Essential Japanese pantry dishes from Emiko Davies, author of Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking.

With each copy Emiko has included a signed bookplate.

Sometimes the best connections happen by serendipity. When we first heard about The Japanese Pantry cookbook by Japanese-Australian food writer, photographer, and rising star Emiko Davies, we did a double-take—how could there be a cookbook with our name? But after reading through the book and talking with Emiko, we came to understand that we are both aligned in our celebration of Japan’s finest artisanal ingredients and the people who make them. Together we honor the craft, flavor, and beauty of Japanese cuisine.

In The Japanese Pantry cookbook, Emiko explores the pantry items essential to Japanese home cooking. Simple, easy-to-find ingredients that can be combined with fresh produce and a few other basics like tofu, rice and noodles to create delicious and authentic Japanese food no matter where you are.

Each chapter explores one of these essential ingredients – soy sauce, miso, rice vinegar, seaweed, sake, sesame and tea – including information about the history and production of these in Japan, as well as Emiko’s thoughtful and approachable recipes. In helping readers get to know these pantry essentials, Emiko hopes to give home cooks the confidence to make authentic Japanese dishes that are inherently simple and full of flavor.

Photo Credit: Emiko Davies, Yuki Sugiura, Junichi Miyazaki