5 comments about The Art of Uzbek Cooking (Hippocrene International Cookbooks).

1. Uzbek cooking may be unfamiliar to many Americans, but it is simple to prepare, exotically spicy, and healthy to boot. This cookbook gives an excellent introduction to Uzbek cuisine through recipes that emphasize basic techniques of Uzbek cooking, such as pilafs, soups, dumplings, etc. I have not been disappointed with one recipe from this book. My only complaint is that the cookbook was too short!



2. Growing up Bukharan in 1970's North America, I have had a difficult time explaining to people where I'm from etc. Thank goodness someone has finally taken an interest in and published a book about my favourite aspect of my culture . . . Food!
   
   In terms of the actual recipes, this is a very good book. They all turn out as they should and are fairly authentic (which is rare in any cookbook). My only caveats have to do with the book iself:
   
   1) It is poorly bound. My copy fell apart after about 2 months.
   2) There are no photographs accompanying any of the recipes. This is a shame considering that most people are unfamiliar with this cuisine and wouldn't know how it's supposed to turn out or what the ideal presentation should be.
   3) The index (is bad).
   
   However, after all this I still urge you to buy this book. Why? Because the recipes are easy to follow, nutritious, filling and delicious. (And of course, exotic.) Also, if you're interested in the history of this fabled land of the Silk Road, you'll find this a well written & researched book that you could curl up with as well as cook from.
   Solomat!
   Thank you, Lynn Visson.



3. Due to the course of world events, Central Asia has been in the news a great deal lately, but the cuisine and culture of this region remains a mystery to most people in North America. This book makes the food of this region accessible to the English speaking world. Uzbek cooking bears an intriguing mixture of influences: The Middle East, Russia, India, and China have all influenced the cuisine. The recipes in this book are excellent and easy to prepare. We enjoyed the Lamb Plov, served with flatbread and the pomegranate and white radish salad. One negative, though: I must agree with Djonn from Toronto that the binding of this book is of very poor quality: ours fell apart on the first use!



4. I found this book wonderful for two reasons - exotic yet undaunting recipes (delicious!); plus the fascinating background cultural information. I agree with the other readers - Hippocrene did a terrible job with the binding - cheap and falling apart! Nevertheless I strongly recommend this book - it is a culinary and cultural masterpiece regarding a cuisine little known in North America. Lynn Visson - Great Job!



5. I think the authors captured the essence of the region well. There are however some russian recipies mixed in, but that understandable as Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union and the mix of cultures occured.

5 comments about Korean Cuisine.

1. I actually own 3 of Wei-Chuan books because all of the books have great pictures and easy to follow instructions. I'm a beginner so it was easy to follow; however, it didn't quite
   explain what some ingredients are like tzuyoum, mirin, five-spice power and more. As a beginner, I had no clue where to
   find these ingredients besides that they are in a Chinese market. Problem is, I don't know what it is supposed to look like and the Chinese people there don't understand what I am looking for.



2. I must admit this book is great for its visual appeal. It makes my mouth water just looking at the pictures. But aside from this, I think the final dishes taste less authentic in my opinion (fyi.. I am Korean) As another reviewer pointed out, the owners of Woo Lae Oak put this book out. Those restaurants are more geared towards the Western palette- food is much, much sweeter and different from what I am used to. If you are looking to emulate the taste of the dishes in Korean restaurants in a Korea-town area of a certain city then these recipes will not give you that..



3. this is a great book! I'm chinese american- so korean ingredients are similar to ingredients i'm used to- but at the same time completely different! the ingredient list with pictures in the beginning of the book- greatly helped me in the korean grocery store. ie my best friends mom always had these big bags with a picture of a raw steak on the front. everytime i walked through their pantry- i thought- "man they must need to tenderize a lot of meat." It turns out the "meat tenderizer" is actually beef soup base! And it's REALLY good soup base for those who like to cheat with food prep! i also liked the fact that it had photos of the different kinds of dried seaweed used- because in korean and japanese grocery stores- the seaweed section can make your head spin with all the different choices you have!
   
   i really liked the recipe for chapchae- most of the other korean cookbooks have meat strips or ground meat in them. this one was simple- and if you keep a well stocked pantry you can make this whenever you want! I like to add julienned dried black mushrooms to the recipe as well. the spicy tofu stew with clams is so completely easy to make- and honestly- i leave out the clams and fresh shrimp- and it's still wonderful without! I do like to throw large pink dried shrimp with their heads on- into the soup- primarily because it adds flavor- and because there's a korean restaurant that does the same.
   
   The cooking tips that are found throughout the book are priceless. like throwing in dried anchovies if you don't have anchovy stock. I never knew what to do with those things- and now i do. and despite they're smell and appearance they add wonderful flavor to soups.
   
   if you have a korean market nearby and you're too lazy to actually cook- i would recommend getting a few bags of the different types of dried soup stock powders. in the same section they should also have these yellow boxes of freeze dried soup. there's no english- except- what type of soup it is- i personally like the pollack soup and the beef and vegetable soup. (and what you see in the picture is actually what is in the box!) one box with 2 cups of water- throw in half a container of soft tofu, some dried shrimp and a dried anchovy and some hot sesame oil and you've got yourself instant goodness.
   
   this book really helped me experiment with korean ingredients. (ie putting a tablespoon of the beef soup base powder in the above soup mix adds flavor and is really good) i've even expanded my pantry to include fernbracken. A little scary looking dried and in the package- but i'm sure it's going to be wonderful! i absolutely love this book and the entire wei-chuan series.



4. This book has excellent recipes, particularly the sauces. I have been able to cook Korean at home to satisfy my love of the Korean cuisine. The pancake sauce is exactly like my favorite restaurant's!



5. It came in a nice condition. It has great translation in English with photo of each dishes. That's very important to me. If you like Korean food. This is a good one to have to make your favorite dish.

No comments about The Book of Sake: A Connoisseurs Guide.

5 comments about Dim Sum for Everyone.

1. I expected a little more from this book. A little more storyline, a little more dialogue, a little more substance. I think for an early intro to Dim Sum this books does the job, but lacks a real story. The brief history at the end included good info.



2. This is a fantastic book to teach young children about the Chinese brunch called dim sum. It has excellent illustrations and even has the correct names for some of the most popular dim sum dishes. My husband who is Chinese loves to buy this book for our god children and read it to them before we have dim sum! I completly recomend this book for anyone but especially those who are interested in the Chinese culture.



3. I bought this book for a classroom lesson on Multiculturalism, I included a puppet with the book and the students loved it. This is a great book, and a must have for all teachers and classrooms.



4. My 3-year old daugher loves Grace Lin books with colorful pages. I think she likes seeing the same family in many of Ms. Lin's books.



5. We already have a number of other books by Grace Lin and decided to buy this one for my 5.5 year-old daughter. She kept thanking me for it! Being the Jie-Jie (older sister), she related to the one in the story while her younger 4 year-old sister related to the Mei-Mei. They tried to "pretend" they enjoyed the same food items as the sisters in the story. My daughter loved the pictures of the dim sum items and we all could recall our own dim sum adventures. I'm really hoping this sparks a creative cooking talent in both girls as well. The illustrations are cheerful and good enough to make me want some dim sum soon!

5 comments about Shunju: New Japanese Cuisine.

1. The book seems to be based on the untenable premise that Shunju, a not very good chain of izakayas, are some of Tokyo's finest restaurants. This is just not true and though I live in Japan and am blissfully ignorant of the hype surrounding Charlie Trotter, the man has revealed himself as either shameless, or an ignoramus in an embarrassing introduction in which he claims Shinju has launched a culinary revolution in Japan--trust me it is not even on the radar here. The food at these places is not very good and the book is very badly written and edited, but it must be said that the restaurants and this book are very well designed and photographer Kawana has taken some excellent photos.



2. This is a wonderful book to own...and give as a gift, which I have done several times. The text explaining the cuisine philosophy of Shunju's owner, Takashi Sugimoto, the exquisite sense of design - architectural, table, book - and breathtaking photography make this book a treasure to have and share.



3. I was put off buying this book because of two bad reviews that speak very poorly of it. But after finding it in a bookstore and looking through it, I was blown away by how beautiful it was. It is exactly the type of Japanese cookbook that I have always wanted and has quickly become my favorite cookbook.
   Arranged into seasons, it has elegant modern Japanese dishes of the type found in classier izakayas. Dishes range from bamboo, sesame, and green tea tofus made from scratch, various Japanese dumplings, grilled ginkgo nuts, wild fruit and herb-infused tonics, and exquisitely beautiful but simple vegetable and meat / fish dishes. The dishes are very trendy and up market, and quite sophisticated. People that I have cooked for using this cookbook have been very impressed and I absolutely love the fact that it is arranged into seasons, keeping alive the tradition of eating seasonally as they do in Japan.
   Some ingredients are exotic, but substitutions are included and there is also a mail order list of companies that sell Japanese ingredients in The US.
   This book would best suit the type of person that likes elegant Japanese food and has some cooking experience with a base knowledge of Japanese ingredients. It is not really that suitable for beginner cooks, nor anyone unfamiliar with Japanese food.



4. I absolutely loved this book. I noticed other reviews here lamenting the dearth of ingredients and technique written for the recipes. However the focus of Shunju is on exactly that, minimalist elegance that celebrates the inherent flavors of local organic ingredients, with as little possible alteration of nature. Some of the passages introducing the ingredients do seem a bit under-edited and perhaps amateurish (translation perhaps?), however the dishes speak for themselves. I love that it reads like a book. Every recipe has a gorgeous photo and a story...and each section is divided by the seasons. It is worth the money if your have an eye for art and a love for healthy Japanese cuisine.



5. Shunju may not be the most practical or challenging book out there however it should serve to remind us of the core philosophy of Japanese cooking. Simple is better.

4 comments about Healthy Thai Cooking.

1. This book has delicous recipes which are easy to follow (with color pictures of most dishes). The dishes taste like delicous restaurant-grade food and are healthy and easy to prepare.



2. I am Balinese, have a restaurant and love food. I especially love Thai food.

   The recipes in this book are excellent and have obviously all been tested by the author. Follow them and you will not be disappointed.

   The presentation is clear at all times and the photographs are superb.

   Partcularly helpful are a couple of pages on which wines best accompany Thai food - and they are not those that you would immediately think of. The explanations are interesting and illuminating.

   I would recommend this book to restaurant owners, as well as people cooking at home for a few friends.




3. very tasty. quite healthy. many recipes are quick and easy, too. some ingredients are a little tough to get, but easily substituted. gorgeous pictures.



4. The Healthy Thai cookbook is great for someone like myself-I can cook but not as familiar with Thai cuisine. Also I am interested in keeping the dishes as healthy as possible. This cookbook was a good choice. The pictures were detailed. Many dishes had ingredients that were not only seasonal or regional. The sections were varied enough to find at least two or three dishes from each food category that would appeal to picky eaters.

1 comments about Authentic Recipes from Indonesia (Authentic Recipes Series).

1. The authors, none of whom are native Indonesian, give a good coverage of the range of Indonesian cooking. The cover only hints at this diversity. However the cover's display of satay [barbecue] is well chosen, as satay is perhaps the best known of the local foods. Satay differs from American style shish-kebab [which I suppose was originally Arab], in that it's usually just meat strips on a stick. Typically eaten by dipping into various sauces.
   
   One merit of the book is that it exposes you to the regional variants of cooking within Indonesia. Not just the Javanese version. It is the latter which is usually considered outside the country to be Indonesian food, and the offerings from Kalimantan or Sulawesi are relatively unknown.

5 comments about Dok Suni.

1. Let me start out by admitting one fact: while I've grown up eating Korean food, I've never dared to try my hand at cooking it until only recently. My mother was an undefeated cooking whirlwind in our kitchen and when it came to the point where I thought I'd like to learn from her, I realized I would need more help than her 'a pinch of this' and 'a handful of that' pointers.
   
   Jenny Kwak has written a book that seems to have been made just for amateus like myself, who are willing to test the waters but unsure of where to start. The common complaint I've heard with most Asian cookbooks such as this one is the difficulty of finding ingredients and the level of skills that the writer assumes. Let's be real here. Who knows what it means to ferment pickled cabbage in subzero temperature (and yes, I've actually read this in another book)? Dok Suni starts out with a couple of helpful pages entitled, 'Mom's Shopping List', where she lists ALL of the more-than-average ingredients she uses in the recipes to follow. She gives a nice description of what it is, what dish(es) they are used in, and its name in Korean (which is nice because now you can go into an Asian grocery and ask for it by name if you can't find them yourself).
   
   The recipes themselves are, according to my very Korean mother, practically perfect in their authenticity. Instead of veering towards the more fancier (read: more difficult and not necessarily better tasting) dishes, Kwak has written up the simple staples of the Korean diet. Each recipe includes all of the ingredients WITH AMERICAN MEASUREMENTS. A lot of recipe books out there use grams and mg, which can get pretty confusing for us with our cups and ounces. The steps are easy enough for an eleven-year old to follow (and I would know because my younger sister proved it), and Kwak also includes a short but personal story about some of the dishes, which is a nice touch.
   
   Interspersed throughout the recipes, she has longer stories of the story behind the cooking on a whole, which makes the cookbook more than a smattering of recipes; it is a memoir. Though I haven't counted how many there are in all, it is enough to fill roughly 130 pages. I can say that I've bookmarked at least 90 percent of them. The couple that I've dabbled with so far came out great, even if I botched up the recipe just a little.
   
   In my overall opinion, Kwak has put together a fantastic book that couldn't be easier to follow and I haven't regretted my purchase in the least.



2. To the reviewer who gave this 3 stars because he or she couldn't find "beef satay" for the Cold Buckwheat Noodles recipe: If you were following the recipe for Noodles in Cold Beef Broth, the author CLEARLY states in parentheses, directly after the ingredient SATAY BEEF, "see Page 5." If you had gone to PAGE 5, you would see where the author explains that BEEF SHANK is BEEF SATAY. If you WEREN'T following the recipe for Noodles in Cold Beef Broth and your college degree was for English, it might just be useless, because there is no recipe titled Cold Buckwheat Noodles in this book!
   
   For the rest: I didn't give this 4 stars only because I like my recipe books to have pictures & this one doesn't have many. Even though I know what most of the finished recipes should look like, I simply like to have my mouth watering over delicious-looking food at 1 in the morning when every Korean restaurant is closed. (Food masochism.) But the recipes in this book are pretty easy to follow and it should intimidate no one who is trying to cook Korean food for the first time. My mother was Korean & I was raised on this stuff--Korean food is Heaven to me, and you too will get there easily with this book.



3. I was introduced to Korean food by some good friends. Most of the cooking was done by their grandmother who couldn't even speak English. A problem when I started asking how to cook it. I was so hooked. Then I moved and all I knew was you needed salt, garlic, and red peppers to make Kimchi.
   
   Then I found this book. The recipes in here tasted exactly like what I had eaten at my friends. From the Bulgogi and Kalbi to the many types of Kimchi. My favorite part has been the soups though. They taste so refreshing. The only one I didn't like was the seaweed soup. The rest have my family asking for more, even the children. I use it so often my pages have notations and bookmarks throughout.
   
   I have bought more Korean cookbooks but when I want some good food I always find myself coming back to this one. The others just don't measure up. As a result I have recommended this book to everyone I know and none of them have been disappointed. In my opinion Korean cooking is the best in the world and this book will teach you how to cook it for yourself. Spread the joy.



4. I am a korean who has grown up eating korean food for at least one meal of the day, for my entire life. In addition, i've eaten at countless korean restaurants... So i can, at least, say that I know what korean food 'should' taste like.
   
   PROS: I've tried about 10 of Kwak's recipes so far, and they have all come out very authentic and tasty. She includes a good mix of very common dishes and more advanced dishes, with a good number of pan-chan recipes. Her ingredient lists aren't excessively long like some other cookbooks, but some of the ingredients might require a trip to the korean store (beef dashida powder). Her memoir type style and her personal touches add alot to the enjoyment of the food. Sometimes it sounds like she's reminiscing about the recipes with tears in her eyes. Some could consider these digressions unnecessary, but I found it adds 'soul' to the recipes. And the family pictures are a real nice touch.
   
   CONS: There are pictures of food, but only in the context of telling her family story. They mostly show up in the glossy insert sections in the middle of the book. There are no individual pictures that accompany each recipe. For koreans this might not be a problem, but if you're new to korean food, you might need to see what the finished dish 'should' look like. Secondly, I just wish there were more recipes. Don't get me wrong there are alot (about 77), but wanted more soup and meat recipes and less rice porridge dishes and sweet, snack-type foods. Well i guess my second point isn't really a 'con' because all the 'major' recipes are here. Now that i trust her cooking, I just want more of it, that's all. Lastly I wish she included a table of contents that includes the name of each recipe in a single list. The table of contents breaks down by category, then you have to flip through the entire category to find the recipe that you're looking for. (My copy has about 20 post-it notes on it now). Although I think this may have been deliberate, because the book reads like a memoir, so there are personal stories associated with many of the recipes.
   
   Jenny and her mom own Dok Suni, which is a korean restaurant down on the lower east side of manhattan. Naturally, the food is excellent and it has a good reputation for 'cool' or 'hip' korean food. Although the decor is a bit...hmmm, eclectic? The recipe for the jalapeno fried chicken served at the restaurant (probably the most popular dish) is included in the book. For Dok Suni fans, this should justify the cost of the book itself.
   
   Given the reasonable price of the book and the personal stories that add 'soul' to the recipes, i would highly recommend this book. I just wish there were more pictures. I can't wait for the follow up book.



5. I bought this book in part because I thought it was so funny that Director Quentin Tarantino (whose films I've never seen but only heard about or seen previews of) would write a cover blurb for it.
   
   Most of my favorite Korean dishes are here. The muted color photos are in the middle of the book and contain finished dishes, not step by step process photos.
   
   The cover title is misspelled. It should actually be "Doh Suni" or "Dough Suni."

5 comments about Taste of Macau: Portuguese Cuisine on the China Coast.

1. What an original idea for a cookbook! Being from a Portuguese background and having been raised on traditional Portuguese cuisine, I am always on the look out for new Portuguese cookbooks to help keep the memory of my cultural background alive and well...and I was surprised, but excited when I came accross this title on the website and had to buy it. I was not dissapointed. Colorfull, Informative and full of interesting (yet Im sure very tasty) recipies combining some traditional portuguese cuisine with an Asian twist. I cant wait to try them all. Obrigado Amazon.com!!!!



2. For more thing on Macau, visit my website : My Olive Tree (www.pretogrosso.com)
   
   Annabel Jackson's Taste of Macau (Portuguese Cuisine on the China Coast) is an exceptional good cookbook and history lesson for those interested in the heritage of Macanese foods. The book does very well to integrate both culinary and cultural history for the reader. And also it contains secret, interesting and closely guarded Macanese recipes!
   
   This book also attempt to preserve and share, for the first time, a very import aspect of the Macanese world. The author has spent almost 10 years collecting and testing these heritages recipes, getting in touch with the Macanese diaspora, and asking them to reflect back and write about food in Macau.
   
   There's even a poem on secret family recipes & 6 interviews with Macanese and their memory of childhood & foods.
   
   Recipes:
   a) Soups & Starters:
   13 types of dishes including Almondegas (Minced Pork Patties), Pasteis de Bacalhau (Salted Cod Cakes), Rissois (Shrimp Rissoles) etc
   
   b) Fish & Seafood:
   12 types of dishes including Bacalhau a Penha (Salt Cod in Penha Hill style), Gambas a Macau (King Prawns with Chilli & Garlic), Lulas Rechedas (Stuffed Squid) etc
   
   c) Meat:
   19 types of dishes including Capela (Meat Loaf), Pato Tamarinho (Tamarind Duck), Vaca Estufada I (Rich Beef Stew), etc
   
   d) Vegetables:
   5 types of dishes including Amargoso Lorcha (BitterGourd in Coconut Milk) , Sambal de Bringella (Eggplant Sambal) etc
   
   e) Rice & Noodles
   4 type of dishes including Arroz Carregado (Pressed Rice), Lacassa (Noodles in Shrimp Broth)
   
   f) Desserts
   9 type of dishes including Bagi (Glutinous Rice Cake), Bolo Menino (Nut Cake), Pudim de Sagu (Sago Pudding) etc



3. The book arrived ontime. This is a great book for those who appreciate Macau cooking or who are up for trying some new recipes, especially seafood recipes. It is difficult to locate Macau recipes so I am glad that this book is readily available in the US. Some of the recipes are familiar to me and some I do not recall ever having. Macau dishes are more on the portuguese side with a bit of influence from indian, thailand, chinese, or some other ethnicity. It contains the history of macau, interviews with various people and over 60 recipes. I haven't tried the recipes yet but I am sure I can adjust the ingredients to my preference if necessary.



4. There are several flaws with this book. First, it is very poorly constructed and cheaply bound. Upon the first opening the pages will fall out. Second, the pictures are not very well executed and printed. Washed out colors, uninspiring pictures. Usually, good cookbooks will carry photographs that come close to food porn. Not in this book. Lastly, some recipes are plain-out wrong. I followed the recipe for the famous Macao dish galinha portuegesa. It was a disaster. I think the author did not do her homework on this book, a poor excuse for a cookbook. Buyer beware...



5. I found the book to be a great disappointment. The photo illustrations of the various dishes were drab and poorly photographed and did not make the dishes look appetizing at all. One wonders how the photographs got past the author who had obviously done a lot of research on the cuisine of Macau and is very knowledgeable. Macau cuisine in its own right is unique and when cooked correctly, an absolute delight. As for the recipes, they were pretty much spot on. Being the son of parents who were raised in Macao and of Portuguese ancestry and having a mother who was an excellent Macanese cook I should know. For an excellent alternative to this book try "Macanese Cooking - a journey across generations" by Cecilia Jorge. Now there's a well written and well illustrated Macanese cookbook.

3 comments about Noodle Fusion: Asian Noodle Dishes for Western Kitchens.

1. This gathering of Asian noodle dishes for Western kitchens retains the spice and much of the exotic ingredients of Asian fare while bowing to Western culinary demands for time-saving preparation and ingredients which aren't too difficult to locate. Descriptions of Asian noodles to be found at typical supermarkets are accompanied by inviting recipes.



2. This is a great cookbook and organized extremley well with awesome recipes. I was just disappointed because there are absolutely NO pictures of any of the recipes. For me, it is important to have pictures of completed dishes at least so I can visually prepare myself for making the dish.

   If pictures aren't important to you, then this is the *best* Asian noodle book around (I have looked thru many others and this one covers it all!)




3. At last, a cookbook that takes the mystery out of Asian noodles. Not only does it provide an explanation of the various types of noodles, but also what types of dishes these noodles are typically found in.
   
   But better still are the sauces you prepare for the noodles. The depth of flavor that you create in your own kitchen is amazing. You'll never want to order out again. Heck, in the time it would take for you to call your local Asian delivery place and then wait for delivery, you can prepare dishes that exceed the flavor and freshness of delivery. REALLY! But the best part about the sauces is that they are not heavy nor syrupy sweet. You will experience reipces from light, subtle flavors to those bold and an undertone of heat. If I can prepare these dishes, then so can you. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Just stock up on a few basic sauce ingredients such as mirin, sake, hot chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, and you are set. Great tasting Asian noodle dishes are easily within your reach.
   
   The one area you will spend some time is in the prep work. But that is limited to just slicing/dicing the various ingredients of the particular recipe. Once you begin putting stuff in your wok/skillet, your meal is just minutes away.