Customer Reviews

Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking: Simple, Elegant Recipes for Contemporary Tastes

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If I were to use one word to describe Harumi Kurihara's second cookbook, Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking, it would be, "essential". It is 160 pages of bliss. Ms. Kurihara's writing is clear and concise, enabling even the most novice cook to delve into the realm of Japanese cooking with the greatest of ease and complete success.

Harumi Kurihara has become an icon in Japan, and it's easy to see why. Her detailed techniques and stunning photographs convey her love for cooking and draw the reader in.

The book begins with Japanese cooking techniques to help you get started, (and leaves me wanting a ginger grater) and is rounded out with a glossary at the end. Throughout the book there are Harumi's Hints, Ingredients Notes and Menu Planning tips as well as a full section on menu planning at the back of the book and a short, but very informative, section on Bento-or Japanese lunch boxes. There is nothing this book doesn't have to set you on your way to creating beautiful Japanese meals in your own home.

Beyond the miso soup variations, my personal list of must-makes includes Japanese Green Tea Risotto, Pork in Crispy Breadcrumbs and Grilled Salmon "Yuan" Style.

Don't miss the chance to pick up your own copy!

This is a great little cookbook. It starts off with a very basic recipe for Miso soup. I'm convinced that anyone can look the basics of Japanese cooking, which really isn't that hard to learn. The interesting aspect is all the variations that follow like Miso soup with eggplant, or pork, or even carrots. This is where the strength of the book is. It shows standard favorites outside the box. For example Donburi is a great and filling lunch and there are many different kinds like egg and chicken, beef, tonkatsu, fried chicken but Kurihara offers Sukiyaki Don. Sukiyaki is a favorite dish around the world and its interesting to see how it translates into a donburi. Also, her recipes for Teriyaki burgers look good thanks to the beautiful photographs. There's also a good recipe for Beef and potato croquettes which is fine by itself. I like to make curry and use croquette and curry together. There are so many recipes and variations packed inside this cookbook. My other favorites are Grilled Salmon "Yuan" style, Green tea risotto ochazuke, and for desert White Chocolate cake (the white chocolate is inside the cake and not the frosting.) Ochazuke is a great dish that can be eaten any time. I like Ocazuke for breakfast, especially after drinking too much Chu hai or sake. Its the perfect hangover food. Compared to other cookbooks, this one is easy to jump into and start cooking with. You can learn the basic way and then learn how to improvise and combine many different Japanese and western elements.

Harumi has been compared to Martha Stewart. That's wrong. Harumi is way cooler and way nicer.

This is her first book in English--she's BIG in Japan....superb advice on Japanese cooking techniques---recipes are easy to follow--excellent photos.

Here are some standouts: Eggplant Gratin with Tofu and Miso Sauce

Sukiyaki Donburi

Checked-Top Sushi

Chinese-Style Dumplings

Grilled Salmon "Yuan" Style

Warm Cabbage Salad

Peppers and Crab Mixed Rice

all yum!!

I don't think I need to reiterate the reasons why this is a good Japanese homecooking book to have, the previous 5 reviewers have done a wonderful job.

This book is particularly useful if you want a taste of what's really going on in the modern Japanese home kitchen - they really do incorporate a bit of everything into their cooking, a little French (gratins), a little Chinese (dumplings) and a little Western flavouring.

What makes this book a must have is the simplicity of it. The recipes are easy to follow even for novice cooks, yet the finished product is delicious and elegant. Harumi also provides tips for substition when a certain "traditional" Japanese ingredient is unavailable.

This book can at times seem to overtly sing the praises of Japanese cuisine (she thinks Japanese beers are the best! YIKES!) and may seem a tad bit immodest, but the recipes, narration and pictures (I actually went out and bought a tamago pan) makes it a worthwhile purchase. One of the easier and less frilly Japanese cookbooks out there.

At last, a really good English-language Japanese cookbook. We actually eat many of her recipes on a regular basis, because my wife uses her Japanese-language cookbooks. For what it's worth, her mom cooked professionally in Japan for 40 years and she praises Kurihara's books too. Unlike the other English-language Japanese cookbooks I've seen, she doesn't write about what might be served in restaurants, or an American image of Japanese food, but the sort of things that Japanese people actually like to eat at home. Her commentary on the food and Japanese attitudes towards it is also simple and accurate (IMHO), without any grandiose sociological claims about "Japanese culture," which is refreshing.

The best part for me? Udon, those thick, chewy noodles. I love the stuff, but we can only get it after a 2 hour drive, and it's expensive here in the US. My wife believed that it takes special flour to make, which we can't get, so even though we could eat it pretty much 365 days a year, we only had it occasionally. But Kurihara has a recipe that mixes AP and Bread flour that works! It requires some bad-ass kneading (like stomping on it for 20 minutes--literally) and it isn't quick (it is cheap, though), but they taste great. Even my wife gave it the thumbs up, which says a lot.

I love this book! I was debating between her and Morimoto and she seemed so much more simpler, thank goodness I chose her. The recipes are elegant and very simple. Everyone can cook Japanese :)

Try this: recipes are simple enough that you'll actually try them. Highly recommended for any Japanese food lover or adventurous sort.

The author is a food guru in Japan. Her specialty is easy, modern home cooking. So don't expect anything complicated. And don't expect traditional cooking; she is happy to use instant dashi for example. She would prefer bonito flakes, but there would be nothing about shaving bonito yourself in the book. See that as an expression of how normal Japanese cook today. Clearly a book to extend the variety of your everyday cooking.

Most dishes are quite Japanese, but in some dishes she uses foreign ingredients. She is above anything practical and doesn't go for purely traditional tastes. Still in most recipes you need to use at least one typically Japanese ingredient. If you are not willing to do this, the book isn't for you.

The author has written several books in Japanese and this book (as well as her previous) contains a selection from her Japanese books. The selection is off course geared towards what she and her publisher thinks that Westerners would like. The recipes in this second book are identical in style to her first English book Harumi's Japanese Cooking: More than 75 Authentic and Contemporary Recipes from Japan's Most PopularCooking Expert. Just another batch of them. Ideally, I would have preferred everything put together into one book since each of the books is just 160 pages. But, hey, we are dealing with a businesswoman here. She has loads of recipes already developed and clearly she is splitting them up into different books.

Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking includes enjoyable recipes in a simple, clear format. The flavors are authentic and also include modern classics such as baked cheesecake and Southeast Asian or other treats such as papaya with coconut milk. I was glad to find a simple recipe for chawan mushi, a savory egg custard.

I have made several of the recipes and love them so far.

The ingredient list is a bit daunting so getting started will likely run you 50-100 in ingredients.

The only recipe I have had an issue with is the White CHocolate Cake. The batter never rose so I ended up with a thin layer of unrisen cornbread consistency cake... back to the drawing board!