Terriyaki, Learning and Finding Structure in the Kitchen

I have been feeling a bit aimless in my self-directed curriculum, so I took this week to do a reset, and evaluate my approach. This didn’t mean I didn’t cook anything though. I just kept it simple. This week I learned how to make Teriyaki Sauce from All Recipes. Teriyaki sauce was invented in Japan, and traditionally contained soy sauce, wine vinegar, and honey or sugar, and seems to have originally referred more to the cooking technique than the actual sauce. Western influences have resulted in the addition of ginger, garlic, sesame oil, or cornstarch (for thickness).

My original plan was to do a steak with my sauce, but unfortunately my steak was still a bit frosty, so I opted for chicken instead. I still plan to cook that steak, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

I deliberately made this week a bit lighter, because I needed to evaluate my learning and adjust my strategy. I have had the opportunity to make many fun dishes, but I feel as though I am aimlessly going from recipe to recipe without building some of the basic skills I need. This is resulting in some dishes that are ok, but a bit lacking in execution. Next week I am going back to sushi rolls, but I need a bit more background first. I am dealing with unfamiliar flavours and ingredients and I don’t quite know how to balance them. For example, I am very comfortable cooking steak and chicken, but I haven’t worked with fish very much.

My first stop was a website I have visited before, but it merited a closer look. Just One Cookbook has several recipes that I have found useful, but it also has some articles that go into some of the background I am looking for. I started with an article focusing on pantry staples, ingredient substitutions, meal prepping, cooking tools, knife skills, temperature control, balancing flavours, food presentation, and adaptability.

Next, I spent some time on the Youtube Channel: Japanese Cooking 101. Their videos are nice and short and break down some of the basic skills. For example, the video below goes through making sushi rice, which was one of the weaknesses of the rolls I made previously.

I also found this video that emphasized some of the important skills I need to make perfect sushi, and the chef, Taka Sakeada, confirmed that the rice is one of the most important components. He also went into the importance of choosing the right ingredients. For example, last week I didn’t get shrimp that was a good enough quality for my tempura. This resulted in it being overcooked and a bit chewy. If you are making sushi with any raw protein this is especially important as using subpar ingredients could result in food safety issues.

Overall I think I have gained some important background knowledge, and I am feeling confident to move forward in my learning next week.