“Kawaii Cafe Ramen: Classic, Fun, and Delicious Ramen Meals to Make at Home” by Amy Kimoto-Kahn (4 stars)
I must start by saying that the pages and illustrations all look adorable! The recipes are straightforward and seem like they’d be easy to follow.
*I received an e-book copy of this book from Edelweiss Plus in exchange for review.*
Okay, I’ll start off with the truth: I’ve never had ramen before! I know: shameful! So here’s what I read online that made me want to try this cookbook: “Kawaii Café Ramen covers everything you need to know, including how to put together a bowl of piping hot ramen in a myriad of ways with a choice of four soup bases, ramen noodles (homemade or store-bought), and traditional and non-traditional ingredients. Enjoy bowls of pork, chicken, and beef ramen, or branch out with seafood, vegetarian, and spicy soups - and even cold ramen and a breakfast version topped with bacon and a poached egg. Make your soup base in advance and you have a quick, easy, and special midweek family meal” (Amazon.com). Sounds amazing, right?
So I downloaded the book in hopes of finding a new creative dinner for busy weeknights. I was completely unprepared for how adorable this book is. Each page has beautiful designs and anime-style illustrations to brighten the recipes. And the recipes are each easy, straightforward, and sound delicious. I haven’t had a chance to try any of the recipes as of writing this, but I am excited to try them soon!
Clearly Kimoto-Kahn knows what she’s doing. She “is Yonsei, or fourth-generation Japanese-American, and a mom of three. She is a graduate of the Miyajima Ramen School in Osaka, Japan, and has taught a popular series of Asian-inspired cooking classes for Williams-Sonoma. She shares her Japanese-American homestyle, kids-will-like-it-too recipes on her blog, Easy Peasy Japanesey. When she is not cooking, she runs a mom-focused marketing firm, Fat Duck Consulting, that she founded in 2008. She is the best-selling cookbook author of Simply Ramen (Race Point, 2016) and Simply Hot Pots (Race Point, 2019)” (Barnes & Noble).
Thus, I’ll take her recipes as factually appetizing. She’s got enough experience for me to blindly trust that this book must have some of the best ramen recipes around. I know that might make it seem like I’m easily influenced by pretty colors and ease…and you’d be right! Anything ‘make-ahead’ or intricately designed is going to be a new favorite. I’m not afraid to admit that.
Now for the cons:
Since I’ve never had homemade ramen, I can’t speak to how the recipes will work or taste, but I can say that the ingredient lists were understandable and I am willing to try them.
Also, while the illustrations were amazing (and why I was so engaged), I could potentially see some chefs finding them distracting when trying to use the recipes. So keep that in mind when deciding for yourself if this is the ramen cookbook for you.
Lastly, I couldn’t remember anything except the adorable illustrations upon finishing the book. Usually you’d want to remember a specific recipe or even an ingredient when reading a cookbook, so beware that you aren’t skipping or reading too fast like I was. If you’re seriously going to learn to cook ramen, you want to be engaged in the recipes and ensure you’re absorbing the offered information. Not just staring at the pretty pictures like me.
Overall, I couldn’t rate it 100% because of my own faults in not knowing enough about ramen cooking. However, I did need to rate it highly because it was so adorable! I couldn’t stop reading. I literally finished it in one sitting. Ultimately, it’s not a serious cookbook for ramen aficionados and it shouldn’t be considered that. It’s a cute, fun ramen book for those who want an easy, delicious meal while enjoying some cuddly anime-style characters.
About the Creator
Kristen Barenthaler
Curious adventurer. Crazed reader. Librarian. Archery instructor. True crime addict.
Instagram: @kristenbarenthaler
Facebook: @kbarenthaler
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Comments (1)
This sounds like a very enjoyable read for anyone who is just learning about ramen. I would read and attempt a recipe from this book for sure.