Make It Japanese

Think of two home cooks, both given a beautiful, firm block of silken tofu. The first cook, armed with a recipe and a deep respect for its delicate nature, carefully measures soy sauce, ginger, and mirin. They heat the pan to a precise temperature, gently slide the tofu in, and create a perfectly seared, flavorful dish. The second cook, however, sees the same block of tofu and feels a flicker of intimidation. It seems fragile, unfamiliar. What if it breaks? What if the flavors are wrong? Lacking the intuitive confidence to simply begin, they hesitate. The tofu ends up either blandly steamed for fear of ruining it, or it crumbles in a pan that’s too hot, the attempt abandoned in frustration. The difference is the quiet knowledge of how to handle it, a sense of permission to play and adapt.

This very gap between admiration and action is what inspired Rie McClenny to create Make It Japanese. As a former video producer for BuzzFeed's Tasty Japan and a beloved online personality, she noticed countless people who loved Japanese food but felt it was too complex or specialized to attempt at home. They saw the beautiful tofu but lacked the confidence to cook it. Teaming up with food writer and novelist Sanaë Lemoine, McClenny set out to translate the foundational flavors and techniques she grew up with into a new, accessible language for the modern home kitchen. The goal was to instill the intuitive understanding that turns intimidation into joyful creation, showing that the essence of Japanese cooking is a flexible, flavorful approach that anyone can embrace.

Module 1: The Philosophy of “Making It Japanese”

The book opens by challenging our assumptions about Japanese cuisine. At its core, Japanese home cooking is humble, adaptable, and focused on balance. McClenny’s journey proves this. While living in West Virginia, far from any Asian market, she learned a powerful lesson. She could recreate the flavors of her childhood with just a few key seasonings. This experience became the foundation of the book's philosophy.

The first principle is that Japanese home cooking is accessible and designed to be recreated anywhere. McClenny shows that you don’t need a specialty store for most dishes. The magic lies in a core group of ingredients. Think soy sauce, sake, mirin, miso, and dashi. With these, she argues, you can cook almost every savory recipe in the book. This is about understanding the building blocks of flavor. The book consistently offers alternatives for specialty items, empowering you to work with what's available.

But here’s the thing. It’s not just about swapping ingredients. The cuisine emphasizes balance and lets the natural quality of ingredients shine. Japanese cooking is about simple preparations that reveal an ingredient's true potential. A classic example is kabocha squash simmered in a concentrated broth. The technique is simple, but it masterfully brings out the squash's inherent sweetness. Vegetables often take center stage. Meat is frequently just an accompaniment. This approach respects the ingredient. It’s a lighter, fresher way of thinking about food.

Finally, McClenny's culinary style is a testament to a powerful idea. Authentic cooking comes from a fusion of personal heritage and cross-cultural experience. Her recipes aren't static museum pieces. They are alive. They reflect her mother's intuitive cooking in Hiroshima. But they also show the influence of her time in professional kitchens in Los Angeles. She learned from chefs like Suzanne Goin to add a generous amount of butter to sake-steamed clams. She created a Loaded Vegetable Miso Soup with kale and sweet potatoes for a hearty winter meal. This is about letting your own life story enrich tradition.