Sushi
Taste and Technique
By Hiroki Takemura
Reviewed by Madelyn Miller
 To me, the most intimidating food to prepare is Sushi.
First, you need the perfectly fresh fish. And you have to prepare the rice.
And have the sharpest knife and the skill to slice the fish perfectly. And
all that is just a minor detail compared to the fine art of putting it on
the plate.
I took a Japanese cooking class years ago. All I
learned was a new respect for sushi chefs.
Sushi: Taste and Technique (DK Publishing, September
2002, Hardcover, $20) by former Nobu chef Hiroki Takemura and Asian-fusion
specialist Kimiko Barber makes preparing this increasingly popular cuisine
easy enough for anyone to master. Throughout the book, full-color photos and
clear instructions reveal cutting-edge techniques and trade secrets on
everything from the gathering of ingredients to the presentation of sushi.
But Sushi: Taste and Technique is more than just the most practical and
beautiful sushi book on the market, it’s also brimming with information
about the history and meaning of this healthy, delicious, Japanese food.
Sushi: Taste and Technique is divided into three main
sections: Basics, Making, and Eating. Basics covers everything from buying
equipment to finding and choosing the freshest fish, shellfish and roe.
Takemura and Barber also go through some of the most basic recipes (sushi
rice, dashi) and pantry staples (wasabi, seaweed sheets) that readers will
need to make sushi. In the Making section, vibrant photos complement
easy-to-follow instructions and recipes for everyone’s favorites, including
both scattered and hand-formed sushi. Finally, in Eating the authors offer
insights into the experience of eating sushi at the sushi bar or at home.
They cover everything from what to drink to chopstick etiquette—demystifying
what can be an overwhelming experience for those trying sushi for the first
time.
This highly visual, easy-to-follow guide to sushi
preparation is a book that sushi lovers—and sushi novices—will find
themselves turning to again and again.
About the authors:
After ten years working in finance in London, Kimiko
Barber was inspired to change her career and focus on cooking and
entertaining. Kim now inspires others with her demonstrations of Japanese
and Asian cooking at Books for Cooks, in Notting Hill, London.
**Kimiko Barber is available for phone interviews. If
you’d like to speak with her, please contact Rachel Kempster at 212.213.4800
ext. 5031***
Hiroki Takemura completed a sushi chef apprenticeship
in Osaka, Japan. To broaden his experience, he went to Europe—and for the
next ten years he worked in the city’s noted Japanese restaurants. At the
invitation of Nobu Matsuhisa, he headed up Nobu London’s opening team. He
also worked in Nobu’s New York restaurant.
Sushi: Taste and Technique
Publication Date: September 2002
ISBN: 0-7894-8916-3
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover
|Price: $20.00
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