5 comments about True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking.

1. This book is a welcome addition to any cook's library. I love Thai food and am now spoiled because I prefer to cook my favorites versus finding them on a menu.
   
   Victor Sodsook is the chef/owner of Princess Siamese in LA and is Thai, himself. He shares tidbits throughout the book that make you feel as if you are talking with a good friend.
   
   His book is broken down in easy-to-use chapters, including a chapter of Ingredients and Equipment, explaining why each is key. The book goes on to highlight soups, rice and noodles, poultry, meat, fish, seafood, vegetarian cuisine, desserts, beverages, and even a menu-planning guide.
   
   What makes this a well-rounded book to me is that it also includes chapters on Bangkok Street Cooking and Royal Thai Cuisine, as well as Fruit and Vegetable Carving and Thai Favors. My favorite has been the chapter on mail order sources for Thai ingredients, as well as plants (Buddha's Hand is a favorite in our garden now) and even cookware.
   
   The one thing I wish the book had was color photographs of the food, as Thai food is so pretty and colorful. It seems a dis-service not to show Tomato and Sardine Soup with Thai Chili and Mint or Miang Kam.
   
   Otherwise, this is a thorough resource, and if you like Thai food, it is essential to your library.



2. I've had a great time trying to make the recipes from this book. However, I wouldn't generally consider cooking my primary hobby, so a lot of these involved more dedication than I'm interested in. Be warned that a lot of the recipes involve tons of prep time - first making a curry paste from scratch, which is not trivial, before you can really start the recipe at hand. Unless you just want to use curry paste from a jar, but then you hardly need the cookbook at all.
   
   Also, while there is an explanation of some of the more exotic ingredients, and suggestions about where to get them, there are also many exotic ingredients that go completely unexplained, so you just have to hope that you live near a Thai market and can manage to pronounce the ingredient name well enough to get them to know what you're talking about.
   
   These are surmountable obstacles, but they take time. If you're willing to deal with all that, the results are great.



3. I am glad i\I have True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking as part of my cookbook library.
   Having visited Thailand often & I found the dishes are authentic & delicious. Victor Sodsook also explains the ingredients so it makes it that much more clear on preparation.
   Nice cookbook to have.



4. I am addicted to this book's recipes.
   
   It is not a beginner's how-to. For folks looking for tasty & not-ordinary Thai food: this is what I would recommend. Personal favorites are:
   
   * Chicken in Southern-Style Red Curry
   * Pork with Pineapple and Yellow Bean Sauce
   * Seafood Dumplings with Chu Chee Curry
   * Stir-Fry Shrimp with Chinese Broccoli
   * Vietnamese-Style Vegetarian Salad Rolls
   
   And that's the short list. There are more. A very good cookbook.



5. Early on in this cookbook I ran across a shrimp and chili paste recipe, which the author (s? along with Sodsook, an American couple contributes recipes) "toned down for our American tastes", yet did not explain what was changed or how it was not authentic. That should have been the first clue that that tone would follow throughout the book and carry over to the recipes. I'm a bit upset at Amazon reviews misleading me.
   
   The book's written in 1995 by a Thai author that has (or had) a restaurant in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Beverly Hills, and most of the westside, is well known (currently) for having watered down, Americanized versions of any ethnic food you will find within it's borders. His restaurant had a sommelier! It's also been closed down for a while. This should have been my second clue that this book wouldn't be authentic or worth reading/using/buying. If you live in a city with any access to Thai markets or with a medium to large Thai population, like Los Angeles, Washington DC, others, you will be doing yourself a disservice buying this book - unless you've never had Thai food before (it is a good introduction).
   
   You could say "well the book is 14 years old" as an explanation as to its inauthenticity - but LA's Thai community is older than that, and the largest in the US, so for a restauranteer to come out with such a book from LA speaks badly of his own restaurant and ideas of how Americans would like to see Thai food prepared and frankly is offensive to non-Thais (as was some of the writing "toning down" recipes).
   
   The book, other than a handful of essential classic Thai curries, is mostly north Thai-Chinese (Issan, Bangkok, etc) cuisine. About a quarter of the recipes ARE Chinese recipes with fish sauce and extra garlic thrown in. There are a couple of "Southern Style" recipes, but they are tomato based, and so aren't at all the turmeric heavy, Islamic/MalayKmer inspired Southern cuisine. There are NO recipes with fresh turmeric roots at -all-. This recipe book is "Thai food for Americans used to eating Chinese food" and is not a useful tome of classic Thai recipes. My fault - I mean the title DOES say "Modern" even though it also says "True."
   
   Lastly, even though this book contains many Americanized restaurant style recipes, it doesn't succeed at some of them. The biggest draw for some people - pad thai - is bland and the sauce it uses is based mostly on ketchup! An atrocity. The book doesn't have boat noodles or anything with tripe or blood or anything vaguely offal-ish. I see ingredients at local Thai markets that aren't even mentioned here. Not authentic in the slightest. No thanks, I'll be returning this book now.

5 comments about Original Thai Cookbook.

1. Recipes would be more user-friendly if formatted to make it possible to, at a glance, peruse the steps to follow, rather than have to read through the paragraphs and try to separate out the "to do" information. We like recipes to appear on one page, if possible, or at least to lay out so that ingredients and at least most of the preparation steps appear together.

   Recipes could be simplified by using--or at least pointing out-- possible shortcuts making use of products available through Thai grocers. This cookbook would make Thai cooking more accessible if it informed users/cooks that these products are an option that in many cases, could simplify the recipes.




2. I've had this book for years and although there's a lot that's good about it (and the recipes are tasty) this book has a pretty typical problem: it was written in 1981. Most experienced cooks know that cookbooks from this time period suffered from at least one of two problems: 1 (and this is not this book's problem) the confusion that oleo or veggie oil is butter or 2 (and this is this book's problem) a general lack of availability of authentic ingredients which leads to ridiculous substitutions which just don't quite work. No matter how many great stories JB tells, she still substitutes ketchup for tamarind paste and as much as I love my Pittsburgher Heinz 57 Lovin' soul, ketchup ain't tamarind.

   Otherwise, not a bad cookbook, which I do reference often, if just to read JB's stories.




3. I was an exchange student in Thailand in 1975. I was lucky enough to live in two homes during that year's stay that had outstanding cooks, one in an affluent home and one on a ranch/factory where I ate in the "executive" dining room three times a day. Meals would usually consist of 4 or 5 entrees, so during that year I sampled about every conceivable Thai recipe.
   
   Jennifer Brennan's book's recipes produce the taste of real Thai cooking. If you want to cook Thai food like you get in a Thai home or on the streets in Thailand this is the book for you. Start with the Green Chicken Curry. For me this is the acid test, any Thai restaurant or cookbook that doesn't do curry right should be avoided. Other recipes I think are great are the Combination Fried Rice, Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup, Braised Chicken in Spices(outstanding), Chicken in Peanut Sauce, Sate, Thai Beef Salad(just like a Bangkok restaurant), Sweet & Sour Cucumbers, and Chopped Beef with Garnishes.

   Unfortunately, many Thai cookbooks focus on glitzy pictures and the "Thai" food that you find in American Thai restaurants. The only time I every ate Pad Thai in Thailand was on a Western Hotel's tourist lunch buffet. If you spend the time to make your own curry pastes and cook these curries you will be rewarded. You will have authentic Thai food. This book is your guide to the real deal!




4. I have been collecting Thai cookbooks for years - and I still go back to this one. Starting eating Thai food in LA, CA - where you could get the "real" thing. It was hard to find Thai cookbooks back then and this was one of the first available. It isn't fancy like the newer cookbooks, but I don't buy based on them being a "coffee table book". "Pad Thai" is like spagetti (sp), so many variations on a theme - the recipe in this book is good, and I adjust it to suit my tastes. For a real delight, try her soup recipes - wonderful!



5. I'm really impressed with this old-school cookbook. I can't imagine many of the ingredients were available back in the 80s and even now probably only in major metropolitain areas.
   Anyhow, I am impressed by the authentic recipes inside the book. Yeah there are substitutions, but she puts down the original ingredients for each recipe.
   If you love authentic non-americanized Thai food, I'd definitely suggest this book.

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

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



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

5 comments about The Spice Merchant's Daughter: Recipes and Simple Spice Blends for the American Kitchen.

1. This is a world class cookbook. It is sure to be a favorite used regularly. A culinary treasure and a guaranteed heirloom. The recipes are easy to follow and the flavors are out of this world. My family and I can't get enough of such wonderful food. I have made many of the recipes. One night my husband and I suggested we go to an Asian restaurant. My children said they did not want to go out to dinner because Mom can make better food at home. Many thanks to Author Christina Arokiasamy for sharing.



2. If you notice the other reviews I think they all know the author personally or have taken her cooking classes at some point. Most of them have only written one review for Amazon and that being this book. A couple of them have written 2 so that leads me to believe that the other reviews while well meaning aren't necessarily unbiased. I would like to offer that review as I do not know the author, have never taken a cooking class nor have been paid by her to review the book.
   
   This is it.
   
   I enjoyed reading the book. While it is a cookbook it is also almost a diary. I enjoyed the first chapter where the author describes her childhood and growing enchantment with spices. I too have a similar memory but in rural Kentucky our smells were fat back and chitlins. Everyone remembers their own sweet smells from childhood. Ms. Arokiasamy does a wonderful job of leading us to hers.
   
   One of my pet peeves is people describing most asian cooking as Thai cooking when in fact it is not. And the author knows that and shows us the differences between broad southeast asian cooking and its traditions. The author suggests introducing these spices slowly so that your family will become accustomed to their taste. I think I've heard you need to expose a child 10 times to a new food before they can truly decide if they like it or not.
   
   She as many recipes for making your own spice blends and suggests adding the spice at the beginning of the cooking process if you want it milder in flavor and at the end if you want it strong. Helpful information to know about any spices.
   
   There are recipes for curry powder, garam masala, fiery curry powder, lemon pepper rub, steak and chop rub. The steak and chop rub was delish. I used it over t-bones and the whole family loved it, even the kids. It was not too harsh and added a different flair. I made mine with Worcestershire but you could use soy as well.
   
   The official review by Amazon included words like luscious photography...that is not so. The book is printed on recycled paper so the pictures look like they've been printed on recycled matte paper. They are not beautiful and not really appealing. There are only a few pictures anyway so it doesn't really add anything.
   
   I would have liked more white space in the book to add my own notes and my own takes on the different spice combinations. But I can still do that if I want.
   
   I hope this provided an unbiased review of the book if you were considering getting it I would suggest you do so. And if I'm ever in the Pacific Northwest I'll have to make a point of meeting Ms. Arokiasamy and taking one of her cooking classes.



3. This is a very unique book, and it should be part of every serious cook's library. The book is loaded with wonderful recipes that my husband and I love.



4. The Spice Merchant's Daughter is an interesting and educational read. Besides being a cookbook it gives you a bit of little know history. Life in colonial Malaysia is of course history. however the colors and fragrances of a far off place are vividly described and easily imagined as you read. The recipes are for the most part easily prepared and the ones I have tasted are delicious. The one drawback is that unless you live in a large metropolitan area, some of the spices and herbs used might be difficult to obtain. I read this as a travel book as well as a cookbook and enjoyed every page.



5. If you are like me, and are new to cooking food from Southeast Asia, you may be daunted by the wide number of spices, herbs and flavors. It's very hard to improvise when you don't know anything about the food except the recipe. Some spices taste wonderful in small quantities but turn bitter with just a little more. Some will dominate milder foods like fish. Fortunately we live at a time when the ingredients for Southeast Asian food are available at the American supermarkets. But the typical American cook may get the groceries home and ask, "what next?" What, for example, do you do with all the cardomin you bought for that one recipe? Does it go with anything else? How about those curry leaves? Are they destined to sit on the shelf until you give up and throw them out?
   
   The Spice Merchant's Daughter is useful because it takes you down to the roots of the cooking and you learn some of the things you might have learned if you grew up in Malaysia. You learn to make basic mixes which can be used in different ways. You learn which spices can be substituted and which ones have no substitutions. You learn that you need to find a source for whole spices, but you also learn some ways to use the ground spices from the supermarket.
   
   This is a great book, which teaches you things that go beyond recipes. I can't wait to start looking for a good spice vendor.

2 comments about Easy Indian Cookbook: The Step-by-Step Guide to Deliciously Easy Indian Food at Home.

1. Easy Indian Cookbook: The Step-by-Step Guide to Deliciously Easy Indian Food at Home
   Learning to cook Indian food has been one of the more fun adventures I've set out on. This book has easy to follow recipies and lovely illustrations. I would recommend it. To add to the fun it comes with a CD of traditional Indian music which I played as back ground music for an Indian dinner party I gave shortly after receiving the book.



2. I've never cooked Indian food without store-bought sauces so this was quite an adventure. I made the Chicken Tikka Masala, the Paneer with Peas, and the Buttery Potatoes with Spinach. It was all very good but the Chicken Tikka Masala was out of this world!!! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it...

1 comments about Indian Cooking Made Easy: Simple Authentic Indian Meals in Minutes (Learn to Cook Series).

1. This book is excellent for on the go Moms like me who want to cook nutritious, delicious dishes for the family. The recipes are well written out, easy to follow and they taste good! This book is definitely a hit with my family!

4 comments about Authentic Recipes from the Philippines (Authentic Recipes Series).

1. I think people are better off asking around for recipes. This book definitely did not cover the traditional Filipino food I've learned to know.



2. I purchased this book mainly as a resource for Filipino food. The book has a very apealing layout but if you're looking for a cookbok, this is not the one. This is more of a coffee table book. I was disappointed with the recipe selection because most of them are pretty "entry level" recipes.



3. I'm not sure what the other reviewer meant by the book not covering traditional Filipino food he's known. This was lovingly put together by Philippine-born Filipinos famous for their work in documenting authentic Filipino cuisine... very unlike other cookbooks whose writers only parachute into the country, if at all, and compile recipes for publication.
   
   True, it's not a typical cookbook that focuses solely on recipes. The first ten or so pages are essays. Its value is not only in the beautiful photographs, but also in the substantial background it provides for Filipino food. What a deal at $12!
   
   You can preview the book above with Amazon's "Search inside this book" feature. The reviews of the edition that came out in 1999 are here: The Food of the Philippines: Authentic Recipes from the Pearl of the Orient.



4. this filipino cookbook is one of my favorites. you will find the most popular filipino recipes. my only regret is that more recipes were not included. that is probably because the high quality of the book, beautiful color photos, high quality paper, hardcover, etc. is very reasonably priced. a great gift or addition to any asian cookbook collection. especially great for those interested in filipino cooking

2 comments about Quick & Easy Dim Sum Appetizers and Light Meals.

1. This line of cookbooks is really nice. There is a list of ingredients to keep on hand (with explanations on unfamiliar ones). The process is given in step-by-step detail with pictures of each step. It makes trying new techniques and foods less stressful. I love the Quick and Easy cookbooks and have others for Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese recipes.



2. Excellent recipes and cooking tips! The only complaint is there is no links to purchase ingredients on line, as they are hard to find in my area.

2 comments about The Book of Sake: A Connoisseurs Guide.

1. Fairly expensive as it is a hardcover book, but is very thin. Nice color photos. As a connoisser, a found this book not very helpful,as there was not much new information. The title of the book should be the handbook for the Sake novice.
   I could see how this book would help someone new to the world of Sake.
   I found way too much info on the production of Sake.
   Overall the book was good, but I recommend for one just getting into Sake, not one who is a connoisser, thus the lower rating.



2. This is a superlative introduction to the world of sake from one of the great Western capacities on the topic.
   
   A designated sake brewmaster (a so-called toji), apparently the only non-Japanese to enjoy this status, Mr Harper is an excellent guide to all those new to sake. Even if you know something about the tipple already, like me, this slight volume is packed with information.
   
   The book covers the production, history and classification of sake, interspersed with translated reviews from one of Japan's premier sake connoisseurs, Haruo Matsuzaki. In addition to being written with much wit and humor, Mr Harper's inspiring writing had me want to meet with the author -- I'm certain he's excellent company and a fabulous live guide to this hallowed drink.
   
   It's also a very beautiful book, excellently layouted, well-presented and visually appealing.

No comments about Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Asian Cooking: Recipes from China, Japan, India, SThailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and More (Williams Sonoma Essentials).