David Fujimura is from California, a cook in his first year with us. Today he learned that no two crackseeds, even though they have the same name, taste the same. Lemon peel, wet li hing mui, dry li hing mui -- they may be called the same things but will all taste different. So, in making the jus from the crackseed, I found that the brands changed from the original recipe. This recipe David made tasted different, and with a little more lemon peel flavor.
This is the reason why we have become so brand-specific when it comes to things like soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, mirin, miso, ume, and li hing mui. We discovered the importance of this when we traveled to other states or countries and requested a market list of ingredients to be ready for us on arrival. We were given what they could get for us and often times they were not the same brands and same flavors as we were used to, so we had to scramble and change some of our preparations because the final taste was not the same.
When I travel and dine at a restaurant that cooks similar dishes as we do blending east and west, the dish might sound amazing, but often I am disappointed, and it is usually because the cook didn’t understand the ingredient enough. Soy sauce is not just soy sauce; there are many kinds and for different purposes, just like miso and everything else.
I say to all new employees, "I'll give you three to six months to adjust to us. Your first year with us, if coming from the mainland, is to understand the ingredients." For the local cooks, at least they grew up with all these flavors and ingredients and are one step ahead in knowing what it should taste like.
~AW