Product Description

Combining traditional Japanese influences, French technique, and more than 20 years of cooking in the Midwest, James Beard Award-winning chef Takashi Yagihashi introduces American home cooks to essential Japanese comfort food with his simple yet sophisticated recipes. Emphasizing quick-to-the-table shortcuts, the use of fresh and dried packaged noodles, and kid-friendly dishes, Takashi explains noodle nuances and explores each style's distinct regional identity. An expert guide, Takashi recalls his youth in Japan and takes cooks on a discovery tour of the rich bounty of Japanese noodles, so readily accessible today. Takashi's exuberance for noodles ranging from Aje-Men to Zaru is sure to inspire home cooks to dive into bowl after soothing, refreshing bowl.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36332 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-03
• Released on: 2009-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781580089654
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Expertly synthesizing his experience in French, American and Japanese kitchens, James Beard Award-winning chef Yagihashi gives noodle-philiacs 75 inventive, appetizing reasons to drop the take-out and roll up their sleeves. Divided by noodle type (ramen, soba, udon, somen, other Asian noodles and pasta), offerings like sake-steamed chicken with ramen, beef short ribs served with chewy saifun bean threads, and classics like Pad Thai and pho, all showcase the versatility of the simple noodle. International riffs like Soba Gnocchi with Celery Root Foam, Cassoulet of Crab, Kimchi and Harusame and the down-home comfort of Corned Beef with Rice Noodles exemplify Yagihashi's global approach. Instructions for making one's own soba noodles, egg pasta and somen (as well as six dipping sauces) complete the roundup, and sticklers for detail will be pleased that Yagihashi is not one to cut corners. Though it contains recipes for practically every skill level and taste, cooks without access to a well-stocked Asian grocery are likely to wind up frustrated. Noodle fans with a stocked pantry will have plenty to slurp about. 40 color photos.
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Review
Expertly synthesizing his experience in French, American and Japanese kitchens, James Beard Award-winning chef Yagihashi gives noodle-philiacs 75 inventive, appetizing reasons to drop the take-out and roll up their sleeves. Divided by noodle type (ramen, soba, udon, somen, other Asian noodles and pasta), offerings like sake-steamed chicken with ramen, beef short ribs served with chewy saifun bean threads, and classics like Pad Thai and pho, all showcase the versatility of the simple noodle. International riffs like Soba Gnocchi with Celery Root Foam, Cassoulet of Crab, Kimchi and Harusame and the down-home comfort of Corned Beef with Rice Noodles exemplify Yagihashi's global approach. Instructions for making one's own soba noodles, egg pasta and somen (as well as six dipping sauces) complete the roundup, and sticklers for detail will be pleased that Yagihashi is not one to cut corners. Though it contains recipes for practically every skill level and taste, cooks without access to a well-stocked Asian grocery are likely to wind up frustrated. Noodle fans with a stocked pantry will have plenty to slurp about. 40 color photos. (Apr.) --Publishers Weekly (web-exclusive), March 2, 2009

From the Publisher
* A collection of 75 recipes from James Beard Award-winning chef Takashi Yagihashi for both traditional and inventive hot and cold Japanese noodle dishes.
* Showcases Takashi's knack for blending innovative techniques with local ingredients and noodle styles like ramen, soba, udon, somen, and rice noodles--plus complimentary appetizers and distinctly Japanese interpretations of pasta.
* Takashi's eponymous restaurant was recently voted Best New Restaurant by Chicago Magazine.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Japanese Noodle Cookbook
This wonderful cookbook specializes in Japanese noodles and includes a number of variations for udon, soba, and ramen. It includes detailed descriptions of ingredients and a little bit of background on each style of noodle. Although I haven't made the handmade soba noodles, I have tried the udon recipes and they came out better than most Japanese restaurants. Please do not be put off by the review stating that this is a horrible book because the short ribs are not cooked long enough. The recipe included in this book is for Japanese style beef short ribs which are a half inch thick cut along the bias, as you would see in shabu-shabu or Korean barbeque recipes, and therefore a minute per side is a reasonable estimate.

Solid Japanese noodle cookbook
Takashi did a great job writing a Japanese noodle cookbook using available ingredients found in the western grocery stores. His recipes are not what I call a fusion style of recipes and he stays true to his background by presenting true Japanese noodle recipes.

His Japanese recipes are very solid and traditional recipes with beautiful presentation and photos. Pages 1-94 are Japanese recipes and pages 96-127 delves into other Asian as well as western noodle dishes.

The cold noodle dipping sauces are excellent with some innovative ideas such as tomato dipping sauce which I found very interesting. It does go extremely well with chilled somen noodle.

Recipe Not To Be Believed
Upon browsing this book, I find on page 96 Beef Short Ribs with Saifun Bean Threads with a total cooking time for the beef short ribs of two minutes, one minute in a pan on each side of them "until the ribs are cooked through." This extremely tough cut of meat could only be raw and unchewable after only two minutes in a pan. Has anybody responsible for this book actually cooked and eaten this recipe according to directions? Makes me wonder about the creditability of all the recipes in it.