[Columbine]

It's called "Everyday Harumi: Simple Japanese Cooking for Family and Friends" by Harumi Kurihara. I'm pretty impressed with it so far.

It's easy to follow, pretty bullet proof for beginners, and it's got a lovely mix of tried-and-tested favourites like katsudon and more interesting japanese-western dishes without going too far into fusion cookery territory.

It's also thankfully NOT gone the safe route of only promoting ingredients you could find in a western supermarket, but it's not being difficult either. If you can't get ponzu, for example, she gives a recipe of how to make something similar from home with ordinary soy sauce.

Mostly I like it because it really seems to be down-to-earth home cooking. It's not classed-up or restaurant-y, it's not made out to be exotic, and it's not just there to appeal to the japanophiles.

Anyway, I thought I'd share because it can be really hard to know if it's worth shelling out for a cookbook by someone you've never heard of. I've got another of her books, which is a bit more adventurous, but definitely if you're interested in learning to cook Japanese food, have a look.