A modern Japanese cookbook that is ‘a beautiful mess'

Japan Times

26-04-2025

When it was first published in 1980, Shizuo Tsuji's ' Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art ' showed the West a realm of Japanese cuisine that lay beyond sushi, introducing hitherto esoteric dishes to the culinary consciousness of baby boomers who idealized the cuisine of the Far East for its exoticness.
As Japanese food found its way into everyday dining, countless volumes, each with its own spin, were published on the subject. In the 45 years since Tsuji's book, Japanese food hasn't changed that much and perhaps that's a good thing. It has resisted ultraprocessing better than its Western counterpart, with a reverence for ingredients still paramount. More than anything else, what has changed over that period is the interconnectedness of the world we now find ourselves in.
Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares' first cookbook, ' Umai: Recipes From a Japanese Home Kitchen ,' reflects this new zeitgeist. Written for an audience that has grown up with the whole world at their fingertips and for whom good food is good food no matter where it comes from — they most likely already have mirin and miso in their pantry — the book has a distinctly Gen Z perspective that food should fit into your modern, time-pressed lifestyle.
'Lunch does not have to be complicated,' she writes, 'nor does it have to take longer than 15 minutes.'
The author splits her time between London and Tokyo, an arrangement that allows her to compare the dining cultures of both cities. |
LIZZIE MAYSON
Hailing from Notting Hill in West London, Tsukagoshi Lagares, 27, grew up visiting Japan annually. Her mother is from Tokyo, while her father's side is Spanish and Italian, and that pairing resulted in her enjoying 'the best food cultures' in her youth.
'Both of my parents really love food,' she says. 'I grew up on home-cooked meals but we also went out to eat a lot, which I am aware is extremely lucky.'
These days Tsukagoshi Lagares tends to spend half the year in London and the other half in Tokyo, an arrangement that has allowed her to compare dining cultures. One of her observations has convinced her that all Japanese people are foodies at heart.
'You grow up on home-cooked food in Japan, and (most people) can cook here,' she says. 'In England ... many people just eat to survive. They don't have the same love and respect for ingredients.'
"Umai: Recipes From a Japanese Home Kitchen" |
LIZZIE MAYSON
Prior to writing 'Umai,' Tsukagoshi Lagares was working freelance in marketing for a public relations company for chefs and restaurants, an experience that helped her develop a nuance beyond her years for her debut cookbook. When she got the opportunity to sit down and write in 2023, she decided to base herself in a suitably tiny apartment in Tokyo, where she could 'cook more and focus more on my own food things.'
'Umai' is full of mouthwatering dishes, from home-cooking classics and izakaya (Japanese pub) favorites to family recipes and creative originals. Broken into four sections — Easy Lunches, Family Favorites, Izakaya at Home, and Desserts — the book can be used for everyday meals and special occasions alike.
'I've tried to make my book as accessible as possible because it is geared toward a Western audience,' she says.
Starting with rice and miso soup, Tsukagoshi Lagares then takes us through her favorite dishes. Some make smaller portions for sharing, while others like gyōza (pan-fried dumplings) make 50 — because, if you're going to make gyōza, you may as well have some to freeze.
Tsukagoshi Lagares' recipes are easy and flexible. For example, the marinated tomatoes in her "somen" recipe can be placed on top of tofu instead of the thin wheat noodles. |
LIZZIE MAYSON
Many of the dishes are also incredibly flexible. For example, the marinated tomatoes in her somen recipe don't need to be placed on top of the thin wheat noodles, she says. You can place them on tofu, an idea from her mother's recipe, or even on toast.
From the Family Favorites section, readers will likely take to her foil-grilled salmon, where the foil acts as a cartouche partially steaming the fish as it bakes in butter and soy. One of the simplest recipes in the book, it's perfect for weekday dinners or easily scalable for parties.
Tsukagoshi Lagares says her favorite section is the Izakaya at Home chapter because 'it's the one I felt I could be most creative with.' Case in point: Her recipe of scallop carpaccio with strawberries truly sings.
'The strawberries are amazingly sweet,' she says. 'The pepperiness of the radishes, the olive oil and the tartness of the vinegar (add) texture and flavor. I think it is the kind of dish that shows how much consideration goes into Japanese cooking.'
Tsukagoshi Lagares describes the deliberate styling of her dishes as 'a beautiful mess.' The approach is meant to be haphazard, giving dishes an air of authentic home cooking and making the plating feel pressure-free. Readers simply need to focus on how the food tastes.
'I am sure it will reach the right audience — people who want a bit of a handhold toward Japanese food and making it look delicious,' she says. 'Not everything has to be perfect, and you can (replace) ingredients. I want it to be a starting point to give people confidence with what they can do in the kitchen.'
The late Tsuji would approve of Tsukagoshi Lagares' efforts. The next generation has got this.