food or fried rice does not have the kind of depth that goes with a restaurant food or your sauces could be lacking the punch that one would expect from Japanese food.
Most amature home cooks that be in the kitchen do not get to apply the flavor that professional chefs display. As much as we try to use the recommended ingredients, it will at times be quite challenging to meter the right portions of savory, sweet, and a rich flavor.
Wasting Ingredients and Time
Who can avoid the situation when after preparation of a dish or a meal, the output is tasteless or does not meet the expectations. At times, you have probably attempted to use more spices, better quality vegetables, or different types of proteins, but none makes a difference.
Even worse is the fact that you prepare delicious quality ingredients and the meals do not go beyond that level. This is because home-cooking can quickly turn into a time-consuming chore that does not produce the kind of satisfaction that you wished for.
Solution: The Secret Ingredient – Sake
For the many people who have never used sake in their recipes, then they are missing out on one of the most fantastic inventions in the Japanese food preparation methods. Sake which is a Japanese fermented rice wine is consumed both in a liquid form and in food as a flavour enhancing agent.
It brings the detail, texture, the fullness to anything starting from marinates to sauce. Basically, cooking sake is very useful in Japanese dishes but you can as well incorporate it in other dishes apart from Japanese dishes because of its special umami taste.
Let’s discover some of the kind of sake that you should use for cooking and other purposes, and why cooking with sake is one of the keys to enhance your cooking proficiency.
What Is Sake, and How Does It Work in Cooking?
Sake is rice wine which actually can be made in different types of flavor depending on the producer, it may be slightly sweet to dry. Sake also has health benefits especially when it is used in meat preparation because it softens the meat and corrects the dish if it is too salty or sour. Sake is different from wine that one adds to some dishes or other alcoholic content, since it has a sweet taste that is not overpowering as to hide the essence of the main components of the food.
Key Benefits of Cooking with Sake:
Tenderizes Meat: Sake contains alcohol and this is good in tenderizing your meat and as a result is tender and juicy.
Adds Umami: Sake enhances the glaze, the pilaf, the mouth feel that we get from the savory, umami notes that give dishes so much of their depth and character.
Balances Flavors: Sake is used to balance out saltiness, sweetness or acidity in a recipe that you may be preparing.
Top 5 Best Sake for Cooking
When using sake in cooking, proper type of sake has to be used. Not all of it is a drink though and if you love using premium sake then perhaps there is a cooking sake that is cheaper but better suited for the cooking. Here are some basic facts that will help you to understand what sort of sake is better to be used in cooking.
1. Ryorishu (Cooking Sake)
Ryorishu is expressed sake that is used for cooking and Ryorishu takes the largest market share of the sake used worldwide in kitchens and otherwise. It is cheaper than the premium sake and may also contain added salt so that it can suit cooking recipes. This kind of sake is great for food items such as stir fried foods, soup based foods or foods that are cooked in a pot such as nabe or shabu shabu.
Best Used For: Salad dressings, gravy and sauce, marinate and stir fried products
Flavor Profile: Light sweetness, pleasant taste and felt a slight umami taste.
Price Range: Affordable
2. Junmai (Pure Rice Sake)
Junmai sake is brewed from rice with no additional alcohol and sugar proof which makes it a favourite commodity among people who prefer natural products. Junmai is a bit sweeter and has a denser mouth feel than ryorishu, and is more recommended for Teriyaki’s or braised meats and so on.
Best Used For: Meats cooked by stewing or slow cooking and thick sauces
Flavor Profile: Rich flavor with slight sweetness and rich taste profile.
Price Range: Moderate
3. Ginjo (Premium Sake)
Ginjo is a better type of sake which is usually consumed alone in form of a beverage but if one wishes to incorporate the taste of sake in his or her dish then ginjo is the kind to reach for. Ginjo is smooth with no bitter taste at all; therefore, it is appropriate for the light meals such as fish. Because it is raffled it is considered more expensive but the effect it brings on exquisite meals makes the difference worth the price.
Best Used For: Foods like sea foods, subtle sauces and quality recipes of various standard kitchens.
Flavor Profile: Soft or silky and a touch of fruit scent.
Price Range: Expensive
4. Nigori (Unfiltered Sake)
Nigori is a rough filtered sake which comes out with rice debris and so, is cloudy as well as sweeter in taste. This kind of sake though drunk as a drink can also be utilized in baking of desserts or in inclusion of slight sweetness in the preparation of meals.
Best Used For: Mixed desserts, sweet coatings or dishes with low framing intensity
Flavor Profile: It was sweet with a creamy texture and a grainy mouthfeel.
Price Range: Moderate
5. Daiginjo (Ultra Premium Sake)
The Daiginjo is one of the superior quality of Sake and is usually consumed because of the high quality and smooth flavor that it contains. Although still usable in cooking for quality dishes it is relatively expensive and not suitable for a budget cooking. However, if you are going to prepare a special meal or if you expect guests, daiginjo Sake brews can enhance the dish.
Best Used For: First, the odd, rare or celebrations food or gourmet cookery
Flavor Profile: Ethereal, sublime, floral and fruity notes on the scent profile
Price Range: Very expensive
How to Use Sake in Cooking
This is where you will learn of the correct methods of using each of the types of sake in your kitchen. Here are some common ways to incorporate sake into your cooking:Here are some common ways to incorporate sake into your cooking:
1. Marinades
Sake is great for use as a marinade because it helps to soften the meat and impart a delicate flavor in one manner or another. Add some Jap flavor to your barbeque by marinating chicken, pork or fish in sake, soy sauce, garlic and ginger.
2. Deglazing
When you are done with the browning or searing of meat, it is recommended that one should use sake to deglaze the pan. This will mean that you will transfer the caramelized bits on the bottom of this pan to make a flavorful base for sauces or soups.
3. Simmering
Sake can also be incorporated into lightly simmered dishes as in nimono – Japanese boiled vegetables or yakitori – Japanese barbeque chicken sizzled over charcoal. The sake also go well with the broth or the sauce since it complements the dish.
4. Stir-Fries
Pour a little sake at the last minute in your stir-fry to enhance the goodness of the vegetables and the meat.
5. Sauces
Sake is become a part of many sauces that are traditionally used in Japanese food preparation such as teriyaki or as a glaze based on soy sauce. It simply covers up the excess salt in the soy sauce as well as adds sweat taste without dominating the food.
Top Sake Brands for Cooking
If you’re ready to start cooking with sake, here are some popular brands that are great for home cooks:If you’re ready to start cooking with sake, here are some popular brands that are great for home cooks:
Ozeki Ryorishu
An everyday brand and model of kitchen use, Ozeki Ryorishu affords budget friendly performance for the daily cook. It is easy to get and it tastes well with most recipes with a balance taste between sweet and sour.
Gekkeikan Traditional
Flashing forward to this brand, it is the one that can both be used for drinking and Cooking. There is another one, which is quite light and crispy that goes well with grilling, especially meat, and even soups.
Kikkoman Ryorishu
Kikkoman Ryorishu is also one of the cheap-based products which I prefer for all my recipes including those prepared with sake. Used when rice is cooked, it has only a tiny taste so it is a recommended general-purpose cooking sake.
Hakutsuru Junmai
A little step higher in price and Hakutsuru Junmai will provide dishes with a more, let’s say, extravagant taste. It is well suited to dishes such as braised meats or slower cooked meats or vegetables.
Sho Chiku Bai Ginjo
Sho Chiku Bai Ginjo is a high quality sake which is more suitable for the occasions when you want to use your cooking to turn the head – it goes well with seafood, or any other tender meat of superior quality, due to its slightly complex taste.
What are some common sake myths?
Sake – a Japanese rice wine – is accompanied by quite a few myths and misconceptions. Let’s debunk some of the most common ones:
Myth 1 – Sake is a Spirit The ability to consider functional theories, in spite of having embraced mythic theories of the self, could be seen a baggage of the Japanese cultural upbringing.
Reality: Sake is sometimes taken for a spirit for the reason that it is sometimes consumed with a shot glass.
The second myth that is common among the people about the Sake is that it has capability to improve with the age.
Reality: Using the classification with wine in which the older type of beverage is considered to be better than the fresher one we should state that in the case of sake this is not quite true. It should be best used within one year of production according to the manufacturers’ guidelines.
Myth three: Hot sake is always bad sake The worst sakes are served hot Saki brewed specially for hot Serving sake at room temperature.
Reality: Temperature of sake is again not so much related to the quality, but to the type and taste of the beverage.
Myth 4: Sake only has to be paired with Japanese food
Reality: Sake goes well with Japanese food but it’s also the perfect match for pizza, burgers and sea food.
Sake, the fifth myth I have debunked, is not rice wine as this beer would like you to think, but it is a brewed alcoholic drink that up to today still puzzles many.
Reality: Unlike most people believe, Sake is referred to as rice wine but it is actually brewed like beer.
The last myth that we’re going to look at is the myth that sake is always clear For this one, I’m going to let Sake faults explain.
Reality: Actually opposed to what most people know all sake are not clear.
Sake myth 7 again reinforces this misunderstanding where people assume that sake is high in alcohol and therefore have come up with the buoyant bottoms which are good for afloat bottoms.
Reality: Compared to most beers, sake is slightly stronger with the alcohol content similar to that of wine.
It is therefore important to understand these myths and make you able to enjoy the sake in various ways. What about sake; have you been in contact with it before? If so, how do you like best to consume it?
Conclusion: Elevate Your Cooking with Sake
Sake is an ingredient that you’d need to get familiar with if you have not incorporated it in your culinary practice yet. Sake has a unique taste and aroma that can complement a dish in a way and if incorporated into your foods, your meals will be delicious.
It is again a clear indication that there is great variety in the world of sakes and there is a suitable sake for any kind of dish, price range, and even the way one uses his or her kitchen.
Therefore, every time you will be in the kitchen and you think that a particular dish is incomplete or lacks something, better grab a bottle of sake. It will amaze you as to how it can change an otherwise ordinary meal, into such an exquisite occasion.
FAQs
1. Can I use drinking sake for cooking?
Yes, you can use drinking sake for cooking, but cooking-specific sake is usually more budget-friendly and has a slightly different flavor profile that works well in most recipes.
2. How much sake should I use in my dish?
Start with about 1/4 cup of sake for most recipes, but adjust based on the dish and your personal taste preferences.
3. Is there a substitute for sake in cooking?
If you do not have Sake, you could use dry white wine or mirin If seasoning with Sake, it is pretty fantastic how meals with a certainly peculiar flavor is delivered. Sake used in Japan cooking and is a rice wine essential in preparing foods as it moderates flavors and softens foods. Cooking sake, which is Ryorishu, is a good quality and cheap type of sake to use in season’s cooking, a Junmai is ideal for heavier dishes, and Ginjo is ideal for lighter meals. Interacting with real people who consume alcoholic beverages, it was established that preferred brands such as Ozeki Ryorishu, Gekkeikan, and Kikkoman are highly recommended.
