5 comments about Indian Vegetarian Cooking at Your House (Healthy World Cuisine).

1. Excellent cook book, provides basics for iondian cooking and sources for obtaining unique spices for recipes



2. This book has absolutely no pics. Kinda boring to look at, but does offer a lot of doable recipes.



3. This cookbook is easy to understand and the ingrediants are fairly easy to obtain. Great cookbook!



4. Not sure if it's a complete lack of pictures or even short explanations of the dish, but I find this book completely uninspiring. A good cookbook makes you want to jump up and cook something immediately, but for me this is not one of those books, unfortunately. For a vegetarian cookbook, it also has surprisingly few vegetable-based recipes, mostly with ingredients that might not be fresh at a local supermarket (eggplant, okra, "drumsticks"). At the same time way too much space is allocated to desserts (didn't care for any of them), snacks like "spicy popcorn" (do we really need a cookbook for this?) and chutneys. A somewhat decent section on breads is the only thing that's keeping me from getting rid of this book.



5. I bought this book 2 years ago & I haven't used it once. Oh, I've looked through it a number of times, but it seems like I spend a ton of time looking, looking, looking and not cooking, cooking, cooking. I'm sorry this is lacking specifics, but there's just something about this book that keeps me from actually using it. Honestly, it might be the lack of photos. I know that sounds childish, but a lot of times that's how I'll get hooked on trying something new. I really hoped this book would be a great inspiration to my menus, but for me - it's a flop.

5 comments about Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia.

1. I've cooked many recipes from this cookbook, and it's been great. The food is delicious, and the instructions are clear. The recipes have been adjusted to take into account the availability of ingredients for American kitchens, but except for that, the recipes seem true to the authentic flavors.
   
   Sometimes the cooking instructions have been oversimplified and dumbed-down too much (as in frying potatoes one piece at a time, for example), and that's my only criticism of the book. But for a beginning cook, or a cook intimidated by or unfamiliar with Asian cuisines, the detailed play-by-play instructions may be a plus.
   
   I bought my book from Amazon after browsing the Cradle of Flavor online message board (Egullet forums). A group of people have cooked every recipe in the book and posted numerous photos and comments.
   
   Overall I recommend this book as an excellent introduction to Indonesian cooking.



2. James Oseland captures the essence of Malaysian and Indonesian food very well in this book. Each chapter starts with an nicely written account of an experience in this world of rich culture and cuisine and moves on into recipes. There are few pictures and the paper stock is not laminated. For most, I'd imagine this is more than enough info and involved preparation. I'm left wanting a little more.
   Oseland mentions one of his teachers buying Daun Kunyit (Turmeric Leaves) from the market, but does not include them in any of the recipes. I grow turmeric, and have plenty of daun kunyit. It is a common spice in rendang. If you are really into reproducing a recipe as accurately as possible, you need to suppliment this book, most easily with the internet. Another such omission is of recipes calling for either the zest or juice of the kaffir lime. Another omission is Torch Ginger Buds. Oseland suggests you do not make your own coconut milk in the US, suggesting the homogenized canned stuff from Thailand. I make coconut milk from coconuts in the US, and no, it isn't as rich as the canned stuff, but the complexity and freshness of homemade adds an extra depth and dimension to food, IMO. I just make more of it to compensate for each coconut having less cream than in Asia. I agree to disagree with Oseland on this point, and while he favors a food processor over a mortar, I really enjoy pounding my spice pastes by hand. Finally, in Desserts, Oseland deems one category of Kuih or Kueh as demanding a lot of artistry and purposefully leaves them out of the book except for 1 recipe, Onde-Onde. Quite a few people have blogs with recipes and instructions on these too hard to make Kuih, and they aren't that hard to make. I found it like someone not including a baguette recipe becuase the average home baker would never rival the great boulangeries of Paris.
   
   Bottom line, I am very very happy with this book, but it is not the encylopedia of uncompromised "spice islands/indonesian/malay/singapore" recipes. Oseland definitely knows what he is talking about, and the area this book covers is his second home. He has made a perfect book for the people (and a very good book for the obsessed hobbyist).



3. I was originally quite skeptical about this book. I mean this is an American guy who's writing recipes from Indonesia, what could he possibly know? After borrowing the book from a local library, reading it, trying a couple of recipes, and then deciding to buy it from Amazon, Well.. I guess A LOT!
   
   I was born and raised in West Sumatera, Padang to be exact (this city is mentioned a lot in the book). I got shipped out of Indonesia to the U.S. in my early teenage years. I wasn't interested in food or want to learn to cook then. I took it for granted that I wouldn't miss anything and get used to the American food. It was not until I arrived in the U.S., got homesick, and craved for sambal and rice on a regular basis, that I realized how hard it was to create or get a taste of home. Most Indonesian restaurants here were either Javanese (which is different from spicy West Sumatra's food) or "Americanized". When my mom died, all hopes of learning to cook food I grew up with was gone. Whenever I felt homesick, I'd cook Indonesian food based on recipes found on the web, blogs, and little bits of knowledge that I picked up on my annual visit home. But nothing seemed to taste the way I remembered. That was until I tried recipes from this book. Everything smells and tastes almost exactly as they are supposed to be. The book goes into a lot of details explaining how to handle the ingredients and the step-by-step cooking process, which definitely makes the difference in my cooking. I use this book all the time now, and follow the instructions to the T. The only thing I don't do is adding sugar when cooking main courses. I see a couple of reviews complaining that there aren't many pictures in the book. While that's true, it's not exactly a deal breaker. To get an idea of what the dishes look like, google for images, that should help.



4. I bought Cradle of Flavor based on the credentials of the author and on the glowing reviews that this book was a definitive work on Indonesian / Malaysian cooking in English. Granted it is not loaded with photos, which I always enjoy, but the recipes are terrific and what you need to learn about this cooking is in this book. I am very happy I bought it.



5. The writing and descriptions in this book are crystal clear. Very elegant and educational, it really describes how to cook the food perfectly - rather than just a quick list of ingredients and basic instruction. The recipes are well-selected and quite delicious. This is what a cookbook should be - if only it had more nice pictures it would be world-class. A solid buy!

5 comments about Taste of Nepal (Hippocrene Cookbook Library).

1. Outstanding Rich and Unique Culinary Heritage of Nepal: For the first time,a Nepali Cookbook has won award at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards as a "BestForeign Cusine Book-2008". This book was also recognisedat the award ceremony (April13, 2008 at the Olimpia theatre in London) by giving the book "Special Award of the Jury". Congratulations to the author for making this book a bridge to the rest of the world. I hope winning the international award will help bring Nepali culinary and heritage and culture in the world market.
   
   After a year of using " Taste of Nepal Cookbook", I am impressed with the thoroughness of the purpose and enjoyed trying out the mostdelicious and healthful dishes of Nepal. As a person of Nepali origin,and have lived in the USAfor over forty years, many facets of Nepali cooking had slowly evolved fom my memories. The vegetable chapter of the book reminded me of so many varitiesof vegetables available in Nepal. I have seen these in in various Asian sores in the USA, but had faint memories of how it is cooked. Fiddlehead Ferns (neuro), Taro Leaves (karkalo, gaaba), Pumpkin Vine Shoots (farsiko munta), Luffa Gourd(gheeraula) werecooked occasionslly when I was growing up Nepal. I found some of the vegetables at the produce markets, but was not brave enough to bring it home as I lackedthe process of cooking method. Books like this will allow me to refer and will help me bring back my nostalgia. Even thoughI am moving away from fish and meat intake, I find it refreshingto see the comprehensive authentic recipes of my childhood favorites.
   
   Pictures of the finished product would have been excellent addition to the book. Thatprobablywill requiremore expense, advance photo shoots, food styling, outlays and other process.However I will suggest her to do so in future, if possible. I shall also recommend the auther to show caloric value of each dish which I firmly believe is not high as compared to many foods available in the market. I really enjoyed beautiful black and white drawing (pencil sketches) in the book. I highly recommend this book to all health consern consumers. All recipees in this book is very healthy and healing (due to unique seasoning).
   
   Reviewed by Amar Giri, Ph.D. Food Science.



2. I'm still working my way through this book - which might take some time, considering its size! So far, most of what I've tried has been pretty good. You have to use some of your own common sense and general cooking knowledge. (And yes -- ok, it keeps calling for jimbu, which you just can't get in the U.S. and really has no substitute.) But I'm thrilled to have a Nepalese cookbook that has many, many more that three ways to cook dal! It's very user-friendly -- pretty straightforward and easy to read. And I have to agree that it's a great reference book. I don't think there's anything else in print that comes close (even the cookbooks I got in Nepal don't compare.) Overall, it's definitely worth having in your library, and it's a great read.



3. This is an EXCELLENT COOKBOOK! The dishes are so delicious and the recipes are very easy to follow. I have tried several recipes from this cookbook and loved everyone of them! The recipes are easy to follow and there are so many tips and information. I'm truly impressed!



4. Jyoti Pathak's "Taste of Nepal" does for Nepali cooking what Madhur Jaffrey's classic "Invitation to Indian Cooking" did for Indian food. It is a book for the uninitiated--precise in its directions, rich in background material--but one that does not, in any way, compromise the ambition of its recipes. The great dishes of Nepal are here, along with the more day-to-day ones, and each recipe comes with a brief introduction that tells you what is special about the dish you are about to make. Having tried some of the recipes, I am hooked: This will be the year of Nepal for me.



5. A good selection of Nepali recipes including the recipe for Sel roti and some other traditional recipes. Finding some ingredients has been difficult.

5 comments about Cooking from the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America.

1. The book reads more like a novel than a cookbook, but it is very interesting.



2. I am Hmong and so I understand that many of the recipes in the Hmong culture have been borrowed from many other cultures throughout Southeast Asia. However, this cook book didn't really offer many traditional Hmong recipes (I also happen to know from personal experience, that many Hmong women, the traditional cooks in the family, are pretty stingy about sharing recipes to people outside the immediate family). While this book does offer recipes for a lot of the foods that Hmong people customarily eat, the book is lacking in detail about how to complete some of the tasks of cooking. To elaborate, there are few pictures and usually they are just depicting how the finished dish looks like, there are no photos for example, of how to actually roll an eggroll or how papaya should look after it is shredded for the spicy papaya salad dish. Fortunately, my wife is a good cook and she learned all these subtle but intricate details growing up. Unfortunately for the uninitiated, some of the recipes may prove hard to accomplish.



3. I haven't gone through the whole book yet, but from skimming through the book, it is pretty complete with all the Hmong dishes and ingredients listed and most of the recipes are simple to make. The author also wrote about the history of the people and the dishes.
   
   One thing that bugged me was there were no pictures to correspond with the dishes, although there is a picture section in the middle of the book, it is not complete.
   
   I do recommend this book to those who want to try Hmong dishes, but if you're not too sure about the recipe, I would advise you to try it at a restaurant first before trying to make the dish yourself using this book.



4. The book is very informative and orgainzed. I love the pictures included in the book.



5. This is a great cookbook! I do not regret purchasing it. It's a definite must-have for the 1st generation Hmong children. I found some recipes in here that I've been looking for, for a long time! Already put them to use, and they were pretty right on, minus a few adjustments according to your personal preference. I bought one for myself and my Sister Inlaw who's been trying to cook hmong foods for her Chinese husband. She loves it too. It does include a lot of Hmong history in there, but I think that's great! I look forward to passing this on to my daughter one day, so not only will she be able to continue cooking these traditional foods for her family, but learn about the culture and the rich history. Minus One Star because I wish there were more pictures of some of the dishes. Thanks Ladies!

3 comments about Korean Cooking Made Easy: Simple Meals in Minutes (Learn to Cook Series).

1. I bought the cookbook for my pastor and his wife who are adopting a korean baby girl and put it in their Christmas basket they were really pleased. The transaction went very smoothly and was exactly what it was supposed to be and received in a very good time.



2. this book is quite good for making korean food. it has a chapter w. photos that describe in detail different ingredients used in korean cuisine, which is very helpful compared to other cookbooks that don't have any illustrations. i'm not korean so having that helped when you go to the store and you ask for these things. Most of the recipes have photos, which is also great. My only complaint would be that i wish this book had more recipes..



3. Ever wondered what to do with that jar of kimchi you bought on impulse?
   
   Would you like to expand your taste and flavor range, and understand something about Korean style cuisine?
   
   This simple and well illustrated little book will help you answer all three of the questions above and much more.
   
   It is not the last word in cooking Korean, but it will get you started with easy to prepare dishes. Once you have explored the book, and maybe prepared a dish or two, perhaps you will not be intimidated or put off so as to avoid going to a Korean restaurant.
   
   I have a sister-in-law who has a granddaughter, a journalism major, currently living and teaching (English) in Korea. The S-I-L is pretty much meat and potatoes bound, and I thought that this little book would be something of interest to her and maybe help her to understand that all over the world, people are the same in that we all like good things to eat.
   
   And it might give her something to talk with the granddaughter about as well to help the granddaughter share her experience and adventures as a stranger in a strange land.
   
   This is a great little book for any and all of these purposes -- for personal edification, for culinary exploration, and for a gift.

5 comments about Asian Ingredients: A Guide to the Foodstuffs of China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

1. Asian Ingredients is a cookbook in reverse. The familiar formula dictates that a little of the cookbook is dedicated to some cultural background titbits and a glossary; the rest is devoted to recipes. Cost, as his title indicates, offers us a major tour of the foodstuffs with just a sprinkling of recipes throughout. And that is exactly why the book appealed to me. Here you get the best bookish knowledge mixed with personal experience as he gives ingredients not just names, but cultural context, almost bringing them to life as if historical characters. Soy sauce, he tells us in the introduction, "evolved from ancient methods of fermenting and preserving meat and game ¡K" The Chinese value fresh water fish above salt water because the latter are considered to be already partly preserved (less fresh) - salted by the water they swim in. Amongst gems like these are plenty of practical advice for both the market and kitchen. But while the book includes a Region of Use listing for each ingredient, the geographical origin of each recipe is unfortunately left a mystery. The book is also crying out for a separate recipe index. You would not buy this book for the recipes alone but I tried four or five and whenever I wore my reading glasses and did not try to cut corners, I ended up with some really good food. Simple Roast Chicken with Sichuan Pepper (I was drawn to the word Simple), for example got the thumbs up from my friend Linda. The photographs being black and white are not always as illuminating as they should be, and there may be a few questionable facts. For instance, we learn that Dong gwa (gua) is Cantonese for Winter Melon. Not mentioned is the fact that this pronunciation is virtually identical in Mandarin. All in all I would call this an excellent reference.



2. `Asian Ingredients' by Bruce Cost is one of those books like Patience Gray's `Honey from a Weed' and Claudia Roden's `New Book of Middle Eastern Food' which gets cited as THE authority on its subject by culinary heavyweights such as Ruth Reichl and Alice Waters. So, in my quest for the perfect culinary library, I really need to read and review this book. I am very happy to say that the reputation of this book is not overdone. It is one of the finest books on culinary ingredients I have seen on either Oriental or Occidental cuisines. The author states from the outset that his objective was not to give us an encyclopedic work. What we get is much closer to some of the finer books on Mediterranean cuisine such as Nancy Harmon Jenkins `The Essential Mediterranean'. In many ways, Cost's book is far more practical, albeit less analytical than Jenkins' work.
   
   Cost deals with the fairly homogeneous food world of Japan, Korea, China, Viet Nam, and Thailand. He mentions India as an influence on Thai cuisine, but does not deal directly with Indian cuisine, as it is substantially different from the cuisine of China and the rest of the Far East. The book also does not deal with the cuisine of the Philippines or Indonesia, as the cuisines of these two nations are heavily influenced by European colonization beginning in the 16th century.
   
   One of the best things about Cost's book is that it is organized in such a way to make it a pleasure to read for background information. While I have never sat down to read the Larousse Gastronomique for pleasure, I read Cost's book from cover to cover with great pleasure, skipping a very few subjects on which I was very familiar. Costs book is divided into the following seven (7) major chapters:
   
   Fresh Ingredients including Herbs and Seasonings, Vegetables and Fungi, Meat, Poultry and Eggs, Fish
   Preserved and Processed Ingredients including Dried Ingredients, Cured Ingredients, and Soy and Coconut
   Condiments and Sauces including Soy based condiments, Fish based sauces, Chili based sauces, Vinegar and spirits, and Flavored oils
   Spices, Sugars, Nuts, and Seeds, including Spices, Sugar, Nuts and Seeds
   Rice
   Noodles and Wrappers
   Flours and Thickeners
   Cooking Fats and Oils
   
   One of the most dramatic lessons to be learned from this book is the fact that like the Mediterranean respect for dried and preserved ingredients such as salted cod, dried pasta, and dry beans, Asian dried ingredients such as seaweed, vegetables, fish, and mushrooms are highly regarded ingredients in their own right. They are not `second best'. By drying and concentrating their flavors, they bring something to the party that is simply beyond their fresh precursors.
   
   Another fairly dramatic discovery is the fact that while so many of the spices prized by Europe and so greatly desired by Renaissance Europe were grown just next door to China and Japan, these spices such as black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon (cassias) really did not and still do not play a big part in East Asian cuisine, except for Thailand, which is influenced by the curries and other spices of India. Northern China and Japan almost totally reject the use of the `cookie spices' except for ginger, which is used heavily throughout the region covered by the book.
   
   It is interesting to see both the harmony and the dissonance created when one lays Mediterranean and Far Eastern cuisine side by side. Some of the biggest parallels are the importance of garlic, pork, mushrooms, cilantro, and New World (capsicum) chilis. Some differences are in the relative importance of drying versus salt curing. As Nancy Harmon Jenkins points out, salt is much more important in the Mediterranean cuisines simply because the Mediterranean is saltier than the oceans, so it is a lot easier to acquire than on the Pacific Rim. There are some salt cured pork products, with hams very similar to Smithfield hams, but nowhere near as much of the Charcuterie / salume culture of Western Europe. The greatest differences between the two areas lies in the use of milk. There is simply no milk culture in East Asia from cows, goats, sheep, or buffalo. The Chinese and Japanese feel the same towards Europe's more aromatic cheeses as westerners may feel about fermented fish sauce, birds nests (dried bird saliva), and seaweed. Where the European uses animals' milk, the Asian uses milk refined from soy or coconut.
   
   An important part of this book, more important than similar samples in most other books of this type, is the recipes, especially for things such as fish and chicken stocks, which are far simpler than comparable French stocks. They are not just simpler; there is a whole rationale in the Chinese cuisine against including vegetables in chicken stock recipes.
   
   Two of the most useful aspects of this book are the recommendations on how to best use Asian markets and which commercial preparations are of a high quality. I had some reservations regarding a local Chinese run farmer's market with a fish counter until I read Cost's description of Asians' regard for freshness in fish. The `Iron Chef' episodes where virtually all seafood ingredients are presented live is not for the sake of show business. These people are SERIOUS about their fresh fish! Note that while this book was originally written and published in 1988, the new paperback edition was revised in 2000, so the numerous comments about which prepared brand name ingredients are the best should be fairly current.
   
   This book is so good you will be remiss if you buy any other book on East Asian ingredients without first reading this new edition. Other books may offer better coverage of selected aspects of this subject, but this book is certainly the gold standard against which other books should be measured!
   
   Very highly recommended, especially if you like to read about food as well as eat it.



3. Being an Asian-American born in the US, sometimes we need something to understand Asian cooking and foodstuffs ourselves! I consider Bruce Cost the ultimate Asian food expert considering he's not Asian! Everything is explained in an easy to understand manner and is authentic as any Asian food reference. His Big Bowl cookbook is also excellent.



4. I already own the original 1988 hardback edition, which is a superb and immensely useful book: more than five stars! Here on Amazon it should be easy and cheap for you to obtain that original edition, and I urge you to do so, for it is far better than this edition, despite the publisher's false claim that this one is "Fully revised and updated".
   
   As an owner of the original, I feel tricked and cheated by the publisher. When I ordered this purportedly "new" edition I somehow overlooked the completely accurate Amazon customer review entitled: "Fully revised and expanded"...NOT
   
   Indeed, not only have I yet to find anything new in this reprint, but there are far fewer photographs than there were in the original. For example, ALL of the photos of the labels on the bottles and jars of the many recommended sauces and condiments are GONE! When scanning the shelves of a large Chinese supermarket the photos in the original edition were extremely helpful in identifying the right brand, and their absence from the reprint is inexplicable and inexcusable.
   
   Even the photos that are included are often not the same as in the original edition...and are much WORSE! Have you ever seen ingenious photos of familiar objects taken from vantage points contrived to disguise what it is that has been photographed? Well, some of these new photos are like that (quite unlike the clear and helpful photos in the original edition). To be specific, I defy all but the most experienced Asian chefs to even identify the photos on pages 23, 41, and 42, as being lemon grass, choi sum, and gai lan, respectively. Whereas the photos in the original edition showed the bases of these plants (crucial for identification) these new photos show only the very tips!
   
   I have immense respect for Mr. Cost, and living in San Francisco I was lucky enough to go to his iconic Monsoon restaurant many times before he moved on to the much bigger Big Bowl project in the mid-west (which I have also been to and which is also very good). I can only imagine he was too busy to pay attention to the details of this reprint, for I cannot imagine that someone of his intellectual and culinary caliber would be happy with the end result.
   
   Having exhausted my supply of bile, let me end by saying that if you do not already own the original edition and cannot find a second hand copy of the same, then you should immediately click on the Buy Now button for this reprint. Flawed as it is, there is still no other book like it in the English language: you owe it to yourself to have it.
   
   P.S. Mr. Cost's earlier book devoted to ginger is equally invaluable, containing many absolutely fantastic recipes. This book has yet to be reprinted, but second-hand copies are readily available here on Amazon: Ginger East To West: The Classic Collection Of Recipes, Techniques, And Lore, Revised And Expanded.



5. For Christmas i got a cast iron wok... which was really exciting. However, I don't cook a with Asian flavors, though i wanted to learn. So i ordered this book to get an idea of what flavors other than soy sauce and sesame oil there were. I was pleased to discover that this book goes into extensive detail about so MANY ingredients it kinda makes your head spin with possibilities. So I would recommend this to anyone who wants to start out learning Asia's copious amount of yummy tasting ingredients.

5 comments about Vegetarian Sushi (Essential Kitchen Series).

1. This book has everything it needs to pass as great to the majority of the population; glossy photos, cute names, and it's about sushi.
   Very trendy.
   As a Vegan, I was not as impressed. The stock recipes include bonito (dried fish), and offered no substitutions for it. Several of the recipes called for the stock, or water. Water doesn't add any flavor to food, obviously. So it's either fish, or a substandard dish. The author also includes seafood suggestions on nearly every page. The last time I checked, fish are living creatures. Fish are not vegetables.
   I expected a few mentions of egg or dairy, it is a supposedly Vegetarian book. But I can't say I expected flesh to be involved in the cooking process.
   Before becoming Vegan, I had never eaten sushi due to my allergy to seafood. So if you have a similar allergy and are looking to enjoy Sushi, I would recommend searching elsewhere.



2. i was looking for a strict vegetarian sushi book and this book often uses bonito which is a fish product...



3. Some of the reviewers of this book marked it down because it contains recipes that require fish products. In my opinion this is very unfair. Not all vegetarians are vegans, and some do in fact eat fish as well as eggs and cheese. Rating this book low because it contains recipes for foods you don't eat would be like me rating Joy of Cooking only one star because it has recipes for pork, squirrel, and bear meat, none of which I eat. Neither do I eat shellfish, which is one reason why I was so happy to find this book. Japanese cooking makes extensive use of all manner of sea creatures which would not be something I would eat, so I must either overlook or adapt many recipes in most cookbooks dealing with Japanese cuisine. With this one I can use every one!
   
   If you are vegan, then yes, there are some recipes in here you could not use, such as the omelet sushi options. As for the essential Japanese stock/seasoning dashi, which contains bonito, a fish, the author recommends leaving out the bonito and doubling the seaweed component as a fish-free alternative. I do imagine this would make a change in the flavor, but probably not a fatal one. When one has dietary restrictions, one is used to such adaptations. But however strictly you practice your vegetarianism, there is something in here for you.
   
   If you are not a vegetarian, the author includes suggestions for seafood variations, both fish and shellfish, so you are bound to find something you would like to try.
   
   This book is beautiful and has many wonderful ideas and options for many types of sushi. It has ingredient lists, equipment lists, and even lovely garnishing ideas, as well as instructions on making perfect rice for sushi. The color photos are inspiring, the instructions are clear and detailed. I recommend it.



4. I use this one more as visual inspiration than as a cookbook; it's got gorgeous presentation ideas, but I'm just not that fond of (for example) raw red and yellow peppers. The focus is far more on the look than on the taste, and I'd rather see at least an equal emphasis on taste.
   
   I was also disappointed by the lack of reference to actual Japanese vegetarian traditions; the author seemed to be basically making up food that 'looked' right without considering what the history involved. (Full disclosure: I've semiprofessionally taught Japanese cooking classes.)
   
   It does have interesting ideas for some nontraditional but tasty-looking dessert sushi made with fruit.



5. This book is a great resource for how to do all the basic tasks associated with sushi preparation - making the rice, the different types of rolls, preparing seasoned vegetables, etc. As a vegetarian, it was a relief to find a book with instructions on how to do these things that didn't also have tons of pictures of dead fish (even though some of the recipes call for bonito flakes, which is irksome). I found that the actual recipes for sushi rolls in this book are ok, but overall not especially flavorful. So I recommend this book as a jumping-off point to learn the basics, and I haven't yet found any other books that contain more creative vegetarian sushi.

5 comments about The Spice Merchant's Daughter: Recipes and Simple Spice Blends for the American Kitchen.

1. This is a world class cookbook. It is sure to be a favorite used regularly. A culinary treasure and a guaranteed heirloom. The recipes are easy to follow and the flavors are out of this world. My family and I can't get enough of such wonderful food. I have made many of the recipes. One night my husband and I suggested we go to an Asian restaurant. My children said they did not want to go out to dinner because Mom can make better food at home. Many thanks to Author Christina Arokiasamy for sharing.



2. If you notice the other reviews I think they all know the author personally or have taken her cooking classes at some point. Most of them have only written one review for Amazon and that being this book. A couple of them have written 2 so that leads me to believe that the other reviews while well meaning aren't necessarily unbiased. I would like to offer that review as I do not know the author, have never taken a cooking class nor have been paid by her to review the book.
   
   This is it.
   
   I enjoyed reading the book. While it is a cookbook it is also almost a diary. I enjoyed the first chapter where the author describes her childhood and growing enchantment with spices. I too have a similar memory but in rural Kentucky our smells were fat back and chitlins. Everyone remembers their own sweet smells from childhood. Ms. Arokiasamy does a wonderful job of leading us to hers.
   
   One of my pet peeves is people describing most asian cooking as Thai cooking when in fact it is not. And the author knows that and shows us the differences between broad southeast asian cooking and its traditions. The author suggests introducing these spices slowly so that your family will become accustomed to their taste. I think I've heard you need to expose a child 10 times to a new food before they can truly decide if they like it or not.
   
   She as many recipes for making your own spice blends and suggests adding the spice at the beginning of the cooking process if you want it milder in flavor and at the end if you want it strong. Helpful information to know about any spices.
   
   There are recipes for curry powder, garam masala, fiery curry powder, lemon pepper rub, steak and chop rub. The steak and chop rub was delish. I used it over t-bones and the whole family loved it, even the kids. It was not too harsh and added a different flair. I made mine with Worcestershire but you could use soy as well.
   
   The official review by Amazon included words like luscious photography...that is not so. The book is printed on recycled paper so the pictures look like they've been printed on recycled matte paper. They are not beautiful and not really appealing. There are only a few pictures anyway so it doesn't really add anything.
   
   I would have liked more white space in the book to add my own notes and my own takes on the different spice combinations. But I can still do that if I want.
   
   I hope this provided an unbiased review of the book if you were considering getting it I would suggest you do so. And if I'm ever in the Pacific Northwest I'll have to make a point of meeting Ms. Arokiasamy and taking one of her cooking classes.



3. This is a very unique book, and it should be part of every serious cook's library. The book is loaded with wonderful recipes that my husband and I love.



4. The Spice Merchant's Daughter is an interesting and educational read. Besides being a cookbook it gives you a bit of little know history. Life in colonial Malaysia is of course history. however the colors and fragrances of a far off place are vividly described and easily imagined as you read. The recipes are for the most part easily prepared and the ones I have tasted are delicious. The one drawback is that unless you live in a large metropolitan area, some of the spices and herbs used might be difficult to obtain. I read this as a travel book as well as a cookbook and enjoyed every page.



5. If you are like me, and are new to cooking food from Southeast Asia, you may be daunted by the wide number of spices, herbs and flavors. It's very hard to improvise when you don't know anything about the food except the recipe. Some spices taste wonderful in small quantities but turn bitter with just a little more. Some will dominate milder foods like fish. Fortunately we live at a time when the ingredients for Southeast Asian food are available at the American supermarkets. But the typical American cook may get the groceries home and ask, "what next?" What, for example, do you do with all the cardomin you bought for that one recipe? Does it go with anything else? How about those curry leaves? Are they destined to sit on the shelf until you give up and throw them out?
   
   The Spice Merchant's Daughter is useful because it takes you down to the roots of the cooking and you learn some of the things you might have learned if you grew up in Malaysia. You learn to make basic mixes which can be used in different ways. You learn which spices can be substituted and which ones have no substitutions. You learn that you need to find a source for whole spices, but you also learn some ways to use the ground spices from the supermarket.
   
   This is a great book, which teaches you things that go beyond recipes. I can't wait to start looking for a good spice vendor.

5 comments about The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia.

1. As someone who was born and grew up in Tbilisi, I was very happy to find this book -- it captures all of my favorite recipes, and when I prepare them according to this book, they taste just like my grandma's cooking.
   
   More than just a recipe book, this is also an exploration into the rich history and culture of Georgia, and how the history shaped the cuisine. I suggest this book to everyone who would like to add some interesting preparations to their cooking. For vegetarians, Georgians have plenty of healthful and filling ways to prepare veggies and beans, and also some mouth watering sauces that will enliven any dish (veg or not).
   
   I enjoy this book both as a cook book, and as a historical book!



2. I've already written a review of this great book. I have only one suggestion: the basic khmeli suneli recipe can be augmented further to reach the authentic smell and taste. The wikipedia article on khmeli suneli has additional ingredients that can be added to the recipe. I tried that, about 2 teaspoons of each ingredient that's not already in Darra's recipe (less for black and chili pepper), and it came closer to the authentic smell and taste. I think the author of the wikipedia article might have meant safflower (marigold) instead of saffron though, so I didn't add that.



3. This is a marvelous, utterly authentic encyclopedia of Georgian cooking. I tried some of the recipes before leaving for Georgia in summer 2006, and they were great, and gave me a good idea of what to expect. Once in Georgia, the book was an invaluable reference that I constantly turned to whenever I tried something new. Just about *everything* I had is in here, along with many things I didn't get around to sampling.
   
   This book also helped me learn the correct Georgian names for the dishes and many of the ingredients. A significant portion of the book is devoted to providing cultural background on Georgia and Georgian food, such the elaborate rules for a _tamada_, or Georgian toastmaster. With its charming photos of representative paintings scattered generously throughout its pages, it also made me a Pirosmani fan, and better able to appreciate the originals when I saw them for myself.
   
   Most importantly, as the other reviewers say, the recipes *work*. We just made the potato salad with walnut paste (p. 172), and it was delectable. Other dishes we have tried and like include tomato soup with walnuts and vermicelli (p. 73) and green beans with egg (p. 130). Pkhali was one of my favorite dishes in Georgia, and I'm glad to have the recipe for when I get around to making it myself. There is a recipe for beets with cherry sauce, a dish a travel companion had tried but that even some of our Georgian hosts weren't familiar with. For the few recipes that seem to be missing from this book, like eggplant with walnut paste, try Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook, another excellent collection of delicious recipes from all the former Soviet republics.
   
   _The Georgian Feast_ is well worth having even if you don't eat meat - many of the recipes are completely vegetarian. This book is a real treasure.



4. This is an ok effort by Ms. Goldstein but unfortunately the recipes don't quite result in the amazing flavors that Georgian cuisine is known for. Perhaps it is Ms. Goldstein's substitutions of less authentic ingredients as some ingredients in the "real" dish are hard to find. Perhaps it is something else. (Her "adjika" is REALLY bad/wrong for instance....)
   
   OK book if you want an idea of what Georgian cuisine is like. Not good if you REALLY want the real thing...



5. Book: "The Georgian Feast", by Darra Goldstein
   
   Winner of the IACP Book of the Year for 1999, Professor Darra Goldstein's "The Georgian Feast" offers English speaking Westerners an interesting and well researched peek at the cuisine of the Georgia. Not the State of Georgia in the Southeastern United States, mind you, but rather THE GEORGIA, as in the (formerly Soviet) Republic of Georgia, which spans the lands between the Black and Caspian seas, north of Turkey, and South of Russia. The veritable crossroads of the ancient world, through which much of the trade between Europe, Greece, Rome, Russia, India, the Mid East, and China flowed.
   
   LIKES:
   
   * INTRODUCTION: For me, the single biggest joy of this book is the in-depth introduction to Georgian history, geography, and culture ... something I wish more authors would attempt, but which all too often is limited to only the most capable, motivated, and historically erudite authors, few of whom bother to turn their attentions to the culinary genre. In this case, we are blessed with a Russian Professor who labored to assemble an engrossing overview of Georgian feast cuisine. The 25 page introduction and 57 page cultural excursion chapters are gems, and are worth the cover price of the book, all by themselves.
   
   * HEAD NOTES: Many of the recipes in part 2 also include indepth and informative head notes on the ethnic origin and cultural contexts of a given recipe, sometimes replete with cultural vignettes and famous quotes. Again, something I wish more authors would include. To me, a recipe is a participatory story in which you commune with those who created and enjoyed the recipe before you ... and those who will go on making the recipe after you are gone.
   
   * ETHNIC BREADTH: The author covers a wide smattering of the styles present in the cuisine ... grilled fare, pilafs, stews, salads, pickles, soups, desserts, and goes to considerable effort to identify the ethnic and geographical origins behind selections from each. She also spends a little time covering things like `feast' etiquette, and hospitality, that many Westerners will find interesting.
   
   
   MINOR NITS:
   
   * UNPOLISHED RECIPES: The author does an excellent job relating historical and cultural tidbits, but her recipe documentation skills are a bit uneven and unpolished ... walking a meandering line between antique/rustic, and (in a few places) modern. Personally, I don't mind unpolished free-form historical recipes that omit helpful things like the optimum size/shape of vegetable dice (and meat fabrication), size/type of pan, suggested cooking times, optimal sequencing of steps, comforting photos, and tips on making ahead or leftovers management. However, those who DO feel a strong need for such things may be disappointed by their absence.
   
   * MINOR NON-AUTHENTIC SLIPS: The author does a fine job in most of the book giving slightly modernized adaptation of authentic recipes. However, in several instances, some recipes are over modernized, to their detriment. For example, the recipe for "Cold Jellied Pork" on p.96, the authoress indicates the use of pigs feet and a little pork shoulder, but in deference to modern sensibilities, calls for the feet to be discarded after simmering (prior to straining and reducing the stock to a jelly into which the meat is set). I'm pretty certain, sight unseen, that period recipes would likely have called for the feet to be simply deboned and coarsely chopped along with the shoulder, rather than discarded ... such waste is only common to modern cuisine.
   
   * MINOR ERRORS: Minor errors abound - such as the yeast bread on p.138 that appears to call for too much yeast.
   
   * IMPRECISE TERMINOLOGY: In addition to the frequent lack of things like dice size, the author sometimes uses terms in a somewhat vague fashion ... such as "Salt" (is it fine table salt, medium salt, or coarse salt ?), yeast (baker's ? instant rise ?) or "Dried Fenugreek", the latter of which the reader must hunt around to confirm that it refers to dried ground leaves, not dried ground seeds. The helpful introductory chapter on ingredients covers some (but not all) of these, but the editor could and should have clarified the recipes on such points.
   
   All in all, I was very happy with this book, and I'm looking forward to exploring some flavors and techniques that are a bit new to me (walnut sauces, pomegranate juice, etc.).
   
   Despite the lack of polish in the recipe section, I highly recommend this book for the culinarily inquisitive who like to cook exploratively, without the comforting training wheels of precise measures and photos.

1 comments about Indian Cooking Made Easy: Simple Authentic Indian Meals in Minutes (Learn to Cook Series).

1. This book is excellent for on the go Moms like me who want to cook nutritious, delicious dishes for the family. The recipes are well written out, easy to follow and they taste good! This book is definitely a hit with my family!