Japanese Home Cooking

[Review of hardcover edition:] Japanese cuisine is often perceived as difficult to make and hard to obtain the ingredients. With this book, the authors want to change that perception. With an organized approach that will take readers from the basics to more involved menus, they provide all the information to make fabulous Japanese meals at home. Starting with an introduction that discusses not just the how-to but also the “why” of this style, they cover an impressive range of topics. Food sources, etiquette table settings, basic cooking rules, and much more are covered. Recipes include cold starters, soups, steamed and grilled dishes, as well as sweets. Each one is beautifully photographed and accompanied by detailed instructions and step-by-step photographs. Basic techniques are covered in a separate chapter that discusses cooking rice and cutting vegetables, fish and shrimp, blanching vegetables, and making dashi, kaeshi and vinegars. More than 90 recipes are included, and with their detailed instructions readers will soon impress family and friends with this delicious cuisine at home. – Terry Peters * North Shore News *Review of hardcover edition: Masui and Kaede’s cookbook is a work of art. Lavishly illustrated, with more than 300 full color – many full-page – photos by Annabelle Schachmes, it is ideal for both beginners and intermediary cooks looking to learn traditional Japanese household cuisine. It is a highly usable reference text, but its beauty also makes it a great coffee table book. The authors include clear, step-by-step preparation instructions for more than 90 recipes, alongside more basic preparation notes on general aspects of Japanese cuisine, a glossary, multiple indexes, and a variety of introductory topics, both historical and practical. Among them a set of notes on Japanese cooking’s rarified and highly valued aim of odorless results, as well as on sauces and condiments, and the assimilation of foreign food elements into local cuisine. The cookbook is both functional and artisanal, striking an effective balance between practical and aesthetic values, mirroring its subject matter. Although it focuses on more traditional, home cooking rather than restaurant fare, the general food groups are the same: cold starters, bowls and soups, vegetables and soy, steamed and simmered dishes, deep-fried and grilled dishes, rice and noodles, and sweets. This cookbook should be considered a necessary acquisition for those looking to better their understanding and preparation of Japanese cuisine and is most highly recommended. * Publishers Weekly *A complete and comprehensive instructional course in understanding and preparing palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly authentic Japanese cuisine… An elegant and prized addition to any personal, professional, or community library cookbook collection. * Midwest Book Review *

Chihiro Masui is the author of more than 20 cookbooks published in Japan and France.

Hanaé Kaédé has worked as a pastry chef in Michelin-starred restaurants. She returned to Japan to obtain a diploma in Japanese cuisine.

Annabelle Schachmes is a food journalist for the French daily newspaper France Soir. As a photographer, she has worked for various culinary publications and chefs’ books.