Book Review and Competition to Win a Copy - "HASHI - A Japanese Cookery Course"

I first met Reiko Hashimoto at one of her Sushi & Sashimi classes in 2005. I felt then I had met someone who was going to change my life. It may sound absurd, but as I write this, six years later from my Tokyo flat, I know I wasn't mistaken.

Since that first fateful encounter, I returned to Hashi Cooking (Reiko's cookery school) to attend all her Japanese cooking classes as a student and more recently as her assistant. From Beginners to Home Cooking, Gourmet and Master Chef courses, I have been lucky enough to spend a great deal of time with Reiko and learn from her. An all-rounder, Reiko is generous with her time and knowledge, a meticulous planner, and a confident and entertaining teacher.

Teaching is her passion and she gives all her energy to her classes and students. There have been times after her evening classes, as we cleaned-up, when she would stumble around completely exhausted. Like an actor, her two-three hour performance takes a lot from her, but she thrives on this and loves what she does. And it certainly shows.

The publication of her first cookbook - "HASHI - A Japanese Cookery Course" has been long awaited. As with her classes, her strive for perfection drove her on, and I was fortunate enough to share some of these moments with her. With my move to Tokyo to study and research Japanese gastronomy, I was not in London for the book launch but was kindly sent a copy of her book here for this review.

As the name suggests, HASHI is structured in the same format as her classes - Beginners, Home Cooks and Gourmet Dishes (Master Chef recipes will I hope feature in her second cookbook). There is also a thorough section on sushi and another on dessert. There are separate sections for Japanese food culture, ingredients and local suppliers, and Japanese meals and menu planning which I feel are very useful and take the book beyond a simple collection of recipes. Each section builds upon the former in both sophistication of ingredients and techniques used, and is divided into 6 categories: Soups and Starters, Salads and Side Dishes, Fish and Seafood, Meat and Poultry, Rice and Noodles and Tofu.

HASHI is a solid, beautifully bound book. I like the bold red cover, the strong typeset used and the logical format of the recipes. Like Reiko's classroom recipes, the ones in the book are also concise, clear and to the point. Her prose is unpretentious, down-to-earth and fun like Reiko herself.

It is  lovely to see some of these very familiar Reiko dishes in print - some I have made countless times like her fantastic "Buta Kakuni" recipe - caramelized slow cooked pork belly, cooked for many hours in a delicious broth of dashi stock, soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger. The meat is yieldingly tender and utterly delicious, and is  the best pork belly recipe I know.

Image Courtesy of Mike Cooper

In the Beginners section of the book, one of my favourite recipes is the "Beef and Vegetable Rolls" - these are thin slices of rib eye beef wrapped around sticks of carrots and asparagus and fried in a deliciously rich teriyaki sauce. Teriyaki is also used to deglaze the pan after the beef rolls have been fried, making an  unctuous sauce for them.

Image Courtesy of Mike Cooper

From the Home Cooks section, I love making Reiko's recipe for "Tonjiru Soup" - this is a miso based soup with chunky root vegetables and thinly sliced pork belly. This is comfort food at its best, and just perfect for this time of year.

Tonjiru - the first dish I cooked when I arrived in Tokyo

"Mabo Tofu" is another popular dish, and Reiko's Japanese version, also in the Home Cooks section of HASHI, is a winner. Originally from China, this dish is one of the best ways to enjoy tofu particularly for those not madly keen on this ingredient. Served with a deliciously spicy sauce made from minced pork and toh ban jan (a Chinese chilli bean paste), this is a rich, flavoursome and warming dish.

Image Courtesy of Mike Cooper

Reiko's signature dish - "Scallops with Creamy Spicy Sauce on Sushi Rice" is the first recipe in HASHI's Gourmet section, and rightly so. This dish encapsulates  some of the most distinctive flavours of Japanese cuisine - sushi rice, seaweed, fish roe and seafood. It is also a stunning dish for any dinner party, or when I want to indulge myself a little. I love it.

Image Courtesy of Mike Cooper

Beyond Reiko's recipes and charming prose, what strikes me mostly about this book is its stunning design by Absolute Press - the photography by Mike Cooper is beautiful, so important to convey the artistry of Japanese cooking. Matt Inwood, Absolute Press' art & design director, has done a stellar job here.

HASHI - A Japanese Cookery Course is now available on Amazon. If you are a Japanese food lover like me, this book is essential read. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Japanese food and would like to learn about the cuisine, or as a gift this Christmas for friends and family. Very highly recommended.

For more information about Reiko Hashimoto and her Japanese Cookery Classes in West London or to order a signed copy of HASHI, please visit Hashi Cooking's website here.

HOW TO ENTER THIS COMPETITION

For a chance to win one of two copies of HASHI - A Japanese Cookery Course, simply leave a comment in this post stating your NAME and E-MAIL address as MrBloggs(at)gmail(dot)com and stating your FAVOURITE JAPANESE DISH by midnight on Wednesday, 7th December 2011.

The two lucky winners will be randomly selected using random.org and his/her name will be announced via Twitter (follow @thelondonfoodie) at midday on Thursday, 8th December 2011.

If you do not use Twitter, I will also be publishing the winner's name here at midday on the 9th December 2011.


The lucky winners, randomly selected by random.org, of this competition were Keiko and Nourishing Nikki. Congratulations, Absolute Press will be in touch to arrange delivery of your copies. Thanks for entering this competition!

DISCLAIMER: I am a personal friend of Reiko Hashimoto, the author of HASHI but have no financial interest in the sales of her book. I have written previously about Reiko Hashimoto's classes in The London Foodie (here) and about the London Cooking Club event "Demystifying Japanese Cooking" in 2010 (here).