PANKO

What it is: A type of bread crumb with a light and airy texture used in Japanese cooking. There are two kinds of panko. Tan is made from both the bread and crust. White is made from bread after the crust is removed.

What gives panko a prominent place on my short shelf of absolutely indispensable ingredients is its versatility. Unlike ordinary bread crumbs, panko-coated foods can be grilled as well as fried, baked and sautéed.

It can also be substituted for ordinary bread crumbs as filler in meatloaf, meatballs and burgers or to casserole dishes.

Panko provides a deliciously crunchy crust, browns well and has less of a tendency to get soggy. While its rough, coarse texture is celebrated by chefs and home cooks alike, a finer crumb and delicate texture can easily be achieved by a few pulses in a food processor.

It used to be that panko was scarce to find outside of an Asian supermarket. But over the past two or three years I’ve seen it increasingly on grocer’s shelves, from smaller outlets to major chains.

Substitute: You can substitute panko with ordinary bread crumbs in just about any recipe. But why would you when you can make panko quickly and easy on your own? You'll find a link to the recipe located in the column to your right.



JAPANESE RICE

What it is: A short-grained rice that becomes sticky when cooked. The Japanese word for cooked rice, gohan, is a staple of almost every Japanese meal. In fact, gohan also means “meal.”

Hakumai, or white rice, is revered by Japanese for its flavor. Gemmai, or brown rice, is considered to be not as delicious but is growing in popularity due to recognition of its health and nutritional benefits.

The other popular variety of Japanese rice is mochi, an even shorter grain of rice that known to Westerners as “sushi rice.”

When cooked, mochi is sweet and even stickier than gohan—too sweet and sticky for Japanese to eat with meals. Instead, mochi is used in making rice cakes or pounded into a paste to make wagashi-—sweet Japanese desserts-—or turned into ozoni, a traditional New Year’s soup.

As a rule, nothing is ever added to rice except maybe a little salt. Tea is sometimes added to leftover Japanese rice to create a popular late-night snack called ocha-zuke.

Substitute: Pearl or paella rice. In traditional Japanese cooking, long-grained rice should never be used as a substitute, so avoid basmati, jasmine and other varieties.



RICE WINE

What it is: Also called sake. A Japanese wine made from fermented rice. In addition to being served as a beverage, rice wine is commonly used in sauces, dips and marinades.

Substitute: Vermouth, white wine or sweet sherry.



RICE WINE VINEGAR

What it is: Made from rice wine, rice wine vinegar has a milder and less acidic flavor than other types of vinegars and is available sweetened or plain. There are white, red and black varieties.

Substitute: Sweet wine or white wine vinegar with a little sugar stirred in.