ARTFUL CUISINE

. . . I believe that it won’t be long before Western chefs can cook Japanese food better than Japanese chefs . --Chef Minoru Yoneda

As much as Japanese chefs are savoring Western food, many Westerners seem to be increasingly favoring sushi, tempura, tofu, yakitori, sashimi and miso. The boom in Japanese restaurant dining is reflected in the number of books on Japanese cooking that have appeared recently. In flipping through these books, the artistic values of food, its preparation and presentation seem to be the theme of most of the authors. Here are four outstanding examples:

Step-By-Step Japanese Cooking (Barron’s: $24.95, 192 pages), is written by Lesley Downer, Japanese chef, and food writer Minoru Yoneda, head chef at the Yamato Restaurant in North London. The authors write: “In Japan food has perhaps a wider significance than in the West. It is not just to fill the stomach and keep the body working: It has an aesthetic, ritual and social role to play too.”

For Western cooks this aesthetic element in Japanese cuisine makes it seem difficult to prepare it at home. The authors collected traditional as well as popular recipes, which they beautifully illustrate in the book in finished stages. They also provide some how-to photographs, making it easy for the home cook to follow the recipes.

The book is divided into “Basics” and “Recipes.” Included in the “Basics” section are typical Japanese ingredients and utensils illustrated in full color. There is also a chapter on preparatory techniques, which includes photograph illustrations on slicing fish and poultry, as well as artful sculpting of vegetables. The section on Japanese menu planning, table presentation and etiquette is truly of creative value.

The “Recipe” section follows the order of traditional Japanese table service, starting with the basic stock dashi to other soups, followed by sashimi, then simmered, grilled and fried dishes, salads, rice and noodle dishes, and finishing with a section on pickles. With attractive use of simple natural garnishes, even a basic clear soup turns into a work of art as seen in the book’s beautifully -styled photos.

Japanese Cooking (HP Books: $9.95, 176 pages) by Susan Fuller Slack follows the publisher’s effective cookbook style that is geared to easy reading. It provides recipes with informative details on ingredients and methods to help the cook. The cookbook very well reflects the author’s four-year residence in Japan while traveling extensively all over the country as a military wife, studying and teaching Japanese and Chinese cooking.

Although based on Japanese tradition, the recipes, according to Slack, “have been developed with an awareness of changing trends and practicality for the Western kitchen.” She adds that the Japanese style of using lighter foods such as tofu, sea vegetables, fish and low-salt miso could certainly replace the high-calorie and high-cholesterol foods in the American diet.

The lavish cookbook is highlighted by a collection of pretty food set-ups projecting freshness of foods and authenticity by way of traditional china and prop accessories. Recipes range from popular Japanese favorites such as sashimi, sushi and tempura to interesting modifications reflecting Western and Chinese cuisines. For instance, elegantly presented scallop blossoms with raspberry-sesame sauce indicates Franco-Japonica, a growing trend in Tokyo restaurants.

Aside from a glossary of ingredients and equipment, the author includes Japanese knives and cutting techniques, tips for brewing tea, chopstick etiquette and a lot of cooking tips and variations in each chapter. The section on garnishes is particularly interesting with easy-to-follow techniques.

Practical Japanese Cooking, Easy and Elegant (Kodansha International: $22.50, 151 pages) is written by Shizuo Tsuji and Koichiro Hata. Tsuji is president of the largest culinary school in Japan and author of the best-selling book, “Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art.” Hata is head chef at the same cooking school, author of many Japanese cookbooks and television personality.

The recipes are more traditional but one gets inspired and gathers a lot of culinary guidelines just by looking at the lavish illustrations. Dark tones of meats, fish or usually non-photogenic food brighten on dainty Oriental and contemporary Western plates, with contrasting garnishes and dramatic photography. Each recipe comes with a small introduction featuring a little history, tips or serving suggestions. There is a calorie count per serving at the end of each recipe.

Bento or box meals of small dishes for lunch or picnics are effectively illustrated in the book, giving the reader ideas for various combinations and presentations. Finally there’s a section on cooking tips and ingredients, with pictures and product detail and usage.

The Poetical Pursuit of Food, Japanese Recipes for American Cooks (Clarkson N. Potter: $17.95, 296 pages) is the coordinated effort of the Japanese author Sonoko Kondo with screenwriting and cinematography professor Lou Soumen. Etienne Delessert created the black-and-white drawing illustrations.

Like most books on Japanese cookery, the authors emphasize these four keys to the success of the cuisine preparation: freshness, beauty, simplicity and health. Kondo’s recipes represent a seasonal variety of dishes from each of Japan’s regions, which tend to vary according to climate and culture.

In cold northern Hokkaido, Kondo writes, salmon and lamb are favored by the region’s farmers, fishermen and miners, as are potatoes and hearty food. Kyoto residents like nabes , or one-pot meals, and a special Kaiseki cuisine derived from Zen Buddhist philosophy. They also tend to be vegetarians and fish eaters. An Okinawan menu, as another instance, often begins and ends with pork. Metropolitan Tokyo features its own cosmopolitan cuisine, reflecting the many influences of international meals.

Applying many of her grandmother’s culinary theories, American-born and Japan-raised Kondo gives a collection of her favorite dishes, both traditional and westernized. In a chapter on rice and noodles, she gives somen and soba noodle dishes, but her two pasta recipes, Pasta With Clam Sauce and Pasta With Squid and Cod Roe, are combinations of Italian spaghetti with Japanese seafood flavors. Other recipes that have the East-meets-West theme are California Roll--a sushi with avocado and crab, Japanese Pizza and Tofu Apple Cake.

Although there are no pictures in color, a cordial, free-flowing style of writing on Japanese life style and kitchen manners and a few pages of interesting abstract food art highlight Kondo’s book.

STUFFED CABBAGE, JAPANESE STYLE

(From “Practical Japanese Cooking, Easy and Elegant”)

Dash fresh ginger juice

7 ounces boneless chicken, ground

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon sake

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

4 large leaves Chinese cabbage

Salt

2 1/2 cups dashi

3 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce

3 1/2 tablespoons mirin

2 ounces Chinese pea pods, about 20

Prepare ginger juice by first grating small piece of peeled ginger root over small bowl lined with cheesecloth, then squeeze juice from gratings. Set aside.

Place chicken in food processor. Add egg, sake, dark soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch paste and ginger juice. Process just to blend.

Parboil Chinese cabbage leaves until almost tender but still slightly firm. Drain and sprinkle lightly with salt, then cool. Peel off thicker sections of vein.

Place portion of stuffing at base of leaf. Roll to just cover. Fold in edges and roll up. Tie with kitchen string or secure with wood pick.

Combine dashi, light soy sauce and mirin in saucepan. Arrange cabbage rolls in bottom. Cover with parchment paper or Japanese drop lid and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow rolls to cool in liquid to absorb flavor.

Remove strings from Chinese peas and cut peas lengthwise into fine strips. Parboil in lightly salted water. Drain. Refresh in cold water and drain again.

When ready to serve, reheat cabbage rolls in simmering sauce, then add peas and heat through. Remove rolls, untie and cut into thirds. Arrange each 3-piece serving on plate and surround with peas. Spoon sauce over. Makes 4 servings.

SCALLOP BLOSSOMS WITH RASPBERRY-SESAME SAUCE

(From “Japanese Cooking”)

1 quart water

2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices ginger root, smashed

1/4 cup sake

3 or 4 sprigs thyme, rosemary or parsley

1 pound sea scallops

4 fresh raspberries

Black lumpfish caviar, black sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Raspberry-Sesame Sauce

Combine water, ginger root, sake and 1 sprig thyme in 2-quart saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat so liquid barely simmers.

Add scallops and poach 2 or 3 minutes or until firm and opaque. Do not overcook. Remove scallops from liquid. Cool. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Slice each scallop into 3 round slices. To make 4 blossoms, select 20 of most attractive scallop slices. Arrange 5 slices on each serving plate in flower shape. Cut remaining scallop slices into julienne strips. Make small mound of scallop strips in center of each blossom. Top each blossom with raspberry. Form tiny wreaths around base of each raspberry using tiny sprigs of remaining fresh herbs. Place cluster of caviar in center of each petal. Serve with Raspberry-Sesame Sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Variation: If fresh raspberries are not available, substitute well-drained, unsweetened, thawed frozen raspberries or any other kind of small berries.

Raspberry-Sesame Sauce

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

1/4 cup almond or corn oil

2 teaspoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Dry-Roasted Sesame Seeds

1 teaspoon sour cream

2 or 3 drops sesame oil

Combine raspberry vinegar, almond oil, sugar, salt, sesame seeds, sour cream and sesame oil in small bowl. Stir to blend using small whisk. Use immediately or refrigerate until needed. Whisk again before using. Makes scant 1/2 cup.

Dry-Roasted Sesame Seeds

Hulled white or black sesame seeds

Place sesame seeds in small heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir seeds constantly until white seeds begin to turn golden brown and black seeds become fragrant. When seeds begin to pop in skillet, they are almost ready. Watch carefully to prevent burning, particularly black seeds.

Place toasted seeds in grinding bowl or mortar. Crush lightly to release fragrant oils. Do not over-crush and destroy texture. Use immediately or store in tightly covered jar in cool place.

GREEN BEANS WITH SESAME-MISO DRESSING

(From “Japanese Cooking”)

1 pound small green beans, ends trimmed

Ice water

Sesame-Miso Dressing

2 tablespoons Dry-Roasted Sesame Seeds

Steam green beans 12 to 15 minutes or until tender-crisp. Or cook beans in boiling salted water 3 to 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain steamed or boiled beans. Plunge into ice water to cool 10 minutes. Drain again. Pat dry on paper towels.

French-cut green beans in food processor fitted with slicing blade. Or cut beans diagonally into 2-inch lengths. Gently mix Sesame-Miso Dressing with cut beans. Divide beans among small serving dishes. Sprinkle with Dry-Roasted Sesame Seeds. Makes 6 servings.

Sesame-Miso Dressing

2 tablespoons Dry-Roasted Sesame Seeds

3 tablespoons white or yellow miso

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons mirin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon light or thin soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon peel, optional

Grind sesame seeds until paste forms. Add miso, sugar, mirin, lemon juice, soy sauce and lemon peel. Use immediately or refrigerate until needed. Makes about 1/2 cup.

PASTA WITH CLAM SAUCE

(From “The Poetical Pursuit of Food”)

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

2 green onions

1 green pepper

2 tablespoons oil

30 littleneck clams, liquid reserved

1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots

1 1/2 cups clam, dashi or chicken broth

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons sake

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente and drained

Soften shiitake mushrooms in water 30 minutes. Remove stems and slice thinly. Chop green onions and green pepper into small pieces.

In large skillet over medium heat, heat oil and saute green onions 1 minute. Add green pepper, clams, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Saute 1 more minute.

Add enough broth to reserved clam liquid to make 1 1/2 cups. Add broth to vegetables and clams and reduce to simmer. Add soy sauce, sake, salt and cornstarch paste. Simmer over low heat just until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle sauce over hot noodles and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

TEMPURA

(From “Step-By-Step Japanese Cooking”)

8 large prawns or jumbo shrimps, shelled and deveined, tails attached

2 medium onions

1 green pepper

1 medium carrot

4 ounces mushrooms, wiped and trimmed, stems removed

1 Japanese eggplant, cut crosswise in halves, then quartered

4 sea scallops, washed and patted dry

Oil for deep-frying

Batter Flour

Dipping Sauce

6 tablespoons grated daikon radish

2 tablespoons grated ginger

Score belly of prawns to prevent curling. Peel and halve onions and cut across into slices, piercing with wood picks to hold rounds together. Core pepper and remove seeds, then halve and cut into strips. Cut carrot into strips or twists. Score a cross in top of each mushroom, if desired. Cut slits into eggplant quarters to make fans. Arrange scallops, prawns, onions, green pepper, carrot, mushrooms and eggplant together on tray.

Heat oil to 325 degrees in deep-fryer or heavy pan. While oil is heating, prepare Batter. Make sure all ingredients on tray are perfectly dry before deep-frying. Dip each item in flour and shake to remove excess. Dip food in Batter and place in hot oil. Deep-fry about 3 minutes or until golden, then drain on rack or on paper towels a few minutes. Continue frying remaining ingredients, a few at a time.

Arrange drained tempura attractively on neatly folded paper napkin and serve with warm Dipping Sauce, radish and ginger. Makes 4 servings.

Batter

2 egg yolks

1 cup ice water

1 cup sifted flour

Place egg yolks in mixing bowl. Add ice water and mix very lightly. Do not beat. Add flour all at once. Mix very lightly with chopsticks. Batter will be very lumpy.

Note: Add extra flour if batter becomes too smooth. Add extra water depending on how thick or thin you desire fried coating on foods.

Dipping Sauce

1 1/4 cups dashi

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons mirin

Combine dashi, soy sauce and mirin in small saucepan. Bring to boil and keep warm.

LIGHT TEMPURA BATTER

(From “Japanese Cooking”)

1 cup tempura-ko (low-gluten wheat flour) or cake flour

1/4 cup potato starch or cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg white

1 1/4 cups ice-cold sparkling water or tap water, about

Additional flour, if needed

Combine flour, potato starch and baking powder in medium bowl. In small bowl, use pair of chopsticks to mix egg white and 1 cup ice water. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir several times with chopsticks, leaving batter lumpy and undermixed.

Set bowl of batter in larger pan of water filled with ice. If batter becomes too smooth, sprinkle in some extra flour. Stir once or twice. Add extra water depending on how thick or thin you desire fried coating on foods. Experiment to find consistency desired. Makes 2 1/4 cups.