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BOOKS Japanese Soul Cooking, 1 EA
A collection of 100 delicious recipes that introduces Japanese comfort food to home cooks, exploring new ingredients, techniques and the surprising origins of popular dishes like gyoza and tempura. Japanese food is often thought of as precise, austere and time-consuming to cook. But along with the complicated such as kaiseki and tea ceremony, there are also the simpler fried chicken dishes and street food enjoyed by everyone in Japan, from schoolkids to grannies. From familiar dishes such as ramen, soba, tempura and gyoza to rice bowls, okonomiyaki and savoury pancakes, these recipes come with foolproof instructions and step-by-step photographs and are perfect for a week-night meal or weekend entertaining. Through fascinating narrative and lush location photography, Tadashi Oni and Harris Salat explore Japan’s long history of homey fare, bringing beloved Japanese comfort food to Western home cooks for the first time.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
August 9, 2023
A street level look at Japanese food and the influence it has had on culture. Lots of dishes I wish I could get here in America. The next best thing to actually walking around Japan (with lots of money) and just indulging in a 'taste' tour of different towns. Lots of historical information on many of the dishes - another reason I want to go to Japan - the wonderful food!
March 24, 2014
For the price of about 3 bowls of noodles at my local Japanese spot, I have learned how to make soba for myself in about 20 minutes for the rest of my life. This book is a godsend. It's accessible for anybody who has played around with Japanese food/bento and not asking you to boil pork bones for 24 hours to make ramen or something. *cough Momofuku cough* Soy marinated eggs are also delicious. I've only made 2 recipes so far, but I'm looking forward to cooking my way thru this one.
April 23, 2016
Maddie, who lived in Japan, loved this book. Maybe a birthday present for her! She made a few meals for us out of here.
August 17, 2015
Japanese Soul Cooking, by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat, published in 2013 by Ten Speed Press.
This book is the first that I am reviewing from the Best Books: Food and Cookbooks list. I will try to review these books as cookbooks, but also as books. Capice?
I just purchased this book with birthday money, then spent the week after between Anne of Green Gables (re-read) and this one. Yes, I do read cookbooks, like from front to back. I don’t read all the instructions until I get to the cooking part, but I do read things like front matter, notes, ingredients, explanations, etc.
A book like this one is good because of its clear direction and its consistent results, but is made great by its interesting facts and history, clear writings, fun anecdotes, and relevant notes. So when all’s said and done here, this is a great cookbook.
It has it all, including journalistic photos as well as photos that show you your end result. My only complaint, I suppose, is that Ono and Salat are not natural-born writers, from what I can tell, so yes, their writing could have been better. But as two chef/foodies, they have a grasp of how their recipes fit into the world, a friendly tone, and an interesting-enough style.
And boy are their recipes accessible and consistent! Anybody cooking from this book will need to make a trip to a specialty grocer, but not without first being told by Ono and Salat exactly what it is they are looking for. And once the cook has the ingredients in hand, they are almost guaranteed an authentic and tasty result, thanks to to the perfect directions and the simplicity of all the (somewhat slow) processes. This is supremely accessible ethnic food at its best.
One of the keys to any good cookbook (or any book, really) is how excited they make the reader. With the photos and the writing in Japanese Soul Cooking, it would be hard not to catch their infectious enthusiasm for the cuisine as a whole and the recipes individually.
Okay, so one other complaint: the book is broken down into individual recipes for recipe components, much like Mastering the Art of French Cooking (and other books). In other words, you don’t just flip to “Shoyu Ramen” and make shoyu ramen, You must first flip to “Shoyu Ramen,” then to “Soy Sauce Marinade,” then “Soy Sauce Eggs,” then “Ramen Soup and Chasu,” then back to “Shoyu Ramen.” I hate doing that, but I also acknowledge that it makes complete sense to produce the book this way, from the authors’ end. It remains a pain for the reader/cook.
I have made five random recipes from this book, at this time, and we were very pleased with all of them. That’s saying a lot. I highly recommend the Pork Gyoza and the Kitsune Udon, as well as the fascinating evolution of Japanese soul food.
_______________
“In Japan, the type of noodle used in ramen is serious business” (p8).
“Loud slurping is important” (p14).
“It seems that everybody in Japan absolutely loves curry” (44).
“And don’t forget, navy curry isn’t navy curry without salad on the side and a glass of milk” (p49).
“…in the land of raw food that is Japan, oysters are usually eaten cooked” (p78).
“In Japanese cuisine the producers do most of the work” (p95).
“Get it wrong, and you’re venturing into corn dog territory” (p109).
“Use toothpicks to spear these suckers and pop them into your mouth” (p137).
“Japanese have been slurping soba for hundreds of years” (p160).
“Try sauteing anything with soy sauce and butter–steaks, green beans, mushrooms, chicken breast, or, yes, pork loin–it’ll blow your mind” (p222).
“And what you eat as a kid, of course, is what you crave as an adult, and thus Napolitan happily entered the cuisine” (p225).
***REVIEW WRITTEN FOR THE DEVON TREVARROW FLAHERTY BLOG***
This book is the first that I am reviewing from the Best Books: Food and Cookbooks list. I will try to review these books as cookbooks, but also as books. Capice?
I just purchased this book with birthday money, then spent the week after between Anne of Green Gables (re-read) and this one. Yes, I do read cookbooks, like from front to back. I don’t read all the instructions until I get to the cooking part, but I do read things like front matter, notes, ingredients, explanations, etc.
A book like this one is good because of its clear direction and its consistent results, but is made great by its interesting facts and history, clear writings, fun anecdotes, and relevant notes. So when all’s said and done here, this is a great cookbook.
It has it all, including journalistic photos as well as photos that show you your end result. My only complaint, I suppose, is that Ono and Salat are not natural-born writers, from what I can tell, so yes, their writing could have been better. But as two chef/foodies, they have a grasp of how their recipes fit into the world, a friendly tone, and an interesting-enough style.
And boy are their recipes accessible and consistent! Anybody cooking from this book will need to make a trip to a specialty grocer, but not without first being told by Ono and Salat exactly what it is they are looking for. And once the cook has the ingredients in hand, they are almost guaranteed an authentic and tasty result, thanks to to the perfect directions and the simplicity of all the (somewhat slow) processes. This is supremely accessible ethnic food at its best.
One of the keys to any good cookbook (or any book, really) is how excited they make the reader. With the photos and the writing in Japanese Soul Cooking, it would be hard not to catch their infectious enthusiasm for the cuisine as a whole and the recipes individually.
Okay, so one other complaint: the book is broken down into individual recipes for recipe components, much like Mastering the Art of French Cooking (and other books). In other words, you don’t just flip to “Shoyu Ramen” and make shoyu ramen, You must first flip to “Shoyu Ramen,” then to “Soy Sauce Marinade,” then “Soy Sauce Eggs,” then “Ramen Soup and Chasu,” then back to “Shoyu Ramen.” I hate doing that, but I also acknowledge that it makes complete sense to produce the book this way, from the authors’ end. It remains a pain for the reader/cook.
I have made five random recipes from this book, at this time, and we were very pleased with all of them. That’s saying a lot. I highly recommend the Pork Gyoza and the Kitsune Udon, as well as the fascinating evolution of Japanese soul food.
_______________
“In Japan, the type of noodle used in ramen is serious business” (p8).
“Loud slurping is important” (p14).
“It seems that everybody in Japan absolutely loves curry” (44).
“And don’t forget, navy curry isn’t navy curry without salad on the side and a glass of milk” (p49).
“…in the land of raw food that is Japan, oysters are usually eaten cooked” (p78).
“In Japanese cuisine the producers do most of the work” (p95).
“Get it wrong, and you’re venturing into corn dog territory” (p109).
“Use toothpicks to spear these suckers and pop them into your mouth” (p137).
“Japanese have been slurping soba for hundreds of years” (p160).
“Try sauteing anything with soy sauce and butter–steaks, green beans, mushrooms, chicken breast, or, yes, pork loin–it’ll blow your mind” (p222).
“And what you eat as a kid, of course, is what you crave as an adult, and thus Napolitan happily entered the cuisine” (p225).
***REVIEW WRITTEN FOR THE DEVON TREVARROW FLAHERTY BLOG***
December 17, 2018
Painful to read on an empty stomach.
I don't necessarily agree with all of the recipes (and I'm a huge fan of this kind of Japanese cooking), but that's to be expected as it seems like everybody who likes ramen, yakitori, tonkatsu, et al has their own opinion about the "one true way".
I'd say the book is pretty comprehensive (not withstanding yakitori ... I mean ... what the hell dude?!?!) and most of the dishes are actually do-able if you want to (and have access to either an Asian grocery or the internet).
I don't necessarily agree with all of the recipes (and I'm a huge fan of this kind of Japanese cooking), but that's to be expected as it seems like everybody who likes ramen, yakitori, tonkatsu, et al has their own opinion about the "one true way".
I'd say the book is pretty comprehensive (not withstanding yakitori ... I mean ... what the hell dude?!?!) and most of the dishes are actually do-able if you want to (and have access to either an Asian grocery or the internet).
March 8, 2021
Nice looking book with lots of classic Japanese dishes, but some of the recipes are seriously flawed.
- Not all the ingredients in the list are described in the recipe
- Lamb curry tells you to brown the meat and take it out, but never to put it back in
- The okonomiyaki batter is more of a dough if you follow the instructions exactly
Ultimately the dishes come out fine if you use some common sense, but the book could've used some recipe testing.
- Not all the ingredients in the list are described in the recipe
- Lamb curry tells you to brown the meat and take it out, but never to put it back in
- The okonomiyaki batter is more of a dough if you follow the instructions exactly
Ultimately the dishes come out fine if you use some common sense, but the book could've used some recipe testing.
October 8, 2014
awesome collection of recipes with photos and easy to follow directions
February 3, 2016
I wish I had actually cooked anything from this! As it is, I almost drooled on the book. everything looked so delicious!
December 18, 2013
I found this by accident in the new cookbook section at the library. I love Japanese food, so I’m always on the lookout for new cookbooks. I had heard of Tadashi Ono after watching the PBS show “In the Mind of a Chef, which featured the owner/chef of NYC’s Momofuko, David Chang who liked to go to Japan to eat Ramen and get ideas for his restaurant. He met Ono on one of the shows. I really couldn’t do most of the recipes unless I bought the book, as most have multiple parts in different sections. Plus although I like a lot of the recipes they have in the cookbook, they’re the sort of things I’d rather eat in a restaurant versus at home as I’m sure professionals do it better. The authors were very detailed (which I found fascinating) in discussing the evolution of each of the dishes and how they are served today. I especially like the recipes for Vegetarian Gyoza and Miso Dipping Sauce, Mabo Dofu Donburi, Tenshin Donburi (a crab/mushroom and veggie omelet served over rice), and the Genghis Khan (a lamb stir-fry). The book even has a list of Tokyo Comfort Food restaurants in the back, in case you ever find yourself in the city. I am looking forward to checking out more cookbooks by the authors. 4 stars.
May 31, 2020
Easily one of my favourite cookbooks, and the inspiration for my much loved karaage recipe. This cookbook covers a range of Japanese street foods from ramen to curry and even Japanese-style pasta, giving you DIY recipes along the way for each part of these delicious dishes (as well as the actual dish recipes)
Highly recommended for folks who are looking for a great Japanese cookbook that is accessible, well organized and filled with great recipes.
Highly recommended for folks who are looking for a great Japanese cookbook that is accessible, well organized and filled with great recipes.
November 23, 2016
This is a fun little cookbook. Lots of useful stories and recipes.
July 7, 2015
Good recipes for some of my down market Japanese favourites.
December 19, 2014
Wonderful read but I think I am just going to find a nice noodle place downtown.
February 26, 2015
3.5
This had a surprising selection of easy recipes--lots of pictures and easy to follow instructions.
This had a surprising selection of easy recipes--lots of pictures and easy to follow instructions.
August 5, 2017
I have tried a handful of the recipes and have absolutely loved them! The recipes are easy to follow, the insights to history and the culture of Japan are a great bonus.
January 16, 2018
My favorite recipes were the gyoza (potstickers) and the okonomiyaki (cabbage pancakes).
May 3, 2019
Good but way above my skill and time commitment level
November 2, 2023
I reach for this book constantly. Everything I’ve made from it has just been so good (and so craveworthy) — though the recipes tend toward overly salty for my taste.
January 5, 2014
Really liked this book for its atypical focus away from the more rarefied aspects of Japanese cuisines (eg - sushi, kaiseki, etc) and instead cataloging 'everyday' Japanese comfort cuisine, the dishes eaten by all strata of the populace from within the cozy confines of their homes to quick, no frills street eateries. If you've spent some time in Japan sampling such fare or have any shred of interest in better understanding the essence of real Japanese cuisine this book is certainly a fantastic starting guide for you.
Things I really liked:
+Comprehensive and well laid out catalog of Japanese comfort food categories ranging from Curry to Okonomiyaki and the little-known (outside of Japan) but essential aspects of 'Yoshoku' dishes.
+Recipes are very well presented with an average difficulty level (ranging from 1-5) at about '2.' Techniques are well explained and the only thing that will really hold back the average home cook is access to certain ingredients and first hand tasting knowledge to serve as your reference basis.
+Each of the 13 chapters is organized by specific food type. For example, Chapter 1 = 'Ramen.' Within each chapter is a nice scattering of anecdote and background information about the dishes. These elements were perhaps the most interesting and entertaining portions of the book.
+Whether or not you actually cook any of the recipes, merely by skimming through the book you'll gain a solid understanding of everyday Japanese meals and if you ever make it out there for a visit will have solid knowledge of what various restaurants serve and what people actually eat at home.
+Layouts and photographs are well done. Each page is very attractively designed.
Could've been better:
+While I enjoyed the quality of the photographs my chief complaint is that the book needs more. Approximately 30% of each recipe has an accompanying photograph - too low in my opinion.
Things I really liked:
+Comprehensive and well laid out catalog of Japanese comfort food categories ranging from Curry to Okonomiyaki and the little-known (outside of Japan) but essential aspects of 'Yoshoku' dishes.
+Recipes are very well presented with an average difficulty level (ranging from 1-5) at about '2.' Techniques are well explained and the only thing that will really hold back the average home cook is access to certain ingredients and first hand tasting knowledge to serve as your reference basis.
+Each of the 13 chapters is organized by specific food type. For example, Chapter 1 = 'Ramen.' Within each chapter is a nice scattering of anecdote and background information about the dishes. These elements were perhaps the most interesting and entertaining portions of the book.
+Whether or not you actually cook any of the recipes, merely by skimming through the book you'll gain a solid understanding of everyday Japanese meals and if you ever make it out there for a visit will have solid knowledge of what various restaurants serve and what people actually eat at home.
+Layouts and photographs are well done. Each page is very attractively designed.
Could've been better:
+While I enjoyed the quality of the photographs my chief complaint is that the book needs more. Approximately 30% of each recipe has an accompanying photograph - too low in my opinion.
September 10, 2016
This review is from cooking only a few of the many recipes this book has to offer (gyoza, miso ramen with marinated eggs, kara-age, negoya tebasaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba).
First off, the quality of the binding, photographs, pages, and print is amazing. It's a tiny little book in comparison to some of my other cookbooks, but it's beautiful and feels really nice. I sometimes like to flip through just to look at the pictures and salivate.
The authors' care about the food really comes through in the writing for each chapter and recipe. There are little stories, bits of history, and some practical information in these short snippets that really allows you to feel the character of each dish.
Most recipes are quite short (~1 page), and taste delicious. However, in certain occasions, I would have preferred slightly more instruction, but that's more because I'm relatively new to cooking. For example, the pork shoulder for cha shu in the miso ramen came out well on one side, but the other side was dry and tough. A little instruction on picking out the meat would have been indispensable.
They also sometimes talk about (regional) variations on ingredients, but I would have liked short tables indicating how individual ingredients might be incorporated (or be substituted) into the basic recipe (e.g. any changes when using pork belly over pork shoulder? or how to incorporate seafood into okonomiyaki). For a seasoned cook, this would probably be second nature, but for cooks starting out, this again would be useful information.
For these reasons, I hesitate to give the book five stars (probably 4.5 still), but overall, the recipes have come out fantastic. I'll be continuing to cook from this book.
First off, the quality of the binding, photographs, pages, and print is amazing. It's a tiny little book in comparison to some of my other cookbooks, but it's beautiful and feels really nice. I sometimes like to flip through just to look at the pictures and salivate.
The authors' care about the food really comes through in the writing for each chapter and recipe. There are little stories, bits of history, and some practical information in these short snippets that really allows you to feel the character of each dish.
Most recipes are quite short (~1 page), and taste delicious. However, in certain occasions, I would have preferred slightly more instruction, but that's more because I'm relatively new to cooking. For example, the pork shoulder for cha shu in the miso ramen came out well on one side, but the other side was dry and tough. A little instruction on picking out the meat would have been indispensable.
They also sometimes talk about (regional) variations on ingredients, but I would have liked short tables indicating how individual ingredients might be incorporated (or be substituted) into the basic recipe (e.g. any changes when using pork belly over pork shoulder? or how to incorporate seafood into okonomiyaki). For a seasoned cook, this would probably be second nature, but for cooks starting out, this again would be useful information.
For these reasons, I hesitate to give the book five stars (probably 4.5 still), but overall, the recipes have come out fantastic. I'll be continuing to cook from this book.
April 27, 2014
I think most of my feelings about this book have already been voiced by others.
Probably the best on Japanese cooking for those who have never attempted it or have been put off by the apparent complications outlined by some of the earlier standard works.
I particularly liked the way in which some recipes showed how to produce the component parts of a whole dish, such as Shoyu Ramen.
First you cook the soup base and the chashu ( pork )
Then the Soy Sauce marinade
Followed by the Soy Sauce Eggs
These are all Master recipes, i.e. they are used in a number of other recipes.
In this case they are used to produce Shoyu Ramen with some additional ingredients.
This method makes the whole look less daunting than combining everything in the one recipe.
Negatives, there are some wonderful photographs unconnected with the recipes showing various dishes being prepared and cooked. Japanese restaurants and shops, street life, ingredients, etc,. Unfortunately none of them are captioned which is a great shame. This is not the only cookbook that has done this, it seems prevalent nowadays.
The book is printed on very heavyweight paper, another fashion that seems to be prevalent.
The consequence is that the book is very heavy and pages difficult to keep open without danger of splitting the binding.
The price, £25, again it's difficult nowadays to find a cookbook at a lower price, why? The first thing you see in most bookshops are latest titles at less than list, including cookbooks.
I borrowed the reviewed copy from my library, I'm not going to pay £25 for it when I can get it for £12-50 on Amazon or probably similar at a bookshop.
Probably the best on Japanese cooking for those who have never attempted it or have been put off by the apparent complications outlined by some of the earlier standard works.
I particularly liked the way in which some recipes showed how to produce the component parts of a whole dish, such as Shoyu Ramen.
First you cook the soup base and the chashu ( pork )
Then the Soy Sauce marinade
Followed by the Soy Sauce Eggs
These are all Master recipes, i.e. they are used in a number of other recipes.
In this case they are used to produce Shoyu Ramen with some additional ingredients.
This method makes the whole look less daunting than combining everything in the one recipe.
Negatives, there are some wonderful photographs unconnected with the recipes showing various dishes being prepared and cooked. Japanese restaurants and shops, street life, ingredients, etc,. Unfortunately none of them are captioned which is a great shame. This is not the only cookbook that has done this, it seems prevalent nowadays.
The book is printed on very heavyweight paper, another fashion that seems to be prevalent.
The consequence is that the book is very heavy and pages difficult to keep open without danger of splitting the binding.
The price, £25, again it's difficult nowadays to find a cookbook at a lower price, why? The first thing you see in most bookshops are latest titles at less than list, including cookbooks.
I borrowed the reviewed copy from my library, I'm not going to pay £25 for it when I can get it for £12-50 on Amazon or probably similar at a bookshop.
July 9, 2015
This book will help you cook at home, the Japanese food you want to eat. Unlike some other books which assume that you actually want to get up at 4am and make your own alkaline noodles; the authors start with the assumption that your working in a home kitchen. So go buy fresh noodles at the store and make your own broth and pork belly for ramen! ( I like to think Japanese food is going the way of Italian food in this way. Who cares if you used dried noodles, but for god sakes who wouldn't make their own sauce!) So right from the get go we're making ramen more accessible and more do-able which is awesome. The other food in this book are great and just as accessible as the ramen Curry, tonkatsu, Donburi, Soba, etc. if you love Japanese food, this book is a must.
April 25, 2014
This book is a delightful exploration of Japanese food, not in the historical, regimented way many of us encounter it, but in a folksy, down-to-earth fashion driven by necessity, convenience, and simple flavor. The foods are evocatively described and the recipes thorough and easy to follow. I do wish it went a bit further with suggesting substitutions, though it's understandable that some things just can't be substituted. It's a great source for living cuisine, though ... and provides a clear understanding of the historical and traditional underpinnings of each kind of dish.
December 26, 2015
An extremely attractive and approachable introduction to gut-busting Japanese foods. This is definitely the cookbook in my collection from which I've cooked the most dishes. Once you have a few pantry staples (soy sauce, mirin, dashi, sake), cooking most of the dishes in this book is easily within reach. Despite having lived in Japan for several months, I even discovered some new recipes beyond the expected ramen, gyoza, tempura, etc. The yoshoku (Western-inspired) and itame (Chinese-inspired) sections are especially interesting as a Chinese-American.
February 22, 2017
Look, I bought it on sale to make udon noodle hot pots at home. I cobbled together an *extremely* rough approximation of the required ingredients* and, miracle of miracles, my Nabeyaki Udon turned out swimmingly. Four stars, and I'm eager to try more things, though ideally the way the author actually says to make them in the future.
___
* I used the wrong soy sauce, clear soup mix instead of dashi, scallions for negi, skipped the tofu, fish cake, and spinach, and included three day old leftover roast chicken (brined in western herbs). I was surprised it worked too.
___
* I used the wrong soy sauce, clear soup mix instead of dashi, scallions for negi, skipped the tofu, fish cake, and spinach, and included three day old leftover roast chicken (brined in western herbs). I was surprised it worked too.
March 4, 2015
Excellent collection of non-sushi Japanese "soul food." Beautifully produced, with fantastic photography in the kitchen, on the table, and in the streets. Ever wanted to try the three main types of ramen? (Tokyo style, Sapporo style, and Hakodate style?) Now you can, quite easily, without having to cross the Pacific. I'm not sure that even the best Western Japantowns would have all the dishes in this more-than-a-cookbook.
September 14, 2017
i won't give this book 5* until i actually cook something from it (got this from the library to check it out.) some of the best 'western' (youshoku) food is to be found in tokyo, and this book contains most of my favorites. the thought of being able to eat ebi gratin and kani cream korroke makes me so very excited. i can tell by the text that this book is well researched and authentic, totally buying a copy for me and as gifts!
April 13, 2015
This book is made up of popular Japanese recipes that are relatively not too difficult to reproduce: ramen, gyoza, Curry, tonkatsu, furai & korokke, karaage, tempura, okonomiyaki, donburi, soba, udon, itame & chahan, and yoshoku. The only thing I find lacking is perhaps a bit more photos showing what the result of the recipe would produce, but overall, this classic Japanese comfort food is quite solid.
November 16, 2015
Engaging, clear writing which provides useful contextual information about the recipes. The photography is appealing. There are approximately 100 recipes out of which I have tried 20 or so, all with pleasing results. A particular favorite is the Battleship Curry. Definitely worth purchasing to get a good working familiarity with fried and curried Japanese food, much of it interestingly derived and improved from Western cookery traditions.
August 31, 2016
Read through the whole thing and am really impressed! It's easy and interesting to read. It has recipes for literally all of the things Rob loves and misses from Japan: gyudon, ramen, croquettes, kara-age, homemade versions of Japanese curry, gyoza, soba. The recipes also land perfectly between taking the time to do things right/from scratch, and being adaptable to American home cooks. I borrowed it from the library but I'll definitely be buying it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews