In this comprehensive IACP Award-nominated cookbook, Hiroko Shimbo gently and authoritatively demystifies Japanese cuisine for Western cooks. In Part One, Shimbo offers up an extended cooking-school lesson in Japanese ingredients, cooking methods, and implements, with ample advice on easy-to-find substitute ingredients and shortcut techniques.This first part also has all the basic recipes for sauces, stocks, dressings, and relishes, plus time-tested secrets of rice and noodle cookery, all of which give readers the skills to improvise and create their own Japanese meals.In Part Two, Shimbo serves up a stunning feast of Japanese dishes, from updated classics of the traditional repertoire to her own delectable creations. Here are scrumptious appetizers like Tempura Pancakes and Salmon and Vegetables in a Sweet Vinegar Marinade, clear and delicate miso soups, hearty yet refined chicken, duck, and meat entrées, delicious fish and shellfish preparations, and lots of Japan's famous sushi, rice-bowl, and noodle-bowl dishes. A chapter on the fine art of Japanese desserts rounds out the banquet.This is an indispensable book for both aficionados and home cooks eager to learn more about Japanese cuisine.