
Welcome to Chowhound’s Table Talk podcast, where Executive Editor Hana Asbrink chats with some of the most interesting names and newsmakers in the food space. Today: Japanese cookbook author and culinary instructor, Sonoko Sakai.
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Sonoko Sakai‘s masterful homage to Japanese home cooking and artisan makers, aptly titled “Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors,” was one of my absolute favorite titles of 2019. In our recent chat for Chowhound’s Table Talk, the author and culinary instructor acknowledged this cookbook has been a long time coming.
What you might not have known about Sonoko is that she enjoyed a long, successful career in film before moving into the food space, getting into grain activism and teaching eager students about the joys of handmade soba and miso in her popular L.A.-based workshops. Tune in as we discuss everything from the two (not dissimilar) worlds of film and food to what you need to stock a Japanese pantry, as well as what exactly constitutes “authentic” Japanese food in this day and age.
(Psst! And when you’re done listening, you’ll definitely want to take Sonoko’s easy-peasy Grilled Ginger Chicken for a spin. You will not regret it.)
Related Reading: A Japanese Grilled Ginger Chicken That Couldn’t Be Easier to Make

Images by Ben Hunter