Just Add Shoyu

Just Add Shoyu is a cookbook recently published through the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. I purchased my copy back in November but only recently opened it. Last weekend, I made chow mein (with homemade noodles purchased at Haru Matsuri). All I can say is yum, yum, yum!

final result

I have also tried the okonomiyaki (which was ok even though I left out the yam) but it was a little soggy. I have never eaten 'the real' thing so I'm not sure if it is supposed to have turned out the way it did. They did taste good tho.

Yesterday, I followed the recipe for sushi rice to make inari-zushi. It was the first time I used kombu while cooking the rice. For those who are not familiar with kombu, it is a version of seaweed (nori) that is much thicker and tougher than the nori used to make maki rolls. Pieces of kombu are added in with the rice water (or in water for soup broth) to add flavour. It is discarded after cooking. I have to say (and so did my dad and Alia and Kyra) that they were very good!

At the end of the book are stories from the Japanese Canadian community, war time stories, New Year's traditions. I have yet to read the whole thing but I am looking forward to having some extra reading time after April 1.