The Japanese Kitchen: A Book of Essential Ingredients with 200 Authentic Recipes

by Kimiko Barber

Kimiko Barber invites you on a personal tour of Japan's exquisite cuisine and culture.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Japanese Literature

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japanese Cooking/History. Excellent source of background information, with some recipes to try. Many of these ingredients may be difficult to find for people without a nearby Japantown, but interesting nonetheless. Because of the cuisine's dependence on rice and rice flours, I also found it useful for gluten-free ideas (will definitely try to hunt down some mochi gome products for making Japanese dessert cakes and sweets). For more bento-friendly recipes, see also The Just Bento Cookbook.

As with most cookbooks, I found it helpful to be able to borrow this from my local library rather than purchasing, so for those of you who are contemplating giving cookbooks as a gift, please check your library first.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the layout of this book, which was by ingredient, with recipes that featured the ingredient. However, most of the pictures showed the finished food or a random aspect of Japanese culture. While this was interesting (it's a nice cookbook to simply read), some photographs of the preparation process would have been helpful.

[Jaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I've always wanted from a book on Japanese cuisine - to know how weird ingredients (lotus roots!) look like, how Japanese vegetables and mushrooms are grown, and how algae are picked. Fascinating! Plus recipes feasible even for a person living 8800 kms from Tokyo.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very many recipes, and definitely not many that were interesting to me, but a lot of general knowledge on the history of common Japanese ingredients and cooking methods.

[Dray · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only fault with this book is that I wish it were 2 or 3 times longer. So much taste!

[Arlen Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to read cookbooks more than actually use them for cooking, and I enjoyed reading this one. It goes ingredient by ingredient, giving origins, manufacturing details (if any), describing taste and texture, followed by a recipe or two. I DO dabble quite a bit in Japanese cooking, so I'll definitely consult this one as an excellent reference on traditional Japanese ingredients.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting layout. A mix of history and use of the ingredient along with a couple of recipes for the ingredient.