Latest news with #Umai
Vogue
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares's Umai Cookbook Opens the Doors To Japanese Home Cooking
Undulating crowds traversing busy crossroads and neon-streaked skyscrapers are just some of the images that might spring to mind when thinking of the Japanese capital of Tokyo—its chaos, energy, and spirit of adventure. But for Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares, it's the calmness, serenity, and beauty of Japan that she has long wanted to celebrate. And Umai, her debut cookbook, offers just that. The book, which could sit well-thumbed and dashi-streaked on a kitchen counter as easily as it could in a curated coffee table tableau, features recipes rooted in the home cooking Legares does in her little kitchen, as well as from her childhood. There are also striking film photos of Kyoto by Lucy Laucht, and several personal essays and reflections by Legares. 'This book is just as much for a novice cook as well as a chef,' she tells Vogue. Legares had wanted to write a cookbook for years, but was never sure what her 'niche' was. During the pandemic, she began making small cookbook zines and collaborating with friends who would send recipes that she'd illustrate. She doubled down after moving to her mother's home of Japan in 2023, where she immersed herself in food, getting inspired by local ingredients, and trying the local fare in izakayas and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Legares spotted a gap in the market for a book exploring Japanese home cooking. 'I think I found it majorly lacking in the cookbook scene as there are only a few authors that come to mind,' she says. A lot of people would tell her how they found the prospect of making Japanese food intimidating. 'I guess because a lot of the time you think about more high end Japanese restaurants, or ramen that takes days of labor to make a perfect stock,' Legares explains. 'I just wanted to make it as accessible as possible with a few store cupboard staples. There's a lot of what I grew up eating as a child and then things I made in the house of five of us when I first moved to Japan.' Many dishes feature under 10 ingredients, with mostly pantry flavorings like soy sauce, mirin, sake, and dashi. 'Not everything is so prim and proper,' she says. 'A Japanese meal is all about having different textures, colors, and temperatures in one meal: That's why so many home cooked meals will be based around rice, miso soup, a room temperature salad, or simmered vegetable element, a fish, or meat main—whether it's fried, grilled, simmered—and maybe a slice of perfectly chilled fruit.'
Borneo Post
03-05-2025
- Borneo Post
Abdul Karim proposes establishing food festival to celebrate Subis, Sibuti's cultural and culinary heritage
Abdul Karim (centre) and guests as well as attendees of the Majlis Melanggar Meja and Ramah Tamah Aidilfitri event pose for a group photo. MIRI (May 3): State Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has proposed a food festival to be held to showcase the unique delicacies and cultural heritage of the Subis and Sibuti areas to the world. Speaking at the 'Majlis Melanggar Meja' and 'Ramah Tamah Aidilfitri' event at Subis District here today (May 3), Abdul Karim said the celebration reflects the deep-rooted unity among the Kedayan, Malay, Dalik, Miriek, Melanau, Penan, Iban, Chinese and many other ethnics communities in the region. He highlighted the gastronomic potential of the regions, saying their unique food, culture and way of life are valuable tourism assets deserving global recognition. 'Visitors don't come to shop. They come to experience how people live, to taste their food, and to understand their customs. The gastronomy here is vibrant. This is something we must promote,' he said, adding that the gastronomy of Subis and Sibuti is one of its strongest cultural products. From Umai to indigenous herbs and traditional cooking techniques, the local fare, he said, deserves a platform that can introduce it to international audiences. That said, he encouraged the community to take pride in their own culinary heritage, pointing to Umai, which is a raw marinated fish dish, as one of Sarawak's iconic offerings, alongside Sarawak Laksa, which he often showcases abroad during official engagements. 'I have brought chefs overseas to prepare our dishes at events. Even international names like the late Anthony Bourdain recognised Sarawak Laksa as the 'breakfast of the gods', that shows how powerful food can be in promoting our state,' he said. Abdul Karim also noted that following the recognition of Niah Caves as Unesco World Heritage Site, the state government is already planning to enhance road access, develop resorts and expand rural tourism to support this influx. He also praised the Majlis Melanggar Meja held at Sibuti Arena – attended by local village development and security committees (JKKKs), government agencies, associations, mosques, and prayer halls – as a model of cultural openness and togetherness. 'The theme, 'Raya Serumpun, Tradisi Harmoni', carries a deep meaning. It symbolises how festive celebrations unite local communities regardless of background,' he said, adding that such customs should not only be preserved but elevated as living cultural elements. Also present were Deputy Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Rosey Yunus who is also the assemblywoman of Bekenu; Deputy Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurs Development Datuk Dr Ripin Lamat; Deputy Health Minister Malaysia Dato Lukanisman Awang Sauni; Resident of Miri Galong Luang; Deputy Resident of Miri Bujang Rahman Seli; Political Secretary to Premier Sarawak Sarkawi Ulis and Pemanca Dr Ali Mudin.
Japan Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
A modern Japanese cookbook that is ‘a beautiful mess'
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.
