Japanese Books - Page 12

Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time

Casson Trenor

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Not yet published By: North Atlantic Books

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Editorial Review:

Sustainable Sushi answers the question on the minds of millions who enjoy eating fish: how can we indulge the desire to dine well while keeping our health and the health of the oceans in mind? With painstaking research found in no other book on the market to date, this pocket-size guide profiles dozens of the most common fish and shellfish one might encounter at a sushi bar, details where and how they are caught, whether or not they are safe, and how they figure in the current fishery crisis.

Written by a fishery and sustainability expert who was himself netted long ago by the allure of Japanese cuisine, Sustainable Sushi offers simple, clear explanations of such topics as mercury and PCB levels, overfishing, and species extinction. Attractively designed and featuring quick facts, maps, photos, and illustrations, the book was written for both the novice and the seasoned sushi fan. In a storm of seafood shortages and frightening statistics, Sustainable Sushi shows readers how to enjoy the sushi bar without guilt.

Squeamish About Sushi: And other Food Adventures in Japan

Betty Reynolds

Amazon Price: $16.95 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tuttle Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $1.92

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

What a terrible title for a wonderful book! 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Betty Reynolds, an American artist who lived in Japan for six years, is NOT squeamish about sushi-or any of the other Japanese foods she lovingly illustrates and describes in this slender but well-packed sketchbook of culinary adventures in Japan.

With her bright watercolors and good-humored descriptions, Betty Reynolds brings back happy memories of many dining experiences in Japan: how to recognize a restaurant by the signs outside the door, the etiquette of eating sushi (and which of the decorative leaves are edible!), slurping noodles the Japanese way. She goes on to do the same for tempura, yakitori, sukiyaki, and dozens of other Japanese foods. Many uniquely Japanese experiences are portrayed: stopping by a Japanese pub (izakaya) where strangers are assured of a warm welcome; the joys of yatai, the open-air food stalls that show up on streets in evenings and at festivals; the pure bliss of unwinding at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn); picnicking at a cherry blossom-viewing party in the park; attending a sumo wrestling match; even how to grapple with a Japanese toilet.

A keen observer, Ms. Reynolds is enough of an "insider" to go beyond the obvious in delineating a myriad of Japanese foods, and enough of an "outsider" to remain objective in recognizing the kind of only-in-Japan zaniness that occasionally crops up (sweet potato ice cream, anyone?). Each food is identified with hand-lettered descriptions in English, Japanese roman-ji (the Roman alphabet) so you can pronounce it, and kana (the Japanese syllabary) so someone Japanese can read what it is.

Just leafing through this yummy, entertaining book makes me hungry. As I write this review, I'm itching to catch the next plane to Japan (or at least go out to the nearest Japanese pub)! This book is a great introduction to the wealth of Japanese cuisine, a fine gift or memento for travelers to Japan, and useful even to identify items-and wow the chef with your knowledge-at your local sushi bar.

Editorial Review:

While eating out in Japan can be an exotically delicious dining experience, it is not without its potential pitfalls. How do you tell a poisonous piece of puffer-fish from an innocuous piece of sushi? Squeamish About Sushi is a tantalizing, tongue-in-cheek guide to Japanese food-an indispensable reference for ex-pats, visitors, and Japanophiles everywhere! Squeamish About Sushi will help confused eaters to:

* Decipher the menu

* Avoid unwise dining decisions

* Stay within their budget

* And much, much more

New Sushi: From Rainbow Rolls to Seared Swordfish Sashimi (The Small Book of Good Taste Series)

Emi Kazuko

Amazon Price: $11.96 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Aurum Press Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $8.67

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Editorial Review:

Thirty recipes—all beautifully photographed and using readily available ingredients—make sushi fun and easy to prepare at home. Fresh and delicious, sushi is one of the healthiest foods you can eat—and it's surprisingly easy to make at home. Once a few simple techniques have been mastered, you will be able to prepare any of the beautiful and elegant sushi dishes presented here. In many cases, the recipes' ingredients can be varied to include your personal favorites. Featuring gorgeous color photos and recipes that range from Tempura Rolls to Seared Swordfish Sashimi Salad, New Sushi has everything you need except the fish!

The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi: Everything You Need to Know About Sushi Varieties and Accompaniments, Etiquette and Dining Tips and More

Dave Lowry

Amazon Price: $12.60 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harvard Common Press Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $1.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Outstanding and comprehensive 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Dave Lowry is an incredibly knowledgeable martial artist and prolific author who also happens to be a food critic. This is outstanding book is the logical concatenation of his numerous talents, a true A-to-Z guide to everything you need to know about sushi including what to eat, how to eat it, and what to drink with what you eat. It covers the rice, types of sushi you can obtain, toppings, fillings, condiments, utensils, accompaniments, etiquette, and more. The 300+ pages are packed with interesting and useful information to keep you from embarrassing yourself and make your dining experience more enjoyable. The "watch for," "trivia," and "ask the itamae" call-outs are really neat features.

The book is broken into three parts. Part one covers everything about the sushi itself including rice, nigiri sushi (hand-pressed), maki sushi (wrapped or rolled), chirashi sushi (scattered), oshi sushi (pressed), tane (toppings), gu (fillings), and nori (seaweed). Part two is an in-depth primer of the various types of fish used for sushi. Part three explains the practice and etiquette of eating sushi, including condiments, drinks, utensils, accoutrements and furnishings, the itamae (sushi chef), and sushi ritual.

The only bad thing about this otherwise outstanding book is that it has no pictures. I'm still giving it five stars because the content is so good, but it would have been even better with color photos of the various types of fish and pictures or drawings of the other items he refers to that many readers will not be familiar with. Regardless, as with all of Lowry's books it is comprehensive, easy to read, filled with interesting vignettes, and very useful. I was first introduced to sushi (and sashimi) at a judo tournament in 1972, yet I learned a lot I did not already know in this fine tome. If you are into sushi you've got to buy this book!

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

Editorial Review:

Like sushi? Know a little something about it? Take your knowledge to a higher level with The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi. Author and Japanese-culture expert Dave Lowry provides a wealth of information on the varieties of sushi and its ingredients, with extensive coverage given to all types of fish. He lays out the finer points of etiquette and showcases the proper accompaniments. Lowry's wry, light wit emerges as he shares lots of cultural and historical facts about sushi. He'll tell you just how to go about finding a really good sushi restaurant. With this book in hand, you'll be sure to enhance your sushi dining experience, and wow your friends with your new-found expertise!

Lonely Planet World Food: Japan (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)

John Ashburne, Yoshi Abe

List Price: $13.99 By: Lonely Planet Publications Amazon Marketplace: 8 new & used starting at $10.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the traditional dishes served at rural hot-spring ryokan inns, to Buddhist temple tea ceremonies, to the restaurant-filled high-rise madness of Tokyo, Japan expresses itself through its food. This guide takes you on a journey through all of Japan's culinary life. We go beyond the familiar sake and sushi, covering the essentials dashi (stock), bento boxes and soba noodles, and the exotic fermented soy beans, matsutake mushrooms, and fish that still wriggle as they slide down your throat, Itadakimasho! Let’s eat!

• the essential guide to the culture of food and drink in Japan
• celebrating the seasons with Japan's calendar of festivals
• an exploration of the regional influences that make up Japanese cuisine
• shopping and eating out in Japan as well as understanding the menu
• the definitive culinary dictionary, a quick reference glossary and useful phrases for every food and drink occasion
• tantalising photography and recipes

Sushi for Wimps: Seaweed to Dragon Rolls for the Faint of Heart (For WimpsT Series)

Aya Imatani

List Price: $14.95 By: Sterling Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $4.08

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Recommended for all make-it-yourself sushi enthusiasts! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sushi is a delicious, nutritious, and increasingly popular form of seafood that can go disastrously wrong if and when American kitchen cooks doesn't really know what they're doing. Enter Aya Imatani's Sushi For Wimps: From Seaweed To Dragon Rolls For The Faint Of Heart! Aya Imatani's father owned a sushi bar in Kobe, Japan, and she draws upon her years of experience and expertise running a catering business to show the aspiring sushi chef what tools and tableware to use, how to go about choosing a whole fish or fillet, the role of sauces in sushi dishes, and taking even the most novice kitchen cook step-by-step through the process of turning out simply wonderful sushi dishes for the home. Superbly enhanced throughout with the color photography of Matt Cohen highlighting plating and presentation, Sushi For Wimps offers mouth watering recipes that range from sushi styles and categories ranging from sashimi, nigiri, gunkanimaki, and temaki, to hosomaki, saimaki, vegetarian sushi, Japanese soups, and kawarizushi (Aya's "Specials"). Confidently recommended for all make-it-yourself sushi enthusiasts!

Editorial Review:

This popular topic combined with the proven success of the WimpsTM series will equal a blockbuster.

Sushi is fun, sushi is in, and even a wimp can make it at home!

Raw fish is the hot dish—but of course, you never prepare it yourself. After all, you’re no samurai chef. But now, with the newest entry in the best-selling Wimps series, you can practically have your own Japanese restaurant at home. With lots of fun and instructive pictures, and the most basic guidance, beginners will feel confident with the necessary tools, tableware, techniques, and ingredients. You’ll see how to choose a whole fish or filet; whip up sauces; slice the fish for each sushi type; make a variety of different rolls, plus sashimi, nigiri, and gunkanmaki; and arrange it all beautifully on the plate. There are soups, specials, and vegetarian sushi, too. So who’s a wimp? Not you!

Japanese Snacks & Light Meals: Quick & Easy (Quick and Easy Series)

Yukiko Moriyama

Amazon Price: $18.95 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Joie Inc Amazon Marketplace: 9 new & used starting at $2.54

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Food of Japan (Food of the World Cookbooks)

Wendy Hutton, Heinz Von Holzen

List Price: $18.95 By: Periplus Editions Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $0.68

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Stylish and stylized 4 out of 5 stars.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful.

Part of the Periplus series on Pacific Rim cooking, this slim volume features a choice selection of recipes ranging from homey classics like Ochazuke (rice with green tea) to elegant Red Snapper with Sea Urchin Threads. The food styling is gorgeous, though something few of us would be willing to spend the hours to accomplish at home. Carve each piece of potato into a 3D hexagon? I think not.

And, despite an extensive pictorial glossary, many recipes call for ingredients that are not available in Japanese markets in the United States, and are not defined anywhere in the book. Ohba leaf, anyone, or Hime radish? The book's editors in Asia are obviously out of touch with American readers.

the food of japan great book 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Elegant and simple recipes for traditional and popular japanesedishes. Easy format for beginners. Marvelously illustrated with colorphotographs. Includes dictionary of japanese cooking terms first and them proceeds with recipes. Priced reasonably. This is one of a series on international cooking. END

Introduction to Japanese cuisine with flair 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The recipes in this book range from simple to moderately complex. The format is excellent, including an index of Japanese ingredients with accompanying photos and descriptions. The recipes include both traditional favorites and creative new cuisine, each photographed beautifully. This was the first and best Japanese cookbook I've used.

The Cook-Zen Cookbook: Microwave Cooking the Japanese Way--Simple, Healthy, and Delicious

Machiko Chiba

Amazon Price: $14.00 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lake Isle Press Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $3.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Easy, Innovative, and Beautiful! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The recipes in this book are all cooked in a cute microwave pot. I have found all of the food really simple to make, with few ingredients and cooking times of only a few minutes. You can treat the recipes like tapas dishes and make a varied meal by putting a few of them together. What I love most is that veggies retain their color and nutrition, and are much more flavorful than steaming or boiling on the stove. It's also amazing to find a book and device that can cook meat and fish deliciously in the microwave!!! Lastly, and so helpful is that almost all of the recipes have beautiful full page photos. As mentioned in the Oprah write up, the Cook-Zen pot can be bought online at www.korin.com. Like the other reviewer, I am giving the books and pots as Christmas gifts, especially to my niece for cooking in her college dorm.

Editorial Review:

The Cook-Zen pot is a microwave-cooking innovation that creates amazingly delicious, healthy meals in minutes. This companion cookbook presents more than 80 recipes for Japanese-style veggies, rice dishes, meat, chicken, fish, even desserts, all simplified for home cooks. The Cook-Zen delivers perfectly cooked sushi rice and crisp vegetables every time.

Japanese Homestyle Dishes: Quick and Delicious Favorites (Learn to Cook Series)

Susie Donald, Masano Kawana, Adrian Lander

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Periplus Editions Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $4.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Want to cook real Japanese food? 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This is a great beginner's guide to authentic Japanese home cooking. These are simple, delicious dishes that would appear in almost any Japanese home, and give off that "Mom's home cooking" sense of nostalgia as well. Anyone looking to get a taste of real Japanese cooking would find this a great place to start.

The book begins with a run-down of basic ingredients and utensils necessary for the recipes. This can be a bit tricky, because due to the authentic nature of the recipes some of the ingredients can be hard to find unless you have access to an Asian grocery store. Some, like Nishimoto - Dried Shaved Bonito Flakes, could probably be ordered over the internet but others like lotus and burdock root might be tricky to track down. There are also some good tutorials here like "How to prepare sushi rice" and recipes for basic sauces and dips like Homemade Japanese Mayonnaise and Ponzu Sauce.

There are seven categories of recipes, like Healthy Soups and Appetizers, Sashimi and Sushi, Tofu and Vegetable Dishes and Poultry and Meat Dishes. I think a vegetarian would get quite a bit out of this book, as meat dishes are in the minority and the focus is on vegetables and fish. Some really basic recipes like "Miso Soup with Daikon" or "Tofu and Udon Noodles in Clear Soup" are great to have, being both delicious and healthy.

The only real disappointment in "Japanese Home-style Dishes" is the inclusion of non-authentic meals like California Rolls and the various kinds of sushi rolls. As the name implies, "California Rolls" are an American creation, and shouldn't be included in a book of authentic Japanese recipes. I was disappointed by this, but I assume that since to most people Japanese food equals sushi the author felt obliged to throw some wacky rolls in.

This is my second cook book from the Periplus series, the first being Thai Cooking Made Easy. The books are a nice size and easy to use, being small in size and spiral bound. The instructions are easy to follow, and you will be cooking authentic Japanese home-style meals in no time! Except for the California Rolls...