Inside 'Tokyo Cult Recipes,' a New Book on Japanese Cuisine

A growing number of Americans are incorporating Japanese food into their diets on a regular basis. And though many of America's largest cities sport excellent sushi and ramen counters, making Japanese food at home — for many American cooks — still feels out of reach. Last month Tokyo-born and raised Maori Murota released Tokyo Cult Recipes, a collection of approachable and authentic dishes that capture the magic of Japanese cooking today.

An avid home cook, Murota was inspired first by her home city and then by her mother's cooking. The book starts with some basic techniques before branching out into meal types including breakfast, bento, ohiru (lunch), oyatsu (snacks), and izakaya (small bites). Step-by-step photographs allow readers to get a feel for a cuisine they may love to eat but not know how to make. Between each section, photos of street scenes from around Tokyo allow readers to go beyond developing a sense of taste; as with all of the world's greatest cuisines, a sense of place is just as important.

Tokyo Cult Recipes is out now. Find an exclusive preview of the book, below: