The Gaijin Cookbook

Starred review from July 15, 2019
In this thoroughly enjoyable follow-up to Ivan Ramen, Orkin and Ying take readers into Orkin’s home kitchen. A New York Jew, Orkin rose to fame serving up schmaltz-seasoned, rye-flour ramen in his Tokyo restaurant. Now, he meditates on a life spent as a gaijin (outsider) immersed in Japanese culture. Shot through with reflections on identity, family, and tradition, the book is arranged into sections including “Eat More Japanese” (which contains foundational recipes), “Open to Anything” (recipes of Western influence, such as curry and fried pork cutlets), and “Otaku (Geeking Out)” (recipes that call for advanced techniques, such as hand-folding gyoza). In the “Empathy/Comfort” section, there’s Tonjiru, a bone-warming pork, miso, and ginger stew that happens to be “a brilliant way to get pickier kids to eat more carrots.” Orkin can be fanatical about Japanese food––his teriyaki recipe is on version 12 and is made with just five ingredients (sake, mirin, sugar, and soy and oyster sauces). Orkin concludes with a Japanese New Year’s meal that includes duck soba, chicken stuffed with burdock root and carrots, mashed sweet potatoes with candied chestnuts, and candied sardines. This passionate, welcoming volume serves as an excellent guide to Japanese home cooking.

August 1, 2019

With cowriter Ying, restaurateur Orkin brings Japanese flavors to the table, promising to help readers "eat more Japanese" through attention to detail, variety, umami, and an understanding of foundational flavors and recipes sure to please foodies of all ages. The book is organized around aspects of Japanese life and includes an ingredients section that serves as a glossary. Chapters include "Eat More Japenese" (basics), "Open to Anything" (Japanese-style Western cooking), "Empathy" (comfort foods), "Otaku" (geeking out: specialties), "Good Times" (entertaining), "New Year's, and Pantry" (staples), with a more traditional "Recipes by Category" listing serving as a starting point for cooks seeking a standard recipe guide (ranging from rice dishes to entrées, noodles, and more). Orkin starts with an introduction to Japanese rice and everyday staples--from dashi (broth) to eggs, diner classics, natto, and options for children--to more complex recipes. VERDICT Orkin and Ying make Japanese favorites accessible to fellow gaijin. A great book for Japanophiles and home cooks looking for an intro to the country's cuisine.--Gricel Dominguez, Florida International Univ. Lib., Miami

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2019
The not-so-subtle message that Orkin and Ying (Ivan Ramen, 2013) convey throughout this 100-plus-recipe compendium might be eat more Japanese food. They also show even potentially new-to-this cuisine home cooks that hot pots, ramen, sushi, and teriyaki aren't that difficult to reproduce at home or even master. (Though many of the dishes do require some uncommon ingredients, like Bull Dog tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayonnaise.) The narrative that prefaces every chapter and each recipe is friendly, colloquial, and filled with information. Like what shokunin (mastery) truly means: doing simple things well, embracing variety and seasonality, and understanding umami. Dishes can be a hodge-podge of American, Japanese, and Chinese cuisines, all to the betterment and cultivation of taste buds. Fundamentals, though, are first up, often accompanied by step-by-step photographs for steaming a pot of Japanese rice or making natto (fermented soybeans) and dashi broth, among foundational techniques. Who could resist trying spaghetti napolitana with ketchup, bagels with Japanese fixings, a tempura party, and chicken-fried steak with wasabi?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2019

With cowriter Ying, restaurateur Orkin brings Japanese flavors to the table, promising to help readers "eat more Japanese" through attention to detail, variety, umami, and an understanding of foundational flavors and recipes sure to please foodies of all ages. The book is organized around aspects of Japanese life and includes an ingredients section that serves as a glossary. Chapters include "Eat More Japenese" (basics), "Open to Anything" (Japanese-style Western cooking), "Empathy" (comfort foods), "Otaku" (geeking out: specialties), "Good Times" (entertaining), "New Year's, and Pantry" (staples), with a more traditional "Recipes by Category" listing serving as a starting point for cooks seeking a standard recipe guide (ranging from rice dishes to entr�es, noodles, and more). Orkin starts with an introduction to Japanese rice and everyday staples--from dashi (broth) to eggs, diner classics, natto, and options for children--to more complex recipes. VERDICT Orkin and Ying make Japanese favorites accessible to fellow gaijin. A great book for Japanophiles and home cooks looking for an intro to the country's cuisine.--Gricel Dominguez, Florida International Univ. Lib., Miami

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.