Customer Reviews (2)

Don'tBe Put Off By The Title!
My husband bought this book for me about 25 years ago when we were on Martha's Vineyard. We had both visited and/or lived in Japan when we were younger so were familiar with Japanese food. This is still the very best Japanese cookbook I have ever come across. It is the exact styleof cooking the Japanese do in their own homes. Simple, easy, everyday fare. The book also has many wonderful illustrations. Also, you would loose weight if this were your steady diet. I always lost weight while visiting Japan and I ate more often than I do at home! I give this book, along with a few other favorite cookbooks as wedding gifts. So glad it got reprinted! It is the tip of the top!

Japanese Cooking for Health and Fitness
A must book for beginners learning to cook Japanese dishes.Illustrations along with step by step directions as well as a complete list of ingredients, condiments, and cooking times lets you know how involved the process will be.Full color charts in the back with romanji spelling to pronounce the word in Japanese is great for shopping.It is in English for those of us who don't reade kanji. ... Read more

Product Description
Easy Japanese Cooking: Donburi Mania features a collection of more than 70 mouth-watering, easy-to-make recipes most
designed to be made over rice. Categories and recipes include:
Special Occasion Rice Bowls (over rice):
Pork steak and vegetables / Crispy, crunchy fried chicken / Sunny-side up egg / pork fry / Vegetable stir fry
Volume Rice Bowls (over rice):
Soft cabbage and ginger flavored pork / Stewed pork and vegetables / Cheese and meat sauce / Stroganoff / Sesame grilled chicken
/ Big chicken ball / Shrimp and chicken coconut curry / Mabo tofu / Kimchi / Noodles and pork
Popular Basic Rice Bowls:
Tempura / Grilled chicken / Chinese stir fry / Eggs and chicken / Eggs and fish paste / Chinese chive and shrimp
Delicious Fish Rice Bowls:
Tuna and avocado / Buttered yellowtail / Fish and spring greens / Sashimi / Sweet and sour swordfish
Quick-to-make Rice Bowls:
Pork and onion / Bacon and mushroom / Tuna omlette / Salmon and Wasabi / Clams and Scallops / Curried Eel
Lots of Veggies Rice Bowls:
Meat and peppers miso / Mish Mash of veggies / Sukiyaki Chicken / Chinese style pork and mushroom / Fried oysters / Eggplant,
celery, and pork Curry
Small Rice Bowls:
Greens and Caviar / Lotus Root / Scallop / Small fish
Small Side Dishes:
Easy vegetable salad / Spring Rain Salad / Nuts and cheese salad / Arugula and cream cheese salad / Potato Salad / Grilled Eggplant
/ Butter sautéed pumpkin / Tofu and mini-shrimp / Chicken and cucumber sesame seeds ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Meat lovers only
This is a thin book and there aren't that many recipes. But from what there is, it's all meat. There isn't even a single vegetarian donburi recipe in this book which is disappointing. Many recipes call for pork, even the supposed "vegetarian" recipe or the noodle recipes. There are some neat ideas in here where I can substitute tofu for some of the meat. But I'm wondering how healthy these recipes are since many of them are covered in a creamy sauce and stir fried. Loco moco donburi? Do they even eat that in Japan? It's from Hawaii and is in no way healthy. The one thing I do like in this book is that I cook for one and these recipes serve two, so I don't have to deal with excessive leftovers like other books.

easy lunch
Donburi is a perfect lunch item, great for a light supper as well!Tastes like my childhood.

Does what it says on the box!
Great donburi book! Tons of original donburi ideas and recipes. The best thing about this book is that it tells you what substitutes you can use instead of trying to find the impossible-to-find Japanese condiments. Maybe some more traditional Japanese recipes could be added to complete this book, but that's just personal taste.

Tasty, easy to prepare recipes!
My husband and I are Americans currently living in Japan, and we are tremendous fans of donburi, the quintessential Japanese comfort food (donburi are steaming bowls of rice topped with savory toppings). We saw this in a Kinokuniya bookstore and admired the recipes and beautiful color photos, but decided to order through Amazon (of course, Amazon had the better price!). Our order arrived without incident, and we have tried a number of the recipes in the month that we've had this book (including Tuna Omelet Donburi, Spicy Tofu Donburi, and Egg and Ham Donburi). They have all been delicious and very easy to make! The recipes are for 2 servings, so they are perfect for us. The ingredients are not outrageously hard to find, which makes these recipes great for American and Japanese households alike (it's nice to know that I'll be able to make everything without a problem once we are back in the US). I definitely recommend this and all the other books in this series.

A fine introduction to meals from the land of the Rising Sun
One doesn't have to spend years under a Japanese cook to eat authentic Japanese food. "Donburi Mania: Easy Japanese Cooking" is a guide by Kentaro Kobayashi to capturing the true essence of Japanese cooking without being a wizard of the kitchen. With a focus on donburi, a Japanese dish of fish or meat and vegetables, more than seventy types are presented, such as Cha Shao Donburi, Marinated Sashimi Donburi, and even Japanese breakfast donburi. "Donburi Mania" is a fine introduction to meals from the land of the Rising Sun.
... Read more

Product Description
Discover the exotic flavours and exquisite simplicity of this classic cuisine, with a guide to ingredients, techniques and over 100 stunning recipes. ... Read more

Product Description
Noted for its light, subtly contrasted sweet and sour flavor, Japanese Cuisine showcases a selection of Japan's best loved dishes. Featured are delicious and elegant recipes for a party of two to a banquet feast: Broiled Fresh Eel, Fried Pork Cutlet, Seafood Tempura, assorted sushi and sashimi, udon noodles, and egg dishes. Photographes illustrate preparation steps fully. Included 71 recipes and is bilingual in English and Chinese. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

I like all the Wei-Chuan books
The Wei-Chuan Publishing Company (apparently connected with the Taiwanese Wei-Chuan Cooking School), has produced a good number of Cookbooks, mostly dealing with Chinese cookery but also coveing other Asian cuisines as well. I own over a dozen of these now and I like all of them. More importantly, I like all of these books for tmuch he same reasons and, accordingly, I have decided to do a general review that applies to each of them and then provide a few individualized comments where appropriate.

Basically, the Wei-Chuan publications are authored/editored by several different persons but the format is largely the same. Each book is divided into logical sections (Meats, Vegetables, Appetizers, etc.) and nearly every recipe is accompanied by a good photograph of the result with some recipes having additional pictures of the preparation as well. This feature alone makes these books well worth the purchase. Another feature of this cuilinary series is that the books are written in China and, at least as far as the books on Chinese cuisine is concerned, the reader need have no issues with 'authenticity'. I personally also like the fact that all of the books are written in Chinese characters and then translated into English. This has has an added bonus of occasionally providing some unintentional amusement due to a particularly 'unfortunate' translation but I specially like it as I am teaching myself Mandarin and these books are excellent learning tools. I often take one on the plane with me when I travel (along with dictionaries) and can spend hours happily translating passages. It is amazing how often the actual translation of a recipe title bears little resemblance to the English title provided.

Finally, I have to say that the recipes in all of these books are interesting and he ones that I have tried to reproduce have worked out well. Mainly though, I just like reading through these books for inspiration and enjoyment. The money I have spent has been repaid many times over.


The We-Chuan books I currently own are as follows:

Chinese Cuisine- Very good introductory section. Recipes range from simple everyday dishes to exotic banquet style delicacies.
Chinese Dim Sum: Wel-Chuan Cultural and Educational Foundation -Great 'step-by-step' pictures for many recipes. Bit too much emphasis on sweet rather than savoury for my personal taste.
Chinese Snacks -More of the same as in the Dim Sum book. No 'step-by-step' pictures but I actually like this book better.
Chinese Appetizers and Garnishes - I haven't attempted much from this book but I am thankful for the great 'step-by-step' pictures provided.

Favorite Home Dishes Chinese Cooking-As the name suggests, most of the recipes are simple and, thus, easy to prepare.

Chinese Cuisine Beijing Style - Lots of Imperial Banquet dishes and many exotic foreign influenced meals that have been 'Chinesified'.
Chinese Cuisine: Cantonese Style - 75 Cantonese recipes. Good recipes with nice pictures but a sparse introduction.
Chinese Cuisine Shanghai Style- Typically good Wei-Chuan quality but probably my least favorite of the 'regional' Chinese cookbooks.
Chinese Cuisine-Taiwanese Style- Excellent Book. Some truly unique recipes I have never seen elsewhere. I love to browse this volume.
Chinese Cuisine: Szechuan Style- I love Szechuan food especially but I would still treat this book as a favorite anyway.

Indian Cuisine-A nice book but be aware that the recipes Indian dishes for the Chinese palate, not Indian.
Vietnamese Cuisine-Great recipes.
Japanese Cuisine-Nearly as good as many books I have that are written by Japanese chefs.
Korean Cuisine-My favorite of the We-Chuan non-Chinese cookbooks so far,
Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine - My least favorite Wei-Chuan book so far. Somewhat interesting but I don't look at it much.

Finally, I have a new Wei-Chuan book on order and will continue to buy from time to time. I will review separately as I read these new books.

Great intro
A really nice cook book with lots of helpful photos of food and prep.I think the recipes are more *family-style* and seem familiar to me from local japanese resturants...This isnt a cook book of the more esoteric japanese cuisine...but that is probably a plus for an intitial cook book.

If you live near an asian market you will have no trouble finding the ingrediants...even alot of the markets now stock most of it.What I cant find conveniently, I can order online at ethnic grocery stores.

This has been a sturdy well made book .The spine hasnt broken despite repeated reading over several years and being layed flat for following recipes.The size is good also..its a large paperback.I wish that there were more recipes included, I think its a bit light on the number of recipes but all in all its one of my 3 favortie general *starter* cook books

Easy to use beginning Japanese cookbook
I really like this book.The cooking instructions are simple, and most of these are family style cooking recipes, so they are not difficult to reproduce. However, I live near Asian markets, so I can buy precut blocks of fish for sushi.As a Chinese American, this book is in Chinese and English.Perfect to pass on to my daughter when her Chinese has improved.I highly recommend this book.People who are looking for more sophisticated cooking such as Kaiseki-ryori will NOT find it here.

Excellent basic guide
This book is a perfect intro into the world of japanese cuisine.It is both informative and to the point. Great for beginners. ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to the cooking of Japan featuring basic recipes for soups, appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. Also describes some special ingredients used in Japanese dishes, how to set a Japanese table, and how to eat with chopsticks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent primer for Japanese cooking
Although I've just suggested this is a primer, it has a wide variety of recipes at different levels of difficulty, so it won't lose it's value to cooks as they become more experienced.
This is my second copy, since I literally wore the covers off the first one I bought.It's a great reference for finding recipes that are more amenable to the western palate, and it demonstrates techniques for presentation that aren't commonly found on the American dinner table.
This book will give you a great foundational knowledge, and keep you coming back for more.
Emceemk says check it out. ... Read more

Product Description
A renowned Japanese culinary expert offers a wide range of recipes with clear instructions and fine color photographs. Many of the recipes are low-fat, low cholesterol, making them ideal choices for the health-conscious cook. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Very nice!
I love Japanese food, so this book was very useful. If you want to learn how to make Japanese food, then this is an excellent book. It gets the job done, and you learn a lot of other cool tidbits while you're at it.

Good, but not the best
I spend half of my time abroad where Japanese restaurants are either non-existent or outrageously expensive, so I wanted to find a book that would give me info on ingredients, techniques and recipes to make food at home.

Ms. Suzuki does give a good explanation of ingredients and technique. Every page has color photos, which enable the beginner or unfamiliar advanced cook to view each item in its ideal state, thus making it easy to choose wisely at the market. Names are also referenced both in Japanese and common English name; that's sometimes helpful at a Japanese market. There's also a section on kitchen equipment, tableware and suggestions for typical menus according to season. Following, the book is divided into the usual Appetizer, Main Course and Dessert sections. Plenty of photos and instructions for each step are given for all recipes. I like that.

The reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because the book doesn't cover some staples of traditional Japanese cooking, things that are common at restaurants, which I believe are essential as the title of this book suggests. i.e. green salad with miso dressing (miso dressing in this book is not the same), gyoza, unagi, donburi boxes, yakitori (closest thing is chicken and leek kebabs with different sauce), green tea ice cream. I would suggest Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art instead. Just my opinion.

GREAT Directions
This book along with Homestyle Japanese Cooking provided me with specific directions, step-by-step pictures, and a great ingredient list. I would diffently recommend this book to others. It makes a great gift as well.

Impressive
A beautiful book, ordered as a result of the five star reviews. It graces my coffee table (to impress my guests.)However, if you are a novice and have trouble understanding where to start, all the information you need, and several hundred recipes more are contained in Food of Japan by Shirley Booth (large paperback). This is the book to buy!

absolutely amazing
This is by far the best cookbook I have ever bought. It even has tips to help make the best dashi stock (most books assume you can buy it frozen or powdered but there are no japanese shops in my area) I really like all the pictures because they show step by step what to do. Tokiko even shows proper cutting techniques and gives a few sample menus for picnic outings, etc. This explained so much more about japanese cuisine and how to make it properly. I'm thinking about buying her other book as well! ... Read more

Product Description
Japanese cooking is famous for its natural ingredients, clean simplicity, and delicate flavor-which, of course, makes it perfect for today's health-conscious gourmet. Many Westerners may think that Japanese food is too difficult to prepare, but in fact, it's surprisingly easy - especially with The Book of Japanese Cooking.This new, user-friendly guide makes Japanese cooking accessible to anyone interested in trying new, healthy cuisine. Each recipe is fully illustrated with color photographs and step-by-step instructions. So whether you're in the mood for noodle soup, stir-fry, or sushi,The Book of Japanese Cooking makes it simple, healthy, and exquisitely delicious. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A great introduction to Japanese cooking.
In its almost 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes.

This installment, the Book of Japanese Cooking, starts with a brief introduction into the basics of the Japanese cuisine, the necessary equipment and utensils and a glossary of ingredients, and then presents recipe suggestions for all major courses, from soups to rice, noodles and desserts.Special chapters are dedicated to sushi, egg and tofu dishes, vegetables, fish, chicken, pork and beef, and hot pots and griddle dishes.Classics such as teriyakis, rice bowls, miso dishes, sashimi, ramen dishes, sukiyaki and tempura appear next to unique recipes such as chicken rolled asparagus, and spinach and sesame dressing.

From baby clam rice to vegetable tempura, this collection of recipes, while not all-encompassing, is a great introduction to the richness of the Japanese cuisine - and at a relative bargain price, to boot.Also recommended for fans of Asian cooking: this series' installments on Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese Cooking, on Stir-Fries, and on Curries and Indian Foods.

Also recommended:
Around the World Cookbook
Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)
Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only
Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

Japanese food is art, but I am not an artist.
At least thats what I thought before I purchased this book.The picture on the cover, showing me three delectable plates of Japanese cooking, basicaly sold this book for me.When I recieved Emi's book I was startingto think that maybe this was just a little to advanced for me. As I browsedthrough the pages looking at all the beautiful photographs of the finisheddishes and reading parts of the recipes my confidence started to return tome and I remember why I purchased this book, to make authentic tasting andexquisite looking Japanese food in my own kitchen.That very night Iattempted the Nori rolled sushi and the Fried fish stuffed-chicken and Iwas surprised how it looked, just like the picture, and the taste remindedme of being in Japan.All the recipes in this book are perfect for thosewho want great tasting and attractive looking food.Each recipe issuperbly photographed, showing the steps and the finished dish.Thank youEmi for creating such a superlative book on a subject that Im eager to keepon learning about.~Andrew ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

In My Top 5 Cookbooks
I loved this cookbook so much I photocopied the entire (out of print) copy my library had several years ago, which cost me at least three times what I would've paid if I could've bought it new. I'm thrilled to find it used, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Everything I have made from this book over the last 10 or 12 years has been delicious (with the exception of a failed rice bran pickle experiment I forgot about when I went on vacation...whoops). Elizabeth Andoh is to Japanese cooking what Barbara Tropp was to Chinese; passionate, knowledgeable, down to earth, the kind of cook you wish was your neighbor.

Oh, would that some smart publisher reprint this book...
Hands down, this is my FAVORITE Japanese cookbook. Elizabeth Andoh, an American married to a Japanese, is not only a fine cook, cooking teacher, and journalist in her own right, but is in the unique position of being an American consultant to the Japanese food industry. This is her first cookbook, published in 1980 (it was followed by "An American Taste of Japan" in 1985). It's a primer of "pure" Japanese home cooking -- like Mama used to make, if your mama happened to be Japanese. I learned to cook in the kitchens of Japanese friends, and the flavors of Ms. Andoh's recipes make me swooningly "natsukashii" (nostalgic) for Japan.

The book's 130 recipes are organized in the classic order of Japanese cuisine: soups, rice, noodles, braised and simmered foods, grilled foods, deep-fried foods, steamed foods, mixed and sauced foods, pickles, and sweet things and beverages. No photographs, but crystal clear recipes are complemented by beautiful line drawings that illustrate ingredients and techniques. A section in the front details Japanese cooking techniques and equipment, while a glossary at the back not only translates the names of unusual ingredients, but explains how to choose and store them. In all, it's a wonderful book that I can't recommend highly enough. ... Read more

Product Description
From savory marinades to crispy steamed vegetables, tempura-style deep-fried specialties, delicious one-pot stews, and vegetarian sushi, these recipes epitomize the fresh, simple elegance of healthful dining. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good Japanese food, overall good cookbook...
This is a pretty amazing book for someone who has had a long-standing interest in both Far East cooking and vegetarianism. It adds a bit of the history of the dishes as well as their everyday uses, plus some of the author's personal experiences.

I have tried many of these recipes and while they are definitely "lite", a discerning palate will learn to appreciate those qualities. I wouldn't recommend this a a starter for someone who has not had some prior experience in the cooking of Japanese foods. It definitely takes practice, but the payoff is worth it. I cook something from this book at least once a week, if not more. Fortunately, I have access to stores which carry some of the more obscure goods which are required in the recipes. That could become an issue as well.

But for the adventurous and at least moderately experienced vegetarian cook this is definitely a good book to pick up.

(Also, when I began to add these recipes in to my regular vegetarian diet, I began to lose weight. Could be an added bonus for people who share a similar body type!)

Well Travelled.
Being vegetarian and having lived in Japan for many years, I found this book a welcome relief to the narrow band of books that are available to people like myself. The recipes are very 'Japanese' in the sense that few ingredients and spices are used.Japanese food is very much based on the 'season' and if you have not lived in Japan this is a great way to sample Japanese cuisine without meat.

'Bland' is not a word I would use when describing Japanese food, but then if you're used to 'over oily' American or European style food then you may find these reciepes somewhat lite.

Did Anyone Test These Recipes?
Mr. Jacobson's recipes simply do not work. His dishes come out either too bland, or hopelessly salty. Though only one of those descriptives works for his prose -- bland as baby food. No wonder this book went out of printalmost instantly. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Authentic regional Japanese cookbook is fabulous!
This is the BEST Japanese homestyle cookbook I've found. Beautiful photos, well written, excellent, simply delicious, do-able recipes. I've given this book to friends as gifts and they LOVE it! Highly Recommended.

Warm, well-illustrated reference cookbook
I first saw this at my public library and knew I'd refer to it over and over, if only for the Oolong Tea Chiffon Cake and the section on Japanese teas.

The author, a librarian and culinary journalist, made the small town of Iwaki her "Japanese 'hometown'", traveling around the countryside to collect recipes as people prepared food "to feed their families, satisfy a sweet tooth and celebrate life."The result is a beautifully illustrated guide that almost makes you feel you've visited the kitchens of her friendly, welcoming hosts.

Like any great cookbook, this starts with an introduction to ingredients, utensils, and preparation methods -- an indispensable reference for the produce section of my local Japanese market. And like any good anthropologist of food, the author includes regional and seasonal variations and both traditional and newer, internationally influenced recipes.

The recipes are clear, with English and metric measures and step-by-step illustrations for trickier bits. Most recipes include substitutions for Western palates and groceries. There are suggested menus, a guide to web resources, and a thorough and accurate index. Chapter titles are helpfully repeated as footers near the right margin.

Whether you want to explore everyday Japanese cuisine or expand your bento lunchbox repertoire, "A Cook's Journey to Japan" belongs in your cookbook collection.

Itadakimasu!
Sarah Marx Felder was writing for a food magazine when she decided on a whim to quit her job, sell her house, and move to Japan to write a cookbook. Setting aside a mere two years for the task, by the time her journey was over, she'd in fact spent over four years compiling recipes from all over the country, "from the northern tip of Honshu...to the southern tip of Kyushu."The result, //A Cook's Journey to Japan//, is part cookbook, part travelogue.

There's no shortage of Japanese cookbooks out there, but what sets Marx Felder's apart from most others is the stories that accompany her recipes. She introduces us to the friends she cooked and ate with: Hitomi, her aunt Hiromi, Atsuko, Reiko, and others. As you start to recognize their names and their recipes, the book starts to feel a little more personal. The almost innumerable photographs by Noboru Murata are another major plus. Since Japanese cuisine places such emphasis on the aesthetics of food, these are an invaluable addition that many other cookbooks simply omit. //A Cook's Journey to Japan// is a trip everyone ought to take at least once.

Reviewed by Amanda Mitchell

A bit pandering
While the recipes in this book are sound, my largest complaint of this book is that they are all quite bland.They are the kind of foods one gets at Benihana when one orders from the menu instead of the Teppanyaki.Its not bad food, just very white bread and butter.The author's recipe descriptions are more bragging about her travels than anything else, not helpful to the recipes in any way.And I just find the whole book to be rather shallow, albeit nicely photographed.If you are looking for Japanese food recipes of any kind, then let Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art be your bible.As for this book, pick it up in a bargain bin, but pay full price for something else.

Beautiful, Education and Practical
As a professional food stylist and chef I have a great appreciation for the hard work that goes into producing quality recipes and images that entice the reader while still honestly depicting the dish in question. This book is loaded with gorgeous, honest images and user-friendly recipes --plus tips and tricks to help you get great results.

Sarah Feldner's text is a warm, friendly voice, guiding you through the recipes and their backgrounds. Her enthusiasm for her subject is infectious. The only thing that kept me from reading "A Cook's Journey.." in one sitting was the need to stop reading and start cooking.

Great for cooks at all levels and anyone interested in a glimpse (or a taste) of home-cooking in Japan.

A Cook's Journey to Japan: Fish Tales and Rice Paddies 100 Homestyle Recipes from Japanese Kitchens ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great little collection vegetarians will appreciate!
This book contains simple, yet elegant Japanese recipes. Apart from the use of a small bit of honey in one or two recipes, it is also vegan. You will not find any meat or dairy in this collection. What you will find are many wonderfully photographed, tempting dishes. The instructions are straightforward and the introduction explains where to find the more exotic ingredients and what are suitable substitutes if those cannot be found. It also gives suggested cutting techniques for best food presentation.

There is enough room in the margins for scribbling down a few notes, and if you use a white or silver gel pen, even more space on the solid color sections under the photos. The entrees are shown as a double page layout -- with one whole page as the color photograph and the other page as the recipe. The side dishes feature one recipe per page (two recipes per double page layout.)

There are no recipes here for maki sushi (the more familair "roll" type of sushi) -- but you will find some variants of inari (stuffed tofu pockets) and other things you an do with sushi rice. Rice or a mixture of rice and millet feature dominantly in the recipes.

Each recipe contains nutritional info for calories, fat carbohydrates, fiber and sodium. It does not have nutritional info for protein, vitamins or minerals. (I would have liked that, so this is why I only gave it four stars rather than five.)Those wanting a low-sodium collection won't be happy with the high sodium amounts, but those looking for a low-calorie cookbook may be pleased with something new to try. The recipes yield modest portions so it will be nice for a single person or couple. Those needing more can simply double the amount.

Overall, a nice little book. ... Read more

Product Description
What if there were a land where people lived longer than anywhere else on earth, the obesity rate was the lowest in the developed world, and women in their forties still looked like they were in their twenties? Wouldn't you want to know their extraordinary secret?

Japanese-born Naomi Moriyama reveals the secret to her own high-energy, successful lifestyle–and the key to the enduring health and beauty of Japanese women–in this exciting new book. The Japanese have the pleasure of eating one of the most delicious, nutritious, and naturally satisfying cuisines in the world without denial, without guilt…and, yes, without getting fat or looking old.

As a young girl living in Tokyo, Naomi Moriyama grew up in the food utopia of the world, where fresh, simple, wholesome fare is prized as one of the greatest joys of life. She also spent much time basking in that other great center of Japanese food culture: her mother Chizuko's Tokyo kitchen. Now she brings the traditional secrets of her mother's kitchen to you in a book that embodies the perfect marriage of nature and culinary wisdom–Japanese home-style cooking.

If you think you've eaten Japanese food, you haven't tasted anything yet. Japanese home-style cooking isn't just about sushi and raw fish but good, old-fashioned everyday-Japanese-mom's cooking that's stood the test of time–and waistlines–for decades. Reflected in this unique way of cooking are the age-old traditional values of family and the abiding Japanese love of simplicity, nature, and good health.It's the kind of food that millions of Japanese women like Naomi eat every day to stay healthy, slim, and youthful whilepursuing an energetic, successful, on-the-go lifestyle. Even better, it's fast, it's easy, and you can start with something as simple as introducing brown rice to your diet. You'll begin feeling the benefits that keep Japanese women among theyoungest-looking in the world after your very next meal!

If you're tired of counting calories, counting carbs, and counting on being disappointed with diets that don't work and don't satisfy, it's time to discover one of the best-kept and most delicious secrets for a healthier, slimmer, and long-living lifestyle. It's time to discover the Japanese fountain of youth….


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (68)

This is such a great book.
Lots of valuable information, and recipes using easy to obtain ingredients. I'm looking forward to trying them all.

Informative
This was informative, but not exactly practical. Naomi often talked about how easy it is to do these recipes, but unless you live near an Asian market or can afford insane shipping prices, you're out of luck(like I am, the closest thing I have to Asian food around here is a small section in Target).

This book would have done a lot better with pictures. Not just because I'm a visual person, but hearing her try to describe a food item I've never heard of is just hard to imagine. Pictures with the recipes would have helped too.

I did learn a bit though, things like how Japanese meals are prepared(separate dishes for each item rather than all on one plate like we do), and what are common ingredients(like tofu).

This book is more suited for those that can cook and live near Asian markets. Sadly the only thing I've really cooked is Hamburger Helper, so the instructions in this were very confusing and overwhelming.

racy T
I am looking for a better way of preserving my body as it ages and overcoming fibromyalgia and arthritis without medication.And being aware of the Asian cultures ability to remain active and productive throughout their lives lead me to get a better understanding of how to shop for and prepare food.This has been a helpful book and I intend to use it in my transition to better eating for life.

Not very informative
More of a biography of the writer and her family.A few recipes.We all know eat fich, lots of veggies, seaweed is good and eat in moderation.Boring uniformative book- I skimmed it in less than 20 minutes.

There are many much more informative books out there with better recipes.I could get these recipes form a recipe website a lot cheaper .

Genetics, Cognition, Metabolism, + Diet

Although genetics, self-thoughts, diet (consumption), and metabolic rate (exercise + caloric expenditure) play significant roles in appearance, this book includes relatively few secrets worth reading about, which include foods or ingredients consumed by the Japanese culture. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive, fully illustrated cookbook of popular Japanese recipes Japanese Homestyle Cooking makes use of each season's most plentiful ingredients for preparing delicious meals. Including over 135 recipes, this comprehensive cookbook brings the most popular meals in Japanese homes to your home.

The menu variety is stunning, with foods that are simmered, broiled, pan-fried, deep-fried, steamed, and dressed with vinegar. Recipes include Sashimi, one-pot meals, rice, noodles, soups and more. Since Japanese cuisine is world renowned for using healthful ingredients it is no surprise that the dishes featured here are ideal for health-conscious and weight-conscious consumers.

All dishes are beautifully photographed in color and include fully illustrated, easy-to-follow directions. A special feature provides an illustrated listing of common Japanese utensils with directions for their proper use.Japanese Homestyle Cooking is the best reference you'll find for making delicious, healthy Japanese meals everyday. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Great!
The book is full of great recipes and techniques. Ideal for the beginning cook. Wonderful for anyone who doesn't know how to cook Japanese food but wants to learn how. I haven't cooked a single meal from this book that has not been a hit. The only hard part is finding some of the ingredients. The book is incredibly authentic, yet easy to understand and approachable. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Japanese food.

Traditional Japanese home cooking
This is my favorite Japanese cookbook in English. I've owned it for about 7 years already, and my copy is bookmarked all over the place. I am a 3rd generation Japanese American, and this is the cooking my obaachan (grandmother) used to make. Everything is explained clearly. You will have to go and explore a Japanese grocery to get many of the ingredients, but that's to be expected for authentic flavors. Highly recommended.

Japanese Homestyle Cooking
I tried many of these recipes and found them interesting, challenging and ultimately delicious. My family liked them all!!

Perfect for me
This is the best layout with lots of color pictures to illustrate step by step the recipes.I have a handful of well rated Japanese cookbooks but this one has the best layout so it is my favorite and the one I want to recommend.It makes me WANT to get cooking.

This book's style is of the kind found in books that are sold in Asian bookstores.

As with all the Japanese cookbooks I own, the writers mention Chinese cooking to compare and declare that something is similar but uniquely Japanese.However, that is not true but the authors are not authorities on Chinese cooking and culture so they can't be expected to know everything or anything true about Chinese authenticity.I bear this in mind and forgive the errors because I buy the book out of interest in Japanese not Chinese cooking. This book contains much fewer references and assumptions to Chinese than the other cookbooks such as the false claim that the cheap bamboo steamer baskets are the archetypal Chinese steamer equipment and that the square steamers or metal steamers are not Chinese.One can say that this is more procedure and less editorializing than other cookbooks.

This book could be sold in a Chinese bookstore without being offensive and would delight the Chinese with its recipes. I recommend this book and wish the author had written more than two books.

Lovely book.
Very nice - I love the illustrations and photos!

I find I needed to pair it with a dictionary for shopping, though. ... Read more

Product Description
Easy Japanese Cooking: Noodle Comfort features a collection of more than 50 delicious, easy-to-make noodle recipes. There is also a section of side dishes and dessert recipes to accompany your noodle entrees. Categories and recipes include:

Chinese Noodle Dishes:
· Basic Noodles / Cold Noodles / Sesame and Chicken / Cold Basic Noodles / Minced Pork and Cucumber / Thai Noodles / Tofu and Kudzu Sauce / Ramen Noodles / Chicken Soba

Udon Soba (Wheat Noodle, Buckwheat Noodle) Dishes:
· Curry Udon / Curry Soba / Healthy Vegetable Soba / Plain Noodles / Cold Noodles with a Warm Sauce / Duck Meat and Noodles / Miso Noodles / Stewed Noodles / Miso Pork Noodles

Fried Soba Dishes:
· Ham and Bean Sprout Soba / Kudzu Sauce and Fried Soba / Ham and Omelet Fried Soba / Crunchy Soba

Rice Vermicelli, Vietnam Noodle, Cold Noodle Dishes:
· Fried Vermicelli / Vietnam style chicken and Noodles/ Korean Cold Noodles

For the Love of Noodles, Do It Right!:
· Roast Pork and Noodles / Fried Rice Cakes and Udon / Shrimp Tempura Noodles / Handmade Noodles / Potato Gnocchi / Simmered Dough Balls and Noodles

Pasta Dishes:
· Vongole Bianco / Seafood Marinara and Linguine / Carbonara / Mushroom Fettuccine / Ricotta, Egg and Tomato Spaghetti / Meat and Spinach Linguine / Crab and Cabbage Fettuccine / Potato and Basil Spaghetti / Chilled Eggplant and Anchovies Angel Hair / Spinach Lasagna / Penne Crème Gratin

Thin Wheat Noodle Dishes:
· Oyster / Noodle Jumble / Fresh Water Clam Cream Noodles / Simple Noodles / Onion and Okra Noodles / Cold Soumen Noodles / Coconut Milk Curry Asian Noodles / Pork and Sesame Noodles / Korean Soumen

Small Side Dishes and Desserts:
· Japanese White Radish and Soy Sauce / Cabbage and Miso Mayonnaise / Grilled Eggplant and Spicy Oyster Sauce / Pickled Vegetable / Fried Eggs / Deep Fried Bean Curd / Celery and Red Pepper Marine / Scallop Carpaccio / Fruit Tomato and Cheese / Milk Jelly / Strawberry Yogurt Jelly / Lemon Syrup and Tea Jelly ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Pretty decent variety
This book hits on an array of noodle based dishes (including some very familiar western based dishes). Overall, all are pretty yummy and leave you with a number of good ideas on where to go with the various noodle types presented.

Delicious and easy recipes!
I absolutely love this book! I got it out of the library, then got my sister a copy for her birthday because we both enjoyed it so much. So far each recipe we have tried has been both delicious and fairly easy to make.

Noodlicious
I rate this book as a 4 Star, only because I was hoping to learn more about crafting homemade Japanese style Udon soups. In spite of a lack of Udon recipes, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of different noodle dishes from other Asian countries.

An ideal addition to their multi-cultural and ethnic cuisine cookbook collections
Every culture's culinary traditions include the concept of 'comfort foods', dishes that are as psychologically beneficial as they are easy to prepare and tasty. Beautifully illustrated, "Easy Japanese Cooking: Noodle Comfort" features more than fifty 'user friendly' recipes compiled by Kentaro Kobayashi that showcase Japanese 'comfort cuisine'. With their ingredient lists and step-by-step preparation instructions, the recipes range from Pan Fried Chicken Soba; Spicy Meat Tan Tan Noodles; and Fedelini with Crab and Cabbage; to Kiyamugi with Pork and Sesame Sauce; Dumpling Soup; and Yakisoba with Ham. Ideal for homemakers wanting to culturally enrich their family meals, "Easy Japanese Cooking: Noodle Comfort" is an ideal addition to their multi-cultural and ethnic cuisine cookbook collections. ... Read more

Product Description
Shunju: New Japanese Cuisine takes you on a tour of the restaurants and philosophy at the forefront of Japan’s cooking revolution. Just as Alice Waters changed the way Americans thought about food, Takashi Sugimoto has revolutionized the act of dining in Japan.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great book for creative pleasures
This book is fantastic. Tonight I made the lotus root dish and it was wonderful. I also followed the book for Dashi and it was one of the best dashi's I have made. If you are into Japanese cooking and really want to explore something creative and fresh, this is a fantastic book to add to your collection.

BTW i think a lot of the "hard to find" items will easily be located a an Asian market if you have one near by.

Simple Is Better
Shunju may not be the most practical or challenging book out there however it should serve to remind us of the core philosophy of Japanese cooking.Simple is better.

simple & elegant
I absolutely loved this book.I noticed other reviews here lamenting the dearth of ingredients and technique written for the recipes.However the focus of Shunju is on exactly that, minimalist elegance that celebrates the inherent flavors of local organic ingredients, with as little possible alteration of nature.Some of the passages introducing the ingredients do seem a bit under-edited and perhaps amateurish (translation perhaps?), however the dishes speak for themselves. I love that it reads like a book.Every recipe has a gorgeous photo and a story...and each section is divided by the seasons.It is worth the money if your have an eye for art and a love for healthy Japanese cuisine.

Beautiful book
I was put off buying this book because of two bad reviews that speak very poorly of it. But after finding it in a bookstore and looking through it, I was blown away by how beautiful it was. It is exactly the type of Japanese cookbook that I have always wanted and has quickly become my favorite cookbook.
Arranged into seasons, it has elegant modern Japanese dishes of the type found in classier izakayas. Dishes range from bamboo, sesame, and green tea tofus made from scratch, various Japanese dumplings, grilled ginkgo nuts, wild fruit and herb-infused tonics, and exquisitely beautiful but simple vegetable and meat / fish dishes. The dishes are very trendy and up market, and quite sophisticated. People that I have cooked for using this cookbook have been very impressed and I absolutely love the fact that it is arranged into seasons, keeping alive the tradition of eating seasonally as they do in Japan.
Some ingredients are exotic, but substitutions are included and there is also a mail order list of companies that sell Japanese ingredients in The US.
This book would best suit the type of person that likes elegant Japanese food and has some cooking experience with a base knowledge of Japanese ingredients. It is not really that suitable for beginner cooks, nor anyone unfamiliar with Japanese food.

Shunju: New Japanese Cuisine
This is a wonderful book to own...and give as a gift, which I have done several times. The text explaining the cuisine philosophy of Shunju's owner, Takashi Sugimoto, the exquisite sense of design - architectural, table, book - and breathtaking photography make this book a treasure to have and share. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful introduction to Japanese home cooking!
I LOVE this cookbook!It's a great introduction to simple Japanese cooking at home, with VERY detailed directions and beautiful color photos to show how the end result should look.For example, when Fukushima talks about deep-frying, he doesn't tell you to just add enough oil for frying - as most cookbooks assume you know - he specifies 3 inches of oil, along with the specific frying temperature.Not that this book is about deepfrying - outside of the Tempura and Tonkatsu recipes, he does a wonderful job covering the side dishes ubiquitous at a Japanese table - the pickled cucumbers, cold spinach in sesame dressing, and other dishes that are so wonderfully cooling in the heat of summer.The broiled eggplant is delicious - a much healthier way to eat eggplant (outside of the usual frying or smothering in cheese) and still be able to taste the original vegetable flavor.My only reason for not giving this book 5 stars?I wanted MORE recipes to be included! ... Read more

Product Description
This is a comprehensive and beautiful guide covering all aspects of Japanese cuisine, from its history and underlying philosophy, to its unique ingredients, methods of preparation, and cooking techniques. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Super book on Japanese cuisine
And I should know because I think I have all of them!

The photos are stunning and this is one of the most extensive books on Japanese food that I've found. I will admit, Japanese cookbooks written by Japanese are really the best. The few books I have written by Western authors pale in comparison. They also tend to have fewer photos for some reason.

Alot of Japanese food and the ingredients are kind of odd. Some may not appeal to Western tastes so there are substitutions which is a great idea. There are some things the Japanese love and eat which will never translate to the Western palate such as devil's tongue jelly and natto. Eww. They taste terrible (though actually it is the texture of both that really offend!).

This book however tastes great. If you are going to own one Japanese cookbook - it should be this one.

Beautiful book
Comprehensive with many beautiful pictures.Deserves a place on the coffee table for everyone to see. Contains all the information you need plus many great recipies.

Clear, Concise, and Well-Organized
As a cookbook author, I often use other works for research.I am working with a Japanese chef on his book, and I felt I needed a brush-up on Japanese ingredients.This was mainly because so many new foods have been introduced to America since I first shopped for them in San Francsico when I was learning Japanese food basics in my youth.I flipped through many books, including the ones I had already, and this book blew the others out of the miso soup, hands down.The book does the reader a great service by giving two in-depth, encyclopedic sections on Japanese cooking equipment (including food culture)and ingredients.While these two sections take up half of the book, you won't be flying blind, mixing up udon and soba or the different kinds of miso.The writing is excellent, and the recipes interesting and only mildly challenging. If you are in the market for a primer on Japanese food, look no further.

Great book and detailled introduction into Japanese cooking
Japanese Food and Cooking is what I would call a school book for Japanese cooking. Important ingredients from spices to fish, meat and vegetables are explained item per item. You will also learn the typical courses of a Japanese meal. Finally you will learn the preparation of meals and the required traditional cooking equipment. Presentation of the meals and the typical tableware to be used is also explained in detail. Creative people will start developing their own cooking ideas after working with this book. Less creative people will have to purchase additional Japanese recipe books but will go back to this book to find explanations for what they need to successfully purchase the ingredients and to prepare the meals they find in the recipe book. For me this is the basis for authentic Japanese cooking and I believe it must be the first book to own if you want to start to become a non-Japanese Japanese cook.

Love Sushi!
I'll be breef. Excellent book with large picture to the point reciepts and durable cover. I love it!!! ... Read more