The Japanese Pantry: Kenji's Complete Guide | Kenji Eats Japan
Follow along as we walk you through every aisle in a Japanese grocery store for a complete guide on stocking your pantry. This extended cut is exclusive for Patreon!
Hi Frienjis,
Community & Content Manager Erin here with our very last episode of the Kenji Eats Japan series!
Earlier this year, our team traveled to Japan in search of good food and even better kitchen knives (get the full story here). We knew we had to bring some of that culinary magic back for you. That’s why, today, we’re walking you through how to make that a reality with Kenji’s ultimate guide on How to Stock a Japanese Pantry.
Kenji Ate Japan… Now You Can, Too!
If you’re at all familiar with Japanese cuisine, you might be able to guess some of the basics Kenji will recommend: Soy sauce, miso paste, dashi, maybe a shiso leaf if you’re feeling fancy. But unlike most pantry hauls, this one is not just scratching the surface.
With the help of our local Japanese grocery store, we walked down each aisle and covered everything from ginkgo nuts and shungiku greens to different types of fish roe, cooking sauces, seaweeds, and more. We debated the tenets of microwavable rice (we’re not mad about it); whether you should make Japanese curry from scratch (probably not); and if you should stick to powdered wasabi or cash out on the real root (at $299.99 per pound? We’ll stick to the S&B tins, please)!
Special thank you to Uwajimaya for allowing us to film in their Seattle location for this video. If you’re ever in the area, we must recommend a visit to this iconic grocery shop—you won’t be disappointed with what you find.
How To Stock A Japanese Pantry (Extended)
All Frienjis here on Patreon can enjoy the extended cut of the video above. You can also dive into the full written article by Kenji here: How to Stock a Japanese Pantry 🔗
Now sit back and enjoy the haul! And don’t forget, Super Frienjis enjoy exclusive access to the written recipes from this series. If you haven't already, consider joining today to put your newly-stocked pantry to the test!
Thank you for supporting Kenji Eats Japan!
This series has been something special for our team to work on. We know it’s a little different from the content you’re used to and we are so grateful for your support.
Now, our team is getting started on the next big batch of content we’ll be bringing you. Keep your eyes peeled, Frienjis!
Until then,
— Erin, Community & Content Manager
🔗 Watch the full Kenji Eats Japan series.
Comments (13)
Thank you so much for this! You covered a lot of things I didn’t know.
This was so helpful, Kenji! I've been resourcing your recommendations since your post so that I have all of the basics on hand for whatever I choose to make
Glad I found you.
I'm very glad Jeff
Thank you for ditching the creeper glasses! Sincerely, a fellow Uwajimaya customer
🙂 nice
My cooking has improved so much after using your "The Wok" even poaching chicken, thank you and thank you for using your platform for those that would be silenced ❤️
I literally just got back from my neighborhood Japanese market for pantry staples then opened Patreon lol 🙃
Hello, sending you a little smile 😊
I very much appreciate Kenji's insights. I've dug them for years! I appreciate the "up close and personal" quality of the whole endeavor, though I'm gonna respectfully decline to be a "Frienji." I've been following him for, I dunno, 20 years or so, and I feel like he can lean into his years of experience and professional wisdom like a grown up and without this weird, cutesy voice that I assume to come from the "content manager." But at risk of piling on criticism, that video did not do justice to Kenji's knowledge and insight. Like, I dunno what's happening for you, man, but that really reads like you just rolled out one morning and headed off to the market with someone following you with an iPhone. You are a legitimately world-class food writer with a deep knowledge base which ought be shared. What a shame that it unpacked in a shaky camera video where I found myself CONSTANTLY wanting to see what was just outside the frame. You've got some number of people PAYING to see you produce videos. "Following you around the market" is a fine CONCEPT, but needs better production than some person ACTUALLY just following you around the market; the camera is by and large much too tight and is a little jerky; it is an uncomfortable watch and a distracting one. I'm not piling on here to be a jerk; I love your stuff, and I want to SEE what you're trying to show me. This video does a lousy job of it; I find myself watching it in bits to gain the information, because of how valuable I find the information. Anyway, thanks for the video? The information is very much appreciated.
I feel like this is completely oblivious to the reality of what it's like for someone with the level of resources he actually has to create something like this. He's not someone that's working with some massive food network style production behind him. I mean, honestly, he's probably lucky he didn't get kicked out of the store for filming.
do we need clickbait titles on patreon? i'm so done with the slop.
If you can find a way around the SEO then you're probably running the company.