Japanese Cooking Terms & Techniques

My notes from Harumi Kurihara's cookbook, Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking.

mijingiri - finely minced into tiny cube shapes
sengiri - julienned, or into strips
hangetsugiri - cut into half moons
koguchigiri - cut into fine slices - for round ingredients like spring onions
nanamegiri - cut on the diagonal
Ichogiri - round pieces cut into quarters
Usugiri - finely sliced

Drop lid - Traditionally made out of wood, they are placed in a pan, directly on top of food as it cooks. It is a technique frequently used in Japanese cooking to ensure the even distribution of flavor. You can make one from amuminum foil or greaseproof paper with a hole in the middle - make a disk slightly smaller than the inside of the pan.