What's In A Bowl?

There is a lot more to Japanese cuisine than sushi and instant noodles, as a new book of authentic recipes shows.

Fans of Japanese cuisine will appreciate the daunting task author Nancy Singleton Hachisu faced in recording that cuisine’s myriad recipes and techniques, yet Japan: The Cookbook is a triumph. Packed with hundreds of authentic, carefully researched recipes, from the complex to the simple, it also includes a history, a glossary and a section featuring leading Japanese chefs from around the world, who have shared contemporary recipes from their restaurant menus.

Born and raised in the US, Hachisu travelled to Japan in 1988 and married an organic-egg producer, whose family farm is west of Tokyo.

The acclaimed writer, who is widely respected for her knowledge of food traditions, also produced the award-winning Japanese Farm Food and Preserving the Japanese Way.

For this hefty volume, she travelled extensively over three years, gathering recipes from revered chefs and traditional cooks. She says in her introduction, “Like everywhere, modern-day Japanese rely on convenience foods and instant preparations. Part of why I immerse myself in Japanese cuisine is to advocate for a look back at traditional foods and artisanal ingredients that have not yet been lost.”

Having spent time with this clever cook in her home, I can attest to her enthusiasm. She also took me to visit several growers and markets, including Yamazaki Jozo, an artisanal organic soy, miso, tofu and pickle company, before cooking me a simple lunch that included eggs that had been buried in miso paste, and small fish she’d dried in the sun.