THE JAPANESE LARDER

LUIZ HARA, JACQUI SMALL, QUARTO UK, H/B, $55

As the author Luiz Hara states in his introduction, this “is not a Japanese cookbook.” Rather, it seeks to demystify Japanese ingredients and offer both traditional and novel recipes in which to make use of them. Brazilian-born, London-living Cordon Bleu-trained Hara’s debut cookbook focused on Nikkei cuisine; he’s well-versed in Japanese-meets-other cuisine and so the (dare I say it) fusion approach to many of the recipes in this book is supported by Hara’s own knowledge, and the knowledge he shares with readers in the extensive ingredient descriptions, chapter and recipe intros. Too often I find cookbook authors – or their editors – skimp on recipe intros, but this book is enriched by them.

The book is divided by categories of ingredients – core seasonings, fermented and preserved things, spices and condiments and so on – rather than by the the type of dish, a refreshing approach that flows well. Also helpful is the clean design, food styling and photography; it may not be trendily edgy, but it gives us what we need to take this book into the kitchen and cook from it, or into your local Japanese or Asian grocers, to shop from it. ANNA KING SHAHAB