The Mindful Kitchen:
The Zen of Japanese Vegetarian Cooking
The Zen way of cooking, how I incorporate mindfulness into the preparation and presentation of food – and lots of lovely recipes gathered during my years of living and eating in Japan.
Coming soon!
A Taste of Japan
‘A good introduction to a way of cooking that is so very different from our own.’
Sophie Grigson, Evening Standard
Accompanying the popular BBC2 series A Taste of Japan which Lesley planned, wrote and presented, A Taste of Japan demystifies the visual artistry, simplicity of preparation and healthfulness of Japanese cuisine for the home cook.
The book covers all the key Japanese dishes, some familiar, some less so, with over 90 recipes and colour photographs of how the dishes should look on the plate. There are descriptions and illustrations of all the main ingredients and equipment of Japanese cooking plus explanations of everything from how to carve carrot ‘flowers’ to how to slice sashimi.
More than just a cookbook, Lesley takes you on a culinary tour of Japan – to the feasts and festivals, into the homes, restaurants, sushi bars, street stalls and even the temples for a taste of this popular cuisine. Along the way she explains the history, legends and lore of the foods and why, as a result of their diet, the Japanese live longer than anyone else in the world.
Japanese Vegetarian Cookery
‘With its emphasis on nature’s inanimate bounty, will appeal to the Zen-minded.’
The Listener
As Buddhists the Japanese have been vegetarian for centuries and have developed an extraordinary variety of vegetarian ingredients and dishes.
In Japanese Vegetarian Cookery, Lesley provides carefully tested recipes for dishes from home cooking and Buddhist vegetarian temple cuisine, explaining how to cook with tofu, miso and seaweeds, plus how to make tofu, miso, natto and yuba (bean curd skin – a delicacy in Japan) and umeboshi, salty pickled plums.
She prefaces her recipes with entertaining stories from her life in Japan and explanations of the names of particular dishes – such as tales of the wily fox and why fox noodles are so-called. The record of a love affair with Japan seen through its food! And a practical guide to mastering one of the world’s great cuisines.
‘Excellent.’
Colin Spencer, New Statesman
Step by Step Japanese Cookery
Coauthored with Minoru Yoneda
This comprehensive guide takes the mystique out of cooking and serving Japanese cuisine. It encompasses a range of techniques from filleting fish and chicken, grilling, steaming and deep frying to preparing dried foods and serving tea and sake. The intricate art of fruit and vegetable carving is also explored, since Japanese foods are prepared for visual as well as palatal enjoyment. The authors, both professional chefs, offer more than 100 recipes, each accompanied and clarified by superbly detailed color photos and thorough instructions. Basic Japanese ingredients and seasonings that have no Western counterparts are clearly defined. Informative chapters on the history and cultural significance of food in Japan and on kitchen equipment are also included in this useful reference for serious cooks.
(Publishers Weekly)
