The Japanese Larder: Bringing Japanese Ingredients into Your Everyday Cooking, written by Luiz Hara, features over 100 fun and innovative recipes using favorite Japanese ingredients. A few highlights include Sweet Red Bean and Ricotta Swirl Rolls, Crispy Duck and Glass Noodle Salad, Yuzu Brioche Toasties, and Buta no Kakuni (Pork Belly Squares in Cider, Soy Sauce, and Brown Sugar). I will also be sharing his recipe for Mochi Cheesebreads following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Jacqui Small in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Luiz Hara
Luiz Hara is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, food and travel writer, and creator of The London Foodie blog. He is currently based in London, England.
His work has been featured in The Independent, The Evening Standard, The Guardian, Time Out London, BBC Good Food Channel, and The Telegraph. Luiz is also the author of Nikkei Cuisine: Japanese Food the South American Way.
The Japanese Larder
In The Japanese Larder, Luiz focuses on notable Japanese ingredients in an effort to demystify them and show their versatility in everyday cooking. He begins with an incredibly detailed, in-depth guide to the most common seasonings with a closer look at the history behind each item and their importance.
The accompanying photos are particularly helpful to those who have not used these staples before. You will even find a collection of recipes for basic sauces, marinades, garnishes, and stocks to help elevate your meals.
The Chapters are divided according to the type of ingredient: Chapter 1 (Japanese Key Seasonings), Chapter 2 (Dried, Fermented and Preserved Japanese Ingredients), Chapter 3 (Japanese Spices, Condiments, and Garnishes), Chapter 4 (Japanese Rice, Noodles and Tofu), Chapter 5 (Japanese Fruit and Vegetables), Chapter 6 (Japanese Tea and Other Beverages), and Chapter 7 (Sauces, Marinades and Garnishes).
The photography is provided by Simon Smith. Every single recipe is accompanied by a beautifully-styled, full page photo of the finished dish. There are even a few step-by-step photos to help illustrate the proper technique for making soy milk, tofu, udon noodles, and onigirazu.
Titles are written in English and Japanese when applicable (both kanji/kana and romanized). Measurements are listed in Metric and US Customary. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, tips, menu ideas, serving size, and a list of notable ingredients bolded under the title.
Mochi Cheesebreads
Luiz was inspired to make these Mochi Cheesebreads after coming across them during a recent trip to Japan.
Similar in style and texture the Brazilian Pão de Queijo, these little rolls swap the tapioca flour for mochiko- a glutinous rice flour. The result is a wonderfully light and chewy bread packed with cheese in every bite.
Simply knead everything together, divide and roll into individual pieces, and bake until puffed and golden. Allow the Mochi Cheesebreads to cool just enough to handle. They are best warm from the oven.
Mochiko
Mochiko is a Japanese glutinous rice flour made from sweet sticky rice. It can be found in the international or gluten-free section of some larger American grocery stores and in markets with Japanese ingredients.
For those in Los Angeles, I would get it at Mitsuwa or Tokyo Central in Torrance. For those in Northern Virginia, I usually find it at Wegmans or Lotte Plaza Market in Chantilly. It is also available on Amazon: Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour.
A Few Mochi Cheesebread Tips
The dough comes relatively easily, but takes some time to knead together. It will be crumbly at first, but should start to stick together after working for about 5 minutes.
Grate the cheese. Do not shred. You want small pieces to fully incorporate into the other ingredients. This recipe is best with freshly grated cheese. If it is pre-shredded, it may have additives that reduce the chewiness of the cheesebread.
Divide the dough into 20 pieces for slightly larger (but still small) rolls or 30 pieces for little bites.
The balls of dough can be frozen immediately after forming and baked straight from the freezer. A couple of minutes may need to be added to the cooking time. Just arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag when solid until ready to use.
Other Dishes
I also made Oyakodon (Poached Chicken and Egg in Dashi and Soy Broth Served on White Rice), Brown Butter and Miso Linguine, Ramen Noodles, and Iced Matcha Espresso Latte.
Oyakodon is a classic homestyle dish and one of my favorite comfort foods. Chicken pieces and lightly beaten eggs are poached in a seasoned dashi broth and served over rice with chives, nori, and sansho pepper.
The Brown Butter and Miso Linguine is another quick and easy meal packed with flavor. Al dente pasta is tossed in a buttery miso sauce and topped with toasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and micro parsley or basil.
I have created dozens of different kinds of homemade pasta, but never once thought to make my own Ramen Noodles. I was so happy to come across this recipe. Baking soda is baked in the oven, then mixed with water, flour, and a little salt to form a smooth dough. After resting for an hour, the dough flattened using a pasta machine (or by hand), then cut into noodles with the spaghetti setting.
The Iced Matcha Espresso Latte has all of my favorites layered into one drink. Sweetened condensed milk is combined with whole milk and poured into the bottom of the glass. The milk is topped with matcha, then finished off with espresso.
The Japanese Larder is a great pick for those looking for both unique and a few traditional recipes using Japanese ingredients. There is a diverse assortment of weeknight meals alongside more intricate recipes perfect for entertaining or date nights.
Having a market specializing in Japanese ingredients nearby will be helpful for locating items such as Mirin, sake, nori, dashi powder, kinako flour, usukuchi shoyu, yukari (purple shiso seasoning), umeboshi, okara, shimeji mushrooms, miso, mentaiko, black tobiko caviar, adzuki beans, yuzu kosho, and more.
Mochi Cheesebreads Recipe
Excerpt from The Japanese Larder
Mochi Cheesebreads
Ingredients
- 200 grams (7 ounces, 1 3/4 cups) glutinous rice flour mochiko
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg beaten
- 50 milliliters (2 fluid ounces, 1/4 cup) whole milk
- 50 milliliters (2 fluid ounces, 1/4 cup) melted butter or sunflower oil
- 50 grams (1 3/4 ounces) Parmesan cheese grated
- 150 grams (5 1/2 ounces) mature Cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4.
- Mix the rice flour and baking powder with the sea salt in a bowl until well combined.
- Break the egg into a separate bowl and beat it with a whisk until lightly frothy.
- Add the egg to the flour mix, followed by the milk, melted butter or sunflower oil and both grated cheeses.
- Knead the dough until all the ingredients are completely incorporated into a firm dough. Do not worry if the dough seems too dry at the start, it will take about 5 minutes of kneading for it to bind together.
- Cut the dough into 20-30 equal parts and roll them into individual balls with your hands.
- Place them on a baking tray (sheet) lined with baking (parchment) paper or into a non-stick muffin tin and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Transfer the cheesebreads to a cooling rack and let them cool down slightly before eating. They are best eaten while hot.
Taylor Kiser
Sounds like a fantastic cookbook! These Japanese Mochi Cheesebreads look so delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
Marlynn | Urban Bliss Life
My daughter and I both love Japanese food, so I will have to check out this cookbook! These cheesebreads look like yummy snacks & side dishes.
Kelly Anthony
The Japanese Larder looks like a great cookbook. Thanks for sharing such a good find!
Norina
I made some for breakfast today. they’re so yummy. wish i could post the picture of my finished product here… thank you so much for this recipe.
Tara
Thank you Norina! So happy to hear!
Felicia
Hi!! Can I use soy milk instead of whole milk?
Tara
Hi Felicia! I haven’t personally baked with soy milk so can’t speak for certain on the results. Since this recipe only uses 1/4 cup milk, it “should” be ok, but the texture and flavor may not quite be as rich. Be careful on the sugar content.
Connie Nakamura
Hello, thanks for posting this recipe. I just wanted to tell you that I tried making these with shiratamako. I live in rural Japan and that’s what our corner store had. They did not turn out well- I followed the recipe exactly. The issue was that shiratamako is granulated and it did not dissolve in the butter/ milk. I was a little skeptical about it before I made them and it seems I was right. Without preparation of the shiratamako as directed on the package it won’t dissolve. But doing that would have changed the recipe- so I didn’t. I’ll try them with regular rice flour and see what happens. If I find mochiko ( it’s usually seasonal) I’ll try that too. Have a good day!
Tara
Hi Connie! So sorry it didn’t work out. Thanks so much for letting me know. When reviewing the book, I have only personally tried the bread with the mochiko.