Shizuo Tsuji
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art.
Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1984. 4770007582 517 pages.
Volume, measuring approximately 7.75" x 10.5", is bound in red cloth, with stamped white lettering to spine. Book shows very light shelfwear. Binding is firm. Interior is clean and bright. Illustrated with plates offering color illustrations and numerous b&w textual drawings. Publisher's pamphlet listing cooking titles is laid in. Dust jacket displays light wear and is preserved in mylar cover.
"Japanese food continues to grow in popularity in the United States. Yet enjoyment of Japanese cooking is still largely limited to an occasional night out at a Japanese restaurant, and for far too long it has been assumed that this food is difficult to make in one's own kitchen. Actually, Japanese cooking is surprisingly simple. Raw ingredients should be glistening fresh and of the best quality, and flavors, however elaborate, are built up from just two basic seasonings - "dashi," an easily made, delicate stock, and "shoyu," naturally brewed Japanese soy sauce.
This cookbook is much more than an accumulation of recipes. In his preface, the author (whom Craig Claiborne calls "a sort of Renaissance man of Japanese and world gastronomy") discusses the essence of Japanese cooking, with its emphasis on simplicity, a balance of textures, colors, and flavors, seasonal freshness, and beauty of presentation. The expertise of the staff of the professional cooking school headed by the author is evident throughout the book.
After introducing ingredients and utensils, the 20 chapters of Part One are made up of lessons presenting all the basic Japanese cooking methods and principal types of prepared foods - grilling, simmering, steaming, noodles, sushi, pickles, and so on - with accompanying basic model recipes. These range from the simple dishes for daily fare to well-chosen challenges for the adventurous cook. Together with the 90-odd recipes included in part One, these enable the cook to build up a repertory, dish by dish, from the basic everyday "soup and three" formula to a gala banquet."
