Takashi's Noodles: [A Cookbook] - Softcover

Yagihashi, Takashi; Salat, Harris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1580089658 ISBN 13: 9781580089654

Verlag: Ten Speed Press, 2009

Inhaltsangabe

A collection of 75 recipes from James Beard Award-winning chef Takashi Yagihashi for both traditional and inventive hot and cold Japanese noodle dishes.

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.

"A wonderfully talented chef." --Chef Eric Ripert

"Noodle fans with a stocked pantry will find plenty to slurp about." --Publishers Weekly

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

HARRIS SALAT writes about food and culture for Gourmet, the New York Times, Saveur, and other publications. He lives in New York.

TAKASHI YAGIHASHI opened Takashi's in Chicago in 2008, following successful ventures at Ambria, Tribute, and Okada at the Wynn. He was named the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Midwest and one of America's 10 Best New Chefs by Food & Wine. Takashi is a member of the Macy's Culinary Council as well as the Japanese Culinary Cultural Association of America. He lives with his family in Chicago.

THE AUTHOR SCOOP

Tell me something that other people might not know about you. 
I love to play guitar.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?
To always have a peaceful mind.

What's the oddest food you've ever eaten? 
Dried Sea Cucumber Ovaries (a very expensive and rare delicacy).

What's the meaning of your name? 
Takashi (Dragon) Yagihashi (Willow Bridge).

Favorite cocktail? 
Yuzu Lemonade

What is your favorite sandwich?
Fried Pork with cucumber, lettuce, mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce.

What's the best way to spend a rainy Saturday morning?
Making noodle soup.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Introduction

From hand-cut soba to a hearty bowl of ramen, Japanese love their noodles.

I'm no exception. This book will introduce you to my country's comfort food, from traditional preparations to modern twists, including Italian pasta, Japanese style. It will explain the varieties and flavors of these versatile dishes, and guide you to vibrant-sometimes surprising-ingredients. And in the pages that follow, I'll share personal recipes inspired by my two decades cooking here in America. All the recipes in this book are delicious dishes you can cook at home. Just ask my family.

I grew up in Mito, Japan, a small city 100 miles northeast of Tokyo near the Pacific Ocean. Back then, in the 1960s, my hometown was surrounded by rice fields and vegetable plots-and the farmers personally delivered their bounty by motorcycle. The rumble of engines announced their arrival to my house each morning, with a crate lashed to the rear rack overflowing with just-picked eggplant, daikon, carrots, and greens. These deliveries-fish and handmade tofu, too-were so frequent that my mother didn't own a refrigerator!

My passion for noodles started early. We were lucky enough to live on a block with two family-run noodle restaurants, both a 5-minute walk from my house. This was a godsend to my hardworking parents, both busy accountants-so we ate plenty of fresh noodles during the week. I attended elementary school with the kids from one of those places, the Azuma-an soba shop, which cultivated my taste for noodles even more. Playing at their house after class meant stepping into the noodle version of the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, since their living quarters were attached to the restaurant in the traditional Japanese style. I still remember staring awestruck at cooks portioning long sheets of fresh soba dough with monstrous knives and tossing the strands into gurgling pots large enough for me to bathe in.

As I got older I started cooking for myself after my studies. The very first dish I ever prepared was noodles-but Ihave to admit they were the instant kind. In high school I took a job scrubbing pots at the restaurant attached to the local cultural center. This place served European-style food and gave me my first taste of Italian pasta and sauces.

I didn't realize it at the time, but that humble kitchen job launched a culinary career that transported me from Mito and Tokyo to Chicago, Detroit, and Las Vegas. I started in local mom-and-pop storefronts in Japan and after years of hard work became a James Beard Award-winning chef running French and Japanese restaurants here in America.

The cuisine I've created at my restaurants has been contemporary and modern, celebrated as among the finest in America by such publications as the New York Times and Food & Wine. I'm grateful for those accolades-and I love creating dishes that draw from the best of French and Japanese cuisine. But I also love my soul food, and have never stopped yearning for it: the simple, delicious noodles I still prepare at home for my family. I now want to share my favorite recipes with other cooks here in America.

You can find noodles everywhere in Japan, from noodle stands in train stations to neighborhood noodle shops to elegant noodle restaurants. And at home, noodles are a staple of nearly every kitchen. We enjoy a wide variety of noodles in Japan: hearty buckwheat soba, chewy udon, vermicelli-like somen, and "Chinese noodles," or ramen, which is extremely popular throughout the country. Pan-Asian noodles, from Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea, are also fashionable, as is Italian pasta, like the kind I first tasted back in Mito. But as these imports have become a part of the cuisine, they've adopted a uniquely Japanese character.

This book dedicates a chapter to each of these styles of noodles. I cover traditional preparations that I've enjoyed since I was a child, including soba with hot, crispy tempura. I also introduce elegant recipes influenced by my modern, cross-cultural cooking, such as udon with heirloom tomatoes and ratatouille. And I include recipes that may surprise you, such as spaghetti with clams and seaweed. My dishes are extremely versatile, ranging from simple to elegant, hot to cold, and summer favorites to winter treats.

In addition to noodle recipes, I'll include a chapter on side dishes-authentic favorites such as gyoza dumplings, grilled squid, and tofu.

If your life is as busy as mine, juggling my career, family, the kids' soccer games-even my two dogs make demands-I know you'll appreciate the recipes in this book. Whether simple or elegant, my noodles are healthy and satisfying comfort foods that are a snap to pull together on any school night. Your kids will love them! And noodles won't burn a crater in your wallet: they're an economical way to stretch a budget and still enjoy quality meals, whether you're cooking for an entire family or just yourself. When you finish reading my book, you'll understand why we Japanese so crave our noodles, and I guarantee you will, too.

Now, before you delve into my recipes, please read the following tips, which will help you get the most out of my book.

Buying Noodles

Noodles, of course, are the most important ingredient in this book, but how do you find the right kind? Japanese and Asian noodles usually come in two varieties, fresh-frozen or dried. You can typically find good-quality dried soba, udon, somen, ramen, and rice noodles in the "ethnic" food aisles of many large supermarkets. Finding fresh-frozen noodles, though, is a bit trickier. If you live near a city with a large Asian population, you can find specialized Asian or Japanese markets that often carry a big selection of both fresh-frozen and dried noodles.

The following guide will help you shop for the different types of noodles you'll need to prepare my recipes

Ramen. You can find fresh-frozen or dried ramen at Japanese markets. Fresh-frozen ramen takes about 2 to 3 minutes to cook, while dried takes longer. Please follow package instructions, but be careful: frozen ramen noodles are easy to overcook. Make sure you ready all parts of the recipe first, then cook the noodles as a last step and serve immediately. I recommend frozen ramen noodles because the egg flavor is more pronounced, but feel free to substitute dried noodles in any of the recipes. Another option is to find fresh "chow mein" noodles in Chinese or Asian markets (sometimes called "Chinese egg noodles"). These noodles are, in fact, ramen-they originated in China.

Soba and Udon. You can buy fresh-frozen, precooked soba and udon at Japanese markets, which is really convenient: all you do is quickly heat them in boiling water, and they're ready (follow package instructions). Like frozen ramen noodles, though, be careful not to overcook frozen soba or udon-frozen soba take only a minute to cook. These noodles are often portioned into serving sizes, too, so you can store them in the freezer and use as many portions as you need. Dried soba and udon are another option. Dried soba takes 3 to 4 minutes to cook, while dried udon will take longer. Be sure to follow package instructions for exact cooking times. With udon, by the way, I use two styles (there are many), sanuki, which is like thick spaghetti, and inaniwa, which resembles linguine. Finally, you can also make soba from scratch, which takes a little work, but the taste is incomparable. Please see my recipe on page 38.

Somen. These noodles are usually sold dried. Vermicelli-like somen cooks extremely fast-in about a minute. Follow package instructions for the exact cooking time.

Other Asian Noodles. I use two kinds of Asian noodles in this book: rice noodles and bean thread noodles. Rice noodles are sold dried and come in a wide variety of styles. For my recipes, stick to the rice noodles that look like fettuccine. Bean thread...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Ten Speed Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2009
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1580089658
• ISBN 13: 9781580089654
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 176
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: GPSR Kontakt; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland