Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota Cookbook Review
Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota Cookbook Review
Learn to making easy and authentic Japanese food in Tokyo Cult Recipes
I’ve worked my way through a couple of Japanese cookbooks, and I loved them all. But I think I found my favourite. Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota is an excellent cookbook.
In it, Maori Murota charts recipes from the Tokyo he grew up in. His aim is to show the reader how easy it is to make Japanese food, and that it’s not just about sushi. More importantly, that you don’t need to be a sushi master to make great things to eat.
And Murota has done a great job in Tokyo Cult Recipes. It’s an introductory book to easy, everyday Japanese cooking. With a couple of special-occasion dishes also thrown in – but nothing too intimidating.
Most importantly, flicking through the cookbook makes me smile because I want to make and eat *everything* in it. So let’s get started.
What are the recipes like in Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota?
In Tokyo Cult Recipes, Murota introduces the reader to authentic Japanese recipes, from food cooked at home to food served in restaurants.
So, there are cult recipes like teriyaki burgers and Oyako-don (rice topped with a chicken omelet). Murota also details popular dishes that people make at home, and there’s a great section on Japanese desserts too. Japanese Chiffon cake, I’m looking at you.
And when it comes to the recipes, they often feature short ingredient lists and clear instructions. This isn’t one of those cookbooks with long story-telling sections, but I think I prefer it like this.
Alongside the easy recipes are pages filled with gorgeous photography. Each recipe has its own facing picture of the finished dish.
Feeling suitably inspired, we start cooking up a feast of Japanese food.
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Teriyaki chicken burger recipe
It’s a Saturday evening and the teriyaki chicken burgers are calling my name. Happily, the Tokyo Cult Recipe for them is super easy, and the burgers come together really quickly.
You’ll just need a couple of de-boned chicken breasts, some every-day Japanese cooking sauces, and a hot pan. Then in about half an hour you’ll have a deliciously charred and sticky teriyaki chicken burger.
Oyako-don recipe
Oyako-don, or rice topped with a chicken omelet, is as cult a Tokyo recipe as you’ll get. And it’s as easy as it sounds to make.
But even though the recipe is simple, the finished dish is everything but. It’s got great complexity, and the texture of just-cooked woobly eggs on sticky rice is delicious.
Niku Udon recipe
Niku Udon is udon noodle soup with sweet and savoury beef. The noodles are cooked in a dashi broth, and the beef simmered with sugar and savoury condiments. It’s a delicious and wholesome bowl, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
If you’re going to try this recipe, I’d use the best beef you can get, and a preferably a well-marbled cut. My cut of beef was quite lean and although the resulting dish was yummy, I can see how it’d be better with more fat on the meat.
Black sesame ice cream recipe
Tokyo Cult Recipes lists some delicious desserts, and the ice cream section is particularly good. I love black sesame ice cream but I can’t remember the last time I saw it in a restaurant. So I’m pleased to have the recipe now on hand.
And it’s a straightforward recipe, with instructions on how to make the ice cream in an ice cream maker as well as manually. I really appreciate when cookbook authors don’t just assume you have every tool in your kitchen 😊
The finished black sesame ice cream is delicious and very moreish. Which is fine by me – I have a whole pack of black sesame paste to use up now, and a newly fired appetite for ice cream.
Matcha and white chocolate cake recipe
One of my favourite Japanese ingredients is matcha so I was always going to like this matcha cake recipe. Using loads of white chocolate chips is just the cherry on the cake.
And with just 6 ingredients and one paragraph of instructions, this might also be the easiest recipe in Tokyo Cult Recipes.
The resulting matcha cake has a nice balance between sweet and savoury, and showcases the main ingredient really nicely. I also like the little bits of white chocolate that give this cake a little creaminess too.
In terms of texture, the matcha cake is on the heavier side – so it goes really well with a tall glass of milk.
Overall thoughts on Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota
If you’ve read this far then you probably already know that I love this cookbook. Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota is filled with very doable, very delicious recipes. And it goes a long way in demystifying Japanese cookery and making it accessible for home cooks.
Buy Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota.
Have you tried Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota? Do you have any favourite recipes? Let us know :)
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