• nicolepellegrini on November 28, 2012

  One of my all-time favorite little cookbooks...it's been a staple in my family's kitchen since I was a child. I learned to love a lot of vegetables from the preparations here, and I probably cook something from this book at least once a week. Recipes are simple and a great way for anyone to learn basics of Japanese cooking.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Sukiyaki

  • mjes on April 19, 2018

    In the late '60's I lived in San Francisco a few blocks from the Japanese cultural center. A friend's husband was a Japanese personal chef. He taught me to make sukiyaki as my first authentically Japanese dish. When they moved, they gave me a copy of this cookbook noting I could move well beyond sukiyaki. This became my go-to recipe when I needed to check my memory. A family food allergy now requires I omit the scallions. I sometimes add a bit of fresh ginger to compensate for the lack of onion. Despite the objections of the cookbook's author, I like to add some greens ... baby bok choy being the most common. But I do appreciate the reminder to pay attention to the overall effect of ingredients on the final broth ... the "prize" at the end.

• Chicken teriyaki with sesame

  • nicolepellegrini on March 28, 2019

    Has to be a typo to say "boil" the skewered chicken...needless to say I broiled it instead. Also cut down the amount of sesame seeds from 6 to 2 tablespoons as I actually wanted to taste the chicken and not just sesame. That said, this was really tasty. After making it I'm pretty sure this was another dish from this cookbook my grandmother used to make for me as a child, so making it myself brought back some great flavor memories.

• Sweet and sour pickles (Supai amai kuri)

  • radishseed on August 22, 2013

    These pickles are so quick and good with Japanese food. I like to put in half the amount of sugar.

• Meatball soup (Niku dango suimono)

  • radishseed on January 31, 2013

    I tried to make this with Quorn Meatless Grounds, but they are not sticky enough to stick together and form meatballs. Just fell apart. Might try it again with Gimme Lean, which is quite sticky. Also, I recommend adding the carrots near the end of the meatball cooking time (about 3 minutes) instead of parboiling them. Also in addition, I would try this next time with ramen-type noodles instead of the glass vermicelli noodles I used this time.

• A simple egg meal in a bowl (Donburi soboro)

  • radishseed on January 16, 2013

    This made a quick, easy, good dinner. I used vegan ground beef and added a dash of Worcestershire to make it a little more savory.

• Green beans and eggs

  • radishseed on March 17, 2013

    This was a popular dish. Next time I would try less stock (maybe 3/4 c.) and half the sugar (2 T).

• Salad of fresh bean sprouts (Moyashi sunomono)

  • nicolepellegrini on October 07, 2013

    So simple, so good. Worth noting that the dressing for this salad is perfect on a variety of vegetables, such as a mixture of shredded carrots, daikon, cabbage and onions. Sweet and tart and crunchy, it's great for kids, too.

• Asparagus salad

  • nicolepellegrini on November 28, 2012

    This is the recipe that made me love asparagus as a child!

  • nicolepellegrini on May 04, 2020

    This is still one of my absolute favorite ways to make asparagus. The simple dressing of rice wine vinegar, sugar and sesame seeds is just perfect. Do not overcook the asparagus!

• Glazed yams

  • nicolepellegrini on November 28, 2012

    This is a Thanksgiving staple in our home. Enjoy it year round as well, just a nice easy way to make yams or sweet potatoes that aren't overly sweet.

• Cabbage and sesame seed

  • nicolepellegrini on January 17, 2021

    Simple and tasty.

• Braised cabbage

  • nicolepellegrini on December 17, 2018

    Extremely simple recipe that makes a nice side to teriyaki fish or other mains in this book. I like to make sure to cook at a high enough heat to get a little char on some of the cabbage, and sometimes finish with a little chili sauce.

• Cold turnips

  • nicolepellegrini on May 30, 2020

    I love making these...my favorite way to enjoy turnips (especially the big/tougher ones that aren't as easy or tasty to roast well.) They make a great little snack or nibble along with a tasty side to a stir fry or other Asian main dish. Definitely need to wait at least 24 hours to enjoy for the flavors to merge and marinate into the turnip slices.

• Garnished spinach

  • radishseed on April 30, 2013

    I made this with Swiss chard, boiling the leaves for 3 minutes instead of steaming. It's an easy green side dish.

• Spinach with sesame seeds (Horenso with goma)

  • nicolepellegrini on October 30, 2020

    One of those dishes from this cookbook I remember enjoying since childhood. I suggest going a little heavier on the dressing, especially if using big fresh spinach leaves.

• Asparagus

  • nicolepellegrini on May 29, 2021

    Exceptionally simple, but if you have perfectly fresh, in season asparagus there's little more that needs to be done with it.

• Asparagus with vinegar

  • nicolepellegrini on July 31, 2020

    This was honestly a little too strong with the vinegar flavor for my taste. I felt it needed some sweet element to balance it out. Greatly prefer the recipe for "Asparagus salad" in this book, for comparison.

• Pickled carrots

  • radishseed on March 17, 2013

    I like how easy these pickles are, but next time I would try them with half the amount of sugar (or none at all).

  • nicolepellegrini on December 17, 2018

    One of the super-simple but tasty vegetable dishes in this book that made me actually LIKE to eat my vegetables as a child. I still enjoy it today, and find it's best when it's had some time to chill and marinate (and unlike the previous reviewer I find the sugar absolutely essential to give this dish its proper sweet-and-sour pickled flavor).

• Spicy eggplant with miso (Karai nasubi miso)

  • susan g on October 16, 2021

    I used this recipe and the following one (with sesame), with less sugar, sherry vinegar instead of mirin. I cut the long Asian eggplant into long split pieces and brushed the tops with oil, then when starting to brown brushed them with the delicious sauce. I/3 of the sauce with 2 eggplants still left lots left over! Delicious.

• Brussels sprouts, hot or cold

  • nicolepellegrini on March 28, 2019

    These pack a spicy kick thanks to the dry mustard! Not a complaint, just a warning. But it makes for a good side dish to a sweeter main such as teriyaki.

• Brussels sprouts with sesame seed

  • nicolepellegrini on May 16, 2018

    One of my favorite recipes for preparing brussels sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower, as described. Also good with kale or Swiss chard and when served hot or cold.

• Sauteed bell peppers

  • nicolepellegrini on June 22, 2021

    Super simple yet perfect to serve as a side dish to grilled meat or chicken.

• A basic kama meshi

  • radishseed on April 13, 2013

    This dish was easy to put together, but it seems to call for too much water. 3 c. of water to 1 c. of rice? I made it in the rice cooker with just a bit more than the normal amount of water, and it turned out a bit mushy. I'd recommend just using the same amount of water as if you were making rice alone. I added some grated yellow beet and edamame to the dish, and we ate it with some sauteed beet greens, Japanese pickles, and avocado on top.

• Teriyaki fillet of fish

  • nicolepellegrini on May 01, 2018

    This is excellent with salmon steaks or thick fillets. It's a staple in our home and pretty much foolproof as long as you follow the directions precisely. Also watch it carefully as the glaze can quickly overcook and harden if not careful.

• Fish cooked with miso (Sakana-no nitsuke)

  • erikars on December 21, 2025

    Rather strong with standard soy sauce you can get in the US. Next time I'll swap the water and soy sauce ratios

• Broiled clams (Yaki hamaguri)

  • bob.mack on November 21, 2021

    The instructions say you can substitute shrimp for the clams which is what I did. I did this with 2 lbs of 21/25 shrimp where I removed the shell completely including the tail piece. I broiled for about 4 or 5 minutes total (didn't use skewers). The sauce was very liquidy, so I put the cooked shrimp in a bowl, poured the sauce in and stirred. To serve, I served over rice with plenty of the liquid sauce poured over the rice. I thought the sauce was going to be too salty to reduce but it wasn't. Next time I will probably boil a bit longer to reduce it at least a little more than I did. Nevertheless, everyone enjoyed it.

• Prawns in tomato sauce

  • nicolepellegrini on September 21, 2018

    Crazy easy and tasty. Be sure to use a tomato sauce that will complement the Japanese flavors of the shoyu and togarashi (ie, one without much if any Italian herbs.) I tend to make my own using tomato puree, onion, garlic, and olive oil only.

• Tuna cakes (Maguro dango)

  • radishseed on April 30, 2013

    This recipe called for too much water, and I ended up adding rather a lot of extra flour to make the mixture dry enough to form into balls. Next time, I would add just enough water necessary to help it stick together. I threw in some green onions for a hit of green. In the end, these were nice, but I'm not sure they're worth the effort.

• Chicken vegetable balls (Tori to yasaino dango)

  • nicolepellegrini on August 21, 2020

    Simple yet very tasty and comforting. The broth was even tastier the next day.

• Glazed yams

  • nicolepellegrini on December 13, 2020

    One of my family staple recipes - my standard for preparing yams/sweet potatoes whether for the holidays or a weeknight meal.