Practical Japanese Cooking

Book excerpt: In this pioneering work, Shizuo Tsuji, one of the most prominent figures in Japan’s culinary world, takes all that is good about Japanese food and brings it into the home. The book presents over 100 authentic recipes (manageable even for the novice cook) for dishes ranging from familiar favorites like Miso Soup with Pork and Vegetables, Yakitori, Rice Balls, Nigiri Sushi, Soba Noodles in a Basket, Sukiyaki, and Tempura to more exotic-sounding (but actually simple to prepare) fare such as Jade Green Deep-Fried Shrimp, Yellowtail Teriyaki, Paper-Thin Sea Bass Sashimi, Saké-Simmered Lobster, Nagasaki-Style Braised Pork, Simmered Tofu Dumplings, and Turnip with Ginger-Miso Sauce. Full-color photos showcase the finished dishes and illustrate the steps involved in their preparation. Tsuji also explains many of the techniques used; and here, again, detailed photos clarify the instructions. He stresses the importance of using fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients; and the recipes call only for ingredients that are readily available in supermarkets and Asian grocery stores in the West. A section on bento boxes offers a wide variety of ideas for combining the recipes in the book into these popular, portable meal options. The Cooking Tips section includes such basic, essential recipes as dashi; and covers topics like cleaning squid, soaking dried shitake mushrooms, toasting and crumbling nori seaweed, and using bamboo rolling mats. The helpful Glossary describes the main ingredients of Japanese cooking, along with a photo of each. Friendly, accessible, and inviting, Practical Japanese Cooking will be as eye-opening and inspiring to today’s home cooks as it was when it was originally published almost three decades ago.