Читать книгу My Japanese Table - Debra Samuels - Страница 6

Having been born and raised in Japan, I often crave the food that I remember from my childhood. Sushi, ramen, and okonomiyaki to name a few, immediately transport me back to the sights and sounds of growing up in Japan. As a young child, some of my fondest memories revolved around visiting some of my father’s favorite markets looking for octopus, crab, Yellowtail, and one of my favorites: Himono, (dried fish).

In My Japanese Table, Debra Samuels has captured, and translated many of my early memories of what Japanese food and cooking means to me. From the cooking of my father and mother who would spend hours in the kitchen preparing dinner, it was never fancy but it was always prepared with love.

I try to incorporate Japanese cuisine into my cooking because it reflects my roots and heritage. It is a large part of why I became a chef and who I am.

Although the simplicity of presentation in Japanese cooking expertly cloaks the real complexity of preparation, translating the techniques and ingredients of a centuries old cuisine is not for the faint hearted. Debra has managed to create a compendium that does just that.

The chapter on bento took me back to my childhood, when my mother would pack a bento for my school lunch, it would be as simple as one layer of rice with leftovers from the night before but it always made me happy. When I wasn’t enjoying one of my mom’s homemade bento, I looked forward to purchasing eki-bento when we would travel on the bullet train to far away cities. I loved the variety of eki-bento that I had to choose from.

Variety is a large part of what I try to achieve as a chef, incorporating different flavors and textures on a plate is important to me, it keeps peoples interest, it amuses, and satisfies, I think that without really knowing it, I may have derived inspiration from the humble bento.

While desserts have never really been my forte, mochi is my one weakness. Debra’s descriptions, and methods of preparation of this Japanese staple make me long for the multi colored, sticky sweets that we would get from department store food courts in Tokyo.

Debra is able to take the intricacies of Japanese cuisine and translate them into a very approachable cookbook that delivers achievable results. My Japanese Table takes you on a valuable journey of all the different facets of Japanese cuisine.

From simple street foods to sushi, seafood, and comforting desserts, it is a journey through my memories of Japan.

Roy Yamaguchi, chef and founder of Roy’s Restaurants