It's difficult to be a cook here in Japan when you're a Filipino who is so used with sweet taste. We all know our tastes are totally opposite from Japanese, they love salty, we love sweets (heck even our toyo are sweet), therefore sometimes looking for ingredients at the su-pa is like finding a needle in the haystack. Or sometimes it needs some magic to get the right taste when you want to cook Filipino food.
Like last night, I wanted to cook Pork Bistek (you know that familiar sweet with a hint of tang, filipino pork steak your mother serves you back home). Instead of pork fillet or shoulder steaks, I made do with the pork strips we bought yesterday. Then the shoyu (toyo) and lemon juice that had been resting in the fridge for days.
Making the marinade was so frustrating because the shoyu was so salty and its flavor was so strong plus the lemon juice was super sour that they didn't mesh well. I even tried putting sugar, mirin, even yuzu but to no avail, the taste of the shoyu overpowers everything. So I gave up and went to the nearest grocery to buy a real lemon fruit and another toyo (maybe kikoman coz I am more familiar with it's taste). But Kikoman was expensive so I carefully chose from the long array of toyo, I read each of their names and I found out that there are many kinds of toyo here. There are Sashimi Shoyu, Koi-Kuchi Shoyu, Usu-Kuchi Shoyu and blah, blah (I couldn't read the kanji anymore hehe). I picked the sashimi coz since it is used with sashimi which we usually bathe with lemon juice before pouring toyo so it must be less salty . And hoped for the best.
And it did, the Sashimi toyo and real Lemon Juice extracted form real lemons blended well, plus the sugar, pepper and garlic. Perfect! I gotta admit, I made a delicious Pork Bistek.. hehehe.
Curious, I researched the difference of those toyo here in Japan (here is what I found in the internet).
Like last night, I wanted to cook Pork Bistek (you know that familiar sweet with a hint of tang, filipino pork steak your mother serves you back home). Instead of pork fillet or shoulder steaks, I made do with the pork strips we bought yesterday. Then the shoyu (toyo) and lemon juice that had been resting in the fridge for days.
Making the marinade was so frustrating because the shoyu was so salty and its flavor was so strong plus the lemon juice was super sour that they didn't mesh well. I even tried putting sugar, mirin, even yuzu but to no avail, the taste of the shoyu overpowers everything. So I gave up and went to the nearest grocery to buy a real lemon fruit and another toyo (maybe kikoman coz I am more familiar with it's taste). But Kikoman was expensive so I carefully chose from the long array of toyo, I read each of their names and I found out that there are many kinds of toyo here. There are Sashimi Shoyu, Koi-Kuchi Shoyu, Usu-Kuchi Shoyu and blah, blah (I couldn't read the kanji anymore hehe). I picked the sashimi coz since it is used with sashimi which we usually bathe with lemon juice before pouring toyo so it must be less salty . And hoped for the best.
And it did, the Sashimi toyo and real Lemon Juice extracted form real lemons blended well, plus the sugar, pepper and garlic. Perfect! I gotta admit, I made a delicious Pork Bistek.. hehehe.
Curious, I researched the difference of those toyo here in Japan (here is what I found in the internet).
- Dark soy sauce (koi-kuchi shoyu)
Dark soy sauce contains carmel for coloring and thickening, and his a rich flavor. It is by far the most common type of soy sauce. - Light soy sauce (usu-kuchi shoyu)
Light soy sauce is amber in color, clearer, thinner, and saltier than the dark soy sauce. Light soy sauce is used to season foods like fish, vegetables and clear soup without imparting a dark color. - Tamari
Tamari is produced in and around Nagoya, in central Japan. This is the mother of all soy sauce from 400 years ago. Unlike the others, it is made using a lesser quantity of wheat to no wheat, which is much produces a darker and thicker sauce. Tamari is good for Sashimi, Teriyaki and Nimono (simmered dishes). - Saishikomi
Saishikomi is twice fermented and is a darker and thicker soy sauce for Sashimi and Sushi - Shiro
Shiro, or white soy sauce is a lighter colour than light soy sauce. Unlike Tamari, Shiro uses a larger ratio of wheat to soybeans and requires more salt water than others. It is used for cooking white fish, vegetables and soup base for noodles. - Gen-en (low salt)
After brewing, 30-50% of the salt is removed from the soy sauce to produce a low-salt version.
I found out that we're using Koi-Shoyu, that is why it is so salty. I hate it, and now I knew this I'm gonna buy a different kind before our kidneys give up. hehehe.
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