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The basics of cooking

Enzyme Ingestion and Smoothie

Deadline of life. 100year-old project and nursing care

In Japanese cuisine, ‘Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So’ is known as the

arrangement of the 5 main seasoning ingredients. These

are the base of all Japanese cooking. The order in which

these ingredients are introduced is considered very

important to the overall taste of the end result of the

meal.

【material】
Chicken thigh ... 100g
Bean sprouts ... 60g
Leek ... 1/2 bunch
Garlic ... 1 clove
Sugar ... 1 tablespoon
Salt ... a little
Vinegar ... 1/2 tablespoon
Soy sauce ... tablespoon 1 + 1/2
Doubanjiang (miso instead) ... 1 tsp
Sesame oil ... a small amount

Sa ------ Sugar , Sake and Sweet sake Shi ----- Salt

Su ------ Vinegar

Se ------ Soy sauce

So ------ Miso

Seasoning Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So.

This specific order of introduction for these seasonings when cooking is said to bring about the most delicious results.

Is the order really that important? Does changing the order of added seasonings of ‘Sashisuseso’ change the taste?

In order to explore the truth, we devised a recipe to use all the seasonings of ‘Sashisuseso’ both properly and in reverse order!

Then !

Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So

So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa

So

Se

Su

Shi

Sa

In order to make the best comparison between these two

versions of our seasoning experiment, we decided to

proceed with true ‘Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So’ vs. ‘So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa’ order.

These mirror image versions of the recipe ensured the best

results. Please follow the directions for cooking below if

you want to try this tasty experiment yourself!

Comparison Cooking Baked Chicken

Directions:

1). Heat a small amount of sesame oil in a frying pan. Bake chicken thighs from the skin first. Turnover once skin is browned.

2). Once browned on the whole, add seasoning in either Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So’ or ‘So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa’ order.

3). Once the meat is thoroughly seasoned, add bean sprouts, leeks and garlic.

Cook until overall ingredients are heated.

4). Complete and serve.

Left: in the order of "Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So" by the addition of seasoning for baked chicken
 

Right: in the order of "So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa" by the addition of seasoning for baked chicken

Well, do you really notice a change in the taste with the different order of seasoning?,

Comparing the Results

So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa vs. Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So

So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa

Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So

If you put the seasoning in the proper order of ‘Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So' there is sweetness to the chicken. It feels like the taste is round and gentle. On the other hand, when the seasoning was added in reverse order

So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa,’ the pungency of doubanjiang miso was most prominent with its spicy kick. Even though the same amount of ingredients were added to both recipes, the ‘Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So’ order did not allow the sweet taste of the vinegar’s acidity and sugar to overtake the meat. In the case of sugar,

the order of introduction did not change the taste.

Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So

So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa

When comparing the vegetables in these two versions carefully, one might notice the appearance, as well as overall taste, of the vegetables is better preserved in the Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So’ order.

The veggies turned out delicious and crisp!

When cooking in the ‘Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So’ order, sugar will be added at the beginning of most recipes.

Once heated, the sugar will caramelise in the frying pan and thicken into a liquid seasoning like that of vinegar and soy sauce.

Since these will be added later in the recipe, the vegetables remain protected.

On the other hand, what was the impact of cooking in the So-Se-Su-Shi-Sa’ order?

With the addition of liquid seasonings such as soy sauce and vinegar coming after the miso, instead of doubanjiang, the vegetables maintain that base.

It has been said for a long time that the ‘Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So’ order of adding seasoning has perfectly scientific reasons behind it.

It’s easy to see, and taste, from this experiment how the order of introduction effects the balance of the taste.

Why not try it at home yourself? By all means, please give this tasty experiment a try!

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