These authentic Japanese recipes are fast enough for easy weeknight meals, elegant enough for special weekend dinners. And the best part? They’re dishes anyone can knock out. Think soul-satisfying miso soup, toothsome soba noodles, broiled fish three ways, and vegetables steeped in fragrant umami seasonings. And also Japanese-style sandwiches, beautiful salads, miso flat iron steak, wagyu burgers, and the best fried chicken on planet Earth (promise).

In Japanese Comfort Cooking, celebrated chef Tadashi Ono and James Beard Award–nominated food writer Harris Salat show you why traditional miso, soy sauce, and sake producers are your BFFs in the kitchen (spoiler alert: they do the flavor heavy-lifting, making cooking fast); how to create healthy meals the Japanese way; and how to ace the “refrigerator test”— conjuring a quick, tasty Japanese dish with whatever’s on hand.

With surprising stories behind the dishes, plus tips, accessible recipes, and step-by-step photographic guides, Japanese Comfort Cooking shows you how this cuisine can be both quick and easy to cook, and so deeply satisfying.