Simple Japanese: With East/ West Flavors

London-based executive sushi chef and entrepreneur Silla Bjerrum, best known as the cofounder of the Feng Sushi take-out chain, is committed to making sushi accessible to everyone and using simple, fresh ingredients. Her first cookbook, Simple Japanese, features more than 100 healthful, easy-to-follow recipes for Japanese. Calling upon the talent of photographer Lars Ranek," "Simple Japanese demystifies sushi, sashimi, tempura, and noodle dishes; full-page photo-spreads guide readers in recreating their favorite dishes or testing out Bjerrum's suggestions for more unusual recipes. To simplify Japanese cooking, Bjerrum structures the book with the skill of a teacher creating a syllabus - starting with a list of essential kitchen tools. After revealing the secret to making flawless sushi rice, there's a section on choreographing sashimi. The sushi-nigiri section presents Thai-style gravadlax nigiri, a Scandinavian salmon sushi with an Asian twist. The chapter on sushi-maki include instructions on rolling traditional and inside-out, Bjerrum highlights a recipe for California sunset maki. Although traditional Japanese meals don't end with dessert, readers will be delighted to learn that modern Japanese fusion does - green tea cheesecake with ginger biscuits is suggested. For readers who want to learn more about the ingredients in these Japanese fusion recipes, a resource is provided at the back of the book. There's also a list of 12 U.S. stores that carry Japanese ingredients.