Many of the recipes look wonderful and the instructions seem easy to follow. I love the introductory information for all of the Japanese flavors and spices. Definitely a book that does what it sets out to, I feel like I could comfortably grab some of these Japanese components to change up my cooking.

My first time through this book I just looked at all of the gorgeous pictures. The food looked scrumptious and the people and places looked inviting. When I went back in to read the information and the recipes, I fell even more in love with this book. As a home cook I appreciate ingredients that are new to my pantry. This book gave me plenty to work with and also the knowledge I need to use them without a recipe.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I have really enjoyed this cookbook! It has beautiful pictures and goes over the basics off Japanese cooking in a way that is very thorough. It starts off explaining the basics of Japanese cooking and goes in depth about the ways that Japanese food is deeply different from western food. I have absolutely loves all of the recipes from this that I have tried! Honestly the most life changing thing that I learned from this book is that I could reuse the ingredients for my dashi a second time!! Overall this is a beautiful book with excellent information and recipes.

I received a free copy for an honest review through Netgalley. That being said, I collect cookbooks and recipes like crazy. I have Japanese cookbooks already, and this still taught me knew tricks and skills. The recipes are clear and concise, and explain substitutions and ways to incorporate Japanese techniques and flavors with the non traditional to create new and flavorful ideas. I’ve been making tsukemono, onigiri, and oden for years, so seeing other recipes and twists are always wonderful, especially learning more about the processes of items. I really liked the step by step process of tofu making, as that was on my to learn list! I love making desserts and sweets, so I was happy to see a few recipes, but would have liked a few more. Mochi and red bean paste are easy to use and modify, but sadly were not in here.

The Japanese Larder

I always have a box of miso paste in my pantry and use it frequently in delicious soups – but it took this book to make me realize a: how many different types of miso are available and b: how much it can be used in other recipes and c: how many other Japanese ingredients can be used in creating delicious food.

Reading the Japanese Larder has been a real pleasure, and an adventure too! Each chapter starts with a full-page photograph showing the ingredients covered in that chapter and a legend with the names of each ingredient. How often I have looked at rows and rows of bottles and boxes in oriental grocery stores without having a clue what many of them are; this book has definitely helped overcome that confusion!

The subtitle “Bringing Japanese ingredients into your everyday cooking” is an accurate description. It covers a wide range of ingredients: divided into chapters covering seasonings, dried fermented and preserved ingredients, spices condiments and garnishes, rice noodles and tofu, fruit and vegetables, teas and other beverages and sauces, marinade and garnishes.

Each chapter starts with detailed descriptions of the ingredients, so for example, in the first chapter on key Japanese seasonings we learn what soy sauce is made of, the different types of soy sauce, how they can be used and how they help achieve umami. Then follows a selection of recipes (both traditional and innovative) using the ingredients in each chapter and superb photos of each dish. I enjoyed the inclusion of recipes to make some of the key ingredients, such as tofu and dashi, at home. Scatttered through the book are vibrant photos of food in Japan – from stalls to shops to restaurants.

I have tried three recipes so far. The Buta No Kakuni (pork belly squares in cider soy sauce and brown sugar) was delicious. It used an interesting method of slow cooking in rice to create a meltingly tender dish. The Charred Hispi Cabbage was served with a sesame miso and hazelnut crumble – also a real success. The Ginger Ale and Soy Braised Tuna was somewhat less successful, but that is probably just personal preference; the flavours were great, but I do prefer tuna quickly seared. Next on my list to try is Rast Duck in Clementine Teriyaki Glaze. It sounds delicious!

The final pages provide a good list of suppliers in UK, USA and Australia. It is definitely a book worth having on any food lovers bookshelf.

Over the years we have become very versed in Asian cooking with the easy availability of ingredients, many cookbooks, and restaurants throughout our world. That is, all but Japanese cooking, it is true that there are some restaurants opened in recent years but the ingredients are a bit of a mystery to most of us.

This book remedies that, it gives a very full explanation of ingredients and uses in recipes, with that comes glorious photographs of the food, presented as only the Japanese can, like a piece of art.

Having said that, this is not a Japanese cookbook but more a familiarisation and explanation of the ingredients and uses in Japanese cooking. It does include some recipes, maybe more familiar to the English taste but adapted with the use of Japanese ingredients.
An extremely interesting book, very informative well presented with a touch of encouragement and confidence to try using some of the ingredients in everyday home cooking.

I really enjoyed this book. I love t learn about Japanese cuisine. What is special about this book is that it goes into what the ingredients are and why they are used. In other books, they just mention these foreign spices, sauces, fruits, and vegetables like Westerners would understand. Luiz Hara helps you understand these products and you start to conceptualize why they are used and what the dishes may actually taste like.
I loved teh photos of teh dishes as well as the ones that chronicle the shops and supplies.
I would recommend Japanese Larder to anyone interested in learning about Japanese cooking.

This book was received as an ARC from Quarto Publishing Group - Jacqui Small in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was immediately drawn into this book by the artistic talent of the cover. I was always intrigued by Japanese Cooking not just for the looks but for the taste. I always feel better/energized after you eat Japanese cooking. A lot of the recipes were very easy to follow followed by beautiful pictures of each completed dish. Anyone that makes any of these recipes will feel like the next Morimoto. I especially loved the Buta No Kakuni and the Miso Brown Butter Linguini and I can't wait to make them and wow my guests. This might even be a potential candidate for our cooking demo program at our library.

This will definitely have a home in our Non-Fiction cookbook section at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Very sad that review copies are not enabled for Kindle. PLEASE consider making all review copies available for the device that most people now read on. Might consider buying a paper copy of the book because the subject matter is of much interest to me, but I won't be able to write an advance review.

The book is very pretty. I wish it would send to kindle but I suppose I should have looked closer. I love Japanese food and this book makes the fofoofofood not seem so scary to make

A gorgeous cookbook that is full of great information & interesting recipes. Hara's theme is understanding Japanese ingredients and using them in a wider variety of recipes, both Japanese & Western. Therefore his chapters are organized by type of ingredient rather than by course.

Each chapter opens with a section on these ingredients, how they are made, flavored, and used. The recipes follow, each with the dish pictured.

While some of the recipes are quite complex, many use off-the-shelf ingredients, making them easily accessible to home cooks.

Although Hara is UK-based he has done a good job of making a cookbook easy to use by cooks in the UK and North America.

Interesting, but a little too professional for somebody like me, still the photo were worthy all the book as far as you ask me.

Interessante, ma veramente un po' troppo professionale per chi come me non é in grado di cucinare giapponese comunque, a prescindere da quello che contiene la mia dispensa. Detto questo comunque, anche solo le foto valevano tutto il libro.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

My thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing a digital copy of The Japanese Larder by Luiz Hara. What a visually stunning book. The photographs that accompany the recipes included in the book almost compel you to head straight to your local Japanese or Asian grocery store to stock up on ingredients so you can begin experimenting in your kitchen.
The recipes are straight forward, with ingredients listed to the side of the instructions, so you can check them out at a glance. That way, you can know with just a quick glance if there are things you need to pick up before embarking on a new recipe or if you have everything you want. Plus, if you like to cook in the “on the board” style, you can assemble the ingredients in the proper amounts with ease before you begin looking at instructions and planning your time in the kitchen.
While most of the recipes are Japanese in nature, there is information also in how to incorporate some of the traditional Japanese ingredients in your regular recipes. For example, the book begins with information of what the author considers key seasonings, including explanations of what they are and what they add to recipes.
The table of contents may not be as beneficial to the cook as the index since it does not delineate chapters by type of food, such as main dish, side dish, etc. The index does have the recipes listed both by title of the dish and group into like-items such as a heading of chicken, followed by specific chicken recipes. It would have been helpful to have these broad classifications in bold so they were easier to spot at a glance, but this is a minor issue.
The recipes offer a wide range of food types, all of them presented in a way that encourages the cook to give them a try. With the introductory explanations of seasonings, etc. the cook can feel more confident in how they want to approach each specific recipe and what they expect for the final result.
Grocery shopping might also be made easier if a copy of this could be taken to the local oriental market. Until the cook is more familiar with brands, specific ingredients, etc., there is too much information here to try and remember it all during initial shopping trips. For this reason, a digital form of the book might be beneficial, although you wouldn’t want to lose the benefit of seeing the gorgeous illustrations included in a full-page print version.
For the cook who wants to expand their knowledge of Japanese cooking, or simply begin to incorporate some Japanese seasonings in their own recipes, this book offers a good place to start.

I can't wait to try the recipes in this book! I love the way that it's set up and I love the pictures that accompany the recipes!

I honestly can't remember the last time I came across such a complete guide to Japanese cookery. Every dish has an accompanying picture which is beautifully shot. Not only are the much needed seasonings for the dishes listed, they come with brief a overview, which make for a rather informative and interesting read. The recipes are step by step, but detailed so there's far less chance of making a mistake.

Can't say enough nice things about this book. Highly recommended.

This is a very handy book for anyone interested in Japanese cooking! Each chapter focuses on a type of food - seasonings, dried/fermented foods, rice/noodles/tofu, fruits/vegetables, etc. The photos that accompany the recipes are beautifully shot. Recipe ingredients are listed by weight and volume in most cases - a nice inclusion for better accuracy. While many of the recipes aren't ones I particularly will be trying since I don't consume animal products, I still found quite a number of recipes I will be trying out and hopefully adding to my favorites. Aside from the recipes, this book would make a perfect reference for cooks looking to branch out and use ingredients they may be less familiar with.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Jacqui Small and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this informative book in exchange for my honest review.

This book Japanese Larder is nothing like an usual cook book about Japan. It gives you great insights about how to include usual japanese cooking elements into our occidental cooking.

Loved this gorgeous cookbook. A wonderful guide to Japanese cooking teaches us what we need in our pantries what spices rice etc.The recipes are easy to follow the pictures are beautiful mouth watering .This is perfect for anyone interested in Japanese cooking and would make a lovely gift.
#netgalley #JapeneseLarder#Quartopublishers,

I really love this! I am passionate about bringing Japanese cuisine and culture into my household and I feel like the recipes of Hara's make this feat possible.

Great collection of recipes, ingredient info and 'how to make' guides! I love most Japanese flavours, and look forward to making udon and tofu from scratch. Note - the ingredients involve a lot of traditionally Japanese ingredients, but there surely are some new touches added to those traditional ingredients.