Let's Cook Japanese Food!: Everyday Recipes for Authentic Dishes

by Amy Kaneko

Overview

Turn your idea of difficult Japanese cooking on its head with this new edition of “Let’s Cook Japanese Food!’ People love Japanese food but think they have to go out to a restaurant to get it. But it’s something everyone can cook, easily and deliciously, at home! When you think Japanese food—it’s sushi, or ramen, or raw fish—or just too hard. Amy Kaneko, an American married to a Japanese husband, learned from the best—her mother-in-law and sister-in-law—and brings her culinary experience to your kitchen. Using easy-to-find ingredients, familiar techniques, and authentic flavors, you won’t believe how simple it is to make real Japanese food that is this delicious.

Home-style Japanese cooking is demystified in this refreshing and informative cookbook. After marrying into a Japanese family, the American author was taken under her mother-in-law's wing to learn the ins and outs of Japanese cooking. Here she presents her acquired knowledge in an appealingly designed book with Japanese graphic motifs and color photos. The recipes themselves are a mix of family favorites and restaurant dishes Kaneko learned to recreate at home. Yet readers will see few of the familiar foods available in Japanese restaurants in the U.S. Instead, the book illustrates how to make Japanese home-style favorites, like Gyoza and Tempura, as well as Yoshuko dishes combining Japanese and Western influences, like Curry Rice, and Omu Rice, an omelet stuffed with tomato-y chicken fried rice. In a helpful glossary, Kaneko identifies the basic ingredients and equipment needed to recreate these recipes in an average Western kitchen. Chapters devoted to Tofu and Eggs; Vegetables, Fish and Shellfish; Meat and Poultry; and Rice Noodles and Dumplings intersperse recipes with boxes that highlight Japanese traditions and recollections on the author’s time living in Tokyo.

From Amazon.com:
This is a wonderful cookbook for those who love to eat Japanese food but are a bit intimidated by how complicated preparing it may seem. I've been making simple Japanese dishes for years, but I wanted to add more than just onigiri, sushi and udon into the mix. Amy Kaneko's book provides a good variety of dishes that are not that difficult to prepare and are sure to make your family's tummies satisfied. Even the pickiest of eaters (kids) will find some of Amy's recipes rather tasty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681881775
Publisher:	Weldon Owen
Publication date:	03/07/2017
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	497,573
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Amy Kaneko is an American home cook and mother who spent 2 years living in Japan with her Japanese husband. Under the tutelage of her mother-in-law and Japanese friends and family, Kaneko, who has worked in the cookbook publishing industry for 20 years, decided to take what she had learned and share it with Westerners unfamiliar with what Japanese people really eat at home. She has lived in Tokyo, New York, and San Francisco, and currently lives in Boulder, CO with her husband and bilingual teenage daughters.

Read an Excerpt

YAKISOBA Saucy Panfried Noodles with Pork & Vegetables 

6 slices thick-cut bacon  
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil  
½ carrot, peeled and sliced into strips about 2 inches long and 1/ 2 inch wide 
½ head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch squares  
½ yellow onion, sliced into 1/ 4-inch-thick wedges 
2 packages (14 ounces each) yakisoba noodles  
About 2 tablespoons yakisoba sauce (page 17) or 1–2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce  
Salt and freshly ground pepper  
Aonori (page 161) and beni shoga (page 157) for garnish (optional) 
SERVES 4 

Place the bacon in a single layer between 2 layers of paper towels and microwave on high for 3 minutes until cooked through but not crispy, or cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium-high heat, turning as needed, 4–5 minutes. Cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside. 

Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom and sides with oil. When the oil is hot, add the carrot, cabbage, and onion and stir-fry about 2 minutes. Add the bacon and stir to combine. Add the noodles, stir-fry 1 minute, then add ¼ cup water, cover the pan, and cook 1 minute longer. Uncover and allow any remaining water to evaporate. 

Add some sauce and continue to stir-fry to combine the sauce with the noodles and vegetables, 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a platter. Garnish with aonori and beni shoga, if using, and serve right away. 

note: The yakisoba bottled sauce with the strong flavor of soy and Worcestershire sauce is what givesyakisoba its distinctive tang. You can make these pan-fried noodles with Worcestershire sauce alone if you cannot find the proper prepared sauce. 

Aonori (literally “blue nori”), a different type of seaweed, is sold dried and already crushed into small flakes, usually in a packet or a shaker. It has a very fresh marine aroma and, despite the translation, is medium green in color. It is sprinkled on dishes such as Okonomiyaki (page 30). 

Beni shoga (pickled ginger): Bright pink, sharp-flavored, vinegary matchsticks of marinated ginger, it is sometimes stocked in the refrigerated Asian section of Western markets (with the dumpling wrappers and tofu). Do not mistake beni shoga for gari, the pale marinated ginger served with sushi. 
 

Table of Contents

Tofu & Eggs

Hiyayakko Cold Tofu with Ginger & Green Onions 22

Agedashi Dofu Fried Soft Tofu in Sweet Soy Sauce 24

Gomoku Iridofu Tofu with "Five Things" 25

Mapo Dofu Spicy Tofu with Minced Pork 27

Miso Shiru Miso Soup 28

Tamago Toji Jiru Stirred Egg Soup 29

Okonomiyaki "As You Like It" Savory Pancake 30

Tamagoyaki Sweet Rolled Omelet 34

Omu Raisu Omelet Stuffed with Tomatoey Chicken Rice 37

Kanitama Chinese-Style Crab Omelet with Soy Sauce Gravy 39

Chawanmushi Savory Egg Custard 40

Vegetables

Sunomono Cucumber & Shrimp Salad with Vinegar Dressing 44

Mayumi no Roru Cabegi Mayumi's Cabbage Rolls 46

Yasai to Ebi Tempura Vegetable & Shrimp Tempura 49

Corn Shoyu-yaki Grilled Corn on the Cob 51

Yasai Itame Stir-fried Vegetables with Pork 52

Kabocha Korokke Pumpkin Croquettes 54

Potato Korokke Potato Croquettes 57

Otoosan no Kabocha Nimono My Father-in-Law's Sweet Simmered Pumpkin 59

Nasu no Soboro Ankake Eggplant with Gingery Chicken 60

Nasu Dengaku Eggplant with Miso Topping 62

Nasu no Agebitashi Spicy Sweet-&-Sour Eggplant 63

Horenso no Goma-ae Spinach in Sesame Dressing 65

Okaasan no Potato Sarada My Mother-in-Law's Potato Salad 66

Rice & Noodles

Chirashizushi Home-Style "Sushi" over Rice 71

Gohan Steamed Rice 73

Onigiri Rice Balls with Salmon Filling 74

Chahan Japanese-Style Fried Rice 76

Hosomaki Simple Rolled Sushi 77

Oyako Donburi Chicken & Egg Rice Bowl 81

Yakisoba Saucy Panfried Noodles with Pork & Vegetables 82

Hiyashi Chuka Cold Noodle Salad with Sesame-&-Vinegar Sauce 85

Kurumi Soba Cold Soba Noodles with Sweet Walnut Dipping Sauce 87

Shohei no Butaniku to Goma Ramen Shohei's Special Pork & Sesame Ramen Noodle Soup 91

Miso Corn Bata Ramen Miso-Flavored Ramen Noodle Soup with Corn & Butter 92

Fish & Shellfish

Sake no Teriyaki Salmon Teriyaki 96

Sake to Mayonnaisu Broiled Salmon with Mayonnaise 98

Sake Batayaki Salmon with Butter & Soy Sauce 99

Asari no Sakamushi Steamed Clams in Sake & Butter Broth 101

Ebi Furai Crispy Panko-Fried Shrimp 102

Kani Kurimu Korokke Creamy Crab Croquettes 104

Ebi no Chiri So-su Shrimp in Mild Tomato Chili Sauce 107

Meat & Poultry

Tonkatsu Crispy Panko-Fried Pork Cutlets 110

Kaneko no Uchi no Kenchin Jiru Vegetable Soup with Pork 112

Mapo Nasu Spicy Eggplant with Pork 113

Gyoza Panfried Dumplings 115

Butaniku no Shogayaki Panfried Ginger Pork 117

Buta Tonjiru Hearty Miso Soup with Pork & Vegetables 118

Subuta Japanese-Style Sweet-&-Sour Pork 120

Toriniku Kara-age Fried Marinated Chicken 123

Menchi Katsu Crispy Panko-Fried Meat Patties 124

Toriniku no Misoyaki Chicken Grilled with Miso Glaze 125

Toriniku to Negi Yakitori Grilled Chicken & Onion Skewers 126

Tebasaki Grilled Chicken Wings 131

Toriniku Dango no Amasu An Chicken Meatballs with Sweet Vinegar Glaze 132

Tsukune Grilled Ground Chicken Meatballs 134

Iridori Simmered Chicken & Vegetables 135

Chankonabe Sumo Wrestler's Stew 138

Gyudon Sweet Simmered Beef & Onions over Rice 141

Hamburg Japanese-Style Hamburger Steak 142

Hayashi Raisu Beef & Onions in Tomato Gravy over Rice 144

Oneesan no Durai Kare My Sister-in-Law's Spicy Ground Beef & Vegetable "Dry" Curry 145

Kare Raisu Curry Rice 147

Niku Jaga Sweet Simmered Beef & Potatoes 149

Sukiyaki Paper-Thin Beef, Green Onions & Vegetables in Sweet Soy Sauce 151

Shabu Shabu "Swish Swish" Beef Hotpot 153

Ingredients 156

Index 164

Editorial Reviews

"Let's Cook Japanese Food!, for people who no longer want to feel intimidated by home-cooked Japanese food"

Food.com

Home-style Japanese cooking is demystified in this refreshing and informative cookbook. After marrying into a Japanese family, the American author was taken under her mother-in-law's wing to learn the ins and outs of Japanese cooking. Here she presents her acquired knowledge in an appealingly designed book with Japanese graphic motifs and color photos. The recipes themselves are a mix of family favorites and restaurant dishes Kaneko learned to recreate at home. Yet readers will see few of the familiar foods available in Japanese restaurants in the U.S. Instead, the book illustrates how to make dense, exotic creations like a sumo wrestler's stew with fish, bacon, chicken and tofu, as well as Yoshuko (fusion) dishes combining Japanese and Western influences, like Beef and Onions in Tomato Gravy over Rice. In the first few pages, Kaneko identifies the basic ingredients and equipment needed. Chapters devoted to Tofu and Eggs; Vegetables, Fish and Shellfish; Meat and Poultry; and Rice Noodles and Dumplings intersperse recipes with boxes that highlight Japanese traditions. Though she includes a labor-intensive Okonomiyaki (a pan-fried dish), Kaneko recognizes the home chef's limits: she readily employs the concept of mottai nai(don't waste) and saves readers time with suggestions for reusing leftovers. (Apr.)

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