The Anime Chef Cookbook

THIS is how you get an anime nerd and reluctant cook to rush to the kitchen!

I grew up an anime kid and this book is EVERYTHING. I always used to imagine what it would be like to cook the various food from shows I watched and when I was younger even tried (and failed) a few times, as I didn’t have any guidance.

I am a reluctant chef 90% of the time. Cooking is boring to me and I have a lot of food aversions. But as I read through the recipes from anime both new and old, I was hit with nostalgia, inspiration and joy. For the first time in years, I couldn’t wait to do my next groceries trip and give these a try. I am especially excited to make the Katsudon (pork cutlet bowl) from a recent favourite Yuri on Ice as well as the Ohagi from one of my childhood favourites Rurouni Kenshin. Every recipe was a delight, and for the first time in forever, I’ve found a cookbook where I will eat almost every dish. The only downside I found with this while reading is a lack of vegetarian-friendly dishes. I myself am not vegetarian, but I have friends who are who would likely be disappointed with the selection available to them.

This was a very easy-to-read book with a lovely choice of colours and images throughout. I loved the inclusion of quotes from the shows, and I very much appreciated that each recipe gave not only a list of ingredients but was also clear on the equipment you would need to use. I think this is my favourite cookbook of all time!

On the whole, this book is genuinely magic and I can’t wait to try out as many recipes as I can. I went to the author’s instagram page as well and she includes videos of the recipes, which again was amazing to see what they look like in real life. I also saw she has a Genshin Impact range and now I am hoping that maybe in the future, there will be a video game recipe book too!