If you want to try cooking Japanese dishes, what are the things that you should know? You might be wondering if there is a special way of preparing Japanese dishes, or you might have even been discouraged because you think that Japanese cooking is too complicated, and the ingredients are nowhere to be found. On the contrary; cooking Japanese dishes is very simple, and most of the ingredients that you need can now be found at your local grocery store. More and more people are trying out Japanese dishes, as it is one of the healthiest and tastiest in the world.

To Westerners, Japanese meals are often sought after, but many hesitate to try it by themselves. Seeing a Japanese kitchen might be overwhelming, especially if one sees all the utensils and equipment they have. But these things can actually be substituted with the everyday cooking items we have in our own kitchens; most of these can also be bought at department stores. A wok, a rice cooker, chopsticks and chopstick holders can all be easily found.

For the ingredients, some of the basics are the following: first, you should have soy sauce. Japanese as well as other Oriental cooking almost always make use of this as seasoning. Japanese wine, also called mirin, is another staple; some countries use red wine or vinegar in their cooking, while the Japanese use rice wine. A great secret of many Japanese dishes is sesame oil; it is what gives the food a strong smell and taste—used especially in noodle soups. It gives food zest and life.

Wasabi is a staple for sauces; usually used as a sauce for sushi and sashimi, wasabi is a green paste made from horseradish, and is ‘melted’ in soy sauce. It is very spicy, so be careful when using it. Cooking Japanese dishes is very easy, as long as you have these basic ingredients.