The Manga Cookbook: Japanese Bento Boxes, Main Dishes and More!
by Chihiro Hattori, The Manga University Culinary Institute
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Book Reviews of The Manga Cookbook: Japanese Bento Boxes, Main Dishes and More!
Book Review: Great book for bento
Summary: 5 Stars
I am active on LJ's bento community and was happy to find this book. It is GREAT if you are into bento. There isn't much out there in English for bento (I have several Japanese bento cookbooks), and this has very clear, easy to understand instructions for all kinds of Japanese recipes, and includes a whole bento section on how to pack a box and suggestions of what to include. Step by step instructions for making a train bento, and garden bento, also instructions for making several decorative foods to go in bento.
It's organized really well, with recipes and illustrations, then a page of text that tells about the recipe or food item - history, culture, stuff like that. For example, I finally learned about those traditional bento of scrambled egg, ground meat and sliced snow peas over rice. They're called Soboro, and there are some examples of making pretty bento with that. The recipes look easy enough that my 12-year-old said she wanted to try some.
All in all, I wish I'd found this book a year ago when I started being interested in bento, but it's not just for newbies. I am seeing recipes in here that I really want to try, including some cute bento ideas that I haven't seen or thought of. Lots and lots of recipes, it's a thicker book than I expected.
If you are a big Manga fan, you might expect the book to be read back to front/right to left, Manga-style, but it's not. It's American manga, which is fine with me. Very easy to read. Much more helpful and "how to" than the (very cute) "Face Food" book.
Book Review: MANGA/ANIME FAN'S DREAM EASY TO DO COOKBOOK
Summary: 5 Stars
The Manga CookbookA 5Star publication, The Manga Cookbook is a very easy How To Cook Japanese publication with very cute, expressive, masterful illustrations. Definitely for manga [Japanese Comic] and anime [Japanese animation] fans, who also wish to learn cooking Japanese food their favorite characters eat in much loved stories. With a cute level of 10 [1-10], this publication is both a THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU gift or a I AM SO HAPPY I GOT IT purchase. The instructions are easy to understand. With a bit of practice, this book can make meals to have all your manga/anime loving friends shouting: ARIGATO! [THANKS] as they munch and praise your cooking. With parent or older sibling help, even pre-teens can enjoy COOKING JAPANESE. The instructions are also easy for teens and young adults. A fine publication, The Manga Cookbook, is worth having just on the basis of the cute illustrations. Definitely it is a well thought out instructional cookbook also.Book Review: Poor Authenticity
Summary: 2 Stars
I got this book for Christmas last year from a family member. I do a lot of Japanese cooking because i love the healthy aspects of it. Unfortunately this cookbook while it does give some okay recipes; the servings, ingredients, and instructions nearly all fail to be authentically Japanese, perhaps with an exception on how to shape hot dogs and how to cook rice (though this depends on what type and the actual brands of rice, so even this isn't all that great)
The recipes that I tried all came out in completely Americanized ways. The recipes, while traditional at heart and inspired by actual Japanese recipes, lack actual authentic taste. All of the recipes that I tried, I used products from my local Japanese store, so it was not the ingredients fault.
The only reason I give this two stars is because a majority of the recipes are edible, they just aren't what one should make if trying to make authentic Japanese food.
Book Review: Good Start: 4 Reasons
Summary: 4 Stars
I love this book. To start off:
1. Has a good variety of different foods. Meaning that it covers all nutritional aspects down to desert.
2. Gives amount of calories per serving.
3. Clear fun interactive instructions on how to prepare a dish. For example, one or more of the main characters, as shown on the cover, walk you comically through each step of preparation.
4. Gives description of ingredients, where to find them, and what could be used as an alternative.
Overall, the book contained many of the recipes that I find in my vast manga collection. However, there are still some recipes that I would have liked to have seen included in this book. Nonetheless, this manga style cookbook, wonderfully combines an ample amount of the most widely employed dishes in both anime and manga of all genres.
Book Review: BUY THIS BOOK!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book on a whim at Anime Expo. I've read recipes before on making Japanese food, and generally thought, well, that's nice, but it's a lot of effort. After getting halfway through this book in one day, I went shopping and tonight I have umeboshi onigiri made with sushi rice in my fridge, a bento for my lunch tomorrow and have finished a dinner of karaage. This book is PERFECT for the beginner, especially those introduced to the delights of Japanese food through manga or anime. It makes everything simple enough to dive right in and enjoy the delights of Japanese food in your home. The authors have made a real effort to adjust things to American kitchens and measurements. It's even an entertaining read. I can't wait to get through the second half of the book and see what I'm making later this week!