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Food Writer Fridays – Namiko Chen from Just One Cookbook

March 16, 2012 by Maureen 67 Comments

How easy is it to fall for Nami?  She’s such a sweet individual with the best Japanese recipes.  I met Nami online last year when I began following all her blog posts.  Her photography is always spot on and I like the way she incorporates her “real” life in her posts.  Why is her blog named Just One Cookbook? All she needs for the rest of her life is just one cookbook of recipes that her family enjoys.  I love that.

Through her food blog, we learn about her life and her children and that makes her blog interesting.  Honestly if all I wanted was a recipe, there are books for that.  I visit blogs to get the recipes and be entertained as well.  I’m never disappointed at Just One Cookbook.

For those of you who don’t know her, Nami lives in California with her husband and children but she was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan.  She went to the US to attend college and while she enjoyed American dishes, she was homesick for Japanese food and began cooking the recipes her mother had taught her. When I asked her why she started her blog, I loved her reply.  She told me that she wants her children to know her food heritage.  I think that’s so important.  Also her friends have asked her about Japanese cooking and a blog seemed the way to go to share her recipes.  I’m so glad she started blogging because otherwise we’d have never met.

Like every young stay-at-home mother with young children, she works hard to balance her blog time with all the other things that require her time.  With two children there are lunches to prepare, house to keep tidy, laundry, ferrying the children to soccer/dancing/swimming AND find time to cook, photo shoot, edit, blog, oh and find time to sleep too.  She cooks while the children are at school and writes and edits at night after they’ve gone to bed.

Shrimp-Ball by Nami at justonecookbook.com

When I asked Nami what she likes best about blogging, she told me it was the eating.  I can agree with that.  She cooks most of the family meals at home and loves the cooking aspect.  She said,  “After blogging I’m forced to measure my ingredients more accurately, and it’s actually a fun process since I know that I or any other reader can have a good meal as long as we follow my recipe”.  That really made me reflect on my own blogging and I have to agree.  Before blogging I used to be a “pinch of this and a dash of that” and then I’d taste and make adjustments. Since blogging I have to be much more precise when coming up with a new recipe.  Have you noticed you’re more accurate with noting the amounts now?  Nobody wants someone to prepare one of our recipes and have it turn out badly.

If you want to learn to cook fantastic Japanese food, subscribe to her RSS feed at www.justonecookbook.com, follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

Nami’s favorite go-to meal doesn’t involve any cooking and can be on the table in 5 minutes if the rice is ready in the rice cooker.  Imagine that!  It’s salmon sashimi with salmon roe over white rice.  I don’t have any 5 minute meals but I could always borrow hers.

Her photography is stunning.  When I asked her if she cleans as she goes or if she does it all when she’s finished, she made total sense.

Since I started blogging, I would drop everything and leave the kitchen immediately once the dish is ready for photo shoot no matter how messy it is and clean up afterwards.  The window to photograph after a dish is done is very short.

honey glazed pork by Nami at justonecookbook.com

All of us know that food goes “off” photographically speaking in a short amount of time.  That’s the best excuse I can think of for waiting til I’m done to clean up.  Nami did the cleanup for her mother when she was a kid and Japanese kitchens are pretty small in comparison to her much bigger American kitchen.

We talked about childhood memories about food and she told me that when she was young, it was mostly Japanese food on the family dinner table but they did make spaghetti and her favorite sauce is below.  I laughed when she told me she judges a restaurant based upon her meat sauce evalution.  That’s Nami!  I’m sure we all guessed her memory food would be something Japanese, eaten often growing up.  That teaches me not to assume anything. Here’s her famous meat sauce recipe!

spaghetti with meat sauce from justonecookbook.com

4.8 from 12 reviews
Spaghetti Meat Sauce
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
80 mins
Total time
1 hour 35 mins
 
This is Nami's go-to dish when she wants food from her childhood
Author: Namiko Chen from justonecookbook.com
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ½ lb ground beef
  • ¼ lb ground pork (Today I use ground beef & pork package from Japanese market)
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 bay leaf, cut in half
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 1 carrot, minced
  • 1 celery stalks, minced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 28-oz whole tomato can and their juice
  • 2 cubes vegetable bouillon or 2 cups of vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water (omit if you use vegetable broth)
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Parsley for garnish, finely chopped
  • Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat and cook garlic and bay leaf until fragrant.
  2. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until golden browned.
  3. Add the meat and break into pieces with wooden spoon.
  4. Add red wine and turn up the heat. Mix well and let the wine evaporate until the liquid is almost gone.
  5. Add whole tomato and bouillon (if you are not using vegetable broth) and break up the tomatoes with the wooden spoon.
  6. Add water (or vegetable broth) and mushrooms.
  7. Skim off the scum and fat from the soup with a fine mesh strainer. This process is important to achieve refined taste. You can easily clean the sieve in water.
  8. Cook uncovered on medium low heat for 1 hour. Stir once in a while and it’s done when you see the bottom of the pan when you use scoop with the spatula.
  9. And add butter and mix well. Sprinkle generous amount of salt and pepper to taste (since we eat with spaghetti). Serve the meat sauce on spaghetti and garnish with parsley. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese at the table.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe
3.1.09

Filed Under: Casseroles, Food Writer Fridays Tagged With: Italian recipes

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Comments

  1. Hotly Spiced says

    March 16, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    What a great review! And yes, Nami does have the best blog posts. I haven’t met her but she seems such a generous person with a great talent for blogging. xx

    Reply
  2. Deb says

    March 16, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    Great review!!!!

    Reply
  3. yummychunklet says

    March 16, 2012 at 11:03 pm

    Great review! I’ll have to check out her blog.

    Reply
  4. Jill Colonna says

    March 17, 2012 at 12:36 am

    I LOVED this interview. Maureen. Well done for a wonderfully written post – lovely style. Adore Nami, her recipes (I’m needing to learn more about Japanese cuisine) and everything you say about her is so true. Just one thing I think you forgot to mention. She doesn’t sleep enough 😉 Lol. Nami will get me on that one…

    Reply
  5. Ambika says

    March 17, 2012 at 12:52 am

    Loved reading about you Nami! Great job Maureen!

    Reply
  6. leaf (the indolent cook) says

    March 17, 2012 at 12:53 am

    I read Nami’s blog too and I love that picture you featured of the red bean soup, so cute and dainty!

    Reply
  7. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    March 17, 2012 at 12:53 am

    Maureen, thank you so much for the feature and your kind words. 🙂 I’m really happy to be featured here today and now I need to tell my family! 🙂

    @Charlie Thank you!
    @Jill You are right! I don’t have enough time for everything I want to do!

    Reply
  8. Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family says

    March 17, 2012 at 12:54 am

    I love reading Nami’s site and you are right her photography is fantastic..I could take a few lessons.
    Thanks for featuring her and giving us a little insight 🙂

    Reply
  9. sippitysup says

    March 17, 2012 at 1:47 am

    This is a great series. I have noticed her blog many times and love to get to “know” her better here. GREG

    Reply
  10. Laura @ Family Spice says

    March 17, 2012 at 2:01 am

    A great interview with a FABULOUS blogger! I always learn something new on Nami’s blog!

    Reply
  11. Jenny says

    March 17, 2012 at 2:35 am

    Lovely interview, Maureen. And it’s true, you do feel as though you know Nami through her blog. I’m a big fan!

    Reply
  12. Hiragana Mama says

    March 17, 2012 at 2:41 am

    I love Nami too! Wish we could be friends in real life 🙂

    Reply
  13. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says

    March 17, 2012 at 3:51 am

    Great interview with Nami! She is one of my favorite bloggers, and such a genuine nice person!

    Reply
  14. Denise says

    March 17, 2012 at 5:06 am

    I love Nami and Just One Cookbook! You did a great job describing her and her blog. The recipes and photos are awesome but just as wonderful is her personality and life which shine through in her posts. She is a jewel!

    Reply
  15. Rhonda says

    March 17, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    She seems awesome, thanks for introducing me to her site.

    Reply
  16. Reem | Simply Reem says

    March 17, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    Nami is awesomely AWESOME!!!
    Her passion and kindness reflects in her food…
    A great cook, great blogger and above all a very generous person….
    Great review Maureen, She is the no doubt the most awesome…
    B/W I love ur this food writer series… So nice to read about some great and passionate blogger.

    Reply
  17. Yudith @ Blissfully Delicious says

    March 18, 2012 at 10:45 am

    I love her blog, she is such a sweetheart, isn’t she? 🙂 Great write up on her Maureen.

    Reply
  18. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    March 18, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    Thank you everyone for your very kind comment. 🙂

    Reply
  19. Kimby says

    March 18, 2012 at 9:43 pm

    Maureen, I’ve been enjoying ALL of your posts from the sidelines (RSS feed), but had to jump in and comment here. Your Friday interviews are fun and vibrant and capture the whole reason behind food blogging — sharing with others! It’s not just about cooking as a passion (although that’s a major part of it) — there’s family, friends, love, laughter, heritage, education, worthy causes — the list goes on. Thanks for spreading the JOY! And thanks to Nami for this lovely peek inside her life in and out of the kitchen. 🙂

    Reply
  20. Alyssa says

    March 18, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    Wonderful post about Nami! Nami you truly are a supermom! I hope your children treasure the wonderful collection of recipes you’ve provided for them. And I love that your favorite childhood meal is pasta with meat sauce! It wasn’t something we had often either as children, but totally one of my favorites, even now as an adult.

    Reply
  21. Parsley Sage says

    March 18, 2012 at 11:51 pm

    Aww! I <3 Nami! She proly doesn't know it but I use her recipes all the time because I know that they're going to come out perfect each time. She's the coolest and she keeps me super motivated to be a food blogger 🙂 Awesome review, Maureen!

    Reply
  22. FiSh says

    March 19, 2012 at 12:31 am

    thanks for sharing 🙂 a talented cook and good photographer indeed

    Reply
  23. Terra says

    March 19, 2012 at 3:31 am

    I am so happy you introduced us to Nami, she sounds wonderful, and I love her gorgeous blog! I agree, I find most of my recipes now on blogs. My husband loves Asian themed dishes, he would adore her unique blogs and all her lovely recipes:-) Thank you for sharing about Nami, Hugs, Terra

    Reply
  24. Katerina says

    March 19, 2012 at 5:55 am

    This is a great review! I will make sure I will visit her blog! Spaghetti Bolognese is a classic Italian dish and everyone including myself has a family recipe that brings so many memories from the childhood!

    Reply
  25. Norma Chang says

    March 19, 2012 at 7:22 am

    Great interview. I do follow Nami’s blog and yes, love her recipes and great photos, she is a very generous person indeed.

    Reply
  26. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says

    March 19, 2012 at 9:38 am

    Nami is gorgeous and I’m so glad to see two of my favourite blogs get together here! 😀

    Reply
  27. Greg says

    March 19, 2012 at 9:47 am

    The eating! I love it. Great posts. These are so fun.

    Reply
  28. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    March 19, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    Thank you everyone for the kind comments, and it’s nice to meet new bloggers here. I can’t wait to meet you at your blog. 🙂

    Reply
  29. Raymund says

    March 19, 2012 at 5:10 pm

    Who does not like Nami’s photography even a simple meal looks like a 5 star michelin dish!

    Reply
  30. Choc Chip Uru says

    March 19, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    I love Namiko’s style of blogging – she is so cool 😀
    Great great great post!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru
    Latest: Lemon Polenta Raisin Cookies + Mini Citrus Berry Yoghurt Bundt Cakes

    Reply
  31. Baker Street says

    March 19, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    Great Interview Maureen! Nami’s pictures always leave me wanting more. She photographs are just stunning.

    Reply
  32. Sandra says

    March 19, 2012 at 9:12 pm

    Nami is one of the nicest people I’ve met. She is always supportive and very humble. Visiting her blog is always educational and her pictures and recipes never disappoint. Thank you for the interview Maureen and it’s a pleasure to meet you.

    Reply
  33. Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb says

    March 19, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    Oh yeah! Namis blog i awesome. I am huge fan of japanese food, unluckily I am not able to recreate japanese dishes with the ingredientss here around, but I have learned a lots from nami.

    Spagheti with meatsauce is a favourite of ours here too. Always fitting dish! =)

    Reply
  34. Roberta says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:16 am

    Shrimp Balls. Want.

    Spaghetti recipe sounds and looks delish too. Must try.

    Reply
  35. Ramona says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:34 am

    Wonderful interview with Nami!! She always makes such stunning food ! Looking forward to checking out your blog too. 🙂

    Reply
  36. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:39 am

    What a nice interview on one of my favorite foodies! It’s always great to learn more about your foodie friends, and discover new ones. Thanks for sharing this feature.

    Reply
  37. Elizabeth @Mango_Queen says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:49 am

    What a lovely post, as lovely as Nami is! This is such a heartwarming story. I subscribe to Nami’s blog and follow all her recipes, stories regularly. Often, she also stops by my blogs to boost my spirits and give me a lot of support. She is a great Mom to her kids and I’m positive her dishes are super-delicious. I hope to meet Nami someday in person, and perhaps share a cup of tea in friendship and solidarity for our common love of good food. And how I love this Spaghetti Meat Sauce recipe ! Thanks for sharing, Nami ! Cheers!

    Reply
  38. kitchenriffs says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:49 am

    Great review. And you’ve introduced me to a new blog – thanks for that. I can totally dig the “one cookbook” concept – for so many of us food (at least some food) is tied to memory, and by cooking those dishes we recall those memories. Anyway, great interview – thanks.

    Reply
  39. Kitchen Belleicious says

    March 20, 2012 at 1:13 am

    Naomi is such an amazing person, friend and food blogger! her pictures are just incredible and her food is delicious! So glad to see her spotlighted!

    Reply
  40. balvinder ( Neetu) says

    March 20, 2012 at 1:27 am

    Great review! That’s true her photography is totally stunning as her Japanese recipes.

    Reply
  41. Sissi says

    March 20, 2012 at 1:50 am

    Excellent presentation of the wonderful cook, blogger and person Nami is! I loved reading about Nami and I am a big fan of her blog.

    Reply
  42. donna mikasa says

    March 20, 2012 at 2:07 am

    Thanks for a great interview! I stumbled across her blog and am now a faithful follower. Love her recipes and her photographs are scrumptious, too!

    Reply
  43. A_Boleyn says

    March 20, 2012 at 2:22 am

    Great interview. Nami and her blog are on my ever expanding list of blogs I’ve subscribed to.

    Reply
  44. Jen L @ Tartine & Apron Strings says

    March 20, 2012 at 3:04 am

    I recently “met” Namiko as well and I really enjoy her blog! Her Japanese recipes and cute tablescapes are the reasons I keep coming back to her site!

    Reply
  45. Sylvia@Peaches and Donuts says

    March 20, 2012 at 7:43 am

    Great interview and I love all of Nami’s easy recipes! She’s one great person too!

    Reply
  46. The Café Sucré Farine says

    March 20, 2012 at 8:01 am

    What a fun post, Maureen! I have just recently discovered Nami’s blog and I agree – it is wonderful and the photography is quite stunning! What a delight to learn more about her through your interview!

    Reply
  47. Suzanne says

    March 20, 2012 at 8:13 am

    I have recently been following Nami and I do love her photos, food and writing style. Great interview with her and fun to learn more fun facts about her.

    Reply
  48. Roxana GreenGirl { A little bit of everything} says

    March 20, 2012 at 10:47 am

    I love seeing Nami here. You’re right Maureen. She’s a sweetheart and her blog is so beautiful.
    Great interview!

    Reply
  49. Shirley says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    I think many of us endeavor to be like Nami when it comes to blogging and especially photography! Have you ever seen an ugly photo on her blog? And judging by her photos alone, you’d think her kitchen never saw a mess a day in its life.

    Reply
  50. FreeSpiritEater says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:44 pm

    It was great getting to know you better through the interview Nami. It’s wonderful to see you here. Gorgeous photos as always, you’ve made me fall in love with spaghetti and meat sauce all over again. I hope you both had a lovely weekend!

    Reply
  51. Jeno @ Week Nite Meals says

    March 20, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    Thank you for the posting, Nami is super sweet and I am so glad we all got to “Meet” her through cooking and sharing! That’s funny about the Spaghetti meat sauce, because my husband and I also judge an Italian restuarnt by ordering that particular dish, we would not return if the meat sauce is not up to par, because how can they serve good Italian food if the basic meat sauce is not right?

    Reply
  52. Martyna @ WholesomeCook says

    March 20, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    I really adore Nami too – she is so personable and her dishes look and sound amazing. Great interview Maureen!

    Reply
  53. Charles says

    March 20, 2012 at 6:13 pm

    “When I asked Nami what she likes best about blogging, she told me it was the eating”

    Haha, oh yes! I love Nami’s site – so much fun… I love the look of this meat sauce too… I don’t often add pork to mine. Sounds great, must give it a try 🙂

    Reply
  54. Joanne says

    March 20, 2012 at 9:40 pm

    I love the idea behind Nami’s blog name and her food looks so delicious too! I have to go over and peruse her site some more!

    Reply
  55. Lori Lynn says

    March 21, 2012 at 12:30 am

    Enchanting interview.
    There’s never a dish that Nami makes that I wouldn’t love for lunch or for dinner.
    LL

    Reply
  56. Debra Kapellakis says

    March 21, 2012 at 3:58 am

    I am also lucky to be a recepient of Nami’s blog. I agree with you on that her photo’s and recipes are lovely!

    Reply
    • Nami | Just One Cookbook says

      March 21, 2012 at 2:12 pm

      Thank you Debra! 🙂

      Reply
  57. cassie says

    March 21, 2012 at 5:20 am

    loved learning more about Nami! I have been following her for some time and her recipes, photos and personality are all top-notch!

    Reply
  58. Liz says

    March 21, 2012 at 5:58 am

    I remember when Nami just started her blog…she’s been sweet and genuine from Day 1! What an excellent interview. Nami, you are a gem!

    Reply
  59. Biana | Meal Planning Tips says

    March 21, 2012 at 7:18 am

    Thank you for sharing this interview with Nami! The Spaghetti With Meat Sauce sounds delicious.

    Reply
  60. Magic of Spice says

    March 21, 2012 at 8:53 am

    What a fun read Nami 🙂 Your sauce looks fantastic…just how my kids like theirs 🙂
    Fantastic post!

    Reply
  61. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

    March 22, 2012 at 12:52 am

    Love your new blog design — so chic 😉

    And absolute delight to read a feature on Nami here — she is one talented blogger 🙂

    Reply
  62. Sawsan@chef in disguise says

    March 22, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    I loved reading your interview with Nami, she is for sure one of the most talented and passionate bloggers I know and I loved knowing a little more about her.
    P.S. love the new look of your blog, it is so professional and inviting

    Reply
  63. Asmita says

    March 23, 2012 at 11:00 am

    Loved reading this interview. I enjoy reading Nami’s blog too. She is a very talented blogger.

    Reply
  64. Mark Porter says

    August 30, 2019 at 3:11 am

    Thanks for the recipe. It has a couple of problems.

    First, you mention mushrooms in instruction 6, but there are no mushrooms in the ingredients list. What type of mushrooms and what quantity?

    Second, you put a split bay leaf in in the beginning. Does that say throughout or its it removed?

    Third, in instruction 3 you add the meat but should it be browned thoroughly before step 4?

    Thanks in advance.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Spanish Mackerel with Yuzu | Easy Japanese Recipe at Just One Cookbook — Just One Cookbook says:
    March 17, 2012 at 4:12 am

    […] I want to share my interview with The Orgasmic Chef.  What’s your favorite childhood food?  Find out mine HERE!  I’ll keep it short […]

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  2. My Interview with The Orgasmic Chef. — Just One Cookbook says:
    March 19, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    […] I would like to take a moment here to invite you all over at The Orgasmic Chef.  I had my interview with the author Maureen and you will find out a little bit more about me and my blog.  Can you […]

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