The idea of smoking has been applied to solid food items such as fish, meat and cheese since olden times for the purpose of preservation. The unique flavor developed during the smoking process is so enticing that today smoked foods have become an indispensable part of our culinary lives. Enji Company in Japan challenged the old notions of smoking and invented a smoker that can smoke liquids such as shoyu (soy sauce). This led to the birth of the smoked shoyu, KUNSEI SHOYU. When you open the cap of a bottle of KUNSEI SHOYU the distinctive shoyu aroma is wrapped in fragrant smokiness as it hits and amuses your nose. This wonderful smoked shoyu will be available soon (sometime next week) at www.theingredientfinder.com. I will keep you posted.
I made my favorite Corn and Ginger Rice with Shoyu and Butter (recipe is available in the Hiroko’s American Kitchen, and at www.theingredientfinder.com.) with smoked shoyu. Cooking tips: Smoked shoyu tasted slightly less saltier than the regular shoyu, so I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of it to the finished rice. The result of the rice was faintly smoky and excellent. I cannot wait to try katsuo (skipjack tuna) and maguro (tuna) sashimi with this smoked shoyu. Robust flavor of these two fish should pair nicely with smoked shoyu. I will also try making smoked quail egg – cooked quail egg marinated in smoked shoyu – should be interesting.
