I
have finally found a Japanese cookbook that is as good as having my
Japanese mother-in-law by my side in the kitchen. Amy Kaneko’s
“Let’s Cook Japanese Food! Everyday Recipes for Home Cooking”
(Chronicle Books) demystifies Japanese cooking and, most importantly
for me, offers a number of recipes for “yoshoku” cuisine, those Western
dishes the Japanese have borrowed from other cultures and made uniquely
their own. These include mapo dofu (China), gratin (France), tempura
(Portugal), and many more.
Japanese food means a lot of
different things to different people, from gloppy teriyaki sauce dumped
on steak to spider rolls on up to the pristine presentation of delicate
small plates (kaiseki) that take years to master. But the dishes in
“Let’s Cook Japanese Food!” are those you would encounter in a Japanese
home or at an informal Japanese coffee shop restaurant in a department
store. You’ll find many authentic favorites here, everything from
Toriniku Kara-age (Fried Marinated Chicken) to Miso Soup to Omu Raisu
(Omelet Stuffed with Tomatoey Chicken Rice) to my Japanese husband’s
favorite, Okonomiyaki (“As-You-Like-It” Pancake).
Like me,
Kaneko is an American who married into a Japanese family. Unlike me,
she is a great cook and learned well from her mother-in-law and
sister-in-law. Her easy-to-use cookbook has now turned me into a pretty
decent Japanese cook. My Mapo Dofu (Chinese Style Spicy Tofu with Pork)
and Sunomono (Cucumber and Shrimp Vinegared Salad) went over quite well
with my husband last night. “Oishii!” he said. That means “delicious,”
a comment that will make a cook from any country beam with pride.