Job Discussion Forums

[JimDunlop2]

This is my favourite Japanese cookbook. It is bilingual -- Japanese in one column of the page and the same recipe in English on the other.

It is fully illustrated in colour, so you know what the dishes look like. Each and every recipe has a photo...

There are recipes for everything from plain, white rice, to noodles, curries, tofu, bento, dango, etc, etc.... It's highly informative. Many of the recipes are for "staples" of Japanese cuisine -- i.e. kinds of things that you might encounter in an average Japanese home, rather than at the local Izakaya or fancy Japanese restaurant. It's a very down-to-earth book. There's even methods on how to make your own "tsukemono" just like the obaa-chan who lives down the road.

In the back of the book it gives a wonderful explanation of Japanese cooking techniques and ingredients and what to look for at the supermarket. There is even a section on Japanese cooking utensils.

The final section is a short guide on Japanese table etiquette -- and it's a little more informative than the lame "never stick your chopsticks into a bowl of rice" advice...

It's well worth the 1,500 yen price tag.

Can be obtained via Amazon Japan. ISBN4-262-12916-0