5 comments about Quick & Easy Vietnamese: Home Cooking for Everyone (Quick and Easy Series).

1. I LOVE Andre's cookbook!
   
   His recipes are pretty authentic and straightforward. He doesn't B.S. Highly recommended for beginners. For those who are experienced in Vietnamese cooking, I find this book useful as a quick reference for weekly meal planning. Like with any other cookbooks, the recipes serve only as a basis for basic ingredients. Alter the flavor according to your own liking (sweetness, tang, saltiness, etc..)
   
   Enjoy..



2. Of all six vietnamese cookbook, this came pretty decent. The pictures are great to prep for the food. I like the fact that you don't have to worry if you bought the wrong ingredients or not. I am glad I bought this one. Banh Xeo and Bun Rieu is pretty decent.



3. Giving pictures of the major ingriedients was very thoughtful. The recipes are pretty streamlined and easy but thats fine with me, I don't have any aspirations to be a chef. Personally I wouldn't go to the trouble of making my own soup stock like the author suggests when you can just buy the cubes, but I guess it just depends on how serios you are about cooking. So far the book has been easy to follow and the food produced has been delicious which is whats most important to me.



4. The recipes in this book is pretty much basic vietnamese cooking. It is simple and easy to follow instructions. Great pictures that would leave you salivating and wanting to try the recipes.



5. I cook Vietnamese all the time but I got this book for dishes where I am not sure how to make. There are some shortcuts that I would have never thought to use. After trying it, it taste just as good and save me time.

5 comments about Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch.

1. A friend has a copy of this book and last night we made the potstickers. Not only were they incredibly easy to make, the illustrations made it a snap to learn the 'fan fold' to make the dumpling pocket. The final product was as good, or better than I've eaten in many restaurants! Can hardly wait to buy my own copy of the book and try MORE recipes!!



2. Ellen Leong Blonder, Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch (Clarkson Potter, 2002)
   
   So we need another dim sum cookbook? Yeah, I think we do, if only because Ellen Leong Blonder does something completely different with this one. You're used to cookbooks with mouthwatering pictures of the food therein (pictures which, of course, your dishes will never look like). Blonder just takes away the pictorial-realism layer of the artificiality and substitutes really, really detailed watercolors. Ironically, the paintings look a lot more like food you could actually make in your home kitchen; there are no fancy backdrops, no hundred-dollar table settings, there's just food on a plate (and Blonder reserves her detail for the food; the plate could be anything). The watercolors alone are reason enough to buy this, but when you do, you will magically gain the ability to make your own steamed dumplings. Well, okay, it's not magic. I've made steamed dumplings before, and I'll tell you, it's a boatload of work even if you use store-bought wrappers (Blonder, of course, offers up a dough recipe). But you'll know how to make them, even if the dumpling fairies won't come and make them for you. And there are few things in life better than a good steamed dumpling. (And many of them are also to be found in the pages of this book.) ****



3. Never thought I would make my own potsticker dough, but I did! The dough was easy to make and to work with; and it tastes so much better than the Wonton wrappers they have in the supermarket. This book inspires you to try the recipes. Clearly written and illustrated. Highly recommend it to add to your library!



4. I love dim sum. But I'll never be able to take my family to a dim sum restaurant because two of my sons have peanut allergies. I like cooking, so I thought I would attempt to make the things I liked best myself, so my kids could experience it.
   I think this book is a gem. I really thank the author. She does not bite off too much in this nice little book-- yet many things are there, and many of the dishes I love. I am a busy mom, so I appreciate that she lists at the beginning dishes that can be prepared ahead and frozen without losing anything from them. I like that mostly the ingredients are things I can find in the local supermarket or organic food store. I like (as a healthcare professional who is trying to feed her family healthy food) that there are a variety of cooking methods used-- including steaming and baking and boiling, not solely frying. (although I must confess that I got a deep fryer, and things fried came out nicely too.) Her sample menus at the beginning have a nice balance of flavors, textures, and techniques. (I made a meal with one fried thing, baked pork buns, steamed fish dumplings, and greens. Just right.) My children love the "Chinese food"-- I fed them some tonight for my five year olds' birthdays. this was made easier by having some frozen ahead. I find the author's recipes clear and scaled for a reasonable amount so the cook does not make too little or (just as bad) find herself tired out with fifty more dumplings to go. (Many things make about 24. We're a family of 6 plus a baby, so that's good for now.) I am thinking about who else in my family might enjoy this cookbook. The drawings are beautiful and even relaxing to look at, too. Thank you for writing this book.



5. This is a good starter book for dim sum. I didn't find the flavors completely authentic, but it is a pretty, user friendly book.
   
   If you are serious about dim sum you must get Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's book about dim sum. It is out of print but you can still get used copies online easily. The recipes in there are absolutely amazing. Hint: if a recipe calls for lard you can use peanut oil instead.

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

1. This book has some good receipes. I am on my way to great meals!



2. What a wonderful little Wok cookbook! I love it! Pictures are great, recipes are easy and the flavors are delicious~



3. Overall a good book for your Asian collection. Not much info on fried rices. Explains Asian cooking terms...

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

1. I'm a chef and have been fortunate to travel somewhat extensively to the three countries whose cuisines are covered in this book, particularly Indonesia. I love this book. I'm actually relocating to Malaysia soon, and this book will go with me. It's great as a cookbook, but its true delight is found in the prose that accompanies the recipes, recounting the author's experiences in SE Asia, discussing hints for shopping at an Asian market, selecting the best spices, etc. I've had many of the dishes in the book, from satays in Bali to Padang-style food in Jakarta to the wonderful gudeg and ayam bubur in Yogyakarta to a fantastic fusion of Chinese, Malay, and Indian street food in Kuala Lumpur, to the comfort-food appeal of Nyonya cooking in small, family-run restaurants in Melaka (Malacca) to the fantastic crossroads of cuisine found in Singapore (indeed, about the only things to really do in Singapore are shop and eat).
   
   It's been said that food is the most apparent uniter of any culture, and that once everything else has been watered down or weaned away completely (think of Greek or Italian immigrants who have come to America), the last cultural identifier that remains is the food. It's so true, and this book absolutely takes you on a cultural and culinary journey. The author's passion for food and for the people of these fascinating countries practically leaps off the pages. The wonder of Indo-Malay cuisine is indeed the best-kept secret in Asia. Any sizeable city in America is likely to be overrun with Chinese and Thai restaurants. Vietnamese food is plentiful, and you can usually find Korean or Japanese food without much difficulty. But try to find an Indonesian restaurant, or a Malaysian restaurant serving up Nyonya chicken. If you do find one at all, it's likely to disappoint if you've ever spent any time in these countries. This book is the cure for what ails you.
   
   Any cookbook will offer a list of ingredients, preparation instructions (in varying degrees of clarity and depth), and occasional notes on the dish itself. This book utterly transcends the basic offering. Virtually every recipe is replete with anecdotes, personal observations, and a truly in-depth guide to making the dish spectactular. I do wish there were more color photos, the few that are included aren't really sufficient, but the quality of the recipes and the fantastic depth of the writing more than makes up for it.
   
   Highly, highly recommended.



2. 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.



3. 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).



4. 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.



5. 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 comments about The Asian Vegan Kitchen: Authentic and Appetizing Dishes from a Continent of Rich Flavors.

1. This book does have some ingredients that you may need to go to a special market to buy. And the recipes are somewhat involved, but they're so authentic. The bonus is that once you take the time and make these recipes, they will taste just like they do at the restaurant. Delicious!



2. My daughter and me became vegans due to poor health, food sensitivities etc.
   We have tested several recipes and they were all excellent.
   What we appreciate most is that all recipes are based on natural ingredients. You make your own sambals, sauces, etc., and thus can easily avoid artificial additives and flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate, nevertheless enjoying authentic flavors.



3. This book is an opportunity to find new ways to use familiar foods and introduces the reader to lots of new ingredients. It's well organized, easy to follow and has great photos of foods.



4. First let me state, "I love eggplant" and this book has more ways to to eggplant than I could dream up. I was also impressed with how many different recipes there are in this book. The recipes are written clearly and I can't wait to make more from this book!!!



5. In The Asian Vegan Kitchen, Hema Parekh offers readers a virtual International cooking class based on recipes from India, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea. For each country, Parekh offers Soups and Salads, Main Dishes and Rice, Side Dishes and Snacks, and Desserts. With 20 years experience teaching Asian cooking classes, Parekh is a master educator, sharing informative and enlightening morsels before each recipe. In her recipe for Koyadofu Tonkatsu (Fried Tofu Cutlets), for example, we learn that in Japan, Katsu means victory, and fried tofu cutlets are often eaten before sports tournaments, exams, or elections to ensure success. Parekh tells us that Indonesia's Nasi Kuning (Yellow Rice) is the color of royalty, and is usually shaped into a cone to represent the mythical Hindu mountain, Meru. She has also included thirty-two pages of mouth-watering color photos, and a five page glossary of lesser-known ingredients and spices.

5 comments about The Complete Asian Cookbook.

1. Charmaine Solomon's The Complete Asian Cookbook is an excellent collection of recipes covering India & Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia & Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Korea, and Japan.
   
   Though by no means comprehensive, the author does try to cover the basic recipes, regional favorites, and offers a variety of curries, noodle dishes, even desserts to satisfy the most picky cook. Some of the recipes here are not really that easy to try out as they require some obscure spices that are hard to find here in the US, but most recipes call for readily available ingredients [thanks to the mushrooming Asian supermarts here].
   
   I would highly recommend this cookbook for those who would like to experiment with different types of dishes offered by the various countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Far East.



2. I first bought this book when I was just learning how to cook, and found myself often a little overwhelmed. I had expected it to be a little more accessible for the beginner, but it definitely requires at least an intermediate level of cooking technique. Sadly, the book sat gathering dust on my shelf for a couple of years, until I finally threw it out--but now I've become more advanced in my cooking skills and I need to buy it again! It really has everything--appetizing recipes from every part of Asia, including India, and provides a very thorough grounding in the techniques and ingredients of that part of the world. I regret throwing my copy away! Even before I could attempt any of the recipes, I used to page hungrily through the book dreaming about making the fantastic-looking dishes contained within. Definitely a must-have for intermediate-level cooks with a love for Asian cuisine!



3. This was the first Asian cookbook that we purchased more than twenty years ago and I have yet to find one with the extraordinary variety of this one. I was only slightly above a novice level cook and had few problems with any but the most complex recipes. Differences in ingredient names were sometimes problematic in the days before internet search engines but now it is a matter of moments to look up any ingredient listed.
   
   I saw some mention of novice cooks staying away from this book and I must respectfully disagree; this is a must have for anyone remotely interested in learning Asian cooking.
   
   Our 1985 copy is held together by packing tape and the residue of a thousand splattered sauces but it is still the single most frequently referred to cookbook in our library.



4. I was given this book in 1985 as a new American bride living in Australia and it has become my bible for Asian cooking. Other reviewers have spoken more thoroughly about Solomon's book so I don't need to here, but I will say this: I learned to cook good Asian food by thoroughly reading the chapter I was interested in, then getting out and trying the recipe. When I started using this book I was not an accomplished cook but was competent. The recipes here are authentic and not trendy. Since receiving this book I've traveled a bit in Asia and was happily surprised that the food I ate in restaurants tasted just like the recipes I'd been making at home out of this book. These recipes are thankfully not "adjusted for the western cook," (that is bland and boring) but every bit as spicy and flavorful as what one would eat in Thailand, China, India and elsewhere. The criticism that some recipes are too involved or too hard can be justified in some cases, but really, if you're going to cook Asian, don't settle for lesser bottled sauces and pastes when by using Solomon's book you can eat the tastier real deal. For over 30 years now I've been serving delighted consumers Asian food made from this book. I recommend it to everyone who wants to cook real, varied Asian cuisine and not just the few popular dishes one finds in a restaurant. My last word on the subject: I have hosted nine foreign exchange students and countless international visitors to my home over the years. The one thing they all miss is food from their countries. Whenever Asians visit I try to cook something that will remind them of home. Virtually all of them have commented on how wonderful it is to taste "real" food and they are pleasantly surprised that an American can actually cook it. Many things I learned about Asian food and cooking I learned from this cookbook.



5. I have personally made many of the recipes included in this wide ranging Asian cookbook, from India, Burma, China, Indonesia, and Malay foods and found each to be as wonderful or better than the last. I have also given this book as a gift to a number of my friends who appreciate excellent food and are adventuresome as well. I intend to order two more of these as gifts in the near future. I highly recommend Ms. Solomon's book to anyone wishing to expand their cooking repetoire.

5 comments about The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore.

1. Not really a cookbook but a cultural study of woks. The seasoning, care and maintenance of the wok are described here are very useful.
   
   My chief complaint is that the one photo picturing a very well cared-for wok is in black and white. This is irritating because you can't really see what it looks like (it's a patch of black).
   
   Some reviewers seem not to have finished reading the book. The reason for and the use of chives were clearly explained.



2. I loved her first book, although the binding did not hold up for long. The content is still good. Breath of a Wok is fabulous. The writing is clear and friendly, the recipes are clear and friendly. The photographs are lovely, the beautifully prepared food in pretty dishes, as well as the funky cooking shots and interesting family pictures. She inspires me to keep learning to cook Chinese. It will make you want to go shopping in Chinatown!



3. What a beautiful book! The author shares her wealth of knowledge gained while passionately researching the wok. The history and how to of the wok are thoroughly explained. (Now I know why my wok cooked dishes are more like soup!) I recommend this book and the experience of studying it to anyone with a desire cook Chinese in the traditional way.



4. So many of my favorite Chinese dishes in one book! I am thrilled.
   The history about woks and the people are also fascinating. I love the photos of the poeple, it makes the stories come alive. This is so much more than a cookbook.
   I love that at the back of the book, she not only list and describe the key Chinese cooking sauces/vinegars/ingredients, but actually have pictures!! This is important because it makes it so much easier to find those bottles and ingredients in the stores that carry such a variety of any one ingredient!
   It's also wonderful that famous chefs and her family contributed their favorite dishes, some of which happen to be mine as well.
   The only negative is that there aren't enough photos of the dishes, but I am familiar enough with the dish names to know what they should look like, luckily.



5. Although this is a very nice book and it has some well written stories, I was anticipating something with a lot more detail (historical, more pictures, etc.). It was still an enjoyable read.

5 comments about Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent.

1. I just got this book yesterday and I'm already planning my week's meals based on the recipes! :)
   I've made Andhra Style Scrambled Eggs so far and they are DELICIOUS, especially served with plain basmati rice, ghee and pickle.
   All the recipes in here sound very interesting. The dal recipes(tok dal and mountain dal) look like they'll turn out great.
   Being an Indian, I can certify this book contains authentic recipes that people cook and eat everyday at their homes in India. This is what makes this cookbook different from the other so called Indian cookbooks....the other books just offer a westernized Indian selection while this book focuses on home cooking that is prevalent in India.
   The previous reviewer perhaps eats Indian only at restaurants where everything is over spiced and the delicate flavor is lost. I just came back from visiting India and I saw that very less spices and masalas are used in rural Indian homes.
   I LOVE this book and will always refer to it when I'm in the mood for some different Indian food...although I cook mostly Indian at home, this book offers a lot of different recipes and variations from various local regions....so much so that I'm sure I'll be proficient in Indian cooking in no time!
   
   UPDATE: These are all the recipes I've tried from their book so far
   1) Scrambled Eggs (5 stars)
   2) Cachoombar (3 stars)
   3) Cauliflower Dum (3 stars)
   4) Tamarind Pulao (3 stars)
   5) Bangla Dal with a hit of lime (4 stars)
   6) Tilapia Green Fish Curry (5 stars)
   7) Karnataka Chana (2 stars)
   8) Hot Cucumber Salad (2 stars)
   9) Fish Bolle Curry (3 stars)
   10) Chappatis (3 stars)
   11) Prawn White Curry (4 stars)
   12) Eggs with curry leaves (4 stars)



2. The pictures and stories of the travels through the region are fabulous, but if you are looking for good instrutctions and pictures of the recipes, this is not the cookbook you are looking for.



3. I've had this book for about three months, and have flipped through it many times, but this weekend I finally bought the staple ingredients that many of the recipes needed, and tried out three of them. They all turned out delicious! Don't be put off by strange ingredients, they were all very cheap, and easy to cook with.



4. A beautiful book that can be a coffee table book, cookbook, and an adventurous travel read. It has gorgeous colorful pictures with short vignettes about the recipes and people of India. It will transport you to a different world and the cooks will not be disappointed with the unique recipes.



5. Plain and simple,..a must-have book. The recipes are well written and clear, the authors stories about their travels through the sub-continent are interesting and lend to their credibility, and they also have fantastic pictures, as well as information as to where to buy some of the more exotic ingredients...this book lacks nothing.

5 comments about Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia.

1. I have been cooking food from Southeast Asia for over 15 years, so I have quite a cookbook collection. I must say that this is one of the best books on the subject that I own. They got it right in the title: hot, sour, salty, sweet---the combination of flavors used all over Southeast Asia. Great information for beginner or seasoned cook. And, wonderful, authentic recipes to boo! A must have for anyone interested in cooking food from this area of the world. ---Rev. Jeff, www.revjeff.com



2. Of the dozen cookbooks I own, this remains my favorite. Mr. Alfrod and Mrs. Duguid bring the sights, sounds and smells of the Mekong river alive with excellent prose, assisted by photos from their travels. I have made about half the recipes in this book, and they are excellent. As the authors mention, their children love it, and I can believe it. Some ingredients and techniques are unusual, but the detailed instructions and indexes make it easy to get into SE Asian cooking. Some days I end up reading a few dozen pages when a just meant to pick a simple recipe. It is as delicious to enjoy in the study as in the dinning room!



3. `Hot Sour Salty Sweet' by husband and wife team, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid is a troublesome book to evaluate. Its biggest problem is its relatively high list price ($45) for no more than average culinary content. Much of that inflated price is based on its oversized heft and the fact that it mixes cooking content with comments on culinary regionalism and pure travelogue in text and pictures.
   
   I confess that this is a very attractive book, very similar in appearance to their later volume, `Home Baking' that I enjoyed and very favorably reviewed. And, since the authors have just come out with a new book with similar heft, price, and subject, I figured it was time to attend to reviewing this volume.
   
   Aside from the price, I have one major problem with this book. While its focus is the culinary world of Southeast Asia, the text is far more anecdotal and personal than it is analytical. After reviewing many excellent books on the regional cooking of France, Italy, and other parts of the Mediterranean, I really find this book very thin on substance. Part of the problem for me may be that it tries to cover far too great an area. In 324 pages of material, they cover Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Yunnan Province of China. Thailand alone has required a 675 page book (`Thai Food') from David Thompson. And, on the ingredients of Asia, you can get a far more comprehensive coverage in Bruce Cost's classic `Asian Ingredients'.
   
   In contrast, the books on Italy's regions all include great insights on the origins of culinary mores in these relatively small venues. And, while Arthur Schwartz' book on Naples may include 50 detailed recipes for pasta in Campania, this book gives but 10 for a much larger region. On the other hand, I give the authors extra credit for providing a recipe for fresh, homemade rice noodles. You may have a bit of a problem wrangling this big book around your kitchen and making a decent photocopy of the oversized page, but it is still a good recipe.
   
   If you have no interest whatsoever in acquiring any OTHER books on Southeast Asian cuisine and you have the budget for it, this is a very nice book. I just think that if you are serious about learning about food, you look for books with greater depth and less fluff.
   
   I find it very interesting that none of the blurbs on the back of the book refer to this volume and none are from culinary notables. All refer to the authors' earlier book on flatbreads and most come from general publications such as `The New York Times' and `The Globe and Mail'.
   
   I can really appreciate all the nice things other reviewers have said about this book, as I was impressed with it when I first looked at it 300 cookbook recipes ago. Since then, I find it just a bit too light for the price.
   
   Recommended as a good coffee table book. Look for it at a steep discount!



4. Pondering on whether to return book or not. Purchased for Cambodian recipes, having a hard time finding a Cambodian cookbook, this was the best bet = and it does have dishes for things we ate like Khmer soup, pumpkin curry and a similar version to Amok. (oddly i have the amok recipe in my New York Cookbook, a favorite standby)
   
   But as an avid photographer and traveler and cookbook collector, i have to say the travel writing is amateurish, the photos are not great (a mini picture of Angkor wat and i don't think i saw many pictures of places i'd been to in thailand or vietnam - just street scenes - what kind of travelogue is this?) and never seem to match the right page (you would think there would be a photo of what you are reading about next to it) and the pictures of dishes are far and few between. For the huge irregular book format of the book there are not that many recipes. Compare for example "the Cook's Book" for the same heft has 685 recipes.. Compare with Nobu Now for the difference in food photography capability..
   
   if many of these reviews didn't say the recipes are good they are part of daily repetoire, i'm tempted to return. it really is way to big for the content inside.



5. This was given to me by a good friend. I love to cook, and over the years have struggled with South East asian, Thai in particular, cooking. But this book lays it all out in such a way, and has such clear instructions that, in combination with an asian grocery store, it is foolproof. As a bonus, the travelogues and side bars are wonderfully interesting. Even if you don't cook, you will be taken away on a wonderful culinary journey through the region.

5 comments about Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking.

1. I have been a vegetarian for many years, and I eat mainly Asian style food. My cooking skill are about average. I don't normally cook from a book or follow exact recipes. However, I fell in love with this book at first glance. I had no difficulties with any of the recipes (and I have tried them all). All the recipes are well-written and clear, most are easy to follow even for beginners, and the results will please even non-vegetarians because they taste so good. If you are a beginner, the lists of ingredients and shopping advice will be very helpful, and not complicated or overwhelming. A great user-friendly introduction to a world of delightful vegetarian cooking.



2. the first time I tried a recipe from this book was thanks to a friend who owned the first edition from the eighties. since then, the book was on my wish list for a long time, it took me a while to find another copy again (it was out of print).
   the qualities of the book can be summarized as follow. first, the recipes are simple to reproduce: even the most elaborate Persian treats are easy to make. second, their variety is incredibly rich, from Korean kim-chi to the most elaborate Indian curry.
   as a lover of international vegetarian cuisine and definitely an experimenter, I find this one of the most comprehensive, unpretentious complete book I could have on my kitchen shelf.
   the only flaw: every time I cook a new recipe I have to increase a bit the amount of spices suggested. definitely not a book for those who expect to produce very hot dishes.



3. The instructions are pretty clear and correct. But in following them, I don't think I've ever made anything which didn't leave the stove wanting spices, salt, garlic, or hot pepper. I'd recommend anything by Book Publishing Company or Moosewood over Jaffrey's tempting, consistently diverse but bland offerings.



4. I bought this book many years ago to place with the other vegetarian cookbooks that I had collected. Many of the other books have been lost or given away, but this one stays. Madhur Jaffrey's explanations and techniques are simple and the outcomes are delicious. I haven't made anything from this book that I haven't liked. As I have gradually become more vegan in my cooking (not completely), I will often substitute firm tofu for the panir, and olive oil for the ghee, but the taste is still great.



5. We are not a vegetarians, but this book helped me round out my family's diet to include several very tasty vegetarian dishes. My family loves all that I have tried and some of the dishes have become regular fare with us. You may need to expand your spice and sauce collection as you make the first few dishes, but once that is done almost all of the ingredients are available at your grocery store. The sample menus at the back help you navigate through this book. Ms. Jaffrey introduces many recipes with when and on what occasion that food is eaten. She also helps with where to get some of the more exotic ingredients. Recipes come from India, China, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East.