The Japanese Kitchen: 250 Recipes in a Traditional Spirit

This is a serious and seriously-excellent Japanese cookbook. I'm sussed.I don't care that it lacks photography -- I've got a great visual sense with the reading of this book. (There are b&w sketches to assist where needed).Hiroko Shimbo goes through the authentic tools of the Japanese kitchen, basic cooking/prepping techniques, essential ingredients, and then the actual food. Yes, it covers sushi, but she goes beyond sushi (there's life in Japanese cookery beyond sushi, much as I adore that!), and into other genres within the cuisine. At the end, she provides a go-to sourcery for items not often seen in your local supermarket.She writes clearly, talks about authenticity, but provides work-arounds for those many of us who can't get totally authentic. There are also little cultural asides and notes, and comments on determining what fish is truly fresh (for sushi/sashimi) in your supermarket.If you like Japanese cuisine and want to bring that home, this is a good book for you. Both novices and experts will find useful info here.

I bought this to help me get hte specifics to make Japanese dishes I have eaten before.A necessary part of enjoying this book is your ability to procure Japanese ingredients. These aren't really that complicated, but if you live in the middle of nowhere it could be problematic or really expensive. Luckily, a lot of it is really dry goods or items that you'll make yourslef from dry goods that can be stored in the fridge and applied to different recipes over the next week or so.It's best to have a specific idea of what type of thing you'd like to make (udon, chicken, spinach salad) and go from there. It certainly helps if you've eaten the foods before because there is not much in the way of photos.For those of us already competent to cook at home and with no problem understanding the finer points in a recipe, this is an excellent guide to dive into Japanese cuisine. It might be a little heavy for somebody less familiar.

Just what I wanted - a deep introduction to Japanese ingredients, flavor combinations, cooking techniques, and culture. Hiroko Shimbo provides all the information you need to cook Japanese food, enjoy, and appreciate it. Her experience teaching Americans to cook Japanese has shown her how we can respond to the unfamiliar ingredients. She provides the Japanese perspective on the ingredient based on its history, taste, texture, and nutrition. The level of detail is perfect - concise and complete. I've only tried a couple of recipes so far and they've been outstanding.

I am an American who lived in Japan for several years. I teach Japanese language at the high school level. I have been cooking some of the Japanese foods that I loved in Tokyo, Odawara, Koenji, Fuchu, and other places, for years. This is the first cookbook I've seen that gives clear instructions on how to prepare these foods and explains the ingrediants so that a gaijin (non-Japanese) can understand and execute. She gives great stories of the foods that add to your understanding. When I get done cooking recipies from this book, my food tastes like the foods I ate in Japan.I recommed this as the first and primary Japanese cooking book in your kitchen.

Great book. It feels more like an owners manual than a cookbook. It does a great job of breaking down ingredients, equipment, and process. I have really enjoyed this book so far!

I find it to be a very informative cook book that even goes out of it's way to explain about the various ingredients and seasonings as well as a brief bit of history/info about them.The recipes themselves are straightforward and easy to follow. Even though there aren't very many images to it, it's almost as if I have a mentor talking me through it all.

About 1/3rd The thickness of your average Joy of Cooking. But it has many staple recipes. Classic sauces. Desserts. Etc. Great starter book for basic Japanese food.

A lot of good information and very traditional to Japanese culture book. Not a lot of pictures and right to the point.

It a very complete book that covers the origins of the dishes as well as covering many many recipes.I didn't give it 5 stars because I like my cooking books with more pictures but this is just a matter of taste. Would definitely recommend if you are really into Japanese food. For more simple/famous dishes, I would tell you to check out other books. This might be a bit too elaborated for you then. :)

At over 500 pages,with 250 recipes, this book is sure to become one of the best guides to Japanese cooking. The food is fabulous, and I am sure that many readers will be inspired to buy a rice cooker to accompany the text. Rent yourself (or stream) Tampopo, and immerse yourself in the pleasure of Japanese food. There is much more to this text than sushi. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed the book and purchased another for my daughter.

Un vrai régal quand on met de coté la présentation simple qui peut dérouter le lecteur gâté par les photos alléchantes et les mise en page des publicistes.Une mine d'information et d'astuces. Je me sens entre de bonne mains pour découvrir le vrai dans la cuisine japonaise.J'adore.

A wonderful book for those interested in preparing Japanese-style food. It is very well put together and includes all of the favourites!