No comments about Cooking Korean Food With Maangchi - Books 1&2: From Youtube To Your Kitchen.

1 comments about Cambodian Cooking: A humanitarian project in collaboration with Act for Cambodia.

1. I actually bought this book while in Cambodia, staying at the hotel where Joannes Riviere is the executive chef. Both my husband and I became hooked on Khmer Fish Stew (amok) the national dish, and the recipe in the book has allowed me to make this dish at home. I am fortunate in that in Seattle we have great Asian markets so all of the incredients needed for the recipes (such as lime leaves) are readily available. Cambodian food is simple, flavorful, and easy to make. Buy this book and you will not only be able to make great Cambodian dishes...you will also be able to help out a worthy cause. This book was created entirely by volunteers and all royalties are paid to the Sala Bai Cooking School which helps impoverished Cambodian young people to be trained in professions connected to the hotel trade (Chef, receptionist, waiter, and housekeeper). As someone who has visited Cambodia and directly seen the lasting effects of the Khmer Rouge genocide and met the wonderful, welcoming people of Cambodia, I strongly recommend this book for both its recipes and the cause it supports.

3 comments about The Kerala Kitchen: Recipes and Recollections from the Syrian Christians of South India (Hippocrene Cookbook Library).

1. Along the Malabar Coast of Southern India there are communities of Syrian Christians, originally founded in the first century by St. Thomas who converted several Brahmin families to Christianity. It was these early Christians who then intermarried with Syrians settling there. The result was the creation of the vibrant Syrian Christian community of Kerala and its rich culinary heritage that is so superbly showcased in Lathika George's elegant ethnic cookbook "The Kerala Kitchen: Recipes And Recollections From The Syrian Christians Of South India". Interlaced with the recipes for exotic dishes are anecdotal stories associated with them and the community from which they spring. The recipes range from Rice Flatbread; Yams with Ground Coconut; Fish Roasted in Banana Leaves; and Kerala Chicken Roast; to Spiced Cooked Buttermilk; Sweet Plantain Chips; Smoked Gooseberry Preserve; and Mango Mousse. Enhanced with a section of full-color photographs of finished dishes, a glossary of specialized terms in both English and Malayalam, a five-title bibliography, and an index, "The Kerala Kitchen" is a thoroughly 'user friendly' and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community library ethnic specialty cookbook collections.



2. 
   Lathika George's cookbook not only gifts one with a full range of authentic and user friendly delicious recipes, it draws one into a colorful experience of the Kerala food culture. The recipes are written with a backdrop of reminiscing stories and charming images of family life in the Kerala backwaters. The photographs are beautiful; one could even use this cookbook as a coffee table book. The drawings are delightful and bring a smile. Well done! Tamar



3. My copy of "The Kerala Kitchen" just arrived in the mail from Amazon. Finally... a well-written, readable, "do-able" Syrian Christian cookbook! I've been reading through it for the last hour, enjoying the historical information and anecdotes, and drooling and reminiscing and drooling! I gasped a few times -- once at the picture of the old Kerala kitchen with the "cheddathis" cooking (it took me right back to when I was 10 years old!), and at the picture of the duck roast that could have been my grandmother's at Christmas time, white oval platter and all. And then of course at seeing my mother's name... her fish curry recipe is included in this book! What a small world! That was a real surprise - I had no idea that my mother knew this writer.
   
   I think what's really most appealing about this collection of recipes is not just that they're extremely well-written (no need to read, re-read, and then mentally rewrite as one had to do with previous Syrian Christian cookbooks) but that it teaches you 'naadan' cooking without any underlying 'naadan' scolding! There's no assumption that you've spent all your life watching someone cook these dishes and should know textures and quantities by heart (as in "add 'some' water"), and no assumption that recipe books are for young and/or incompetent brides either. Measurements are precise, and the range of recipes is very comprehensive. The author provides possible (and realistic) substitutions for ingredients that may not be widely available. This is a book for anyone in any part of the world who either wants to try a different Indian cuisine or wants to cook what their Syrian Christian grandmothers & mothers cooked, but just found it all too inaccessible before. I'm looking forward to FINALLY getting into 'naadan' cooking in the way that I got into northern Indian cooking, Thai cooking, Italian cooking, etc. Thank you, Lathika George!

5 comments about A Spoonful of Ginger : Irresistible Health-Giving Recipes from Asian Kitchens.

1. I've had this cookbook for a number of years, and I freely admit that I haven't made every recipe in the book. There are some dishes, however, that have become standbys, such as the saucy ground turkey wrapped in lettuce leaves. (In fact, I just grabbed the book so I could make those lettuce wraps as my contribution to a potluck Halloween party -- everyone says, "This is better than PF Changs!")
   
   It's not that these are the most authentic, knock-your-socks-off recipes. If I'm ready to spend a couple of hours putting together an awesome Asian meal, I'll turn to Barbara Tropp or to The Key To Chinese Cooking. However, the recipes in this book are solidly GOOD, with an underlying sense of healthful eating, and many recipes are vegetarian (or nearly so).
   
   However, what makes this cookbook a winner is that the recipes are straightforward enough to make during the week, after an exhausting day at work (when something to balance your energy sounds most appealing -- doesn't "hot and sour salmon with greens" sound restorative?).
   
   Plus, there's a good chance you have most of the ingredients you need in the house already, and can whip together something more interesting than "maybe I'll just open a can of chili." That's how the book falls open to the recipe for chile chicken with cashews -- I usually have a bag of frozen chicken breasts, a can of water chestnuts, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, cashews... it doesn't ask for a heck of a lot more. A few minutes of rummaging around in the refrigerator, and I have a meal that sounds like I planned it.
   
   Also, the healthy stuff -- yin-yang, and advice about food-based remedies (mussels are good to strengthen the kidneys, for instance) -- is enjoyable and educational.
   
   Nice book. I recommend it.



2. I was so excited to try the recipes in this book, and after the first couple was disappointed, but kept trying several more. The ingredients seemed interesting, but the meals were very bland.



3. The book is organized well and has beautiful pictures. Recipes are clear and easy to follow, and so far, have proved to be delicious!



4. I love this cookbook! The blurb on the jacket by Nora Pouillon says it better than I could. "Recipes that not only are full of flavor and taste delicious but most of all are good for us - balanced, energizing, and nurturing. Nina Simonds teaches us about the importance of yin and yang in our diets and show us that food is fundamental to our lives and our health. Food is our daily medicine and Nina's book helps us make this connections again." And not only are the recipes fairly simple and the ingredients easy to find, this cookbook is fun to browse and read.



5. After being consistently surprised with the quality of recipes I've made from this cookbook, I felt compelled to throw in my .02 to anyone looking for great, fresh, off-the-hook recipes that not only taste good, but are really good for you. My taste-testers are a tough bunch--two adolescent boys and a hubby that's slowly coming around to eating healthier. I just made the "Vegetarian Roll-Ups" the other night to rave reviews. I've tried the "Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup", the "Healthy Hot & Sour Soup," the "Chinese Cinnamon Barley Soup", "Garlic Beef with Broccoli," and the "Roasted Asparagus w/a Sesame Vinaigrette," ALL of which rated an A or better. My response to the reviewers who complained that the recipes were too bland or were only for people who ate "Chung King" garbage is that I absolutely disagree. If you think these are too bland--then just up the aromatics, people! If you want delicious, feel-good, smell-good, invigorating recipes that are nutritious to boot, then get this cookbook. The only downsides are that some of the recipes have a long prep time, and in the "Vegetarian Roll-Ups" recipe it omits what to do w/the tofu. So there are a couple of typos, but the trade-off is SO worth it if you've got the time.

5 comments about Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine.

1. Being a native Indonesian far away from home, I crave for the rich and savory flavor of the cuisine from these three countries. Unlike Thai cuisine, Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine is still not well known here in United States. Therefore there are limited restaurants that offer this cuisine. You can imagine my agony of having to suppress my craving until I make a trip to these restaurants in NYC or Toronto. It all changed after I bought this cookbook. This cookbook is amazing! It contains 68 recipes that are divided into Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian recipe sections. A one-page spread picture accompanies each recipe, which is very helpful for people who are not familiar with this cuisine. The author starts by introducing the countries and their cuisine followed by glossary of ingredients, seasonings, spices and herbs. It then continues with recipes for stocks, condiments, pickled salads, sambal chilli sauces (used like chutneys in Indian cuisine), and assorted spice pastes. These spice pastes are used in a lot of the recipes and they are what give this cuisine its fragrant, rich and savory flavors. This book offers specialties from Singapore (Hainan chicken rice, spiced sparerib soup, spring roll, laksa, spicy crabs, sweet coconut rice balls, etc), Malaysia (fried noodle, coconut rice, sate, beef curry,vegetable with grated coconut, etc) and Indonesia (beef rendang, eggs in spicy red sauce, java salad or gado gado, turmeric fried chicken, etc). I have tried more than a dozen of the recipes and they all taste fantastic! Most of all they taste authentic. They are a huge hit with my American boyfriend and roomate. There are some ingredients that are hard to find, even in Asian markets (especially in small towns). I had to shop online at an Indonesian grocery store to find most of the hard to find ingredients like candlenut, dried galangal, pandan leaves, palm sugar, kaffir leaves and shrimp paste. However, they are worth it. I use dried galangal because I don't have access to fresh ones. I substitute fresh red chilli with bottled ground chilli paste called Sambal Oelek. It works just as wonderful! I think this is the most authentic and remarkable cookbook I have. It is simple, clear, precise and a gem. I would recommend this cookbook if you want to bring authentic new flavors to your table. It helps ease my homesickness. Nowadays, I call my mom up to say "I made beef rendang today!"... something I had never said before this cookbook.



2. This is an amazing cookbook. If the bilingual recipes didn't give it away, the recipes would -- this is incredibly authentic and varied cooking. The other positive reviews here are exactly on the mark. The photos are a good indication of the real food you will cook.



3. Everything about this book is great: the food, pictures (we can actually see what the meal is supposed to look like)not to mention that the books were new and arrived in no time. I would definitely go back to this seller.



4. This is an amazing book, it immediately made it into my personal cookbook top ten. The photos are nice, the recipes work out perfectly, everything tastes great.
   
   This may well become the first cookbook, where eventually I will have tried every single recipe. (I've already cooked my way more than halfway through...)



5. If you're looking for some authentic delicious SE Asian dishes, this is the cookbook you should get.
   
   The instructions are easy to follow, with beautiful pictures for every dish. So far I haven't had any problems finding ingredients yet. I improvised for stuff I didn't have (candlenuts, for one), but the results were still spectacular. 5 stars!

5 comments about The Asian Barbecue Book: From Teriyaki to Tandoori.

1. I had friends over on the weekend. In the land of OZ, Barbecue is quite popular among locals as you can do it for most occasions. With the help of the book, I cooked the most delicious BBQ using prawn, beef and other ingredients, the result was amazing !
   
   Highly recommend to every one who is looking for a decent purchase.



2. It's barbecue season once again and for those who would like to be numbered among the culinary adventurous is offered "The Asian Barbecue Book", an impressive collection of specialty recipes showcasing 125 gourmet quality barbecue dishes with a distinctively Asian flavor. Of special note are the introductory sections providing novice chefs with barbecuing fundamentals, recipes for Asian rubs, glazes, marinades, basting sauces and condiments. Complete with side dishes, salads and desserts, the entree recipes range from Grilled Chicken Breast with Green Curry Paste; Seared Teriyaki Tuna; and Caramelized Soy and Lemongrass Spareribs; to Indian Frontier Lamb Chops; Grilled Stuffed Chilies; and Chinese Cole Slaw. Profusely illustrated throughout, "The Asian Barbecue Book" is recommended as an ideal culinary reference for every dining occasion where gourmet quality, palate pleasing and appetite satisfying barbecuing is to be engaged.



3. Skaria's Asian Barbecue Book is a must for all cuisine passionate and the ideal cookbook for those cooks who love good food. The contents (balance of different meats, pultry, etc..), and the presentation are exceptional. This absolutely complete book speaks not only about Asian barbecue, but of all the Asian cuisine.
   With roots in India, Thailand, Switzerland, Alex Skaria offers a subtler and fresher approach to Barbesue and Asian cuisine
   The subtitle is an invitation to a delicious voyage, from Teriyaki to Tandori. By writing an introduction before each recipe, Alex Skaria links between all countries and gives you ideas to serve the recipe.
   No doubt, the Asian book is an ideal gift for all gastronomes.



4. The author shows an excellent talent to introduce even the novice to asian barbecue cuisine. On the first 15 pages he just gives you basics for anyone who wants to get into BBQ and even some hints for the expierienced cook. This part is followed by a clear and detailed overview which gives you an introduction to the ingedients and principles of marinades, pastes and glazes, not to forget the rubs and stuffings. It covers the best from the phillipines to mongolia and from Lebanon to Japan, for any taste there is a bite. From then on you are ready to face the principle dishes combined to different starters, salads and even sweets. What makes this book something special is the authenticity to the real asian cuisine which differs so much to the so called fusion cuisine. On the other hand it is the excellent base to get creative.



5. This is a BBQ/Grilling cookbook, but you could easily adapt the recipes for home oven use.
   My kids are picky eaters, but I was able to get them to try "asian" variations on the dishes they know & love.
   The different sauces and dressings are awesome.

5 comments about Southeast Asian Flavors.

1. I was fortunate in my life to travel to Singapore and taste many of the dishes provided in this book. The sad thing is that for years I wondered how to recreate many of these dishes in my American kitchen with ingredients available to me in the US. The author takes a methodical approach like a culinary school teacher to guide the reader through the steps, being careful to include the KEY nuances that truly identify the dish as "authentic." I am glad to have Southeast Asian Flavors as THE END ALL GO-TO cookbook and reference for recreating authentic Southeast Asian meals at home. I can't express enough how grateful I am that I finally have answers to questions like, "how do you open up and get the meat out of a coconut,. . . how do you pick out a green papaya or mango, . . . is all fish sauce created equal, . . .what identifies Malaysian cuisine as being different from Thai and Vietnamese, . . . etc.?" Great job! Now if the authr could only write a book on how to unravel the cuisines of the Middle East my inquisitive cuilinary mind would be fully content!



2. Chef Robert Danhi demonstrates throughout this text that he is the authority in Southeastern Asian cuisine. He indicates that this is a "Food Book" as opposed to a cookbook; as you work your way through the material it becomes apparent that his description is accurate. The history, background information, ingredient education and cultural submersion are first class (that's before you even get to the recipes). Be prepared to take a trip and enjoy the well-fed ride.



3. Southeast Asian Flavors has been the best cook book I've ever bought. I am from Thailand and the different recipes from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand are simply the best out there. I have looked and tried many different cook books for any of these cuisines and I have found that they are always missing an ingredient or technique that would make the dish authentic. When you go through the entire book, you realized the passion and time it took to put everything together. The photographs are amazing and will make you want to make everything you see. Thank you Chef Robert Danhi...now we just have to wait for the next cook book.



4. I had the fortunate opportunity to assist for Chef Danhi in some classes about 10 years ago. I ordered this book immediately when I heard it had been released. Chef Danhi is an excellent instructor and an authority on Asian cuisine. He did not fail me with his book. It is written in the clear, concise manner that I remember from his classes.



5. This is a wonderful book for the novice cook as well as the professional. Details on ingredients are well described to take the mystery out of cooking with a Southeast Asian flare. The photographs are wonderful and the recipes are easy to follow. I have a wide assortment of cookbooks and this is the first one that actually has me reading the script from cover to cover. I usually read through the recipes only but not with this book -- the photographs and cooking aspects have captured my attention to read it in it's entirety. Money well spent!

5 comments about Philippine Recipes Made Easy.

1. Since my parents moved out of state, I had to fend for myself when it comes to Filipino food. This is like Filipino Cooking for Dummies!



2. The title really speaks for the book itself. This is a great cookbook with classic, homestyle Philippine recipes that you find to be tested, tried and true. Nothing fancy, no pictures or lengthy dish descriptions, just the basics and sometimes that's all you are looking for.



3. man this book is so cool. basics are there and has been passed around my work for the longest time. Everyone seems to like it.



4. I am always hesitant to believe reviews on filipino cookbooks and recipes because you never know if the person writing the review is filipino which I think alters the comments especially versus a native who grew up with the culture and the food.
   I grew up with this stuff and am filipino and I just absolutely love this book! Mine is worn from being used so often. Sadly, I am 2nd generation Filipino American and like many in my generation, many traditions have fallen to the wayside. It was nice to have a book to refer to when my mom and lolas aren't available to tell me their recipe. Very very very easy to use and the recipes are delicious. I wish they had photos of each item though!



5. I just learned how to write reviews so I am happy to be able to write a review about this book. I really love the recipes found in this book. They are home style foods, just like my grandma used to cook. If you have never tried the food of the Philippines then you should order this book and try it out! You will love it!

2 comments about The Filipino-American Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Contemporary Flavors.

1. The dishes in this book fit the title: Filipino American. That is, they are based on the traditional foods of the Philippines but modified to allow the chef to take advantage of fresh local products, and of a minimum of specialty spices. The resulting foods are thus more suited to both the American taste and the American supermarket than highly traditional recipies.
   
   Philippine food traditions are based on their particular variant on oriental cooking, but modified by years of invluence from incoming cultures. The Spanish took over the island in 1542 and left them with a deep impression of Spanish culinary heritage (paella for instance, but without saffron). The Spanish in turn brought with them some Mexican influence. And then there were the Americans, the Japanese, the Chinese.
   
   Ms. Aranas has done an excellent job of fitting these into an American kitchen. You will be hard pressed to flip through this book without finding something that you want to try.



2. This is a very well put together book of fil/am delights. Lots of great recipes and even soups and salads. Mouth watering pictures to accompany the recipes from beginning to end, and easy to follow instructions. Malugod ito....Gusto ako!

3 comments about Fragrant Rice: My Continuing Love Affair with Bali.

1. I enjoyed this book although I often wondered why. Were the occassional strange sentence constructs Australian English or poor editing? Is it wise to give recipes using candlenuts many pages before the warning regarding raw candlenuts? What audience is De Neefe writing for in this part biography, part social anthropology, part food chronicle, part "if she writes once more that this is her kids' favorite" ... but her recipes are good.
   
   Then I changed my perspective to reading the book as I would read the travel & food articles in a magazine such as Gourmet. I relaxed and enjoyed the book for what it is - a very personal take on Bali and its foods by someone fascinated by the foods and the uses of food in the social structure. Not to mention that she is a good tutor for the basics of the Balinese taste, leaving one comfortable improvising before one has tried a single recipe. Bravo.



2. I enjoyed reading this book while traveling in Bali because it shed light on Balinese customs, cooking, and community life from the perspective of an Australian learning how to assimilate into her husband's culture and to grow a successful business together in the Honeymoon Guesthouse (now expanding to a second guesthouse) and their several restaurants that are popular with visitors and locals alike. I also enjoyed reading the recipes. Fun travel reading and a good souvenir to help you try to replicate Balinese dishes at home.



3. I enjoyed Fragrant Rice: My Continuing Love Affair with Bali very much. There is a certain type of travel book that draws me in completely: a writer falls deeply in love with another culture, as if he or she is finding a long-lost home at last, and is able to share that love in a way that is both knowledgable and emotionally compelling. Although there are moments when the writing falters and, as intimated in another review, the writer assumes an interest in her children's preferences that the reader might not feel, I was able to have the experience I look for in a travel book, living a life I will never have but could dream of. The recipes are lovely. The insight into the culture is fascinating. The author's life, with one foot in Bali and the other in Austrailia, and the reality that she will never be part of the Balinese as her husband and children are, is compelling and just a bit heartbreaking.