No other type of grilling gives as much of a result for so little effort as Japanese grilling. Trimmings and sauces take minutes to prepare and the meat seconds to grill. The small table grills are far from the beasts and status symbols of the villa garden instead they are simple, portable and so cheap that anyone can have a feast in the park, on the balcony in town or even indoors. It is also a very sociable way to eat. Everyone helps with the grill, you stretch for the sides, talk, pick and drink for hours, until you are so full of laughter and cold lager, you have to lie down and hold on to the floor, so you don’t fall off! But the Japanese grill is not just a meal, it is a mindfulness practice. Produce and tools are carefully chosen and something so simple as a piece of chicken, a little salt and fire can with practice, the right technique and being centred on the moment be transformed into something sublime. Japanese grill is as much about making the food as eating it, as the American Zen teacher Alan Watts said, »you don’t dance to get to the other side of the room«. In Japanese Grill Jonas Cramby explores recipes of the Japanese barbecue, techniques, philosophy and historical Korean roots. He shares his best recipes of among others yakitori, yakiniku and Korean BBQ, but also discusses how to ferment kimchi without ruining your relationship with the neighbours, how to grill indoors without choking, and how to chill your weak lager to minus without it turning to ice.

Jonas Cramby is a freelance writer, restaurant reviewer for Metro and food writer in Café magazine. He has published four popular cookery books: Texmex from the start, Texas BBQ, Sandwiches and Taco loco. The books have been translated into several languages.