Atsuko Ikeda - Atsukos Japanese Kitchen: Home-cooked comfort food made simple

ATSUKOS

JAPANESE

KITCHEN

ATSUKOS

JAPANESE

KITCHEN

HOME-COOKED COMFORT FOOD MADE SIMPLE

ATSUKO IKEDA

Photography by YUKI SUGIURA

Senior Designer Megan Smith

Design Assistance Emily Breen

Commissioning Editor Alice Sambrook

Art Director Leslie Harrington

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Production Controller Mai-Ling Collyer

Publisher Cindy Richards

Food Stylist Atsuko Ikeda

Prop Stylist Alexander Breeze

Indexer Hilary Bird

Illustrator Risa Sano/Mentsen

Published in 2019 by

Ryland Peters & Small

2021 Jockeys Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 East 116th Street

New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text Atsuko Ikeda 2019

Design, illustration and commissioned photography Ryland Peters & Small 2019

The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

eISBN: 978-1-78879-248-6
ISBN 978-1-78879-081-9

A CIP record for this book is available from the Brisih Library. US Library of Congress CIP data has been applied for.

Printed in China

NOTES

Both British (Metric) and American (Imperial plus US cups) measurements are included in these recipes for your convenience. However it is important to work with one set of measurements and not alternate between the two within a recipe.

All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

Uncooked or partially cooked eggs should not be served to the very old, frail, young children, pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.

When following a recipe which uses raw fish, always ensure you buy sashimi-quality ingredients and use on the day of purchase. Raw fish or meat should not be served to the very old, frail, young children, pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems, without medical advice.

Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperatures. We recommend using an oven thermometer. If using a fan-assisted oven, adjust temperatures according to the manufacturers instructions.

When a recipe calls for the grated zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before using. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water before using.

CONTENTS

Japanese food is now one of the most popular cuisines in the world. In 2006, there were 24,000 Japanese restaurants around the globe, and by 2016, it had nearly quadrupled to 89,000! However, it is a cuisine still widely misunderstood. For most, it revolves around sushi, ramen, curry or miso soup but it is so much more than that! Japan has an incredible variety of cuisines depending on its regions, but also such an interesting food culture. With subtle influence from foreign dishes over the centuries, it has adopted and refined them to make them its own. As you read through the recipes in this book, youll hopefully enjoy recognizing some of the global influences!

I have been running my cooking classes in London for over 10 years now. I started doing so after feeling slightly homesick, living so far away from Japan. I really missed the food I grew up with, its flavours, the way we eat and the ceremony of it. So I decided to change this feeling of emptiness into something positive. Starting my cooking classes made me feel more connected to my roots and actually allowed me to understand them even better. Helping my students to grasp the essence of Japanese cuisine and become confident using Japanese products has been a two-way relationship. Thanks to my students, I now understand exactly what can be intimidating about Japanese cuisine, and the major points of difference between this and Western cooking. With this in mind, I have developed an approach to teaching that makes even novice cooks feel at ease after a bit of practice. This is what I want to share with you in this book.

I was told by some students that they had tried understanding Japanese food by studying books, but its really only after completing my beginners course that they got it, and felt confident cooking Japanese food at home. I wanted this book to work in a similar way. The goal is for you to understand the concept behind Japanese food, and to learn about dishes that have been cooked regularly in Japanese households for decades and sometimes centuries. I will give you inside tips and help you to make these dishes methodically, until eventually you wont need any recipes or measurements to create your own Japanese meals! Its about you acquiring essential knowledge and a few skills, in a fun and interesting way. Before you know it, youll be able to cook a balanced and delicious Japanese meal, without feeling like youre about to climb Mount Fuji!

Atsukos Japanese Kitchen is a condens of more than 10 years of my cooking classes. I have included all the tried and tested recipes loved by my students and clients. In the first pages, I introduce you to the basic principles of Japanese cuisine, essential ingredients and equipment for your kitchen and the Japanese way of planning a meal with its different components. The book is then separated in chapters corresponding to these components (mains, sides etc), so that you can choose from them depending on your occasion. Some of these recipes are very traditional, handed down through generations of my family, and others I have added a modern twist to. Hopefully, together they form a cookbook that you and your family will always go back to.

Japan is home to eight major regions and 47 prefectures, from the islands of Okinawa in the south west, to Hokkaido in the north east, each with their own traditions and specialties. Being so expansive, Japan has a wide range of climates and landforms. One way to comprehend this is to follow the blossoming of the famous cherry blossoms or sakura. The milder the climate, the earlier the blossoms open. So blossom season sweeps up the country from south to north, starting in sub-tropical Okinawa in late January, and making its way up to Hokkaido in mid-to-late May. Such variety in climate creates a diversity of agriculture dependant on the region, and with this its own cuisine and regional specialties otherwise known as Kyodo ryori.

The KYUSHU REGION , where I am from, is the third largest island of Japan, located in the south west. Its the top producer of premium grade Japanese kurobuta (black pork), which you can find in local dishes such as Buta No Kakuni () is the pride of the port city of Hakata. The region is also famous for shochu, a distilled beverage.