How to Shop at a Japanese Supermarket (A Tour of Uwajimaya in Seattle) | Kenji's Cooking Show
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- Опубликовано: 27 май 2024
- Uwajimaya has been open in the Seattle area for 95 years. There are currently four locations (Bellevue, Renton, and Seattle in WA and Beaverton in OR). I visited the Seattle location which is located in the International District at 600 5th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98104
Thank you to the folks at Uwajimaya for letting me film and cook in their store, as well as to Alfredo, their social media manager who operated the hand-held camera for this video shoot.
Get my books (including The Food Lab and my new book, The Wok) here: www.kenjilopezalt.com
If you like my stuff, follow me over on Patreon, where you will find every new recipe video published ad-free along with fully written step-by-step recipes: / kenjilopezalt
Thank you to user @gingermintlime4884 who took the time to timestamp a bunch of moments in the video!
0:00 - Introduction
0:39 - Kabocha squash
0:59 - Matsutake mushrooms
1:19 - Pomelo fruit
1:44 - Japanese eggplant
2:25 - Ginger, onion, scallions
3:00 - Thinly shaved beef and other meats
3:26 - Arabiki pork sausages
3:40 - Kurobuta (black pig)
4:05 - Tarako (salted pollock roe)
5:25 - Shokupan (milk bread)
7:03 - Onigiri (seaweed/nori wrapped rice ball)
8:00 - Beni shoga (red pickled ginger, not the light pink one for sushi)
8:35 - Golden curry
9:05 - Calpis/calpico yogurt drink
9:35 - Furikake rice topping
10:15 - Seaweed types (nori, wakame, kelp, hijiki) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
12:45 - Gohan (Rice) Tomaki gold koshihikari (short grain)
13:29 - Tsuyu concentrated soup base
14:05 - Ramen and other instant noodles (Myojochukazanmai is my favorite brand)
14:57 - Koikuchi (dark) shoyu, usukuchi (light) shoyu, and tamari (wheat-free)
16:15 - Artificially flavored and true Mirin (watch out for the ingredients)
16:50 - My favorite Japanese snacks: Senbei and arare (rice crackers), and Pocky
18:26 - Poppin' Cook edible chemistry kits for kids, and some discussion of yoshoku cuisine
19:18 - Making gyudon 
Хобби
Foods and timestamps
0:39 Kombucha squash
0:59 Matsutake mushrooms
1:19 Pomelo fruit
1:44 Japanese eggplant
2:25 Ginger, onion, scallions
3:00 Thinly shaved beef
3:26 Arabiki pork sausages
3:40 Kurobuta (black pig)
4:05 Tarako (salted pollock roe)
5:25 Shokupan (milk bread)
7:03 Onigiri (seaweed/nori wrapped rice ball)
8:00 Beni shoga (red pickled ginger, not the light pink one for sushi)
8:35 Golden curry
9:05 Calpis/calpico yogurt drink
9:35 Furikake rice topping
10:15 Seaweed types (nori, wakame, kelp, hijiki) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
12:45 Gohan (Rice) Tomaki gold koshihikari (short grain)
13:29 Suyu concentrated soup base
14:05 Ramen and instant noodles
14:57 Shoyu/soy sauce types, tamari (wheat-free)
16:15 Mirin (watch out for the ingredients)
16:50 Snacks: Senbei and arare (rice crackers), pocky
18:26 make your own snacks and candy, popincookin, yoshoku (foreign-influenced cooking)
19:18 Making gyudon
Oh wow thanks for this! Pinning it and adding it to the video descriptions as well. I appreciate it!
Great work! Thanks!
No problem! Thank you for helping me plan my next trip to the Japanese market 😊
@@gingermintlime4884 good deed
Great stuff! Think it is kabocha rather than kombucha though?
Wasn't expecting my grandma to be in this video 🤣 The obaachan that passed you in the fish department! She's been working at this uwajimaya for over 30 years!
Oh wow!! I will say hello next time!
See her all the time at Uwajamia
Granny's... the real OG
4:54 that's awesome
That is so wholesome.
Love watching Kenji walk around the grocery store and say “oh” and slam on the brakes to grab something
You love that?
He's all of us with ADHD in a grocery store (～￣▽￣)～
He just like me for real
I do that all the time in the grocery store.. i tell my dad that i got distracted by shiny objects
TBH, there's a lot of that in Uwajimaya.
More food personalities should do vids like this. Take me shopping, explain the difference between the 74 nori options. Then not only will I be more confident in the store, I can justify to my wife why we needed another pack of nori for this particular dish, lol
Yeah, like, I love when these people teach me how to cook, but in order to do that I'm going to need to buy the groceries first.
You're right, this is brilliant. I tend to have more Japanese & Chinese condiments in my house, but half of them are in languages I don't speak and I picked up on a whim hoping for the best. Explaining what I'm supposed to be looking for and what the best uses for those things is pertinent information that I don't always have.
Well, shoot. I can't remember which channel it is, but there's a series of videos where they go to different grocery stores (Mexican, Japanese, Itallian, etc.) and explain the ingredients.
@@CharleneCTX for Korean foods Maangchi has a couple videos solving some Hmart dilemmas.
Love it! Props to the Uwajimaya employee who volunteered (voluntold?) to be the Kenji's camera-person for the afternoon 😂 5:58
Alfredo! He’s their social media manager.
All hail Alfredo!
And a great camera-person
@@JKenjiLopezAltAlfredo did a great job filming!
Hi Kenji! As a person with celiac disease, I just wanted to mention that a recent study done in Sweden concluded that naturally brewed soy sauce is effectively gluten-free. The fermentation process breaks down proteins, including gluten, to such a degree that it ends up being less gluten then 5ppm, which by EU standards is considered gluten-free😊
Excellent- good to know and thanks for sharing the info!
For seven years I lived a block and a half away from this Uwajimaya. I'm now 3000 miles away and seeing it pop up in my RUclips feed was a trip. It's such an incredible store, I didn't really appreciate how spoiled I was.
You can bring your own food (but not drinks) to Mariners games, and the stadium is right across the street from Uwajimaya. We always swing by before games and stock up on the prepared food and snacks to bring into the stadium with us.
That sounds like a dream. Prepared food in the States is sorely lagging. Americans' standard are just so low compared to Asian markets.
hahah i used to work at the stadium, this video made me miss working there cuz i used to grab lunch or dinner from here on my way back home
kenji is the most innovative internet chef on the planet. we're seeing stuff never before seen. he's walking us through a supermarket educating us on ingredients, while breaking the wall of media by integrating the camera with a grip arm to get great POV shots (and getting the legal permission to do so by evidence of having the camera man wearing a what looks to be a market apron), then he stops in the middle of the market to actually cook and explain the process with bits of chemistry and culture thrown in. And on an induction stove, the future of efficient kitchens. Just amazing. There's the great flow of continuity, with limited reality-breaking cuts that demystifies the process. it's like the equivalent of a mixed-martial-media-culinary artist.
wild to see Kenji shopping at my local Asian grocery store! There is also a really cool bookstore in this Uwajimaya, and a bunch of local vendors in the back selling hot food.
kinokuniya ftw!
So jealous of this store! Wish I had one here!
Kenji-San, thank you for sharing this compelling video with us, appreciate.
I am from the area (near Sendai) where Tohoku University is located, where your grandfather was a researcher/teacher for a time. I just recently learned that fact. That's how my mystery about your performance over the long term has been solved. The mystery is that your knowledge of Japan and Japanese ingredients is at an astonishing level, and that your explanations to the audience were appropriate.
Please continue to stay healthy and happy.
That is fascinating, thanks for the comment!
You gotta make this into a series. Walk into both regular and specialty grocery stores across the nation and give your insight and recommendations.
Agreed, I would pay money for that!!
Kenji is the best food content creator around. So astoundingly knowledgable
24:30 I knew as Kenji was explaining that he was going to end with an "of course if that's what you like...". I love your attitude, I honestly can't think of a better person to watch for cooking inspiration or learning. Always so thorough in explanations and non-judgemental.
Yes, exactly!! Totally agree!
Bingo
This man is a Culinary Encyclopedia.
Watching Kenji walking around a grocery store this enthusiastic and just really enjoying himself while just talking about what he's planning to cook makes me want to study in culinary school
It's also nice to see, reminds me of Adam Savage going around tools or models
It really was a delight.
I know I'm not alone on this, but you have single handedly changed my cooking life. You keep coming up with new concepts that increase my food knowledge and comfort in the kitchen. Great video!
Ditto
Same here! Truly my idol when it comes to cooking.
💯💯💯
Absolutely! He’d probably hate to hear this but he’s an idol
Same here!
This is by far the most dense video of Japanese cooking and ingredients knowledge I've ever come across. Also doubles up as a great advert for that supermarket! Amazing Kenji I'm definitely saving this for future reference.
Uwajimaya has always been a highlight of eating in the Chinatown - International district for my family for forever, being able to get live fish and shellfish is such a treat! One thing Kenji may have left out is Uwajimaya has a pretty awesome selection of kitchenware and tableware, I still have teacups and bowls that we got there when I was a kid 20 years ago
As the production value and scope of kenji’s content grows, one thing that doesn’t change is his kindness to others, love of sharing delicious food, and love of his family. Refreshing as always. Thank you.
How much I enjoy and trust Kenji: I live in Japan, a short walk from a great supermarket, and I'm watching this whole thing just in case I'm missing out on something good
Well? Were you missing out on anything?? :)
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549Expat living in Tokyo here. In terms of all the prepared/packaged foods we can get all that and with greater varieties/brands.
Personally I miss things like the varied produce from back in Cali. Japan is still a pretty homogenous country, and home-cooking-wise the horizons still don't extend very far in terms of international cuisine, which influences what we can find in our local markets. So things like artichokes, jalapenos, butternut squash, etc., you'd never find in a local market here, though --possibly-- at an international supermarket like National Azabu (think Whole Foods, but for expats and way more expensive). I once spent over $20 on the saddest 2 artichokes there because we hadn't eaten fresh artichokes for years and my wife HAD to have them. I also terribly miss dungeness crab. Most of the crab sold here are snow, horsehair, or king and almost never live, usually pre-cooked and frozen⇒thawed. Also, bacon. Real american bacon. What they call bacon here in Japan... it's not bacon...it's a crime against humanity is what it is.
@@mojojojotokyo OOh yeah I've heard about some of that, I had a roommate who spent some time there, for her the must-have, can't-find was peanut butter
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 weirdly enough peanut butter nowadays isn’t so much of an issue so long as you’re ok with jif or skippy in terms of familiar brands.
amazing how much the production value of your stuff has gone up recently-cool to see you having a second cameraperson, background music, etc even if it makes the vibe less laid back than your cooking videos. thanks for the upload!
The funny thing is that Kenji already _did_ high production value stuff in the past. It simply wasn't worth it. People people really like watching an uncut video of him cooking while explaining for the 54th time how canned tomatoes are actually fresher than "fresh" store-bought. I, for one, like the slow pace so that I can follow in "real time". As you get older, your tolerance for new stuff markedly drops and Kenji's gopro recipes have become a comfortable and familiar fixture in my routine.
@@Gyzome I think the pandemic had a lot to do with the more relaxed vibe doing so well too.
Something about the familiarity with which Kenji spoke, and all his little knowledge filled sidetracks and rants really had a comforting effect on myself and I'm sure a lot of other people. His channel is among the best cooking content on youtube imo.
By "gone up," you mean adding additional Go Pros, right?
From the thin sliced meat, arabiki sausage, shokupan, the same brand of furikake, and even getting tempted by the Una-don... this video is a near perfect facsimile of my Japanese market shopping experiences. It makes me think that growing up Japanese in the U.S. during the late 20th century must have resulted in pretty similar culinary traditions for those of us who fall in that demographic.
I let out an “Oh, nooo” when he grabbed the bottle of Setofumi furikake distributed by JFC Foods. Although appearing to be Japanese, it’s actually made in China (check the label) and is cheaper than the Mishima brand from Japan (Hiroshima), which I prefer, on the shelf below.
Excellent video Kenji! I live a rural midwest area and my closest asian grocery is much smaller but it's still a great place to shop!
As a side note, Kurobuta (black pig) is not a species of pig but a breed. All domestic pigs are the same species but selective breeding gives rise to different, but similar, breeds (e.g. Berkshire, Duroc, Hereford, etc.). Source: am biologist.
As always, thanks for making such great content!
I knew that would be coming eventually when I heard it in the video....thanks for the clarification!
@@sstillwell No problem, I'm suprised I didn't see it posted before me. I was hesitant to say anything in the first place because I don't want to come of as acting all "umm, actually". Espescially since Kenji probably knows it's not a species and just had a slip of the tounge while rushing through it.
Went straight to Uwajimaya and cooked this dish for dinner tonight. Thanks for all the tips! I see the store in a completely different way.
I made a version of gyudon with ground beef a lot when I was stuck at home in 2020. It was based on the gyudon video Kenji made early in 2020. In order to go to the grocery store as little as possible, I'd buy a lot of ground beef, portion it out and freeze it. I could grab one portion of beef, and cook up some gyudon. Kenji's cooking videos were really helpful to me in 2020.
oh i never thought of ground beef thats a smart idea..... ive been doing ground beef bulgogi but i also love the gyodon flavors
One of the best things about moving to Seattle is all of the great grocery stores, Uwajimaya being one of them. Town & Country is another gem.
I will now blow my entire paycheck on Kenji's shopping list. I
Good lord I hope you're proud as hell of what you do. Just some of the most useful and directly applicable stuff, which seeps into the way people do things everyday. There are things as simple as where I keep my compost bin that are because of your videos. There's so much of you among anyone who follows you that goes beyond just "oh yeah I watch his videos".
A Seattle institution, my mom said when she moved to Seattle in the 70s in her 20s (from the nearby Everett) with her sister they bought so much of their home-goods from Uwajimaya.
I love Uwajimaya. We have one in Beaverton that's a bit smaller than the one you showed, but still the only place we can get so many things.
Thanks for the great camerawork, Alfredo! This was an AWESOME tour and I wish more stores would do this! I would be so intimidated to go here alone, but now I know exactly what I need to go for. Thank you, Mr. Lopez-Alt!
J. Kenji is the vanguard of the future of groceries and meals. Thank you Kenji. Thank you!
Kenji has so much knowledge and is so good at transmiting it
Goodness, I love Kenji. I could watch a video of him grocery shop for hours. So kind and knowledgeable.
We frequent the Korean H Mart in our area. We have a Mitsuwa which is a fine Japanese chain grocery store but they usually cost a premium price. Will still go there if H Mart doesn’t have umeboshi or the type of natto my Japanese wife likes.
@@BigHairyCrank that is a perfect spot to be!
@@BigHairyCrank Pastry House Hippo is SO good. It's almost worth the drive from the city all the way out there...
As someone who lived 25 years in Japan, this and Okonomiyaki are my two favorite Japanese foods...
I worked here when I was in college before the remodel. They have been family owned and a unique grocery growing along with Seattle
this was splendid, would love to see a tour of your normal grocery shopping and how you plan meals for the week!
Thanks so much Kenji! I have great memories of this store! From the sixth-grade field trip where I bought chopsticks and a puzzle ball and those little ceramic posed horses to my UW days as a student! Great store, lot of fun to see. It's big!
That milk bread is excellent for lump crab salad and sprouts sandwiches.
For my wife and I, the downtown Uwajimaya is our happy place. We come in from Port Angeles about every other month for things we just can't find at home. Oh, and don't forget Daiso across the street.
Thanks Kenji! The video is great! Sort of a general food education video. I’d appreciate more content like this.
The Calpis (cowpiss) comment brought back memories of having that in the fridge in the 80’s. Wajis has evolved since the cool, kitchy original down the street but still does an awesome job carrying on as the default full Japanese grocery in Seattle.
Oh my god this is such a great video idea can't wait to see! Visit my local asian grocer from time to time and struggle hugely to know what I'm looking for or what certain things are as I'm in a smaller Irish city and amn't really exposed to them though I would love to be. (Also appreciate you shouting out the nb folk at the end of each vid, it's a small thing but warms my heart)
Wrote up a big thing in another similar comment, but the gist is this: find a recipe and making a shopping list out of it. That will help you learn the layout of the store. Do that for a bunch of different recipes and you'll start to get a sense for shared ingredients. Then research those ingredients. Eventually, you'll start seeing something on a recipe and thinking, "Oh, I saw that the last time I went when I got this other similar thing," and you'll be on your way.
Imagine walking into the local Asian market and seeing Kenji behind the wok. I’d just die instantaneously. 😵😵😵
This was really great. I had no intention to watch a full 30min video but I couldn't turn it off. The pace and amount of info is kind of mesmerizing.
My Aunt who was stationed in Japan (long time ago- maybe 35 yrs) brought over that Golden Curry and it was always a favorite of mine and we fixed it just like you said - potatoes, carrots, onion, beef or chicken. YUM!!! I still buy it today.
This video inspired me to be more adventurous when I shop at Asian food markets. Thanks Kenji!
Thank you for taking us shopping, Kenji!
Fantastic store tour! I can only dream of having a supermarket like this in rural Oxfordshire.
Love this channel. Awesome work
Love the change of pace in the content!
It’s nice to see how much passion he has for food and just for being in the market. Plus this was a great way to educate the audience! Thanks!
My favorite part of any trip into the city as a kid and adult.
Probably my favorite video of 2023. Great job, Kenji!!!
Awesome video Kenji! love to see your passion for food
Thank you Kenji! This was amazing.
Your videos always make me so happy. Thank you, Kenji!!
I love shopping with you. Thank you Kenji
Love the field trip with Kenji! 🎉
What a wonderful looking shop!
Thank you, Kenji so much for this super useful & informational vlog!!!
This is incredibly insightful! Thank you so much!
Really love this Kenji! Please do more videos like this. Very informative
Loved this, need more!
I grew up shopping at this store with my family. Love Uwaji’s! Thanks for the tour!
Really love this format! Effort in the camera/editing made it really nice to follow along and I appreciate all the timestamps. I also really appreciate the little hop of enthusiasm when you bit into the onigiri!
I love how informative this is. It really feels like I'm grocery shopping with a chef friend explaining things on the shelves.
I would never leave that store. Thank you so much for inspiring and educating. You're one of THE BEST instructors out there.
This is so awesome. I learned so much here. Please do more of these
Imagine if you instead said, "I buy these for my wife because she loves it right out of the jar¨instead of "I have to hide these from her because she eats it right out of the jar". Lead with love instead of teasing. Great video - Iwas surprised at how many products and signs are in English or brands that we get in the U.S. Your guy has the most steady hands, if weŕe watching his recording!
Be love, so your kids understand that love is respect and not teasing.
Maybe have less dysfunctional relationships where apparently you can't handle even a bit of teasing like a well-adjusted human being.
Love is definitely teasing, respect, and more for anyone who isn't mentally stunted my dude.
Absolutely loved the video!
Amazing video, thank uou
I should show this video to my local grocery store (actually most stores in my country) just to have them understand what a good customer experience is when having that well organised food.
And just having that size of Japanese supermarket! Where I live we would be happy if the store is about the size of the fruit department.
Fantastic idea for a video. You are the GOAT Kenji!
I love this! It would be a cool idea for any stores like this to offer tours just like this video. I love going to international markets, and having a guide really fast forwards my usual learning process of buying a couple of new ingredients at a time! Also, I love Uwajimaya! What a cool collaboration!
This is a great video!!! Information like this is SO HELPFUL for people who love to cook but didn't grow up cooking traditional foods.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is genius, genuine and truthful. Hopefully you are lucky enough to eat some of these meals.
This has an enormous educational value, thank you for sharing!
What a fun and informative video! The tour was great but the information you gave made it so personal. Thank you for taking your time to educate us!
Uwajimaya has always been one of my favorite places to shop in Seattle, really fun seeing you give us a tour Kenji!
So knowledgeable - thank you kenji!
Nice addition to your already quite diverse channel. Very interesting and fun to watch!
Just a simple thank you! I’ve been shopping in Asian markets for years with a let’s try this mentality. Been fun but love having some Kenji insights to make it better!
I adore this format.If you have more chances ,keep them coming
I lived across the street from this place when I lived in Seattle 10 years ago and would shop here almost every day, crazy nostalgia trip
This is wonderful -- thank you! Kenji, would you please PLEASE do one like this for the Asian Family Market? I love going in there but it's overwhelming and I usually leave with just some vegetables and soy sauce. :-/
Second this. This can so easily become a running series.
I third this. Yes please.
What an awesome video! I have really been trying to learn more about Asian cooking and ingredients and this is super helpful and educational. I saw multiple things I want to try. I love Kenji’s approach to teaching about food and cooking techniques. I’d love to see multiples of him shopping and showcasing different ingredients.
Thank you. This video was very informative and the recipe I can't wait to try.
Kenji moves really swiftly and elegantly when cooking, a joy to watch.
I got excited for a grocery shopping video...wow, life.
My favorite shopping spot in Seattle when we cross from Bainbridge :) So glad you are showing these wonderful places to your tribe!!!
I live in a city in germany that has a ton of japanese supermarkets, this was insightful, helpful and extremely fun to watch. Love kenji being so enthusiastic thank you so much :)
Love this, Kenji. I grew up in a very rural part of America and only recently moved to a larger city in the past few years. This is a great introduction for the kinds of things to look for with people like me who have far less experience with different types of markets. Keep up the awesome work.
Thank you for this! I take drives from Philly to Mitsuwa Market in NJ as often as I can and it’s so worth the trip. Now I’m more informed!
Really loved this video. I lived and Japan but wasn't much of a cook at the time, and have always found it daunting to recreate the dishes I loved now (and often don't quite get the flavors right.) It feels like I am missing that magic understanding of how to utilize dashi, and the golden trifecta of sake, mirin, and soy sauce. Seeing you walk through it is a big help, and I love hearing your grocery shopping rationale! It can be overwhelming even in a regular supermarket. Thanks a lot for the videos, and I've been enjoying your books as well.
This is my favorite video of yours so far! I often go to uwajimaya but feel overwhelmed on how to turn what I get into something tasty. This was such a great intro!
Awesome video I loved it thank you
Awesome, thank you.