Japanese Soul Cooking

March 31, 2014
The breadth and diversity of Japanese cuisine can be daunting for a noviceâthere are twenty-odd known regional styles of ramen aloneâbut this smart book handily demystifies the noodle bowl and its comfort food counterparts. Ono, executive chef of Matsuri in New York, and Salat (japanesefoodreport.com) tackle basic dishes like ramen, gyoza, curry, tonkatsu (along with many others), positing a cultural history, a master recipe and several variations on the basic theme. Add to that a glossary of ingredients and helpful tips such as how to prepare oysters for deep-fried furai, how to cook dried soba and an introduction to Kewpie mayonnaise, and this tome becomes an invaluable resource. Perhaps most fascinating of all is the way Japanese cuisine has absorbed and remixed cooking from Korea, the United States, China and elsewhere to produce such innovations as pork fried rice with red pickled ginger and "Napolitan" Spaghetti, made with smoked sausages, ketchup, and sake. The authors' unbridled enthusiasm makes this cookbook as fun and delicious as the must-try recipes. Photos.

December 1, 2013

Chef Ono and food writer Salat (The Japanese Grill: From Classic Yakitori to Steak, Seafood, and Vegetables) previously published two cookbooks on Japanese comfort foods. Their latest collaboration, a survey of mostly fried, curried, and noodle-based dishes (e.g., Osaka-style okonomiyaki, classic pork gyoza, yaki udon), requires a willingness to prepare multiple components and locate unfamiliar ingredients. The ramens are complicated but less so than those in David Chang and Peter Meehan's Momofuku and Ivan Orkin's Ivan Ramen: Love, Obsession, and Recipes from Tokyo's Most Unlikely Noodle Joint. VERDICT Readers who complete the required shopping and prep will discover that these recipes are very doable in home kitchens. Highly recommended.

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