Great intro book to Japanese cooking. So often people can be wary to try other cooking styles, because the recipes seem too out of their world.

Part of my love of reading is that sometimes a book finds you at just the right moment. Japanese Cookbook for Beginners comes just as I finished one of the best shows I've seen: Midnight Diner. There is just something absolutely beautiful and whole as Japanese food, and that's only the visual aspect. The recipes on Azusa Oda's book are easy to follow, yet I may have to be on the hunt for some of the ingredients. Luckily, I live in a pretty diverse city, so it might be easier for me to find than for those in more rural areas. Some dishes are so simple that I can't wait to try (buttery sweet potatoes here I come). I only wish there were more photos so that I can drool over them and compare my finished recipes to their respective photos. #JapaneseCookbookforBeginners #NetGalley

Looking at social media posts during this COVID-19 pandemic, you’ve probably observed many families using their time at home to improve and expand upon their cooking skills.

<b>Little girl pretending to like mommy’s cooking</b>
<a href="https://twitter.com/rexchapman/status/1245457818687283202">Twitter video link</a>
<img src="https://www.storypick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Untitled-9.jpg"/>

Some of us are gifted, some of us... not so much. 😖

Gender doesn't determine ones competency in the kitchen, so we have cookbooks to make up the difference 😅

This [book:Japanese Cookbook for Beginners: Classic and Modern Recipes Made Easy|51722868] has been a great way to implement new recipes into my families rather routine dinner pallet. Being Hapa and having been raised in a Japanese household part-time, many of these recipes were close to home and inspired many wonderful childhood memories to reappear.

Luckily I store rice like a typical Japanese person on a regular basis. 😅
<img src="https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AP300B_RICE_20080423190540.jpg"/>
Meaning...I buy the <b>BIG</b> bag! We are natural hoarders when it comes to our rice. I'm good until 2021 😉.

And because people seem to be buying frozen pizza, Twinkies, canned food, TV dinners, beans, pasta, and cereal, many of these Asian ingredients are still available.

This cookbook inspired me to cook an old family recipe (some kind of Tonkatsu veggie soup).
Comfort food on a rainy day. 😋
<img src="https://scontent.fsan1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/92953676_254397875709306_8854858615882776576_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=NhzudU_zGEwAX-dhT9q&_nc_ht=scontent.fsan1-2.fna&oh=ed1f888a0c6f945f74954d5f4146ab96&oe=5EC43F0B"/>
<img src="https://scontent.fsan1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/93273198_254397922375968_5908881891188015104_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=o00nTjFhPOAAX-p93Jo&_nc_ht=scontent.fsan1-2.fna&oh=640e6196cb44c86fa0006b3c4762a39a&oe=5EC34C80"/>
Disregard the photo quality... I don't know how to take instagram worthy food pics 😝

<b><u>Ingredients:</u></b>
* Miso (akamiso or "red miso")
* HonDashi (Bonito soup stock)
* Gobo
* Daikon
* Konnyaku
* Bamboo Shoots
* Carrots
* dried shiitake mushroom
* pork marrow or pork bone
* Pork

Not only did I remember some old family recipes, but this book also introduced me to new faves including...
<b>Furikake Popcorn</b>
<img src="http://www.humblebeanblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/furikakepopcorn_1717.jpg"/>
From <a href="http://www.humblebeanblog.com/2012/03/furikake-popcorn/">Azusa Oda's Blog</a>

<I>"Furikake Popcorn
Makes 2 servings (Honestly, I can finish this off myself. Don’t judge.)

1/8 cup canola oil
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
olive oil
furikake

In a 3 qt. pot with lid, heat the canola oil and 1 popcorn kernel over medium-high heat. When the oil is ready, the kernel will pop. Add the rest of the kernels and cover with the lid. Once the kernels start to pop, shake the pot, but keep the lid secure. You don’t want any of the steam to escape. Keep hovering the pot over the stove and shaking until the popping slows. Turn off the heat and empty the popcorn into a large bowl. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle some furikake. Toss to combine and repeat a couple more times until the popcorn is adequately coated with furikake."</I>


Many Japanese basics can be found here like how to cook rice.
<img src="https://i.imgflip.com/3s9aqv.jpg"/>
FACT!

This book (for me) was more of a walk along memory lane, but still enjoyable. Many helpful tips and trick can be found when trying to cook Japanese food using American grocery store chains.

My only complaint is that there are little to no pictures. When it comes to my "brain candy" fiction, I want ZERO pictures, but when it comes to my cookbooks, <b>give me food porn</b>!!!

<img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DoFz7nDq1wE/maxresdefault.jpg"/>
<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/3756/1*jX2RbGXCwZWXr98wfqjiYQ.jpeg"/>
<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4f/92/37/4f923747901da704f15c94db529625cc.jpg"/>
(I think that is the only safe time you can type the word "porn" in the image tab and get the above pics^^^)

<b>THAT'S RIGHT! GIMME GIMME GIMME</b>😋😍

I want my mouth to be salivating🤤. I need that type of Pavlov Bell reaction in order to motivate my lazy ass to stand in the kitchen. And when it comes to imagining dishes in my head, my creativity is stunted.

<b>THERE WERE ONLY 8 PICTURES! EIGHT!!!</b> And many were boring pictures like Miso Soup & Rice Balls. <b>I KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE!</b> It's boring, and does nothing to motivate me.
<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ba/74/b4/ba74b486d2610aa0beafcc9a6e7a4c68.jpg"/>
<b>SEE... BORING!</b>
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/images/ae48db9c47ebbc44f274c1c18e481dfe/tenor.gif"/>

OK. Rant over

Despite my little personal vexation... overall, a good book. Many Japanese basics with contemporary variations to make Japanese food relatively easy to make, even if you don't have all of the typical ingredients.

<i>***Special thanks to NetGalley, Callisto Media, and Tara Adams for sharing this ARC COPY with me in exchange for my honest review***</I>

Overall Rating → <b>3.5 STARS</b>
Price is Right? → Maybe... If you don't mind a cookbook w/o pictures. Kindle version $6.99 RN on Amazon.
Would I recommend? → If your a beginner in Japanese cooking.
Would I re-read? → There are more recipes I plan on trying so.... yes 😉
Would I read more from this author? → maybe

<img src="http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/ehafkenscheid/Mobile%20Uploads/63fcd1af-c2b8-4068-bc6d-63a555aa5b75_zpscohx5mzj.jpg">

Just some funny quarantine cooking memes for ur enjoyment 😉
<img src="https://pics.me.me/quarantine-cooking-71421133.png"/>
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/X6g7QbO.jpg"/>
<img src="https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/meme11-5bc4991e4d9fe__700.jpg"/>
<img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSe-BwcUJA0vKPQWYm6LYo5NnBQXASz9kUqKooe2RbFPW0_laEH&usqp=CAU"/>

Very informative cookbook. I loved the recipes that I made . Fairly easy instructions. Very tasty meals.

So, I'm no beginner in Japanese cooking. I've even attended cooking school in Tokyo. I don't really need a cookbook for beginners, but despite that I really am enjoying this cookbook. I like the author's tone, innovations, suggestions, and the conversational nature of the book as she presents her recipes, how she uses them, and what she knows about the ingredients or what they go well with.

The instructions with each dish are crystal clear and provide enough detail for a beginner to tackle them with confidence. The chapters on setting up a Japanese kitchen, Japanese ingredients, and even the glossary are excellent. It's also a real pleasure to see a cookbook without Japanese language mistakes.

I'd easily recommend this to anyone who wants to expand their skills in Japanese cooking.

This book will show you how to make some of the most popular Japanese dishes and bowls, but not many pictures to show you what the dishes should look like when finished. You will also learn what the staples to have are and why you need them in order to make these dishes. My favorite part was the recipes for the sauces.

Perfect for aspiring Japanese cooks.Easy to follow instructions delicious recipes perfect for the home cook,Perfect gift for anyone who wants to learn to cook in the Japanese style,#netgalley#japenesecookbookforbeginners.

Excellent and comprehensive cookbook for aspiring home Japanese cooks. I really enjoyed how thorough it was and how clear the instructions were. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read it!

On the plus side the recipes seemed very authentic. However I have a quibble with the title. I feel that this is not a book for the novice cook, but for a more experienced cook who is new to Asian cuisine. Many of the ingredients and techniques were new to me, and I really could have used some pictures.

If you are a beginner to oriental cooking this book is for you. Here you will learn how to prepare Japanese dishes from A to Z.
Some tips included. Easy written. The book has recipes that are easy to prepare. Good book to own.

Recently I have found I really enjoy Asian cooking, so when I saw this cookbook, I had to pick it up. The recipes are broken down into measurements that are easy to understand and instructions that are blocked in reasonable groupings.

The only issue I had was in parts it would have been nice to have pictures or illustrations to help walk through some of the instructions. The major on that comes to mind is the bonito rice balls and the explanation of how to form them with your hands. That would have been nice to have a visual aid.

I really like this cookbook. Although it has authentically Japanese recipes, they work far better for home cooks than any other Japanese cookbooks I've seen. This is especially true of cookbooks written for home cooks. The recipes are simple, appetizing, and give us plenty of options for the busy American cook.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and offer my opinion.

This cookbook offers traditional style Japanese recipes with an authentic ingredient list. From Pot stickers to Miso soup the book lists cooking tips, and an occasional variation.

What did I like? While the cookbook is simplistic in nature, I found I didn’t really recognize a lot of the recipes but that didn’t stop me from looking them over. The author tries to stick as close to traditional authentic recipes which cuts out a lot of the variations I like to see in a cookbook. I’m one of those people who always seem to leave something off the list, so for a beginner book, it seems to be a tough method.

Would I buy or recommend? I’m a huge lover of cookbooks, and between the miso soup and pot stickers I could definitely see this on my shelf. It also carries a few vegetarian and tofu recipes for a healthy lifestyle if that is your thing. This cookbook looks hard at the authentic cuisine of Japanese food for beginners.

Thoughts for the author? Congratulations on your new release! I’m sure the recipes are all authentic tasting, but I really wish it had come with more pictures.

Japanese Cookbook for Beginners is a tutorial guide and recipe collection for Japanese cuisine using (mostly) authentic ingredients. Due out 17th March 2020 from Callisto on their Rockridge Press imprint, it's 146 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats (ebook available now). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The book has a logical and easy to follow format. Chapter 1 covers the background meal planning and ingredient buying (including a general overview over pantry staples lists and tools and supplies in the Japanese kitchen) as well as a very general beginner-accessible discussion of the time-saving and streamlining techniques. The author also includes some logical pointers about containers, ingredients, and supplies. The recipe chapters are arranged thematically: staples, snacks and salads, vegetarian, rice and noodles, seafood, and meat and poultry. There is no included nutritional information, although special dietary information is included (gluten-free, nut-free, dairy, etc). Prep and variation tips are included in a footer at the bottom of each recipe.

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard only. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. Most of the ingredients are easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store but some will need to be acquired at an Asian specialty grocer. The book also includes a short author bio, a glossary, and a metric conversion chart, but lacks any index or general ingredients index.

My one small quibble with the book is that the recipes are mostly not photographed. There are some photos, and they're clear and attractive, but they only represent about 5% of the recipes included in the book. There are a number of fusion cuisine items (Japanese Mexican for example), so for purists, this is a much more general 'everyday' cookbook.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.