A Cook's Journey to Japan: Fish Tales and Rice Paddies, 100 Homestyle Recipes from Japanese Kitchens

Feldner, a food enthusiast and Japanophile, offers an intimate and colorful guide to traditional Japanese home cooking in this unique and attractive collection. Focusing on recipes collected from a wide swath of life, from grandmothers to waitresses to fishermen, she highlights often overlooked techniques and ingredients. Most recipes are prefaced by a short story about the individual who shared it, offering glimpses into Japanese culture as well as cuisine. Feldner also offers a short tutorial on cooking tools, a section on techniques, including grating wasabi and pressing tofu, and a particularly helpful guide to essential Japanese ingredients such as burdock and dashi. Recipes are homey and mostly uncomplicated, ranging from pork and leek miso soup and sesame fried chicken to salmon teriyaki and spicy pan-seared eggplant. Desserts and drinks are also well represented, with oolong tea chiffon cake, sugar bread sticks, and gingerade. Feldner also includes a section on the basics, such as stocks and various types of rice. Entertaining, with striking full color photographs throughout, this book shows that Japanese home cooking is more than sushi and noodles, providing new perspective on everyday Japanese home fare. (Apr.)