2 comments about Martin Yan's Asia: Favorite Recipes from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Japan.

1. Even if you find his television show to be over the top, you have to admit that Martin Yan always presents very tasty recipes. This book is an introduction to a variety of Asian cuisines with recipes and helpful hints not just on preparation, but on eating as well.

   I've prepared roughly 40% of the dishes included in this book and have yet to find one that wasn't delicious. I was sufficiently impressed to buy his other books as well.




2. Excellent introduction to a variety of asian cooking. Helpfully explains some of the more esoteric foodstuffs, et al. Based on the straightforward presentation I intend to buy more of his books. Also, I found the written forum a much more direct way to learn from Yan than his cooking show.

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

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

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

1. I AM BORN N GREW UP IN SINGAPORE.IT IS A MULTI RACIAL COUNTRY.BEING A MALAY GIRL,I FOUND SOME OF THE RECIPES IN THIS COOKBOOK ARE NOT THE "REAL MALAY COOKING" BUT NONYA STYLE COOKING.BUT I GAVE 5 STAR BECAUSE THE PICS ARE SO MOUTH WATERING.IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A MALAY COOKING,TRY ZARINA COOKBOOK.THESE ARE HARD TO FIND IN THE STATES BUT IF U DO,BUY IT.ITS SO GOOD N VERY MALAY TO THE CORE.

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

1. I gave this book to a Georgian and she loved it. It had all the dishes she had eatten as a child. If your looking for a book to fill in any missing recipes this is the book for you.



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



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



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



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

4 comments about From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table.

1. This author continues to bring us beautiful books, reliable recipes and now pairing this wonderful wine with the food. Couldn't get better.



2. 
   
   the book is very informative with beautiful photographs throughout.



3. A beautiful way to learn some Persian history and culture, and the role that wine has played.



4. I have been enjoying "New Food of Life" for the past several years, and when I saw "From Persia to Napa" for sale at a vineyard in Napa, I knew I had to have it. While "New Food of Life" is primarily a cookbook sprinkled with wonderful bits of history, culture, poems, fables and Persian art, "From Persia to Napa" is a love story about wine. In the first half of the book, Ms. Batmanglij covers the history of wine, the evolution of wine and culture in Iran, and includes a long discussion of the new Darioush Winery in Napa Valley, with many vivid photographs. The second half of the book are persian recipes that she has designed specifically to be paired with wine. The recipes are in general designed for high-end meals. Most are accompanied by photographs which make my mouth water! At the end of the book she includes suggested menus for persian meals at different times of the year. This is an aesthetically wonderful book as well as being fascinating reading, and she has elevated it to much more than a book of recipes matched with wine.

5 comments about Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine.

1. Thanks to Nawal for writting this excellent cookbook which includes almost all the iraqi recipes in such nice order.
   
   As a kurd I found many recipes that brought back memories from my childhood, even the terms/words used!
   
   I looked through the whole book briefly, the recipes look easy and well written, not many pictures but I doubt they are needed. Can't wait to try more recipes.
   
   I know I will treasure this book for life..



2. A great cookbook. Easy to follow for those not familiar with Arabic/Middle Eastern Cooking. Good back stories and illustrations. A true one of a kind work. Be sure to buy this treasure before it goes out of print. A delight as the title suggests.



3. I received this cookbook as a birthday gift two years ago. When I opened it, I was excited to find a Middle Eastern cookbook, but was not expecting it to 'measure up' to the 10 or so Middle Eastern/North African cookbooks in my collection, as the author is not well known as are the authors of many of the other books. After all this time, I have made quite a few recipes from this book, and all were fantastic. That being said, I feel that I haven't even scratched the surface of this book. The number of good recipes in the book is astounding, and the history portion of the book is very interesting. I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in learning more about cooking Middle Eastern food, and learning about its roots.



4. My wife is a first class Chef and needed information abiout Iraqi Cooking
   to prepare and serve at Master classes
   On the WWW there was only 11 recipies
   So doing a search on AMazon.com walla a book. The book has many recipies and information about Iraqi Culture it is easily to read and is very informative, it is pity that the Americans went in on a false premise and are surely destroying a vibrant culture.



5. I can't stop flipping through the pages of this book. Each page sparks a different memory from Iraq. The recipes are so easy to follow and turn out so well. The best cook book EVER.

5 comments about Vegetarian Sushi (Essential Kitchen Series).

1. There is lots of variety in this little book. The introduction gives you a fine initiation into the sushi-making realm with recommendations on tools and products available. Recipies are straight-forward with easy-to-follow instructions. In fact, I didn't know that there were so many types of vegetarian sushi available! So, what's wrong with my local sushi restaurant? The photographs are also a wonderful asset to this cookbook.

   Definitely recommended for people who want to learn how to make their own sushi (without worrying about contamination and food borne illnesses associated with raw fish). An asset to any vegetarian/vegan cookbook collection.




2. Book layout is beautiful...each recipe has own color photo.
   Ingredients easy to find.
   Recipes are easy to follow with easy techniques.
   Food is delicious.
   Great for cocktail parties!



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



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



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

5 comments about Philippine Cookbook.

1. After buying this book and looking through the recipes, it seems to me that this book needs to be updated and revised. It could be a wonderful cookbook if the recipes were more detailed and the directions more clear. It's great in that it has many recipes.



2. I am grateful that this book is not very heavy, as I found myself carrying it around in my backpack all day yesterday. Other than that, I'm not exactly thrilled with this book. The recipes are indeed oversimplified and generally vague, and leave my wife (who grew up in a Filipino household) and I muttering, "Wait, that can't be right...."



3. I don't pretend to be an expert cook, but I do have a lot of fun in the kitchen, especially with my teenage daughters. I do believe that they find me a source of entertainment with my recipes right from this cookbook. We turned out some great dishes, e.g., Lumpia Shanghai, Philippine Fred Rice, Rellenong Manok, Paksiw Na Bangus, Maruya, Pianono, etc. My son likes to kick back and watch the interaction, but then he is the first in line to grab the finished product. I liked this cookbook and found it to be helpful, easy to use, and covering a large range of Filipino food. Well done!



4. This book seems to be like the holy grail of Philippine menu items.



5. Great book! I am Filipino and I must say the most of these dishes are almost the exact same as my mom's!!! Of course no one makes the same dish twice...everyone's got their own take on broc/chs casserole and I bet a million different spagetti sauces too but if you want something authentic that comes from the Phillipines then this book is for you. Easy to follow recipes and a glossary for the ingredients you never heard of. :):)
   I LOVE it!!! Any my co-workers now know what REAL sweet and sour pork is and not that pink crap from the Chinese restaurant! :):)

5 comments about Big Bowl Noodles and Rice: Fresh Asian Cooking from the Renowned Restaurant.

1. I am a regular customer at the Big Bowl in Edina, MN. It's a wonderful place, with imaginative, tasty, fresh foods. I only wish this cookbook lived up to the restaurant. Unfortunately, many of the dishes in the book are also available in almost any good Asian cooking book. The dipping sauces - my personal favorites at the restaurant - aren't included in the book and neither are my other favorites from the restaurant.

   I will keep going back to the restaurant, but this book is far from the next best thing to being there! Back to the kitchen...




2. While the Bay Area has an abundance of Asian restaurants few compare to Big Bowl in the Mid-West. The books aesthetics are very pleasing and the format is easy to follow. The special ingredients section was very informative in explaining the origins and use, as well as pointing out which recipes call for them. What makes this book such a great reference is the emphasis on using quality ingredients and the cooking techniques are well described and easy to understand. In addition, I also enjoyed the array of traditional and modern adaptations of the recipes and look forward to using this book more. I highly recommend the satay, the freshly prepared peanut sauce is a winner. We only wish Mr. Cost never left San Francisco.



3. I got hooked on the Big Bowl as a restaurant originally. Now that I have the book, I use it more than any other. Everything so far is good. I now make the best asian food I know how to find anywhere.

   Recipies are sometimes a bit unclear. But the tastes are so good I couldn't live without this book.




4. Having visited the Chicago Big Bowl for years when I lived there, I decided I have missed my favourite dish so much, that I bought this book. Their signature dish was the Kung Pao Chicken, which I adored.
   I received the book today, and was absolutely amazed...there was no recipe for Kung Pao chicken, although the dish was mentioned in the preface. They do have Kung Pao Fish, but the ingredients differ greatly.
   Where is the recipe for the chicken!
   Plus, the number of photos is a token effort. Every good cook book should have photos of the dishes - this has hardly any.
   Too early to tell how the other recipes will shape up, but very disappointed at the moment.



5. Almost none of the dishes you would expect to see are in this book. Big Bowl advertises a cook book "from the renowned restaurant", but I didn't see any of my or my friends favorites in here - the Kung Poa chicken, the hot pepper dishes, Mongolian beef, beef and broccoli, thai basil shrimp, thai hot pepper shrimp with basil and peanuts, spicy sichuan beef, bbq pork chow fun, kung poa tofu and spinach, crispy orange chicken, lemon chicken, salmon pad thai, and the list goes on...the advertisement for the book should at least assert that these are not the main dishes from the restaurant, but rather a collection of other recipes that the restaurant recommends/likes.

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

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



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



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



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



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