Random Things Tours: Japanese Home Cooking by Maori Murota

There is an enormous difference between what we may eat in a popular restaurant on an ethnic theme and what the people belonging to a specific geographic and cultural realm may actually eat at home. One example is Japan: I lived there for one full year, visiting the country all over and experiencing different cultural encounters. However, I never been invited in a Japanese home and haven´t been able to experience the food culture otherwise than through restaurant meals. 

Japanese Home Cooking by self-taught chef Maori Murota, author of the bestseller Tokyo: Cult Recipes not only invites the reader into a completely different, and I bet tastier realm, but it gives you the directions about preparing your own...let´s say soba or ramen at home. At the first and second reading, it doesn´t look as complicated as I imagined; one may need to find the right ingredients first and foremost, because Japanese food is umami. 

Inspired by her grandmother and mother recipe, Murota, who is currently a event caterer and private chef, particularly for fashion-infused events, makes a sensational gesture of cultural diplomacy, by introducing the less popular and flavoured life of Japanese cuisine to the unknowledgeable non-Asian reader.

Most of the recipes are vegan friendly and few are plant-based too, but there is also plenty of fish and some meaty dishes as well, as for instance roasted lemongrass chicken. Despite my deep passion for Japanese culture and meals, I was shocked to discover how little in fact I know about it. My mouth watered reading about chestnut and ginger rice and my eyes almost got out of their sockets when reading out loud - to be sure I am not dreaming - about how easy is to prepare...salted cherry blossom. The same cherry blossom is a couple of pages later the ingredient of a sake cocktail. 

The book includes details about fermenting and preserving, and practically covers a full menu, based on seasonal choices. Personally, I would have love more sweets, as Japanese desserts are among my favorite in the world, also due to the reduced quantity of sugar. Details about utensils and spices are also featured, offering to the reader not only the recipes but also advice about how to use the right devices for a successful cooking experience.

If right now I am badly craving Japanese food, it´s Maori Murota to blame for it. However, after reading the recipes I am confident I would be able to prepare at least few of the recipes shared and I can´t wait for it. Thus, I can bring Japan to my home in a way it never happened before.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour, but the opinions are, as usual, my own