I just inherited a big sauce pan from my mother (high quality) that she used to make her pasta sauces, so I get Kiyo’s love and excitement with her cooking ware. I can’t wait to cook with it! Maybe a classic Marinara sauce to start :)
Ah yes, the good old grandma method. Once I boiled fish in an old pot with lemon juice, lemon skin and a little of vinegar. After that the pot was shiny like new.
Quick question, the sake in the recipe is the strong alcohol type or it is not so strong (mirin)? I don't' think I have access to proper sake right now and it looks tasty.
It's almost certainly intended to be read as cooking sake, which is more salty and less sweet than mirin. I'd try it with mirin, but maybe go a little easy on the sugar.
@moichispa Mirin is usually listed specifically when cooking, differentiated from sake, as most commercially available mirin even within Japan contains added sugar and preservatives. Real mirin/hon mirin is fairly hard to find. If the recipe specifies sake, it usually means actual sake, tho it doesn't need to be high quality- use the cheapest brand you can find. Chinese rice wine/cooking wines can be used in some instances like this dish- the dish listed in the chapter is basically a "chashu", which is a Japanese adaptation of a Chinese braised pork, so the flavor profiles will be similar (both chinese rice wines and japanese sake use the same base fermenting mold that creates similar umami flavors, tho the processes and results differ greatly). If making the swap to something like Chinese cooking wine, be aware that many Chinese cooking wines have added salt.
ah, edit- what freak of nature said too- japanese cooking sake is akin to chinese cooking wine as well- added salt. and if u only have mirin, that's fine too- but use less sugar.