The Joy of Japanese Cooking (Hardcover)

by Kuwako Takahashi (Author) "Freeze-dried seaweed gelatin..." (more)
Key Phrases: standard cooking liquid, crushed bean paste, persimmon cups, West Coast, Sweet Vinegar Dressing, Tofu Dressing (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Simple, easy-to-follow instructions reveal the way to prepare the delicious Japanese foods which are becoming so popular outside Japan. Basic procedures are clearly explained and illustrated for quick mastery. A wonderful resource for both the novice and experienced cook.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Shufu No Tomo-Sha (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4079751508
• ISBN-13: 978-4079751506
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,202,519 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars non plus ultra, April 14, 2001

By	Roy M. Payne (Saitama-shi, Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I live in Japan. My wife is Japanese (but I do most of the cooking at home.) Our son-in-law is a well-known "ita-mae" - Japanese chef at a famous resort hotel. So, I am somewhat familiar with Japanese cuisine... and I get immeasurable pleasure surprising all of my family with delicious dishes prepared under the tutelage of Takahashi-sensei. Her recipes are easy to follow, produce delicious results, and are authentic. The family is still talking about the seafood casserole (nabe) I made for New Year's festivities using this book. My personal favorites are the simmered pork and daikon, the kinpira, the pickled lotus root, ...where do I stop? It's all good. No, it's delicious!

I have several English-language Japanese cookbooks - all quite good, but this is my favorite. It is quite simply "hors concours," the non plus ultra. The only thing you need to supplement this gem is a copy of Richard Hosking's "A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients and Culture" - and you really don't need it. Takahashi-sensei's glossary and explanations are enough.

If you love or are simply interested in Japanese cuisine and want the very best cookbook available to produce it at home, do whatever necessary - short of physical violence - to get your hands on a copy of Takahashi-sensei's "The Joy of Japanese Cooking." Then, enjoy... and enjoy... and enjoy!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good but some problems, May 22, 2006

By	j-in-tokyo - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joy of Japanese Cooking (Paperback)

I also live in Tokyo and hoped that this book would be helpful to me. In some ways it is but in others there are some problems.

The English translations of dishes are quaint, misleading and unhelpful. Nabemono as "casseroles"? Nikujaga as "Simmered beef and potatoes"? In many cases the Japanese term would be better.

The index is not helpful. If you look up "sukiyaki" in the index you will not find it under "sukiyaki". If you know the Japanese names of foods, the book is not convenient to use. You have to guess what arbitrary English name the author may have chosen.

The measurements are an inconsistent mix of metric and non metric - a good editor would have fixed that. (Why not both?)

Only a limited coverage of Japanese food is given. Many well known dishes didn't make it, but in fairness, you have to draw the line somewhere!

A few unauthentic ingredients are included and I think they should be described as such. I would rather only substitute when I can't find what I really want but the auther seems to have made a few decisions in this regard without telling us.

Coverage tends to be a little skewed toward foods presumably preferred by foreigners, which makes the book a little less appropriate for serious cooks.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Joy of a Great Cookbook!, October 19, 2004

By	I. Seligman - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful concise Japanese cookbook by an artistic chef, Kuwako Takahashi. It has many color pictures of beautiful presentations, clearly written recipes, and a great variety of classic and and some contemporary dishes.

Having "eaten my way around" at some restaurants in Japan and at many US Japanese restaurants, it's a double pleasure to see presentations I recognize as "classics", and to have the author describe clearly, often with clearly labelled drawings, just how to cut and arrange the component items from vegetables to fish and different types of sushi, and have you proud to serve them in a well presented dish or platter!

Not sure how to serve Japanese dishes...not a problem! The author show how to make tea, serve sake, and even shows the traditional order of courses as suggestions. Nearly all of the ingredients can be obtained at a typical local Asian grocery, with the remaining ones obtainable over the internet.The inari zushi covers or "bags" even come in cans, so that shortcut takes care of a few steps, if one is so inclined.

There are over 17 simple salad dressings, 8 simple ways to prepare tasty attractive rice dishes, and beautiful photos of sukiyaki to sushi, so you know how the item should look. She even has some pages on decorative food cutting. It's petty clear which are simple recipes, and which are more complex by the list of ingredients, so work your way up, from many simple and elegant recipes, to more complex if you desire.

There's a glossary of Japanese ingredients, and their substitutes, when appropriate.

The only "fault" I found is that the classic "shabu-shabu" was not in the index as such, I had to find it under "casseroles", as nabemono (a quick stew) is translated into that in English, and udon noodles are under "noodles"...fair enough!

I have the hardbound 311 page, 1994 4th printing of the 1986 copyright, and this book is preferable over many of the more recent books with it's ease of making simple tasty meals, and overall helpfulness, with pictures and suggestions to make the meals look like artistic gourmet meals, epecially if you have little prior food artistry experience.