smith street books

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Gohan cookbook review

Emiko Davies, the Australian-Japanese cookbook author based in Italy, is mostly known for her Italian cooking.  She’s written five books on Italian cooking, and I recognize her name from the work she’s done for Food52.  My introduction to her was a Food52 Youtube video in the days of the covid-19 pandemic where she made Torta Caprese.  But more recently, in September 2023, she release a Japanese cookbook with Smith Street Books.

“Gohan”, by Davies, almost feels like looking through a family photo album. At first glance, the recipes are unpretentious and ageless. Here, you’ll find basic Japanese cooking and flavors.

The book is divided into:

  • Home-made pantry staples
  • Rice
  • Noodles and street food
  • The West meets Japan
  • Japanese Breakfast
  • Vegetables
  • Family favorites
  • Sweets

When I say basic Japanese cooking, I mean items like onigiri (rice balls) and grilled fish.  It’s humble, and not glitzy for internet fame. You can also find recipes like:

  • No-waste furikake seasoning
  • All-purpose soup base
  • Tonkatsu sauce
  • Pickled ginger
  • My mother’s lemon-pickled daikon
  • Scrambled eggs with garlic chives
  • Salmon donburi
  • Fried and braised lotus root and carrot
  • Golden taro and potatoes in soy butter
  • Cold somen noodles with cucumber and ginger
  • Winter hotpot (oden)
  • Potato salad
  • Curry rice
  • Japanese milk bread
  • Red bean buns
  • Kanten fruit jelly cups

The first recipe I made from the book was for braised tofu. The ingredient list is uncomplicated: firm tofu, onion, scallion, soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and water.  The results were pretty much what I imagined they would be. It’s a simple but tasty way to consume tofu. (Typically you would serve with rice, but I must admit that I ate with broccoli and pasta instead.) I will definitely remake in the future.

The other recipe I made was for kinako and chestnut cake. It’s made with lots of butter, sugar, Okinawan black sugar (alternately brown sugar), lots of eggs, all purpose flour, kinako (aka roasted soybean powder), and whole chestnuts.  For the chestnuts, I cheated and used one 100g bag of roasted chestnuts from the market. I adore chestnuts but I don’t really eat them in other dishes, so I was curious how this dessert would turn out. I’ve also never thought about using kinako in baked goods. I’ve only used it as a condiment for Korean BBQ. This recipe ended up being surprisingly difficult for me. I probably should have stayed away when I realized that there were no leavening agents. All of the loft is made from the eggs (which I am generally not great at). I followed the recipe to the T, making sure that the wet ingredients were well mixed with an electric mixer and timed it. But the batter is extremely thick and sticky, almost more like a cookie batter than like a cake batter. By the time I folded in all of the flour, I worked out too much air from the eggs.

My cake still rose, but not much, and I ended up with a fairly dense crumb. But more importantly, how was the flavor? It was not at all what I was expecting, but at the same time, it is the epitome of a Japanese dessert. (I know that’s a terrible description.) It’s not too sweet, and it’s very light in flavor. I’m not sure I’d make it as written again. Next time, I will give in to the temptation to add some baking powder. I might also add some vanilla, or alter the sugar ratio for more brown sugar (I do not have black sugar in my pantry). I’m not sure. It’s probably the American in me, but I wanted just a bit more oomph (especially for the amount of effort).

Baking technicalities aside, I’m glad I made it. A more talented home baker will not have trouble with it. (Or do I remake it as written just to prove to myself that I can do it? Hmmm…) I wish a little that I made the matcha almond cookies recipe instead. I didn’t choose that one because my matcha powder is old and the bright green color has oxidized into a dull green.

I think anyone who appreciates Japanese food will enjoy this book. I think the photos are gorgeous, and there are lovely stories and ingredient information. My only caution is that this book is in weighed amounts, no US volumetric.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference Links:

https://food52.com/users/23872-emiko/articles

https://www.emikodavies.com

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How to Fall in Love with Tofu, cookbook review

Tofu is underrated.  I’m not really sure why so many people claim to hate it.  Since silken tofu and super firm tofu exists, it can’t only be a texture issue.  Obviously, if you’re allergic to it, don’t eat it.  But otherwise, in this day in age where nutritional guidelines tell you to eat less meat, it’s such a great way to consume protein with less saturated fat.

I will say that it’s very easy to run out of ideas on how to serve tofu.  I tend to default to serving tofu in soup, or baked tofu as a meat substitute.  I know that there are other ways to cook it, but I just can’t think of them off the top of my head.

So, it was personally fun to get the chance to review “How to Fall in Love with Tofu”, by Emma de Thouars.

The book has chapters but it also has sub-chapters. But honestly, the sub-chapters feel like their own chapters through and through. So here’s the full list:

  • Make Your Own Tofu,
  • Breakfast and Sandwiches,
  • Tofu and Egg, Snacks,
  • Stuffed Tofu, Saucy,
  • Tofu as a Centerpiece,
  • Not So Saucy,
  • Sweet Side Dishes,
  • Stock,
  • Crispies

The recipes that stand out to me are:

  • Scrambled tofu with crispy chilli,
  • Tofu sando,
  • Tofu omelette with tomato chilli sauce,
  • Korean tofu pancakes with prawns,
  • Tofu stuffed with minced pork,
  • Dan dan noodles with tofu,
  • Korean tofu stew with clams,
  • Deep-fried tofu with garlic sauce,
  • Pad krapow with tofu,
  • Spring onion tofu,
  • Tofu larb,
  • Tofu pudding with sago and green tea

The first recipe I made was for steamed egg with tofu.  I’ve had Chinese styled steamed eggs (literal English translation of the dish name is “water eggs”) either plain or with ground pork.  This recipe basically replace the pork with tofu.  The ingredients are simple!  It’s just eggs, dashi, silken tofu, soy sauce, and scallions/roasted seaweed for serving.  (You can skip the scallions and seaweed if you want.)  You will need a dish both wide enough but shallow enough for steaming.  I used a 9″ glass pie pan and the recipe barely fit.  I was surprised by how much I liked this.  My previous recipe for steamed eggs was heavier on the liquid.  More liquid does make a silkier texture, but it also means that more liquid seeps out the minute you cut into in it.  I realized that I prefer this recipe which has less liquid for a firmer texture.

I imagine that I’ll make this on the regular.  You can easily dress it up by garnishing with chili crisp, or change the flavor profile by using a different soup base than dashi.

The second recipe I made was for butter tofu sloppy joes.  I love Indian flavors, and I also love a good sandwich.  It never occurred to me to “remix” it with tofu.  This recipe uses butter, garlic, ginger, chilli powder, ground cumin, garam masala, tomato paste, firm tofu, heavy cream, and brioche buns.  You cook up the aromatics first, and then add tofu, cream, and some water.  Let it cook down to get saucy.  Then simply serve on toasted brioche buns.  This was another fun recipe.  The only thing I did different was to grate my tofu (because I was using super firm tofu), instead of just crumbling it.   I think this a great recipe for someone who’s unsure about eating tofu.  For the average North American, it feels less foreign even though the flavors are Indian.  And if you don’t want to buy the individual spices, I highly recommend buying a butter chicken spice packet.  Honestly, it’s probably what I’ll do when I remake it.

Overall, my only critique is that I wish there were more than 40 recipes!  Tofu as a centerpiece is only 3 recipes (4 if you include frying a whole tofu block), and they are all fried.  I’m too lazy to fry anything. But it’s a lovely resource when you want to get out of a rut. I definitely recommend giving this book a try.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference Links:

https://www.instagram.com/emmadethouars/?hl=en

https://www.smithstreetbooks.com/catalogue/how-to-fall-in-love-with-tofu/

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The Vegan Guide to Tokyo, review

I have happy memories of Japan. It’s been over 10 years since my last visit, and when I was there, I wasn’t documenting food experiences the way I do now. Food related social media was still mostly in the blogging stage, and I was less financially stable. I think there was only one expensive restaurant that my friends and I went to. It was mostly eating wherever was convenient, and navigable as English-speakers. There was some CoCo Ichibanya (we all love Coco-ichi!), udon soup ramen from small shops, maybe a Moss Burger visit, and LOTS OF CONVENIENCE STORE FOOD. (Though it sounds terrible to say convenience stores, grabbing cutlet buns and onigiri from 7-11 and Lawson is never to be regretted.)

I can’t imagine trying to explore the food scene with food restrictions back then, but things are different now.

If you’re vegan and staying in the Tokyo area, you can easily look things up in English online (a quick Google search gave 12 million results). But if you want a centralized reference that isn’t a listicle of the “15 best”, then I recommend giving “The Vegan Guide to Tokyo” by Chiara Terzuolo a read.

The book is divided by locations which makes it easier to plan where you’re going to eat based where you’re going to be:

  • Shinjuku,
  • Shibuya/Yoyogi,
  • Ginza,
  • Harajuku/Omotesando/Aoyama,
  • Asakusa/Ueno,
  • Roppongi,
  • Shimokitazawa,
  • Airports and Tokyo Station,
  • Ebisu/Daikanyama,
  • Jiyugaoka,
  • Nakameguro,
  • Honourable Mentions (gives 1 recommendation per neighborhood like Kichijoji and Komagome),
  • Day Trips from Tokyo,
  • Kyoto and Osaka

Almost every entry provides the address, directions, store hours, general cost, and some of the items that you’ll find on the menu. The photos are appealing and inviting. The restaurants listed cover a large variety of offerings: pizza, tapas, yoshoku (Japanese-style Western cuisine), desserts, coffee shops, etc.

If I could go to Tokyo right now, I’d put Ovgo B.A.K.E.R Meiji St. on my to-do list. They offer cookies and scone/cookie hybrids. Baked goods are 400-600 yen, and they even offer a banana split for 1980 yen. (Note – they only serve 20 banana splits per day!) Some of the cookies are American-style but some are Japanese-inspired flavors like matcha coconut.

On the more extravagant side, I would also put Sougo on my to-do list. Located in Roppongi, Michelin-star chef Daisuke Nomura provides fully vegan Buddhist cuisine at Sougo. The menu rotates and is seasonal. Cost is 8800 yen for lunch (approximately 67 USD at the time of this post), and 14,300 yen for dinner (about 108 USD). So, this restaurant is ‘omakase’ style, meaning it’s a set menu completely curated by the chef. You are not ordering off a menu.

Toward the back of the book, you can find some handy phrases like “does this contain honey?” or “does this contain gluten?”. The best and cutest little item is the very last page where you punch out a card that says “I am vegan, and do not eat meat, fish, seafood (including soup bases or flavorings), or any animal products (eggs, milk products, honey).” So you can whip out the card whenever communication is a problem!

I know this isn’t my usual type of post, but I thought “The Vegan Guide to Tokyo” seems useful for anyone ready to go back into international travel and aiming to head to Japan. You don’t have to be vegan as all the restaurants sound good.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This travel book is available for pre-purchase from your favorite bookshops, and gets released next week.

Reference Links:

https://www.instagram.com/tokyoveganguide

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754196/

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Noods, cookbook review

Not all good cookbooks must have a fancy name attached to it.  And not all cookbooks written by a popular creator are necessarily good.  Or maybe it’s more that titles don’t always reflect the book?

There was a cookbook I took out of the library recently (I won’t mention who the author(s) is/were because that wouldn’t be fair) that I was deeply disappointed with.  “Noodles” was in the title but once I was home and reading it in earnest, I realized half the recipes were pasta. I consider some pastas to be noodles, but I do not consider all pasta to be noodles.  (Example, I don’t think of orzo as a noodle.) All the pasta recipes were Western style, and honestly half of the noodle recipes were forgettable.  I’d be less disappointed if I picked it up because it was titled “Carbs and Sauce” instead.  

So I was excited but cautious when I received a copy of Smith Street Books’ “Noods: 80 Slurpable Noodle Recipes from Asia.”  My immediate reaction upon reading through the book was that this is a wonderful collection and representation of noodle recipes!

The book is simply broken down into:

  • Stir-fried,
  • Soup,
  • Chilled,
  • Instant,
  • Basics

It highlights recipes from China, Japan, Korean, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.  Looking at the pad thai recipe as a measure of accuracy/authenticity, I think this book is probably representing different cultures pretty well.  Their pad thai recipe includes garlic chives, pickled turnip, tamarind sauce, coconut sugar (which is an acceptable sub for palm sugar), and fish sauce.  

Some of the recipes I want to try:

  • Smoked tofu miso ramen,
  • Pho chay (vegetable noodle soup),
  • Khao soi (curry noodle soup),
  • Liangpi (Chinese cold noodles),
  • Sudachi somen (chilled noodles with citrus),
  • Hiyashi chuka (cold noodles with ham),
  • Bun thit nuong (noodle salad),
  • Sa cha beef noodles (Hong Kong instant noodle dish),
  • Budae jjigae (Korean army base stew),
  • Lemongrass sate (basics chapter),
  • Vegan broth (basic chapter)

While I really wanted to make some of the cold noodle recipes, it’s not quite the season for it yet here (New England in March).  Instead, the first recipe I made was for janchi guksu.  This is a Korean recipe made with zucchini, spinach, wheat noodles, egg, anchovy/kelp broth, and yangnyeom sauce.  A recipe for yangnyeom sauce is included which is simply soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, Korean chili flakes, black pepper, and scallions.  The only swap I made was using yellow squash instead of zucchini, and I cheated by using instant broth.  Overall, I was really happy with this dish.  I also liked the yangnyeom sauce.  I made a second batch of it and used it with some cooked ground turkey.

The second recipe I tried was for kare udon, Japanese curry udon soup.  I love Japanese curry but never really thought to use it in soup.  Trying this recipe also gave me the excuse to re-stock on Japanese curry.  This recipe has a pretty short ingredient list – oil, onion, pork loin, mirin, dashi (I cheated again and used instant), udon noodles, and scallion for garnish.  It was really easy and pretty quick to put together.  Unfortunately, I lost the image of this so I remade it as a vegetarian variation.  The second time I made it, I replaced the pork with roasted mushrooms and garnished with quick pickled red onions.  It was good either way, and I’ll remember to keep this soup in rotation during cooler weather.

If you’re a fan of Asian noodles soup, I recommend picking up this cute little book.  It’s good collection of recipes with a good variety countries represented.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for pre-purchase from your favorite bookshops, and gets released next week.

Reference Links:

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754226/

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Plantbased by Alexander Gershberg

‘Plantbased: 80 Nourishing Umami-Rich Recipes from the Kitchen of a Passionate Chef’ is the third cookbook by vegan chef Alexander Gershberg.  Many of the recipes here take inspiration from Japanese flavors, and inspiration from his Russian and Israeli roots.  Even those recipes that don’t seem to be influenced by any particular culture have a fresh approach to them. 

Contents of this book are:

  • Whole grains,
  • Beans and proteins,
  • Root vegetables,
  • Sweet round vegetables,
  • Green vegetables,
  • Sea vegetables,
  • Pickles and fermentation,
  • Fruits and desserts

Some of the recipes you will find here are:

  • Brown rice pilaf with cherry tomatoes and chanterelles,
  • Brown rice with roasted sweet potatoes and dried apricots,
  • Soba noodles with carrot and ginger tempura in clear Japanese broth,
  • A stew of white beans with koya dofu and sweet potatoes,
  • Black bean stew with pumpkin and fried seitan,
  • Jerusalem salad,
  • Creamy pasta with pumpkin sauce and white beans topped with almond pesto,
  • Malaysian vegetable-stuffed tofu with spicy peanut sauce,
  • Roasted celeriac with cucumber tzatziki and miso-roasted cherry tomatoes,
  • Roasted fennel with pumpkin seed tahini,
  • Zucchini baba ghanoush,
  • Israeli-style pickles in Indian spices,
  • Pear amazake tart,
  • Tahini almond mousse with grilled prunes and caramelized pistachio

The first recipe I tried was the sweet rice pilaf with almonds, raisins, and cinnamon.  The ingredients here are mostly familiar kitchen items: sesame oil, almonds, raisins, ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, cooked brown rice, rice syrup, and fresh lemon juice.  Rice syrup isn’t something I have ever felt the need to purchase so I replaced it with maple syrup, which pairs well anyway.  The only thing that tripped me up was that I didn’t realize the book specifically said untoasted sesame oil, until I had already finished cooking.  I used my pantry staple sesame oil which is toasted.*  I admit that it felt weird using toasted sesame oil for this (as I usually use it as a finishing oil for savory dishes), but the flavor was quickly subdued by the almonds, cinnamon, and raisins.  It’s the chewier, healthier, faster version of rice pudding.  Personally, I found the lemon juice to be a bit distracting, and made the dish less desirable.  If I remake this, I’ll leave it out completely.

The next dish I made was the stir-fried pointed cabbage and apple.  This was another approachable ingredient list: neutral sesame oil, pointed cabbage (aka sweetheart cabbage), apple, salt, mirin, fresh lemon juice, and shichimi togarashi.  I used green cabbage instead, as the only times I’ve ever been able to pick up pointed cabbage was from my CSA.  I wanted to adore this recipe as I love cabbage and apples, but this time it was either the lemon juice or the shichimi togarashi that just didn’t appeal to me in the finished dish.  (Don’t worry!  I didn’t use my toasted sesame oil here.  I saw the word “neutral” this time, and subbed with my neutral avocado oil.)

I ate everything so my complaints are relatively minor.  I could have easily adjusted both recipes to my personal preference but I wanted to see how the recipes were meant to be.  If I continue cooking from this book, I will be less strict on myself about following the ingredients.

One observation that might matter to a U.S. audience is that when Gershberg uses a pressure cooker, he’s using a manual one.  The instructions for cooking brown rice and for cooking beans are not for an appliance like the Instant Pot.  I have the impression that North America is heavier on the electric usage than stovetop, so I would recommend looking up cooking instructions for these pantry basics from tried and true websites like Amy + Jacky.

One last note for the U.S. audience, Gershberg is based out of Amsterdam.  Some of the ingredients he uses are hard to get in U.S. grocery stores, like salsify.  And then, some items are available but not very common like the previously mentioned untoasted sesame oil.  Another example is the Jerusalem artichoke.

Visually, the book is lovely.  It also offers a sample menu section if that is something that appeals to you.  I think it offers a lot to the vegan home cook.  If anything, my biggest gripe is the index.  The index is essentially a list of the major ingredients used in the book.  You can’t look up “salad” and see a list of salads from the book.  (This is probably less of an issue if your cookbook library is small.  But since my cookbook library is *not* small, I dearly love a good index. It makes looking for particular recipes much easier.) 

Take what you will from this post.  If any of the recipes sound interesting to you, or if you are tired of the more common vegan recipes that come across your social media feeds, then this book is probably for you.  If you’re anyone else, then maybe take it out of the library first before making a decision.

* How to tell if your sesame oil is toasted or untoasted?  If it’s brown, it’s toasted.  If it’s clear, it’s untoasted.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is currently available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference links:

https://alexandergershberg.com https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com (Amy + Jacky) https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754134
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152 Non-Sad Lunches, cookbook review

I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot for workday lunch ideas! I recently received a copy of 152 Non-Sad Lunches: You Can Make in 5 Minutes, by Alexander Hart. I couldn’t easily find information on the author except that he’s Australian and that he’s written four similar books. In some ways, this book is less a cookbook and more a compilation of combinations. It includes ingredients like pre-cooked chicken and pre-cooked beets. But by no means do I think that makes this book less inspiring. It’s diverse with meat, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.

The book is broken down into categories of:

  • Salad ingredients,
  • Classics and new classics,
  • Noodles and zoodles,
  • Grains and seeds,
  • Beans and legumes,
  • Bento boxes,
  • Wraps

The ideas that I’m most interested in:

  • Roast beef salad with smoked almonds (lemon and chili dressing),
  • Chicken taco salad (jalapeño crema dressing),
  • Cucumber and green apple zoodles with salmon (creamy lemon and herb dressing),
  • Asparagus and zucchini zoodles (green olive dressing),
  • Sesame and avocado soba noodle salad (soy sesame dressing),
  • Red quinoa autumn salad (sherry vinegar and shallot dressing),
  • Chicken and peach bulgur salad (maple dressing),
  • Brown rice, cranberry, and rosemary salad (maple dressing),
  • Spicy black bean and quinoa salad (spicy jalapeño dressing),
  • All-day breakfast bento,
  • Turkey, gruyere, and kale wrap (honey mustard mayo),
  • Smoked salmon wrap (herbed cream cheese)

*note – the dressing in parenthesis is the pairing in the recipe

The first recipe I made was the Hokkien noodle and snow pea salad, which is comprised of lo mein-style egg noodles, oranges, snow peas, and avocado. I didn’t have the opportunity to visit my local Asian market so I had to swapped the Hokkien noodles with Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodles. They are not the same at all, but I felt it was a better substitution than dried Italian style pasta (which are not made with eggs). The recommended dressing was made with orange juice, almond butter, rice wine vinegar, miso paste, and sesame seeds. It is orange season as I write this so I had everything on hand. Even though I had to cook my egg noodles, it all came together quickly. More importantly, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It would also be very easy and tasty to add chicken or egg to up the protein if the salad didn’t seem filling enough as is.

The second salad I made was the broccolini and sesame soba noodle salad. The components were broccolini (quickly cooked for 2 minutes), cooked and cooled soba noodles, sliced scallion, and toasted sesame seeds. The dressing was made from minced ginger, sesame oil, honey, rice wine vinegar, light soy sauce, and ground white pepper. While the dressing is meant to be tossed into the noodle salad, it’s very thin. I wish that I had treated it like dipping sauce instead. Just a comment, not a complaint, so you do you.

The highlight for me was the sheer amount of dressing recipes.  It’s easy to put a handful of salad ingredients together, but that salad will be fairly boring if it doesn’t have the right flair.  If I counted correctly, there are 87 different dressing recipes in this book.  Some are repeated, but it looks like nothing was repeated more than 3 times with the one exception of a basic lemon dressing that’s used a total of 7 times in the book. It’s pretty easy to swap a salad ingredient as needed (like I did), and just let the dressing complete the dish. Also useful is that every recipe is for 1 portion. So if you’re someone who doesn’t like eating the same thing two days in a row, you’ll appreciate the variety available here.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  

Reference Links:

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754073
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Tokyo Up Late review

You might be thinking, “another Japanese cookbook?” Yes, and I’m not sorry. Not to insult the two previous books, this book might be my favorite of the three. “Tokyo Up Late: Iconic Recipes from the city that never sleeps” is the second cookbook published from Brendan Liew, who has worked in top notch restaurants in Japan and Hong Kong. He is not a well-known chef in America, probably because he’s based in Melbourne, Australia.

What I immediately liked about “Tokyo Up Late” is that some of the recipes are not ones you typically see in an English-language Japanese cookbook. That’s not to say that the recipes are obscure. Many of the dishes invoked a lot of nostalgia for me. The recipe grouping is also a bit unusual. Rather than group recipes by a course or a common main ingredient, the recipes are grouped by the environment in which you would find them. The main chapters of the book are:

  • Izakaya (Japanese bar food)
  • Makanai (family meal at traditional Japanese restaurants)
  • Fast food
  • Konbini (Japanese convenience stores)
  • Back home

There is so much that I want to make out of this book. Here are some highlights:

  • Nikumaki (pan-fried vegetables wrapped in meat)
  • Tonteki (soy-based grilled pork steak)
  • Red wine honey soy tare
  • Nasu nibitashi (dashi braised eggplant and shiitake)
  • Hiyajiru (rice and toppings with chilled sesame soup)
  • Okowa (steamed chestnut sticky rice)
  • Anmitsu (mochi and red bean paste with black sugar syrup)
  • Meron pan (melon bread)
  • Katsutado pan (custard bread)
  • Mont Blanc
  • Ochazuke (tea over rice) (comes with general guidelines and three specific variations)

The konbini chapter might be my favorite overall, so I started with Liew’s recipe for nikuman, aka pork buns. The dough is made water, yeast, sugar, flour, milk, and lard (or oil). While the dough is rising, a filling is made from rehydrated shiitake, minced pork, unsmoked bacon (optional), onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, chicken bouillon (optional), salt, and white pepper. When both dough and filling are ready, the dough is divided into 8 pieces, and each piece is rolled out into a circle, and filled with meat. The dough is pinched closed, and the buns are rested before steaming until cooked through.

I had a lot of trouble making nice looking pork buns. Just based on prior experience, I recommend flattening each disc of dough so that the middle is thicker than the edges, like you often see done for dumpling wrappers. When the bun is pinched closed, it helps to keep the seam from being too thick, and helps keep the bun be more uniform in shape. My dough turned out a little too sticky. I probably should have used less water. I can’t get bao flour (or at least I haven’t seen it in the Asian markets closest to me) so I just used all purpose flour from Trader Joe’s. My flour is unbleached so I knew up front that I wasn’t going to get the pretty white exterior that one normally associates with Asian steamed buns. Another factor in the appearance of steamed buns is the steamer set up (which, as far as I can tell, the book does not mention). I do not have a bamboo steamer which is ideal. I only have a metal steamer. The problem with metal steamers is condensation. When water drops onto the bun, it bubbles the texture. I tried to mitigate this by wrapping the lid with a clean tea towel, which definitely improved matters but didn’t solve it completely. You can swipe back and forth to see the difference between my first batch and my later batches. The first batch was too thin on top and tore easily, and too much water had condensed on the surface. My later batches don’t look as ugly.

I don’t remember what convenience store pork buns taste like in Japan (it’s been too long). Appearances aside, the filling was really flavorsome, so it was still worth making. If making buns seems too daunting, you can use the filling in some pre-made dumpling wrappers and cook in some soup.

The second recipe I made was much easier. The wafu pasta in the Back Home chapter might be more delicious than the buns (if you like mushrooms). First you make the mentsuyu which is a dipping sauce/soup base. Then you cook up the mushrooms in olive oil and butter, and finish with the pasta, mentsuyu, scallions, shiso, shredded nori, and lemon wedges. I went with nicer quality, locally made butter and locally made fresh pasta.

I forgot to pick up shiso or parsley but that was ok. The flavor is largely driven by the winning combination of butter, mushrooms, and mentsuyu.

I also love how sophisticated it looks just off the stove with the pop of color from the scallions, and the texture of the nori before they both wilt.

Luckily for you, Smith Street Books was gracious enough to let me share Liew’s pasta recipe.

Give the pasta recipe a try, and if you like it, I highly recommend picking up your own copy of Brendan Liew’s “Tokyo Up Late” from your favorite book distributor.

The only person who might not be suited for this book is someone who absolutely refuses to use a kitchen scale. US volumetric measurements are not provided. But I think, for most cooking enthusiasts, this is a non-issue.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Ryland Peters & Small for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  

Reference Links:

https://www.smithstreetbooks.com/catalogue/tokyo-up-late/

https://www.instagram.com/brendanliew/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/chottomelb/?hl=en