I'm working on a Korean inspired dry rub and want to use Bonito Flakes to somewhat take the place of fish sauce. Since I've never bought Bonito Flakes:
Can anyone with real life experience recommend a brand?
Is anyone aware of a similar product that in not smoked? While I dont think this will be an issue I'me just exploring options.
If you do not know anyone from Korea, and do not get a recommendation response, I suggest going into a Korean market and ask someone. I used to frequent a market weekly and learned a lot from the owners. I asked for a suggestion on rice (cuz they have like a million varieties) and received a great lesson on choosing the right rice for the recipe (sushi, sticky, fried, etc.).
I had to paw through my pantry for this one. The stuff I use is made by Nashimoto Trading. It comes in small packets. When I use it, I am sparing as the flavor is strong, and unlike fish sauce,keeps intensifying over time. So, a little goes a long way. When choosing brands, get the ones that are just shaved bonito without additives. Its partner in flavor is wakame(seaweed). Many times both are used together ;usually in something wet, so you can control the flavor intensity. One of our collective hobbies at work is Asian food, and Korean BBQ is quite popular with the rest of the employees. We usually use a marinade instead of a rub before smoking, as the flavor is easily controlled. But, that doesn't make me right. By all means, go for it!
I've used Korean chili powder many times in BBQ. Great stuff. Maybe a wet rub might work better? That would open up many possibilities, including using bonito flakes etc.. The umami you can get would be epic.
Back to dry. Using Korean chili powder as a BBQ base alone with some other goodies would be very tasty. You would, of course, need to salt first, as the fish sauce you mentioned would be omitted. This idea has very real possibilities.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
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> Anova sous vide circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
Jon, I've used bonito flakes many times over the years to make dashi (it's a Japanese staple sauce base) and simply buy whatever I find at the nearest Asian market ... never noticed a difference between brands.
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