Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook

Japanese pubs, called izakaya, are attracting growing attention in Japan and overseas. As a matter of fact, a recent article in The New York Times claimed that the izakaya is starting to shove the sushi bar off its pedestal. While Japan has many guidebooks and cookbooks, this is the first publication in English to delve into every aspect of a unique and vital cornerstone of Japanese food culture.

A venue for socializing and an increasingly innovative culinary influence, the izakaya serves mouth-watering and inexpensive small-plate cooking, along with free-flowing drinks. Readers of this essential book will be guided through the different styles of establishments and recipes that make izakaya such relaxing and appealing destinations. At the same time, they will learn to cook many delicious standards and specialties, and discover how to design a meal as the evening progresses.

Eight Tokyo pubs are introduced, ranging from those that serve the traditional Japanese comfort foods such as yakitori (barbequed chicken), to those offering highly innovative creations. Some of them have long histories; some are more recent players on the scene. All are quite familiar to the author, who has chosen them for the variety they represent: from the most venerated downtown pub to the new-style standing bar with French-influenced menu. Mark Robinson includes knowledgeable text on the social and cultural etiquette of visiting izakaya, so the book can used as a guide to entering the potentially daunting world of the pub. Besides the 60 detailed recipes, he also offers descriptions of Japanese ingredients and spices, a guide to the wide varieties of sake and other alcoholic drinks that are served, how-to advice on menu ordering, and much more.

For the home chef, the hungry gourmet, the food professional, this is more than a cookbook. It is a unique peek at an important and exciting dining and cultural phenomenon.

Available at Amazon.com.

Katsu Curry Recipe

Katsu curry is deep-fried pork cutlet is a very unique curry.

Harumi's Japanese Cooking

Cooking expert and lifestyle guru Harumi Kurihara has won over the hearts of Japanese home cooks with her simple, delicious recipes. After selling millions of copies of her cookbooks, magazines, and housewares in her home country, this charismatic former housewife now shares her award-winning kitchen secrets with Americans for the first time.

These elegant, effortless recipes reflect Harumi's down-to-earth approach to Japanese cooking. Simply written and featuring everyday ingredients, recipes include Pan-Fried Noodles with Pork and Bok Choy, Warm Eggplant Salad, Japanese Pepper Steak, Seafood Miso Soup, and Harumi's popular Carrot and Tuna Salad, along with a chapter on simple ways to make delectable sushi at home.

Demystifying Japanese cooking and celebrating freshness, seasonality, and simplicity, this delightful book introduces Americans to one of the food world's brightest stars, and invites us to cook with her, one gracious dish at a time.

Available at Amazon.com.

Dashi Maki Tamago Recipe

Dashi Maki Tamago is a Japanese rolled omelette.

Tonjiru - Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup Recipe

This is a video of some cooking I did last night. It is a really nice soup, and the amount I made was enough for 3 bowls (like the one in the video) or probably 4 smaller bowls (as you might use if serving this with other dishes).

Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

Learn how to make an authentic chicken teriyaki.

Agedashi Tofu Recipe

Agedashi tofu (or agedashi dofu) is a simple Japanese way to serve hot tofu. Silken (kinugoshi) firm tofu, cut into cubes, is lightly dusted with potato starch or cornstarch and then deep fried until golden brown. It's then served in a hot tentsuyu broth made of dashi, mirin, and shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), and topped with finely chopped green onions or grated daikon. Eaten with chopsticks.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 oz. soft tofu
• Cornstarch
• Oil for deep frying

Sauce Ingredients:

• ½ cup dashi
• 2 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1½ Tbs. mirin

Condiments Ingredients:

• Green onions, thinly sliced
• Grated ginger
• Grated daikon (white radish)

Directions:

• Cut the soft tofu into rectangular pieces about 1" thick.
• Arrange the layers on paper towels and leave for 10-15 minutes to drain. Change the paper and turn over the slices.
• Mix sauce ingredients, heat in a pan until boiling.
• Sprinkle cornstarch on a plate. Arrange the tofu slices on it. Sprinkle more cornstarch over the tofu. A powdered sugar shaker does a good job here.
• Heat the oil to 355°F (180°C) for deep frying.
• Pat any excess cornstarch off the tofu slices and slide them into the hot oil, one by one. Don't add too many slices at once, because tofu lowers the oil temperature. Fry until golden, turning once.
• Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Arrange in a compote-type dish, pour the sauce. Top with a mound of grated daikon, a bit of grated ginger, and sliced green onions.

Source: This recipe is from The Wikipedia which is published under the GNU Free Documentation License.