A SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS WEBSITE
Japan, March 12, 2010 - Chef and nutritionist Mayumi Nishimura advocates "petit-macro," a contemporary style of macrobiotic cooking based on natural seasonings, vegetables and whole grains that allows more flexibility in people's food choices than conventional macrobiotic cooking.
Nishimura, now based in Japan after seven years as Madonna's private chef, said her new English-language cookbook on her petit-macro concept will help people improve their health and bring a sense of joy to the table.
"Authentic macrobiotics can be very strict, making it difficult for people to follow unless they are very eager to stick to the rules. That means people are given only two choices--stick to the macrobiotic diet or have no particular food philosophy," Nishimura said. "But petit-macro, although it respects macrobiotics' basic rules, is easy to prepare and enjoy as you have more latitude in food selection."
In Mayumi's Kitchen: Macrobiotic Cooking for Body and Soul (Kodansha International Ltd, 160 pp, 3,150 yen), the chef introduces a 10-day detox diet for petit-macro beginners. "You are sometimes required to cut vegetables in different ways, but all the recipes are easily done in 1-2-3 steps," Nishimura said.
In one recipe, for example, you just need to "water saute" cabbage for 30 seconds (substituting a small amount of water for the oil usually used in sauteing) before adding squash to cook for another minute. A few more minutes of cooking them with salt and a little more water makes Water-Sauteed Cabbage and Squash to go with Hato Mugi-Vegetable Stew for dinner.
I myself enjoyed her Soft-Cooked Amaranth, a mildly salty soup with the gritty feel of the grain, which has been cooked for about 15 minutes. Cucumber Sandwiches made with sourdough bread were pleasantly fresh, although I bought and used soybean mayonnaise instead of making tofu mayonnaise from scratch as called for in the recipe.
You also can find unique recipes like Sweet Brown-Rice Mochi Waffles, for which Nishimura cooks brown-rice mochi on a waffle iron and serves it with maple syrup. Tofu Cheese, made with tofu and white miso, sounds and looks like a wonderful cheese substitute.
"Do they look fun? Yes, fun is an important part of cooking," Nishimura said. "You cannot continue cooking unless it is fun. I could never be an ascetic monk. Cooking or eating with fun, even when dining alone, is important."
For those who want to move beyond the basics, Nishimura includes advanced recipes with more elaborate cooking techniques, including drinks and desserts, with color photographs, just as with her detox menus. The book also explains basic ingredients and recipes as well as cooking equipment and cutting techniques. It also offers menu-planning tips for goals such as building muscle or beautifying your skin.
Mayumi's Kitchen includes about 130 recipes, and Nishimura said they are the best of the things she has enjoyed the most through her career both in the West and the East.
It was 1981 when the native of Aichi Prefecture first learned about macrobiotics through a book written by Yukikazu Sakurazawa, who is said to have coined the term "macrobiotics." She moved to the United States the following year and began studying macrobiotics under Michio Kushi, the leading authority in the field. Later she worked at his school as head cooking instructor.
In 2001, Nishimura became Madonna's private macrobiotic chef, joining the artist on her world tours. She cooked for Madonna and her family until 2008, when she returned to Japan.
"Madonna rarely made requests," Nishimura recalled. "I always tried to cook food that was delicious and healthy, with good digestibility in mind because she would be on tour for long periods of time, making it more difficult to stay healthy. Having worked with her for seven years, I realized this way of eating is really good as it lessens the burdens on your body."
Nishimura said vegetarians and meat-eaters alike can enjoy her way of eating. "You eat mainly seasonal vegetables, grains and beans, but you also can add nuts, seeds, oil and a little fish, or other animal proteins if you like. By cutting the amount of non-macrobiotic food, you can improve your physical condition and reduce symptoms of, for example, hay fever or other allergies."
She stressed that beans are a complete food compared to, for example, meat or eggs. "They grow again if they are watered! And one piece of grain also has the potential in it to grow a lot more grain."
As the next step in her petit-macro pursuits, Nishimura will travel to Cuba to work with a Cuban governmental organization doing research on macrobiotics. She said that by working with a local marine biologist, she hopes to find a good way to cook and preserve seaweed that is harvested in quantity but not eaten much in Cuba.
Speaking of Mayumi's Kitchen, which will also be published in the United States in June, Nishimura said: "I hope people will not only read the book, but also cook for themselves even if just on weekends. Cooking for yourself is an important part of life."
