Ingredients that do not fit the other families but still earn their place.
What You'll Learn
You will learn what these ingredients are for, and why a dish can need something with no taste at all.
Texture is a flavour too
Konjac has almost no taste and almost no calories. It is in the pot for the bite, and it carries the broth around it.
Tear konjac by hand instead of cutting it. The rough edges hold far more sauce than a clean cut does.
Konjac has been eaten in Japan since the sixth century. It arrived as a medicine, not as food.
Boil konjac for two minutes before you use it. That removes the smell that puts most first timers off.