Happy New Year 2010 // Book Review: Bento and Sushi Books and Recipes

Happy (belated) New Year 2010!! May it bring you all happiness, health and love to you and your families!

Like every year before it, I make a couple of resolutions to complete ASAP. One of them is improve my health, and that means three things:

1. Cut the insane amount of cola I drink and substitute with water
2. Keep experimenting with foods (get over my fish phobia, try new foods,new ingredients)
3. Eat smaller portions (before, I could eat like a man and not gain a pound...needless to say, that's gone)
   

To start off with all three, I'm planning to restart my bento-making habit. It was temporarily alive for the summer since I worked while in class, but I wasn't blogging/taking pictures them accidentally from the stress of classes.

For reference, I've been reading up on Japanese cuisine again. There are so many ingredients that aren't available in the typical supermarket. After a trip with my friends and boyfriend, we found Oriental Food and Arts; the only Asian grocery shop on the entire Island. It's super stocked with ingredients and certain tools that are used in Asian cooking. I only scored some nori, but the moment I get more funds and a chance I'll stock up on more things for authenticity.

Edit (01/14/2010): After checking out a tip from a friend, I found that there's a small selection of key sushi ingredients and other international ingredients nearby. Here's the address for anyone that's interested.

To get some ideas for this year I picked up some literature.

Hana Sushi: Colorful & Fun Sushi for Parties by Boutique Sha
Good God, this book is beautiful. I just wanted to buy it to enjoy the pictures. Hana (designer) sushi is explained thoroughly in sections. I just wished the book was a little cheaper in the bookstore.

Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go by Naomi Kijima (Author), Laura Driussi (Translator)
A more serious book on Japanese cooking, centered in making several kinds of bento. Unfortunately, it's too focused on its roots and forgets that the translation is aimed at non-Japanese audiences.

Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go by Joie Staff
A very cute handbook on building bento boxes. It's mainly aimed at creating boxes to impress. The book's ideal ratio is 1:1:1 on carbs, meat and vegetables (pretty good, in my book).

The Manga Cookbook by Yoko Ishihara
The very first gift my boyfriend ever gave me. Basically, it's an introduction to Japanese cooking. It's made into manga form with several great recipes to try out, with coloured photographs to give you previews of them.

Japanese Cooking by Emi Kazuko
My first taste to the cuisine, my father got it for us a long time along with many others (Borders sale = gold) . It's out of print, and a good read for those who want to learn the history, basic techniques and traditions.

Hope this mega review was helpful to anyone that's interested in starting the new year on the right foot!

Book Review: Healthy, Fast and Cheap: Leaving Home Cookbook and Survival Guide

It's about time I write up another review; too many recipes at once can be quite boring.

This book first caught my attention while shopping with my boyfriend and two of his friends. We had just finished giving the mall a thorough sweep (because, to be honest, it's the only worthwhile thing to do in town besides the bars and the movies). One of them picked it up from the Discount aisle and showed it to me.

What caught our collective attention was the light, informal tone of the book itself. After convincing myself to buy it for $8, it took me an entire week to get around reading it completely.

Leaving Home is geared towards people who are most likely starting to live on their own, notably those who have never cooked a day in their life. The author starts off with a basic idea of what are the basic cooking tools, budgeting pointers, and the good and not-so-good food types with clear explanations for each type.

It then proceeds to the recipes divided by importance in terms of use:

-Snacks: to keep you going using proteins and carbs.

-Breakfast: to start the day right, with pointers to get things done ahead to make the most out of the morning.

-Lunch: because eating lunch out will drain your money much faster

-Dinner: with subdivisions for all meats and grains

-Desserts: to make better use of sugar and other refined carbs.

The book's binding is also convenient, allowing the reader to remove any page for quick reference or for sharing with friends.

Overall, it's a good read since I plan on making a few of the recipes myself (particularly in the snack area).

What I personally did not like at all was the constant reminder of the author's brand. It felt like he was trying to market Healthy, Fast and Cheap(tm) and the all organic diet towards me. As much as I would love to go organic, it's simply not available to me.

To wrap it up, Leaving Home achieves what it sets out to do: encourages the newly independent reader to try new things and eat healthier, all within their budget.

Book Review: Martha Stewart's Cooking School Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart

Since I've started this blog, I've been itching to start posting my own reviews on the many cookbooks available. This book specifically is one of my frequent reads when I hit the local Borders.

The first thing that you see is its size; it's 3 paperback books thick (I have engineering books that rival that thickness!) and just as heavy. Since I only read it when I go to Borders for one or two hours, I haven't finished it completely.

Like her other (huge) book, The Encyclopedia Of Crafts, it covers a spectrum of topics, all pertinent to cooking techniques. It starts off with soups and works its way through the meals to finish with the dessert. Topics include:
-Introduction
-Stocks and Soups
-Eggs
-Meat, Fish & Poultry
-Vegetables
-Pasta
-Dried Beans and Grains
-Dessert
expertly covering each technique involved with their respective tools and ingredients.

Unfortunately, it's extremely expensive for a cooking book ($45) so it's unrealistic to buy it unless you're in culinary school. The equipment and some of the techniques displayed are too much of a strain for a full time student, some recipes requiring hours to complete with tools that are too cumbersome. Also, this book is aimed towards relative beginners (ie, not burn water...yes it CAN happen) to mid level cooks, so it might be too simple for a graduated chef.

Overall, it's a beautifully crafted book, with colorful and instructive photographs and simple, easy to read instructions. It's a great gift for anyone who you think would like to improve on their cooking, or would like to see what possibilities can be found in their talents.