All About Japanese Food

For all of its apparent simplicity, Japanese cooking is a mystery to most American cooks. While some dishes may look like nothing more than rice and raw fish artfully arranged, as anyone who has tried it at home can attest, there’s more to Japanese food than meets the eye. As with anything truly simple, every element demands the utmost care.

If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at Japanese cooking-or even if you’re merely curious about what you eat in restaurants-Hiroko Shimbo’s new book “The Japanese Kitchen” (Harvard Common Press, $29.95), is a godsend. While there are many books on sushi and a few other specific aspects of the cuisine, this is one of the few Western attempts at a full examination (see also Elizabeth Andoh’s sadly out of print “At Home With Japanese Cooking’).

Shimbo starts with an explanation of the structure of the Japanese meal and its service. Then she walks you through the ins and outs of specific cooking implements, cooking techniques and ingredients, along the way dropping useful tips and charming stories that give a sense of how food fits into everyday Japanese life.

You’re more than a quarter of the way through the book before you hit any recipes. The attention to detail does not flag. Progressing through the course of the meal, the simplest dishes get as much attention as the most complex. Her instructions for basic boiled rice cover all eventualities-white, brown, newly harvested and glutinous.

The recipe selections vary from home-style dishes such as rice casseroles and hot pots to fancier inventions. And there is a smattering of fusion as well, such as her soybean hummus. Fortunately, this part is kept well under control.