The Gaijin Cookbook: Japanese Recipes from a Chef, Fath… (2024)

Rating time! I had high hopes for this book, but ultimately did not have much luck with the recipes - out of the several I tried, only one was just okay, the remaning ones just did not suit my taste, or felt plain heavy.

* The author is a little spoiled by easy access to seafood and Japanese markets, though this still leaves a lot of recipes.
* Many of the recipes I found appealing require kinds of fish totally inaccessible in my part of Europe - but even more require lots of bacon. Not pork, bacon. Which my husband should avoid. Whereas I should not eat soy or tofu. To conclude: if your protein intake is chicken/ beef centered, this will certainly narrow down your options here.

Ugh I will be cooking everything in here for dinner for the foreseeable future. Have already made 3 things and they were delicious as expected.
This is a pretty accessible Japanese food cookbook! He tells you what the ingredients are and how to get them, but also has suggestions for substitutions that maybe easier to find. The intro made me tear up though. I've already gushed about his perspective in the review of his other cookbook and it hasn't changed in this one.

Nicely written cookbook for home. Give it a read if you wanna have an insight into how Japanese eat and maybe change your routine a bit.

“Don’t brutalize the meat—ten to twelve moderately firm whacks ought to do it.”

...I’m 12

I bought it when it first came out and it's amazing! A lot of these dishes, I've had at Japanese restaurants and I never imagined I could make it at home like Pork Katsudon. It's been one of my favorite dishes for ten years! And stir fry-! I don't think I'll ever buy stir fry from a restaurant ever again because now I make it better. The homemade Teriyaki Sauce is DIVINE! However, I use less oyster sauce because it's too salty, and as a preference I add grated ginger.

One MINOR complaint: The book is so beautiful it draws you in with the bright pictures and makes me want to go to Japan! It has a happy, elegant, family/friendship vibe, but it diminishes because the author at some parts is trying too hard to be cool.

When reading about his time in Japan or about a recipe he'll drop a random F-bomb. I'm not judging his personal use of language because I'm no saint myself, but what I am judging is the PRESENTATION of the book and the WRITING itself. It's jarring because you're in a peaceful (at least I am) mindset and you're reading about all these wonderful things until suddenly his writing shifts in a different direction. It's not consistent and doesn't match with the overall theme of his book. When he swears it just feels random and not natural, which is why I'm accusing him of trying too hard to be cool. Second example page 202 Seasoned Omelet Tamagoyaki:

"Now roll the omelet up in the new layer of egg like you're a mob enforcer wrapping a snitch in a rug."

Come on, dude, this ain't the Thug Life Cookbook! If Ivan talks this way IRL, fine, but it didn't translate well to the written word.

Other than that buy this book if you LOVE good food!

I love all things Japan; the country, the culture, the food, everything!

Naturally, when I saw the Gaijin Cookbook in my local library, I picked it up.

I enjoyed the author's conversational tone and writing style; I especially like it when authors talk about their love of food and culture and how it relates to their family, which certainly applies here.

Every recipe is familiar and brought back memories of my own; the photos are great, big and bright, and instructions are carefully laid out for you to follow.

If I was a chef, I'd be making nearly every recipe here.

Alas, I'm a lousy cook but I don't need to be Anthony Bourdain to salivate over the recipes and the accompanying photos.

I have too many discombobulated feelings about authenticity and appropriation in cookbook writing and how different people approach them, which I don’t think I can fit in this review. I felt uneasy even checking out this book from the library, and am still not sure what I think about it.

To Orkin’s credit, he does try to tackle some of these issues face-on in his writing, highlights native Japanese writers’ work, and emphasizes that this cookbook is more about what his Japanese-American family eats than a compendium of all of Japanese food. I’ve already returned the book to the library, but there were some passages where I thought he addressed this better than others. The recipes looked good, though I haven’t had time to try any, and I think for what it is it did a relatively good job. That said, I’m not sure that it deserves the critical reception that it has received.

Most of the recipes are simple enough and if you live in an urban area, the ingredients shouldn’t be a problem. However, I don’t see many cooks utilizing this cookbook for everyday cooking. Outside of a few recipes, I’ll pass on making most of them.

An interesting perspective, but a little bro-y to me.

I bought this book for one recipe in particular, but I am interested in trying most of them...which is rare for a cookbook for me. I like the perspective of recipes from a foreigner who has immersed himself in Japanese culture, though it does mean that more authentic versions of some of these recipes that I already have I'll continue to fall back on.

The title kind of turned me off at first, but this great collection of Japanese home cooking and bistro basics (and riffs thereupon) is not to be missed. Pretty much all the recipes and perspectives put down here leave me longing for the everyday simple foods and culinary delights I enjoyed heartily while living in Japan. Now that I'm back in the states for the foreseeable future, I really appreciate the many ingredient substitute suggestions and other hacks Orkin includes with almost every recipe, making dishes that I had thought unaccessible or too fussy to source seem stupid-easily doable. So far, I've attempted a few side dishes, and made some instant favorites a few times already (like roasted peppers w/ shiotare). One major revelation: I never thought I'd ever say I look forward to challenging myself to make osechi at home for New Year's, but I look forward to challenging myself to make osechi at home for New Year's! I've only ever pre-ordered osechi, and thought the task too daunting to be done otherwise (like Thanksgiving-from-scratch level difficulty), but reading his chapter gave me the a-ha confidence and gumption to give it a go. That said, I don't know if I'll ever make Japanese curry from scratch, but I absolutely respect its inclusion. The photos are fab too; as a proud once and future Tokyo area bar fly, seeing the photo of Orkin and his wife soaking up Denki Bran at legendary Kamiya bar warmed my heart :)

I own a copy of Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji, and it is all the things they say: comprehensive, encyclopedic, exhaustive. And it left me a little exhausted. It’s hard to know where to begin, which is why I sought out a simpler, more narrowly focused book as a stepping stone.

I’ve made several recipes out of this book (and a few out of his Ivan Ramen book, which has more complex recipes and a better teriyaki recipe than the one in here). The chicken and vegetable rice (tori no takikomi gohan) is simple and was liked by the whole family, as was the okonomiyaki recipe in here. I love the blends of Japanese foods with his own food heritage - shiso gravlax, for instance. It gives ideas of how to incorporate Japanese flavors into your own cooking, which is one of my goals. Also, many of the recipes here gave me a springboard to find other, more complex or more authentic versions. The list of ingredients in the back is incredibly helpful for getting your pantry stocked for Japanese cooking as well.

This is a good beginner's Japanese cookbook aimed at American cooks, and I enjoyed his writing. I do wish he had included a few more suggestions for substitutions; it’s obvious he’s spent his life in big cities. Still, I feel more equipped to tackle Shizuo Tsuji now.

I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely written for people not living in Japan that want to eat Japanese food. It was also the sweariest cookbook I’ve ever read, which was surprisingly refreshing. I’m looking forward to making the Okonomiyaki with the cabbage I just picked up in my CSA!

A fun open romp of a book with hints of curmudgeon with a lot of seemingly easy recipes that I'm pretty sure I'll try at least a handful of (this is more related to owning too many cookbooks rather than the quality of this particular tome).

a great read . . . wish I liked tofu more

Love it !!! Most approachable Japanese cook book for home cooks and also funny and witty version of Ivan himself :D !!! Glad I read to now !!!

The go to book I recommend for anyone looking to pick up Japanese cooking.

I heard about this book on one of the Bon Appetit Foodcasts a while back, and just got around to actually making an account to write a review.

Background: I'm a self-taught home cook in grad school for a STEM PhD. I learned how to cook Japanese food by watching Youtube videos. One of my hobbies is collecting and cooking from Japanese cookbooks/food media, and I've traveled to Japan a couple of times in partial pursuit of this hobby. I cook almost every day, ranging from simple 30 minute meals to multi-day projects. I'm probably a 8.5 or 9 on "how far will you go for a cooking project" scale, which probably correlates with the whole "in school for a PhD" thing.

First of all, for people who are new to Japanese cooking, the book is totally approachable: if you're not scared to go to the international section of your local Safeway/Meijer/Whole Foods, you can do most of these recipes. There's nothing in this book that requires you to source esoteric ingredients -- and honestly, that's what I love about it.

Given my background, I have a need for simple and delicious meals that I can make with pantry-ready ingredients. This cookbook gives me exactly that, along with a comforting dose of Orkin's narration about his family and time living in Japan. I cook several dishes from the book on a regular basis: oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl ), shogayaki (pan fried ginger pork cutlets ), and ishikari nabe (sort of like a salmon chowder, sort of like this emoji 🍲) being my favorites. The recipes have clear quantities and instructions, and the taste is authentic to dishes I've had in Japan. I find myself reaching for this book more often than not on weekdays when I want a solid recipe to use.

That being said, if you're someone who's looking for more advanced dishes, I might recommend a different book. Orkin does have a section for more complex dishes (named "otaku", which dragged me...), but it's more about foods that are a little heavier on the investment for preparation/cooking (tempura, gyoza) than things like "slice this fish in a delicate manner, simmer at this temperature for exactly 20 minutes while you julienne matchsticks of 2-month aged ginger". For that, I would recommend something like Nancy Singleton Hachisu's "Japan", which is an absolutely visually gorgeous book that I use for my project meals.

All in all, solid 5/5 book, great for anyone who wants to cook practical and comforting Japanese food. I recommend gifting it to your favorite home cook who wants a new cookbook, your friends who pick Japanese restaurants when you hang out (extra points if they order things that aren't sushi rolls), and anyone who's ever told you that they want to go to Japan. 🇯🇵✈️

This is currently my favorite cookbook. I decided to check it out because I watched this video of Orkin making Japanese curry the way he would at home. While he discusses using homemade and high-quality ingredients throughout the video, I found it super refreshing that he'd also recommend and encourages perfectly valid shortcuts, like using premade curry bricks, or some bouillon and veggies in place of homemade stock. When informed that the kitchen he's in doesn't have a microwave, his response is "Oh my f*cking god! Seriously? That's my huge hack!". He follows up with a diatribe, which I adored, about how using microwaves and shortcuts doesn't make your homemade any less real. He quickly leaves the set with his carrots in order to find a microwave.

That same unpretentious approach to home cooking permeates this book, both in the recipes and in Orkin's voice. The dishes are ordered both by the type of the dish (like "things you eat over rice", "broths/soups/stews", etc.) and thematic categories: "It’s structured around the facets of Japanese life that I’ve come to identify with most strongly". The recipes are almost all based on what he cooks at home, with a few from his restaurants. The instructions are written simply and clearly, with no unnecessary distractions. Elsewhere, his love of Japanese culture and its food are clearly evident. I've got to be honest, I never thought a cookbook would draw me in like this one has.

It is interesting to see that Ivan Orkin - who has a decades-long connection to Japan, including many years living, raising a family, and running a business there - comfortably and happily calling himself a Gaijin (literally meaning "outsider" or "foreigner", a term typically associated with white guys). He is happy to reclaim this term to highlight that he is bicultural, with deep insight into Japanese culture, yet can also take an outsider's perspective on it. An intriguing attitude by someone whose expertise is linked to their Japanophile credentials.

I like this book more than I had expected - I started it out of curiosity, but ended up thinking that this book is actually worth cooking from. This collection of recipes is well balanced between formal and casual/homestyle foods, between authentic ingredients and accessibility, and between washoku (traditional native-Japanese dishes) and yoshoku (traditional Western-influenced Japanese food). I love yoshoku and think it deserves to be better known. The book also has a good balance between recipes and memoir (interesting but not too braggy).

This is a really fun, readable cookbook. It taught me a lot about Japanese cuisine, and the explanatory notes for each recipe are just about the perfect length. The part that was most accessible to me is the chapter on American-style food (duh!). I made the potato salad and a few of the condiments, and they are all completely next level.

However, I don't think I would cook from this regularly. It explained a lot about Japanese food, and how and why Japanese chefs cook the way they do. But in general, the recipes in here are a little too fussy for my family on a regular basis.

That being said, his idea for family-friendly meals, like a hand roll party, absolutely do work, and I may try to work that into my regular rotation, if the budget for fresh, high-quality fish is there. This is a great book to check out if you're a fan of Japanese food or want to learn more about Japanese styles of cooking. Orkin is knowledgeable, and the book's conversational tone makes it very accessible.

Ivan Orkin is not ethnically Japanese, nor is his co-author, Chris Ying; but they have put together a book that inspires one to want to try cooking and eating as it's done in Japan. Orkin has had a long love affair with Japanese food, starting as a college student. He married a Japanese wife and has had success with ramen restaurants in Japan. Thus, he has earned his credentials as an expert in Japanese food. This cookbook has many interesting dishes, but most can be done at home with a little effort. The book is also a memoir and reading about the author's experiences with the Japanese culture as well as the food is both interesting and often amusing.

I really liked this book.

3.5 stars. Interesting read--I can't speak to how well Orkin balances appreciating Japanese cuisine and techniques with his own outsider status (he definitely acknowledges it frequently and utilizes a couple fusion recipes, but he also makes a living off his ramen shops in NYC and off teaching Japanese cooking)--but the recipes are definitely accessible and the photography is beautiful.
This book was a gift from a friend and I've enjoyed trying out some of the recipes already. Hoping to read/support a cookbook by a Japanese or Japanese-American author next, though.

Some great, more simple than expected reviews for Japanese classics. Although not super authentic, the author does explain why this is. I was a little put off by the random shifts in tone and swearing, as another reviewer stated, but that's a minor critique. It was a little weird reading this from a white author, as there are sometimes overtones of "this is a super weird foreign thing but I've learned to appreciate it" and "ooh Japan is so cool" in almost a fetishizing way. I'm not sure about this one.

you may only need this one Japanese book

As a foreigner, i find the author understand my struggle when approach JP cuisine very well. He laid out simple and popular, tested and confirmed recipes. As stated at the beginning of the book, he mostly uses 5 popular ingredients for most dishes. The book is tailored for home cooks, and I thank him for making my life easier. Simple and easy steps for making yummy food. I may be able to arrange the cooking session with my son thanks to these recipes. Highly recommend.

A wonderful translation of Japanese dishes to American groceries and shelves, but not to American tastes, the basic flavors and profiles are all very Japanese, and delicious for the difference. These recipes are beautifully illustrated, clearly written, and wonderfully presented with bits of Ivan's life.

The recipes in here are very good. This is the first okonomiyaki recipe I've seen that has *worked*. The Salmon and Miso Hot Pot was surprisingly delicious! I have come to appreciate the flavor of miso.

Some very useful recipes with an interesting Western gaijin's take. I'm sure a lot of effort went into this book too. Even basic recipes such as miso soup are useful to interested Westerners who may not know where to start.

A cookbook chock-full of both approachable recipes for those familiar with basic Japanese cooking and complex recipes for home chefs looking for more of a challenge but, unsurprisingly, a weird undercurrent of fetishism ran throughout the author's narrative.

Orkin breaks down the japanese cooking. What we think is traditional is not so as there is influence from other parts of world in japanese cooking. The photographs are amazing