Umai

Umai is a book about home cooking rather than restaurant spectacle, eighty simple recipes drawn from Millie's life in Japan, most of them quick, modest and built from a handful of ingredients. The difficulty with food this unshowy is that there is nowhere to hide; you cannot dress a bowl of rice into something it is not. So the photography had to find the beauty in restraint, in steam, in a single well-made plate.

I tried to create the kind of light you find in a real kitchen rather than on a set, so the images would feel homely rather than styled. Photographing simplicity well is harder than photographing abundance, and that is exactly why I enjoyed it. The aim was for each picture to feel like a quiet meal at home, unhurried and true to the way Millie actually cooks.

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Chicken Schnitzel Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Choux Buns Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Clams Bread Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Creme Caramel Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Fried Chicken Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Gyoza Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Ham Melt Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Noodles Tomatoes Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Shiso Leaves Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Smashed Cucumbers Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Spicy Wontons Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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Tuna Sashimi Umai Millie Lagare Cookbook
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