Nikkei Cuisine A Marriage of East and South American

What is the marriage of Japanese and Brazilian/Peruvian cooking ?Nikkei. It's an interesting mix of centuries old Japanese cooking with cultivated for centuries South American ingredients. Now there's a new cookbook celebrating this happy pairing.

Luiz Hara is the author of Nikkei Cuisine,Japanese Food The South American Way(Jacqui Small publishing) and its based in his own mixed heritage. He is 3/4 Japanese and 1/4 Spanish , raised by his father's Japanese Brazilian side. The book is an interesting mix of recipes, his family's story and the story of the over 100 years of immigration from Japan to South America.It's one of the few cookbooks that have an interesting history lesson attached to it.In a way the two cuisines blend perfectly such as sushi and ceviche. Both  cultures use white rice religiously and it figures prominently in their cuisines. Of course there were some adaptations on the Japanese side, especially when they came from a fish eating culture to the Brazilian beef one. However the Japanese embraced the many vegetables South America had to offer and these were quickly incorporated in their recipes.

The recipes themselves are interesting. Chef Hara's is a definite marriage of the two worlds. He uses his own as well as ones from famed South American Nikkei chefs There is kouji fried chicken with fried lotus or renkon chips which would be fun for a Saturday night party or tail gating get together. Miso soup stars here as does arroz con pollo but both have tinges of the other's culture.There.s even a recipe for five different types of popcorn that have different spices from macha or powdered green tea to hot wasabi. He has a Japanese influenced chestnut rice side that would go well with any South American pork dish.The dessert recipes are also soaked in the two cultures. with green tea or coconut ice cream, along with South American super fruit flavors.

Nikkei  Cuisine :Japanese Food The South American Way is the perfect cookbook for those who love Japanese and Brazilian cooking.It's a salute to a rich and varied heritage as well. Buy it today and start making these interesting and flavorful cuisine.