Book Review: Everyday Harumi
Oct 26th, 2009 by admin
Everyday Harumi is Japanese housewife turned cookery writer Harumi Kurihara’s latest book, produced in the UK and photographed by über-food photographer Jason Lowe. I bought an earlier book, Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking, a couple of months ago, and to be honest, wasn’t overly impressed with it. No matter how many times I went through the book, I struggled to find anything that inspired me enough to want to make it. I finally settled on ginger pork or buta no shoga yaki, which is a favourite of mine and the recipe was easy to replicate. When Octopus Books asked me to review her current book, I was therefore a little reluctant. However, I wanted to see what the new book was like and hopefully change my mind about Harumi.
A Japanese friend in Tokyo told me that Harumi was incredibly popular 10 to 15 years ago, but it seems that people are turning to other cookery writers and TV presenters, as her ‘homemaker’ image doesn’t appeal to many modern working women. However, she is still very famous outside Japan, probably because there aren’t that many Japanese food writers published in English, and more importantly, she focuses on home-style cooking that is easy to replicate in the kitchen. If I have time, I’ll do some more research on Harumi when I’m in Tokyo next week and visit one of her many cookware shops.
I have to admit, I enjoyed Everyday Harumi much more than I thought I would. 18 mini Post-It notes currently mark the recipes that I’m planning to try, including yakitori (on the winter barbecue!), tsukune with teriyaki sauce (tsukune is like a minced meat patty or hamburger), simmered sea bream, rice cooked with sea bream, tuna tataki salad and chawan mushi (steamed savoury custard). The explanations that accompany each recipe are more detailed and unlike the last book, here she finally acknowledges that a few of her dishes are Chinese in origin, adapted to suit Japanese tastes, such as the classic Sichuan mapo dofu. The section on store cupboard essentials is a clear and simple introduction to basic ingredients, cooking Japanese rice, making dashi stock and various basic sauces. This would be a good book for anyone wanting to make some simple Japanese dishes at home.
From all the recipes, I chose to make tofu steak. This is similar in some ways to agedashi tofu, but without the broth. The recipe was easy to follow and the result was a simple but delicous and healthy recipe that is sure to please friends and family. I’ll have to test it on my Japanese stepmother-in-law next time…
Tofu Steak (serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 600g soft /silken tofu
- salt & pepper
- 4-5 tbsp potato starch or plain flour – for coating
- 3-4 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil – for frying
- 2 tbsp grated or finely minced garlic
- 25g fresh grated ginger – to garnish
- 50g chopped spring onions – to garnish
- katsuobushi (bonito fish flakes) – to garnish
- banno soy sauce – to serve
Banno sauce:
- 100ml mirin
- 300ml soy sauce
- 10cm piece of kombu seaweed
What to do next: (my comments in italics)
Banno sauce: in a small saucepan, bring mirin to the boil, reduce heat to low and cook for a further 2-3 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Remove from heat and add soy sauce and kombu. Leave to cool for a couple of hours, remove the kombu, then refrigerate. Harumi notes that this is milder and sweeter than regular soy sauce. This is enough to make a large batch, which can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. (As I only wanted to make enough for this dish, I reduced the quantities of each ingredient).
Drain the tofu (I have to emphasise that this part is really important, otherwise the tofu will not fry properly. So use plenty of kitchen towel to soak up as much moisture as possible. I also used two blocks of the pre-packaged silken tofu that comes in small boxes (350g each)). Cut into four pieces (I cut mine into eight).
Season the tofu on both sides with salt and pepper, then spread with grated or minced garlic.
Peel and grate the ginger. Finely slice the spring onions.
Lightly coat the tofu pieces in the potato starch or plain flour.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and when hot, add the tofu, cooking until it is crispy and browned.
Serve with ginger, spring onions and katsuobushi on top. Finish by dressing with banno soy sauce.
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Everyday Harumi is published by Octopus Books and costs £20.00.
Other book reviews on World Foodie Guide.
Glad to hear you liked the book. I have one of her other books, a Japanese friend bought it for me after telling me how popular she was in Japan. I’ve enjoyed the dishes I tried, but confess that I have not delved as deep into it as I would like. The dish you selected certainly sounds tasty.
Have a wonderful time in Japan and I look forward to following all the wonderful experiences you have through your future posts.
Glad to see that you are getting close to going to Japan:) For some reason, I have never attempted to make Japanese before. But, I DO have some bonito flakes in the kitchen, a left-over when my daughter made some really good tasting Okinomiyaki some weeks ago, and will try making this dish with the tofu.
I read about Harumi a couple of weeks ago – described as Japan’s Nigella!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/6306116/Harumi-Kurihara-Japans-answer-to-Nigella-Lawson.html
I’ve enjoyed cooking some of your Japanese recipes from your blog Helen, so may have to seek out this book.
I have got both Harumi books, haha, probably her latest as well. You are right, maybe there are not that many Japanese cookbook available in English. It is also promoted here in Switzerland in German version. Hmm, I like her book but I do not always totally follow her recipes, one time I made the fish cakes, the taste was too light and needed more seasoning. I do not like cooking that carrot salad using the microwave as she does, however, she does inspire me a lot in my Japanese cooking. Her recipes are doable in foreign countries. Thanks for the insights, if she is popular in japan 10-15 years ago, not surprised she has to expand her market to other countries, isn’t it and new rising stars evolved.
I’ve got Harumi’s Japanese Cookery and haven’t attempted anything from it yet – it’s beautifully styled though. Your pictures are mouth-watering!
I don’t have the books, but I’m glad to read that you’re enjoying it more than you thought you would. PS-You have a lovely blog.
Ahhh maybe she’ll enjoy a revival a la Julia Child in a few years! Japanese home cooking is wonderful stuff-I miss it!
OysterCulture – thanks! I’m looking forward to trying a few of her other dishes when I come back from Japan. I hope you’ll enjoy the Japan posts…
Chee – oh, I love okonomiyaki! I’m sure your daughter made a delicious version. The bonito flakes are a vital ingredient for this recipe, and I hope you’ll like it…
LexEat – thanks for the link, I hadn’t read it. I’ve heard Japan’s Martha Stewart too. I think you’d like the book. The recipes are simple to follow. If I find anything good in Japan next week, I’ll let you know!
Gourmet Traveller 88 – I think there are three books in English. I’m sure she has many years of fame left, after all there’s the rest of the world still, and the recipes are quite easy to replicate outside Japan, as you said.
Lizzie – thanks! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the other book when you try it…
susan from food blogga – thank you! I’m very glad too. Do you like Japanese food?
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella – you’re probably right! I can’t wait to try home cooking next week in Japan…
Helen Yuet Ling
Great preparation for your trip Helen and has really whetted my appetite so I am sure it has yours
I don’t have Harumi books at all. It might be somewhere in some bookshops that I overlooked here.
Your Tofu Steak is very tempting indeed. Would love to try some.
Have a nice trip in Japan!
And I thought the book was a total snooze. Her going on about the carrot salad was the only thing I found endearing and I wasn’t sad to pass the book along. ^__^ Ain’t life grand?
I’m glad that you have 18 post-it notes, but I didn’t get inspired enough to talk up Everyday Harumi. It would be rude of me to smack Harumi around in detail because they sent me a free copy of the book, but I thought that the accompanying Kimiko Barber’s The Japanese Kitchen was much better, much more exciting. Organizing by ingredient made it a terrific way to learn about Japanese food. The writing is entertaining and informative, and the food has been delicious so far. I have post-it notes plastered all over that one because it had a wider set of recipes and seemed to offer more fresh food, more exciting flavors. And you didn’t add sugar to everything.
Gourmet Chick – thanks Cara! I hope you’ll enjoy the Japan posts, as I’ll be having fun writing them…
Christine – if you like tofu, which I think you do, then you’ll like this! I hope you and your family have a great time in Japan too. We can swap stories afterwards…
Pattie – what a shame! Hope the next person enjoys it a little more.
HowChow Blog – ah, Kimiko’s book. I attended her cookery demonstration last year and learned a lot from her. Some of my Japanese recipes are hers from the class. I should have bought her book as I remember thinking it would be very useful.
Helen Yuet Ling
I’m not familiar with Harumi Kurihara but that may be due to the fact that I’ve never considered trying to cook Japanese food at home. However, I perked up seeing Kimiko Barber’s name in HowChow’s comment – I enjoyed her ‘Sushi – Taste and Technique’, from which I made my oshizushi a few months ago. The dam has been been breached – I’ll have to give Harumi and her home-style cookery a try!
Tangled Noodle – you made Osaka-style oshizushi! Impressive! Japanese home cooking is really easy actually, you should definitely give it a try…