Jessica Yun - The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook : 50+ Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Japanese Animated Films

50 Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Japanese Animated Films

The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook

Jessica Yun

This book is not associated with or authorized or approved by Hayao Miyazaki, his publishers, or Studio Ghibli.

To those who find a bit of magic when watching the Studio Ghibli films as well as to all the foodie enthusiasts who follow my food journey.

And to my two late grandmothers, who both loved to cookthey would be proud of my debut cookbook.

Text and photographs copyright 2022 Jessica Yun.

Concept and design copyright 2022 Ulysses Press and its licensors.

All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published by:

ULYSSES PRESS

PO Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-64604-329-3

ISBN: 978-1-64604-330-9 (Ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021946580

Acquisitions editor: Casie Vogel

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Renee Rutledge

Proofreader: Michele Anderson

Front cover and interior design: Raquel Castro

Production: what!design @ whatweb.com

Photographs: Jessica Yun

llustrations: shutterstock.com

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is an independent and unauthorized fan publication. No endorsement, license, sponsorship, or affiliation with Hayao Miyazaki, his publishers, or Studio Ghibli, or other copyright or trademark holders, is claimed or suggested. Copyrighted or trademarked characters and other elements of the Studio Ghibli films that are referenced in this book are the property of their respective owners and are used for informational and transformative purposes only. The trademarks used in connection with all branded products that appear in ingredient lists, photographs, and elsewhere in the book are the property of their respective owners and used for purposes of identification and information only. The author and publisher encourage readers to watch, rent, purchase, and support the Studio Ghibli films, and to patronize the brands mentioned and pictured in this book.

The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook is my debut cookbook, with recipes that transform iconic foods from popular Studio Ghibli films into reality. As a qualified epidemiologist, Ive turned to cooking as my stress-reliever and breakaway from the public health realm. This opportunity to share great food inspired by the iconic stories produced by Studio Ghibli combines two of my greatest loves: art and cooking. It has also taught me to appreciate a range of foods of other cultures, including Japanese, Italian, and Swedish dishes. I hope this cookbook will inspire you to go out into the kitchen and enjoy that bit of magic in cooking.

Studio Ghibli, the acclaimed animation film studio, was founded in 1985 in Tokyo by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki. Studio Ghibli is widely known for its exceptional filmmaking and artistry, for which it has won both critical and popular praise. Studio Ghibli has captivated moviegoers with fantastic stories of magic, adventure, friendship, and family.

In 1996, The Walt Disney Company and the Tokuma Shoten Publishing Company, which controls Studio Ghibli, formed a partnership, making Disney the sole international distributor of the world-renowned animated films. One of the successful films produced by Studio Ghibli animation is Princess Mononoke, which was released in Japan in 1997 and in the United States two years later. The 2002 film Spirited Away was named the best animated feature at the Hong Kong Film Awards and received the Golden Bear, the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Food is a critical feature in Studio Ghibli productions, as every film showcases scenes of the characters cooking, eating, and sharing the most mouthwatering animated food. These scenes have symbolic meaning in line with the characters story lines. For example, in Spirited Away, Chihiro is shown eating a red bean bao, symbolizing comfort and a sense of belonging that accompanies going back home. The attention to these cooking scenes makes the animated worlds of Studio Ghibli come to life, closely tying food and eating with family and emotion. I hope this cookbook brings that bit of magic from the screen to the real world for you.

This cookbook is organized in the Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks and Street Food, and Desserts and Bakery Treats categories. While the dishes featured in this cookbook mainly consist of Japanese cuisine, they are also inspired by international foods that are showcased in the films. Ingredient substitutions are mentioned either in the Special Ingredients and Equipment section or in the tip box under each recipe. Just like animations, cooking is also an art, so I highly encourage you to add your own spin to the dishes.

Fun Facts about Studio Ghibli

Airplanes are a recurring theme of the films because Hayao Miyazakis dad was the director of Miyazaki Airplanes, a manufacturer of fighter planes.

The word Ghibli is Italian for hot winds from the Sahara Desert, referencing the aim to blow new wind through the anime industry. Ghibli was also the name of the Italian World War II airplane. Thus, it represents Miyazakis love for planes.

Spirited Away is the highest-grossing film in Japanese cinema and is the only non-English film to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Most Studio Ghibli films consist of hand-drawn animation, and Miyazaki himself hand-drew the water in Ponyo. However, computer animation was used in some of the films to enhance particular scenes. Earwig and the Witch, directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Miyazaki, was the studios first full-length computer-generated imagery (CGI) movie

Despite Nausica of the Valley of the Wind being archived with other famous Studio Ghibli films, it was produced a year before the Japanese studio was established.

Although most of the recipes in this book can be successfully made using utensils available in a well-equipped Western kitchen, there are a few ingredients and utensils worth investing in. The following can be found at your local Asian grocery market or online.

BAMBOO SUSHI MAT: Used for rolling sushi, a sushi mat ensures that the rice or tamago (rolled omelet) is firmly packed so it does not fall apart.

RICE PADDLE: A small, flat plastic or bamboo rice paddle is used to turn and fluff up cooked rice.

SKEWERS: Japanese kitchens contain an assortment of metal skewers that are used for grilling vegetables or meats. Even though you can use bamboo skewers, metal ones are a good investment as they retain the heat and keep your food warmer longer.

LACQUERED BOWL: Fine tableware is common in a Japanese kitchen, so I highly suggest investing in at least one lacquered bowl with a dome lid for soups (especially since this was featured in