Diana Ault - Cook Anime: Eat Like Your Favorite Character ― From Bento to Yakisoba

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Copyright 2020 by Diana Ault

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First Tiller Press hardcover edition September 2020

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Interior design by Matt Ryan

Illustrations by Nero Hamoui

Cover photography produced by Blueline Creative Group LLC.

Visit: www.bluelinecreativegroup.com

Cover photography produced by Katherine Cobbs

Cover photography by Becky Luigart-Stayner

Cover food styling by Torie Cox

Cover food styling assistance by Gordon Sawyer

Cover design by Patrick Sullivan

Cover illustration by Nero Hamoui

Wave pattern by Kobsoft/Shutterstock; Burst by Hircus/Shutterstock

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Ault, Diana, author.

Title: Cook anime : eat like your favorite character : from Bento to Okonomiyaki / by Diana Ault.

Description: First Tiller Press hardcover edition. | New York : Tiller Press, 2020. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020016343 (print) | LCCN 2020016344 (ebook) | ISBN 9781982143916 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781982143923 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Cooking, Japanese. | Animated filmsJapan

Classification: LCC TX724.5.J3 A95 2020 (print) | LCC TX724.5.J3 (ebook) | DDC 641.5952dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020016343

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020016344

ISBN 978-1-9821-4391-6

ISBN 978-1-9821-4392-3 (ebook)

To the brilliant and hardworking animators. Your passion and talent have inspired so many.

The care that the creators and animators put into this facet of the art form is so impressive, and one of the aspects that sets Japanese animation apart from other animated media.

The food in anime can act as a window onto Japanese culture and history, and can bring even more meaning to the scene its featured in. I was so intrigued by this that I wanted to explore itand this book was developed from my perspective as an outsider looking in.

Even though I love the concept of food created specifically for a work of fiction (meaning that the food is unique to that work), the criterion that I set for this cookbook is that the food must have a real-world equivalent in order to explore my theme of learning more about Japan through the food found in anime.

The entries in this book came about in a couple of ways: seeing a dish in an anime, being intrigued, and then tracking it down in the real world, or the reverseknowing of or happening upon a real-world food during research and then finding it in anime. Both methods were fun, as I enjoy matching things together (I spent too much time on this, perhaps; it was like a game). Delving into the cultural and historical aspects of the food and seeing how its woven into the background or narrative of an anime is just so interesting to me.

To create the recipes for each entry, I researched different versions of the food to find the root of the recipe, referenced the anime (as well as the manga in some cases), and came up with a version that seemed accessible. Certain ingredients were a bit tricky to find, so that also shaped some of the recipes and, in some instances, guided the decision about whether to include the food in the book.

Its my hope that those who pick up this book, foodies and otaku alike (and the lovely people who are both), will enjoy the recipes and the stories behind them!

The following ingredients are helpful to have on hand when cooking with Cook Anime. All can be found in Japanese grocery stores or online.

Aburaage: Deep-fried tofu pouches, usually found in the refrigerated or freezer section.

Adzuki beans: The main ingredient in anko, a sweet red bean paste used in Japanese desserts.

Aonori: An edible green seaweed that is dried and powdered.

Beni-shoga: Ginger pickled in plum vinegar, which gives it a red hue.

Chuka soba noodles: Japanese for thin Chinese noodles, this is the Japanese version of the wheat noodles used in ramen.

Doubanjiang: A chili paste made from fermented broad beans, also known as toban djan.

Enoki mushrooms: Called enokitake in Japanese, these long, thin white mushrooms are popular in soups, salads, and many other East Asian dishes.

Green tea: Japanese variations include karigane, kuchika, and sencha.

Joshinko: A non-glutinous rice flour made from milled short-grain rice.

Kabocha: A Japanese variety of winter squash with bumpy green skin (sometimes with stripes) on the outside and yellow-orange flesh on the inside.

Kakinotane: A preferred type of rice crackers.

Katakuriko: A fine potato starch used as a thickener.

Katsuobushi: Dried, fermented, and smoked fish flakes, also known as bonito.

Kewpie mayonnaise: Made with egg yolks instead of whole eggs, this mayo has a deeper yellow color and an umami flavor.

Kombu: An edible kelp, usually dried.

La-yu: A Japanese sesame oil made with hot chili peppers.

Matcha: Green tea leaves finely ground into a powder.

Mirin: A sweet Japanese rice wine similar to sake but with more sugar and lower alcohol content.

Miso paste: Available in white (shiso), red (aka), or black (douchi), this paste is made from fermented soybeans.

Mizuna: Japanese mustard greens. Celery leaves are an acceptable substitute.

Nagaimo: A root vegetable, often cooked like a potato.

Narutomaki: A type of kamaboko, this is a cured fish cake, used mainly as decoration.

Nori: An edible seaweed usually purchased dried; can also be found roasted.

Oroshi: Finely grated daikon.

Rice vinegar: Also known as rice wine vinegar and made from fermented rice. Seasoned rice vinegar has salt and sugar added and is used when making sushi rice. Apple cider vinegar is an acceptable substitute.

Satsumaimo: Japanese sweet potato.

Shichimi togarashi: A spicy dried chili pepper seasoning.

Shio kombu: Thin sheets of salted and sweet kombu.

Shirataki noodles: Made from konjac yam, these gelatinous noodles are super flavor-absorbent.

Shiratamako: A type of glutinous rice flour, also called sweet rice flour.

Shiso: An herb thats a member of the mint family, also known as perilla.

Umeboshi: Salted pickled plums.

Usukuchi: A light-colored soy sauce that is actually saltier in taste than the darker version, used only for cooking.