5 comments about 50 Great Curries of India, Tenth Anniversary Edition.

1. Probably the best recipe book for curries I have found. Lots of pictures so you know what it should be like



2. This is a very attractively presented book but like others I have used from different cuisines the recipes i have tried are very difficult to reproduce visually and are bland and uninteresting in their finality.....not withstanding fresh and authentic ingredients



3. Ok. So I am a really picky food lover. I love everything to do with food....love to eat it...love to cook it...love to know more about it..
   Every single thing I have tried from this book has been exceptional...even some of the more complicated ones, which I was not too sure about!
   The pictures splashed liberally make it look so appetizing!
   The best thing...the way she describes where the recipes come from...whose kitchen...what family etc...that makes it very personal and interesting!



4. If you love Indian curries, this is a do-not-miss cookbook! There is nary a curry powder mix in our spice cabinet. My husband, born in Leicester, Curry Capital of Britain, has been our usual curry chef and we eat Indian curries, as well as curries from other lands, at least once per week. After watching the film "Julie and Julia" we decided to embark on a project to expand our Indian curry experience outside the usual 10 or so recipes that we tend to routinely prepare. We found our inspiration in Camellia Panjabi's "50 Great Curries of India" cookbook. The photos alone will make any curry lover salivate. Check out our progress on our blog [...]



5. I have bought a few Indian Curry books and am happy to say that this one has helped my cooking skills more than any.
   Very helpful opening chapters about the history of the food and each ingredient make it easier to grasp the big picture, rather than just follow recipes.
   My understanding of what I am doing has helped me cook better Indian, no matter what recipe I am looking at.
   
   I haven't tried all the recipes in this book as yet, but look forward to seeing how they go. I definitely recommend this book for the first half, so if I find a great recipe then it will be a bonus.

5 comments about Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking.

1. the book is beautiful and the photos perfect. Delivery was very fast but I must say the packaging was worn and the book not protected from shipping damage so it looked old and was a little dirty- as though it was lost in transit!



2. This was a great addition to any food lover's library.not only is the photography superb,but the text is exceptionally well-written ,interesting and informative.Not,like some cookbooks,a list of recipes which the average person would have trouble duplicating,it is a fascinating,entertaining,introduction to the art of Japanese food and its preparation. Highest Rating.



3. This is one of the finest cookbooks I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The photography is absolutely gorgeous, and Morimoto breaks down the recipes in such a way that they all seem really simple. Now if only I had his knife skills, then I'd be able to make it look just like he does! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in food, eating, photography, or just about anything else.



4. This book is just awesome..thank you for not only a great book, but for fast shipping of it.



5. I bought this book for my husband for his Christmas present this book is beautiful. Words can not simple describe Morimoto's book. The presentation and creativity with food is outstanding. Morimoto is simply the best chef there is for Japanese Cooking. Great buy and great gift for anyone interested in Japanese cooking. The photos are worth a 1,000 words alone.

5 comments about Quick & Easy Chinese: 70 Everyday Recipes.

1. After making several recipes from this cookbook, I am very happy that I purchased it. My first try was sweet and sour pork and we really enjoyed it. That was followed by orange beef which was also a big hit. Some might complain that these recipes are not completely authentic. For example, neither the sweet and sour pork nor the lemon chicken are breaded and deep fried. Instead they are sauted in the wok, but I found the result delicious. I think the goal is to make preparation simpler and the result healthier and I prefer them this way so it really isn't a negative for me.
   
   Though there are only 70 recipes, they include good suggestions for beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, fish, and vegetable side dishes. The recipes are illustrated with beautiful color photograpy and most of the ingredients can be found in a good chain grocery store with an international aisle. A few things, for example Asian vegetables such as bok choy, will be found more easily or more cheaply at an Asian grocery if you have one nearby. If you don't, substitute napa cabbage for bok choy and young string beans for long beans and the result will still be very tasty.



2. I had tremendous success with the author's Thai cookbook and hoped for the same with this one. My youngest daughter loves Chinese food, and ever since moving out to the country we have been hard pressed to find a Chinese restaurant, let alone a good one. So I went on Amazon and figured I'd bring McDermott to the rescue.
   
   I tried the chicken cashew. While the Thai cookbook version was adored by our family, the Chinese version was greated with "meh...". And my youngest daughter asked if we could eat out next time - Ouch!!! So then I tried Kung Pao Chicken. Again, I followed the recipe to the letter. First comment from my son - "tastes funny." My youngest daughter simply stared at me. Was it the sesame oil? I dunno. So I then decided to try the Moo Shu Pork (sp?). I spent over two hours shredding raw pork, mincing fresh garlic and ginger, shredding carrots and cabbage, and making the various sauce mixes. This was truly the most labor intensive meal I had ever cooked. The results again were "meh..."
   
   Its a shame since the Thai book is truely fantastic. So far, this Chinese food however tastes BLAND, with a capital B L A N D. One reader compared the cooking results to the cuisine of a national chain. I found that chain to be too sweet. Even so, I wish the meal's I prepared had even come close.
   
   Oh well. The author had lived in Thailand and had cooked Thai for some time. No such similar stories in this cookbook. And the cooking results show the difference. Maybe I'm a bad cook. But 3 strikes? I'm really just not that bad. The author needs a strong next book, or the brand of Quick and Easy will be diluted....



3. I was looking for a cook book to gift. Naturally being very up-to-date I wanted a new ones with lots of pretty pictures. When I first picked it up it was like a book, it even has flaps to mark your page(very handy). The recipes are light and delicious. I would recommend it for anyone who likes Chinese food.



4. Basic stir fry cookbook that dosen't require running to an Asian store for the ingredients. Every new wok should have this book included with purchase price. And the dishes are easy to make and great tasting. If you want specialty meals and you've got several hours to prepare, fine. But that's not what this book is all about.



5. I was looking for some new Chinese recipes when I saw this book. It was very inexpensive and the recipes looked good. While I have only tried a few, they have came out very well. It is a good addition.

5 comments about The Classic 1000 Indian Recipes (Classic 1000 Cookbook).

1. I was looking for a recipe that matched something I had in a restaurant and it was in this book. I love Indian food and this book has it all.



2. I bought this book for my wife, well actually she asked me for the book. Anyway, she has been cooking a lot of recipies from it, and all I can say is WOW! The food is great! GET THIS BOOK!



3. I own several Indian Cookbooks but I couldn't resist this one. What the other books don't cover in recipes - this one will! Pretty simple to use - some pics throughout. (can't expect 1000 pics in a book). I've tried 5 or 6 recipes now and it's the one I turn to first when I want to try a new dish. So far, everything I've made turned out good!



4. I tried three classic Indian recipes off if this book and none of them tasted "great." Of course, it was good but I didn't think it was great. They do recommend adjusting amount on some of the ingredients to your taste, but it is extremely hard to do when you are using over 10 spices. I was just a little disappointed in the results.



5. the book was shipped and delivered pretty quick.. it was in same condition as described by the dealer..

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

1. This is not your usual cooking book. In fact, I'm reading it and loving it for other reasons. The author goes into great detail about the subject of the book: the wok. She manages to fill the pages with such interesting and well presented information, that it's hard to put the book down. She'd done an incredible amount of research for this book. She visited countless cooking establishments and spoke with a large number of respected chefs. I love that she gives credit where credit is due.
   
   One can tell that writing this book was a labor of love. I thank the author for this unusual and outstanding book.



2. A great lesson into how to use a wok and insightful historical information. The recepies are OK but nothing especially new to me but are all very usable. When I got this book I was fascinated by the magnificent looking hand hammered wok that is on the cover and featured inside. Had to get one and looked everywhere but couldn't find one for ages. Eventually found the very same ones from the same makers on ebay. Seller is taost from Shanghai. A fantastic piece of rustic cookware that cannot be bought elsewhere. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in getting serious about wok cooking and also learning the basic fundamentals of Chinese cooking.
   
   One important thing the author does not mention is the option to use portable propane wok burners. These are very cheap and popular now and give the high heat that only dedicated restaurant burners used to produce. These have to be used outdoors because you will get restaurant style heat, flames, spatter and smoke. I would recommend anyone who can do cooking outdoors to get one. Matched with a good wok you will get genuine Wok Hei and extremely fast cooking times. With mine I can cook a typical stir fry in about 2 minutes from when I light up.



3. Ms Youngs book has been out for several years now and is just as fresh as the day it first became available. Her passion not only for the food, but the essence of how the Wok is and should be used, and the culture it represents are evident throughout this book. While Breath of a Wok is more extensive than any other book I've seen on the subject, even this book is only the tip of the iceberg. I know Ms. Young is working on another book on stir frying that hopefully will be out in the near future. Breath of a Wok is a book you'll enjoy whether just for the reading or for cooking from its many recipes



4. This gorgeous book offers everything I would hope for in a basic Chinese cookbook. Before anything else, it has eye appeal. Profuse illustration shows the ingredients, the featured chefs at work, the techniques involved, and of course the finished dishes themselves. Full-page photos leave my mouth watering, so much that I barely notice that the scent of the food comes wholly from my imagination.
   
   At the next level, this reference provides a wide range of recipes. Many describe familiar dishes, others describe more exotic preparations, but all seem approachable. The only challenge in bringing these dishes to life would come from the need for impeccable technique. With ingredients so basic and fresh, any flaws in their handling would stand out conspicuously.
   
   Then, as a background that pervades the book, the authors explore the culture and even family history of Chinese cooking in the US. The nineteenth century saw a huge immigration of Asian laborers, who seemed to live behind a curtain of cultural and linguistic isolation. Although their cuisine thrived within the Chinese enclaves, it remained largely unknown to the wider population until the second half of the twentieth century. While remaining true to its Eastern origins, Chinese food has become a fully naturalized citizen of the American kitchen.
   
   More than just a list of recipes, this represents a vivid tribute to the variety, the personal meanings, and the joy bordering on spiritual that Chinese food can bring to those who appreciate it. And, when it's so fresh, flavorful, and easy to prepare, who wouldn't appreciate it?
   
   -- wiredweird



5. I picked this up by chance off of my local library's shelves yesterday. I applaud the dedication and passion that went into making this book. Pictures are beautiful, text informative.
   
   I've been looking for info about successful wok cooking. This book guided me in the selection of a flat bottomed carbon steel wok (via a net store). I know I'll have the knowledge and confidence to season and use it well. I realize now why I had failed attempts with a wok I previously owned. I'm tired of chasing my stir fries around a skillet, thank you for this guide! I especially enjoyed the story behind the smoked chicken and eggs recipe.

5 comments about Quick & Easy Thai Cuisine: Lemon Grass Cookbook.

1. The instructions are fairly easy to follow, and the recipes I have tried are great. However, the pictures of marinated dishes don't show the marinades as mixed together, which is weird. Also, I wish the author(s) were a little more clear on exactly which cuts of beef to use on the dishes...it just says "sliced beef" or "tender sliced beef". I'd like to know which cuts they would recommend.



2. I have other cultural cookbooks that I've purchased in the past: Thai, Indian, Mexican, Chinese. In which, the recipes don't come out tasting like how they taste in the restaurant. This little gem provides pictures of the ingredients, so you can go to any Thai grocer and know what to get. The dishes I've tried came out perfect, like in the restaurant;even my family enjoyed the recipes. It's also perfect for first timers. Definetely get this one.



3. This cookbook is full of flavorful and simple recipes. It includes a picture of every dish and all ingredients. If you are able to find fish sauce, oyster sauce, and curry paste, you'll be able to make the majority of recipes. Fish sauce and oyster sauce are fat free too, so for those on a low-fat diet, here are some exotic alternatives. I've given copies of the book to two friends in two months. You'll overcome your fear of curry.



4. I love this Thai cookbook. The recipes are easy to follow, there's a picture of every dish, and they even include a picture of the ingredients for each recipe. These meals turn out as good as the Thai restaurant we used to go to often. I have a 3 year-old and a 1 year-old who both love the satay, cashew chicken and Thai noodles. I strongly recommend this cookbook for anyone who is just beginning to cook or is looking for easy Thai recipes.



5. The step by step directions with full color images and short ingredient lists will have you cooking Thai in minutes! Even my children enjoy the recipes! This books gives you the "short" version using bottled sauces available at your local grocery store whenever possible, replacing hard-to-find and expensive spices.

5 comments about 660 Curries.

1. This is a true Indian cook book, the best I have seen so far. I am a decent cook (Indian) myself and have never been impressed with Indian cook books. My girlfriend, who is not Indian, got this book from her mom last year for Christmas and she has made amazing dishes from this book that have impressed my Indian friends and parents. Most recipes in this book are simple, everyday recipes that people in India make and not fancy restaurant type (read unhealthy) dishes. My only caution would be that Raghavan recommends a little bit more ginger than most people can handle. Overall a great book, Two thumbs up!



2. It all started for me about 8 years ago when I changed job and started working in Silicon Valley again. I would eat Indian food daily as a way to not only satisfy my craving for an excellent meal, but as a way to learn more about the culture of the people I was working with and for at that time. We had an excellent executive chef in our cafeteria chef and I enjoyed many of his dishes. Many times I thought to myself: Why don't I ask him for some of his recipes, my family would love this food, but recognizing he works for a large catering outfit, I knew he could not share them with me. At one point he invited Raghavan in as a guest Chef for the day and our Chef prepared cuisine from 660 Curries. In typical fashion there was a long line for the Indian food, but this day the line was out the door. After trying some of the different foods I knew this was a good book to buy.
   
   I bought it that day, and Raghavan signed my copy. This was about 18 months ago, and I have prepared over well over 200 meals, using ~ 125 recipes from the book. My family makes me repeat the ones they like the best, although I continue to try new ones to their delight each time. I have yet to prepare something from this book that has not been good, with most of the recipes being rated as excellent. I have my own spice section in the pantry now and built my spice war chest over many months acquiring spices as needed for forecasted recipes. One trick is to bottle the spices as that protects your pantry and house from taking on the multi-spice smell when you are not cooking.
   
   The stores from the book are interesting, and the step by step, easy to follow instructions, are so easy to follow. I particularly enjoy making my own spice blends, and sharing them with friends and family to take home so they can try their own. Friends and family alike bring their own Tupperware over or leftovers when they know I am cooking Indian food. And I make many of the lentil recipes en masse and freeze them to share with the family on a cold winter day.
   
   Out of the 30 cookbooks we have in the house, this is by far the most used and most enjoyed. I HIGHLY recommend this Cookbook, and have yet to cook something that I did not enjoy.



3. With such a wide range of recipes it will take a while tow ade through all. Overall you do get the statisfaction of learning new methods of preparing curry. happy eating



4. I gave this to my son for Christmas as he loves to cook different foods. He absolutely loves this book. He cooked us dinner one night and it was the best meal I have ever had. Highly recommend this book.



5. I LOVE this book. I use it continually, and because of it, I have discovered that Indian food is my favorite. Every recipe that I have made so far has been delicious. They are easy to understand and follow.

5 comments about The Everything Indian Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes--From Sizzling Tandoori Chicken to Fiery Lamb Vindaloo (Everything: Cooking).

1. This cookbook is full of recipes, and I can't wait to try a lot of them! I think for the price it was well worth it. I am disappointed that there is no recipe for naan bread included, and a few other items I thought would have been basic are not included. The index of ingredients is quite good and I feel helpful in locating ingredients. Overall, I am impressed with the book and would consider buying another cookbook from this series.



2. This book by Monica Bhide is just perfect. Not one of those where it becomes a "chaar aane ka murgi aur baara aane ka masala"- these are truly makeable, eatable dishes. I am a self proclaimed "Iron Chef India" and I recommend this for bachelors as well as housewives. In two words-"Paisa Vasool".



3. the only reason i purchased "the everything indian cookbook" was because i had a couple more books ordered and thought "heck, the price is so low on this one i'll just add it to my cart with the others".
   how delightfully surprised i was to find this is an informative, easy to follow, good sized indian cookbook that is worth more than the few dollar price tag.
   i love cooking indian food and would recommend this one to anyone!



4. I have had this cookbook for over a year and have made a few recipes that turned out fairly well. It is really gratifying to be able to create the flavors that seemed so mysterious in the Indian restaurants in your own home. Some of the recipes can be created using ingredients from your standard grocery store, but some require specialty ingredients from an Indian store, like Tamarind pulp. If I had an improvment suggestion it would be for the instructions to be slightly more detailed, like how much salt to add to the basmati rice with green peas, or what temperature to use on the stove, (high, med, med low, etc.) The recipe will just say "reduce heat" or "heat oil" and lacking the innate cooking ability that some are born with this made it hard for me to know if I was doing it right. I would recommend this book!



5. I thought this was a decent book to start with, but with my lack of expertise I can't say what other books could have done for me. But maybe she can save it for her next book to finish her tomato rice recipe because after finally preparing the mashed tomatoes I had no direction as to what the hell to do with them. She completely omitted the step of what to do with the tomatoes and I'm not a chef so I can't figure it out myself. Overall I've had a great deal of fun in learning the recipes and wish I could try them all.

5 comments about The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food.

1. Although I was hungry the entire time. I love that Lee's account ranges from the humorous to the political to the very tragic, and that she has taken the time to open up American eyes to this huge piece of our life we just take for granted. (I personally eat Chinese food at least once a week.) I really appreciated the chapters on the Fuzhou immigrant wave and on the plight of the "invisible" delivery men--I'm embarrassed that I never thought more about these facets of the business before.



2. There's an old saying that an hour after eating chinese food, you're hungry again. Unfortunately this book was a bit like that.
   
   It's certainly well written and was fun to read, though a bit long for the subject. And one is exposed to such exotic trivia as the fact that Chinese fortune cookies were invented by the Japanese and that most chinese food is a local creation and not authentically Chinese. But after reading it, I found myself thinking "that's it?!" and looking for a more substantial book.
   
   Two chapters were potentially more filling - one on the Kosher Duck Scandal and the other on the sad story of a Chinese family suffering the stresses of adapting to life in the U.S. But in both cases, the final result was a bit superficial. Which is too bad as the author demonstrates that there is a lot of potentially interesting material that just needed a bit more work.



3. It is a good chronicle about the Chinese and their cultures. It also lists some places to go for Chinese Food but does not have any recipes in it.



4. What began as an interest in the phenomenon of people playing lottery numbers based on lucky numbers from fortune cookies became something much bigger for Jennifer Lee. Chinese restaurants hold a special place for many of us, the author included, and are somewhat unique due to the sheer number of them in existence in the United States (more than all of the McDonald's, Wendy's, and KFCs combined). Lee digs in to understand them and their history, the role they play in the lives of Chinese-Americans, how certain dishes like General Tso's Chicken came to dominate menus, and especially how the fortune cookie came to be the standard dessert with every meal. Along the way are discussions of the greatest Chinese restaurant in the world, arguments over soy sauce, and the role New York City plays in the great network of restaurants all across the country.
   
   This book is fascinating and Lee's dedication to her research is impressive. She travels the globe and logs hours of interviews to truly understand her subject, doggedly refusing to give up her search for the fortune cookie's origin. This book fell short for me because the subject was so massive that the writing itself felt a little unwieldy. Lee attempts to use the fortune cookie as an anchor, but it goes unmentioned for whole chapters at a time as she weaves her way through topics ranging from dishes to ingredients to historical events. Though the intent was clear and the quality of the writing good, the scope became a little unmanageable, demanding a larger platform than this novel could possibly provide. That being said, there is interesting information in its pages that I have thought about long after finishing it. I certainly will not look at Chinese restaurants in the same way in the future and may even consider playing my fortune cookie's lucky numbers rather than leaving them on the table.



5. Like the author, I've always been fascinated by Chinese food. I'm half Chinese, and have fond childhood memories of my grandma's authentic Chinese cooking. I have rarely found restaurant "Chinese food" to be like my grandmother's, and now I know why! This book illuminates the process of how Chinese food in America has become Americanized.

5 comments about Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province.

1. The few recipes that I've tried from this book turned out very good. I'm starting to understand the different Chinese region cooking. I'm looking forward to trying several recipes from this cookbook.



2. Like Dunlop's previous cookbook, Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook offers a vast collection of authentic recipes, this time with a focus on Hunan cooking. The dishes I have cooked from this book taste true to the food I enjoyed in Hunanese restaurants in China. The book contains sections for street food, appetizers, meat, poultry, vegetables, tofu, and soups, with classics like nongjia("farmhouse style") stir-fried pork and Mao's red-braised pork. Hunan cooking involves less difficult-to-find ingredients than Sichuan cooking, and thus might be more accessible to the typical Western cook.
   
   Together with Dunlop's previous book on Sichuanese cooking, it is a refreshing change from the typical "Chinese" cookbook offering sticky-sweet Americanized versions of the real thing.
   
   Dunlop provides interesting commentary on the origins of particular recipes and Hunan cuisine throughout the book, making it enjoyable to read in itself, especially for those of us who love food. In addition, the book is printed on glossy paper and has many more photos than Dunlop's previous book. Highly recommended.



3. Dunlop does everything here except come to your house and make this dishes for you. What an incredible achievement this book is in every way, from its art, photography, history, stories, recipes, translations, and breadth of information. Sometimes she gives you the equivalent ingredients that will substitute if you happen not to live in Hunan Province, New York, or San Francisco. I live in the Midwest and I have to find creative ways to substitute for a lot of the ingredients she lists. For example, she's in love with potato flour, but that doesn't exist here. Flour is flour, right?
   
   Finally, this book has the distinction of poor writing. Dunlop likes to "verb" her nouns throughout, and she doesn't seem to recognize either a dangling modifier or how not to hang a preposition from every other verb. Soon this becomes intolerable to the point you scream, "Oh, come on!"



4. I bought Fuchsia Dunlop's first book about Sichuan cooking. I loved that, and I love this! Very different from the Chinese food I grew up with that my family got at the restaurants in America!
   
   There are a few differences between the first and the second book. This cookbook is also filled with many more pictures than the first. Honestly, I never worry about the pictures. I tend not to try to cook food I know nothing about. The paper is also different. The first book has the darker, off-white more textured pages. I like that. Because the second is filled with color photos, the paper is the bright white semi-glossy type. If you are like me, I spend long hours reading through cookbooks. My eyes tend to tire out when looking at the glossy white paper. For someone who like anecdotes about her experiences in China, will love both. I'm not very concerned about having those stories in there myself, but they do make it quite easy to imagine the dishes!
   
   More on the personal side, from my experience with her recipies in this second book, I seem to prefer Sichuan cooking over Hunan. For example, the Sichuan recipe for red braised pork I like much better then the Hunan version. The Hunan version calls for more spices which makes it much more aromatic. It's a bit too much for me, but that's just me. In neither of the books are there any menu planning guides. She does recommend dishes to go with the one your preparing. I would like to be able to see more of what a meal is like.
   
   I recomend this book to anyone who is familiar with Chinese cooking and or anyone who like adventure. I don't think that it is a good beginner's book. I have ruined many a recipe in my day and I relaize that it takes a whole lot of advice to avoid the common mistakes. However, I don't think anyone would be diappointed in this book.



5. A good cookbook, I would purchase it again. It is not my favorite Chinese cookbook.