(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best japanese cooking, food & wine books

How authentic do you want to go?

In terms of truly authentic Japanese cuisine, the absolute best book is "Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art" by Shizuo Tsuji. It teaches the aesthetics behind Japanese food as well as all the requisite techniques, but it can be a bit too hardcore for the home cook.

Next I would recommend something by Yoko Arimoto, such as "Simply Japanese: Modern Cooking for the Healthy Home". Highly respected in Japan as a cookbook author; she's very flexible with her ingredients, which make it easier to adapt in an non-Japanese environment.

Elizabeth Andoh is very good too; hits all the right notes.

Harumi Kurihara, is popular but in a Martha Stewart sort of way. She'll give you basic recipes, then she'll give you something that is really "out there". Her recipes tend to be...well, handy. Kind of like what Giada is to Italian cooking.

Boil 4 c. water, add veggies at the beginning (enokinotake, shiitake (these come dried too, just rehydrate before using or soak in the broth for 10-15 min or longer), negi, tamanegi, wakame (you can get dried 'cut wakame'), tofu, kabocha; pick from some of these kinds of veggies). Add 1.3 tsp dashi no moto. When veggies are cooked but still somewhat crisp (not completely limp and gross), turn off heat. Add 6 tbsp or 132 g awase miso paste (mixed red and white) in 1 c. of the liquid. Mix it into a thick mixture that is thinner than the miso and thicker than the broth; get all the clumps out. If you don't, there will be clumps in the final soup. Then mix this miso mixture into the main broth. You'll end up with a bit over 4 c. soup, and its delicious! You can add cooked meat at the end if desired (chicken etc) (or fresh clams when you're done boiling so they cook but aren't overcooked), but I like mostly veggies. Everybody has their own twist on the dish so I encourage you to experiment.

edit: I recommend this book for beginners as I found it to be pretty representative of Japanese home cooking, and pretty damned accurate in terms of taste and ingredients (based on my 6 host families in Saitama prefecture 2004-2005). One of my goals during my exchange was to learn home cooking from each of my host mothers. This turned out to be an excellent choice =D

edit2: you can mix 1/2 red and 1/2 white miso to get 'awase' miso (mixed miso).

I agree with the crock pot idea, but Asian foods (such as fried rice and ramen) are very easy and quick to assemble; they just require some prep. I just bought "The Wagamama Cookbook" and it explains how you can make different portions of the meals up to 1 week ahead such as the stock, pastes and the sauces. That way when you get home, you take out all the pre-made stuff, cook the meat, heat up the stock and assemble. Very easy, at least in theory. Just bought it today and am going to try a chili beef ramen later this week. hope this helps and here is the book on amazon.

Tofu Ryouri is a new cookbook with 30+ Japanese tofu recipes to help you discover new ways to cook with tofu, Japanese style! Each recipe has a corresponding video that will be available in an online cooking program. If you're the kind of person who's trying to eat healthier, more plant-based, vegan or vegetarian cuisine this might be a tasty option worth exploring! Especially if you're curious about tofu, Japanese cuisine or want to try something new!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J1YVWXJ

Free today through October 9!

If you are not too lazy to grab a cookbook and are game to try some easy Japanese cooking, I highly recommend Harumi Kumihara. Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking and Harumi's Japanese Cooking have both been translated into English. Her recipes are simple and easy to follow and you can get most of the basic seasonings (soy sauce, mirin, sake, etc) in one trip to an asian grocery. A lot of the recipes use similar seasonings in various combinations and just a few simple, fresh ingredients. We cook from it all the time and have yet to be disappointed.

EDIT: Also, if you have a blender, I use this recipe for hummus all the time. It's super easy, just dump in all the ingredients and blend, then eat with some store-bought pita.

I'd recommend Sepia by Martin Benn. Best fine dining restaurant Australia's ever had. I bet you my left testicle it'll be in the world's top 50 this year.

Food of Japan by Shirley Booth is pretty good. It has many common recipes with basic techniques and whatnot. It's my favorite that I've found so far.

Good selection at Cookpad.

Some recipes here too, good selection and even found ninjin shiri shiri here.

Here's a book on Amazon that seems to have received some good reviews.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

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I checked out this book from the library a few years back and really enjoyed the few recipes I made from it. The "calamari" is amazing!

I've heard good things about Kansha as well but have yet to read it.

You would be better served with cooking.nytimes.com than this book. It is quite thick and heavy, and most of this book's recipes amount to "Cook a fish with a lemon". For Japanese food, starting with Itoh or a more general cookbook might be better, but personally, if you can read Japanese at all, I would recommend purchasing a Japanese-language cookbook at BookOff for 100円.

Someone recommended this cookbook on the facebook page, and I wound up purchasing it because if nothing else it has vocabulary for ingredients. I love to cook, so I'm looking forward to shopping in Japanese grocery stores and learning new recipes.

My favorite cookbook is Japanese Homestyle Cooking by Tokiko Suzuki. Lots of step by step photos and easy to follow directions. I made the nikujaga recipe from this book for new years dinner and everyone raved about it.

For Japanese food videos, I second the recommendation by /u/lovelyliltinglilacs to watch Cooking with Dog on Youtube.

I've got everyday Harumi and it's great.

My criteria on choosing a cookbook:

1. do I have an emotional connection to the restaurant/author/subject (I.e: my favorite restaurant, I know the author and they've signed the book for me, I'm missing one book in a set, it's a souvenir from a trip)
   
2. can I find the same or similar set of recipes online?
   
3. does the cookbook offer any other features that I can't find easily online? (I.e: step by step instructions like the series "quick and easy", http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/4915831019?pc_redir=1396393156&robot_redir=1 )
   
   I only have about 8 cookbooks total, and I keep my list down so that I don't get overwhelmed, and I don't have a tonne of room either.

I have this book. it teaches you how to do a few of these.

http://www.amazon.com/Sushi-Parties-Nigiri-Sushi-Ken-Kawasumi/dp/0870409565

They look great but taste awful. there's so much rice in them vs delicious fish.

Rice, Noodle, Fish https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T3DNJQM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Also seconded Murakami. Wind Up Bird Chronicle and Norwegian Wood are good starting points.

I'd recommend

A. Googling Coriander Pesto recipes and making it to see how close it gets

or

B. Buy this and hope it's in there https://www.amazon.co.uk/YO-Sushi-Japanese-Kimiko-Barber/dp/0007241283

I have these three that I like quite a bit:

Japan: The Cookbook

Preserving the Japanese Way

The Gaijin Cookbook

I learned how to make Buta no Kakuni from The Japanese Kitchen This is a different recipe.