Japanese White Sauce and other recipes

Although cooking at home is highly important to me, there are occasions I grab a meal out. When I opt for eating out, I tend to gravitate towards traditional Asian-style restaurants because it is quite easy for a health-conscious eater like myself to find a nutritious meal. Over the course of a week of driving to meetings and running errands, I have noticed at least 3 new Japanese restaurants in my local area that I can't wait to try. I’m not saying the restaurants were built in a week, but they sure weren’t there a couple of months ago.


Most Asian restaurants (Japanese, Chinese, Thai) offer fresh vegetables, whole-grain brown rice, lean meat, fish and sauces without MSG if you request it. I really enjoy Hibachi dishes with Soba noodles and white sauce. At lunch the other day, I began to wonder what was in the “white sauce” – you must admit the name is not a dead give-away. I believe is it essential to know what’s in your food, whether you are cooking at home or eating out. So when I got home, I started my research…….

I was surprised to see that many other Japanese food lovers are mystified by the tangy white sauce speckled with hints of orange that is found at almost all Japanese restaurants across America. Depending on the restaurant, white sauce can also be called shrimp sauce, yum yum or yummy sauce, or sakura sauce. Names for the sauce may vary, but the taste remains the same – delicious! The thing that really surprised me was that white sauce isn’t even a part of traditional Japanese cuisine. White sauce was invented in America. But the more I think about it, most Asian dishes we eat in America have been modified to suit Western palates so it seems as though the origin of white sauce is no different.

I found out a great recipe for Japanese White Sauce for you to try at home. Thanks Chuck!

Japanese White Sauce Recipe
 
Japanese food is quite easy to prepare at home. By preparing it yourself, you gain more control of your ingredients (I always add more fresh broccoli and less sautéed onions) and can gain the pride of learning to cook another type of cuisine. Here are links to a few great sites that offer Japanese-style recipes you can try at home.

Japanese Cooking at Home
Japanese Food Recipes
About.com - Japanese Food
Epicurious.com - Japanese Recipes
AllRecipes.com - Japanese Recipes

Be inspired to cook!