Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha ryouribon no resipi wo minagara bangohan wo tukurimasu. - I cook dinner while looking at the recipe in the cookbook.

You’re introducing yourself,
There might be confusion about who is doing the action,
You want to emphasize you specifically (e.g. 私は vs 弟は, “I (not my younger brother)”).

Why do we say 料理本のレシピ? Isn’t レシピ already “recipe”?

Yes, レシピ means “recipe,” but 料理本のレシピ literally means “the recipe(s) from a cookbook”.

料理本 = cookbook (料理 = cooking/food, 本 = book)
料理本のレシピ = the cookbook’s recipe(s) / a recipe found in a cookbook

So the phrase emphasizes that you’re using a recipe that comes from a cookbook, not, for example, a recipe from the internet or your own memorized recipe.

What is the function of の in 料理本のレシピ?

の is linking 料理本 and レシピ, showing a relationship similar to:

possession: the cookbook’s recipe
origin/source: a recipe from a cookbook

So you can think of A の B here as “B of/from A”:

料理本のレシピ = recipe(s) of/from the cookbook

Why is there を after レシピ and also を after 晩ご飯?

を marks the direct object of a verb.

You have two verbs in this sentence:

見ながら (from 見る = to look at)
作ります (from 作る = to make)

And each verb has its own object:

レシピを見ながら
- レシピ = what you are looking at
- So レシピを = “(while) looking at the recipe”
晩ご飯を作ります
- 晩ご飯 = what you are making
- So 晩ご飯を = “make dinner”

So:

レシピを belongs to 見ながら (“while looking at the recipe”)
晩ご飯を belongs to 作ります (“I make dinner”)

What does 見ながら mean exactly, and how does the 〜ながら form work?

見ながら comes from 見る (to look / to watch) + ながら.

〜ながら attached to the ます-stem of a verb means “while doing (that verb)” and indicates two actions happening at the same time, with the same subject.

Form:

Verb (ます-stem) + ながら
- 見る → 見ます → 見
  - ながら = 見ながら (“while looking”)
- 聞く → 聞きます → 聞き
  - ながら = 聞きながら (“while listening”)

In this sentence:

レシピを見ながら晩ご飯を作ります。
= “I make dinner while looking at the recipe.”

The subject of both 見る and 作る is the same person: 私.

Why is it 晩ご飯 and not 夕ご飯 or 夕食? Are they different?

All can refer to “dinner,” but their nuance and formality differ:

晩ご飯 (ばんごはん)
- Very common, casual everyday word for “dinner”.
- Literally “evening meal.”
夕ご飯 (ゆうごはん)
- Also “dinner,” but used less often; sounds slightly more literary/regional for many speakers.
夕食 (ゆうしょく)
- More formal / written / polite or in set phrases (hotels, hospitals, schedules, etc.).

In a neutral, everyday spoken sentence like this, 晩ご飯 is the most natural choice.

The verb is 作ります (present polite). Does this mean “I make”, “I will make”, or “I am making”?

Japanese non-past form (like 作ります) covers both present and future meanings. Context decides.

This sentence, by itself, can be understood as:

A habitual action:
- “I (usually) make dinner while looking at a cookbook recipe.”
A future plan, if context implies later:
- “I’ll make dinner while looking at a cookbook recipe.”

If you specifically want “I am making dinner right now”, you’d use the progressive:

料理本のレシピを見ながら晩ご飯を作っています。
(“I am making dinner while looking at a cookbook recipe.”)

Can I change the word order, like 晩ご飯を料理本のレシピを見ながら作ります? Is that OK?

Yes, Japanese word order is relatively flexible as long as the verb goes at the end and particles are correct.

All of these are natural:

私は料理本のレシピを見ながら晩ご飯を作ります。
私は晩ご飯を料理本のレシピを見ながら作ります。
料理本のレシピを見ながら私は晩ご飯を作ります。

The nuance changes slightly (what you want to emphasize), but they are all grammatical.

However, putting the main verb last is crucial; 作ります should not move away from the end in standard sentences.

What is the difference between 作ります and 作る here?

Both come from the verb 作る (“to make”), but:

作ります = polite form (ます-form), used in most neutral or polite situations, especially with people you’re not very close to.
作る = plain (dictionary) form, used:
- In casual speech with friends/family,
- In written materials like dictionaries,
- In many internal/monologue-like thoughts.

So:

Polite: 晩ご飯を作ります。
Casual: 晩ご飯を作る。

Can I omit any particles in this sentence in casual speech?

In very casual spoken Japanese, some particles can be dropped. You cannot remove all of them freely, but for example:

料理本のレシピ見ながら晩ご飯作る。
(Dropped は and both を; this is very casual, spoken style.)

However:

For learners, it’s better to keep the particles until you are very comfortable with them.
In writing (especially anything formal or semi-formal), you should keep particles like は and を.

Why are there spaces between the words? I thought Japanese usually has no spaces.

You’re right: standard Japanese writing does not normally use spaces between words. It’s usually written like:

私は料理本のレシピを見ながら晩ご飯を作ります。

In teaching materials for beginners, spaces are sometimes added:

to help you see the word boundaries,
to make it easier to map Japanese chunks to English equivalents.

But in real Japanese texts (books, websites, manga, etc.), you generally won’t see spaces between words.