1 comments about Easy Cooking: The Island Way.

1. Ann Corum's "Easy Cooking:The Island Way" is a great cookbook, easy to read, with fun-to-try recipes and a generous dollop of common sense for beginning cooks. The Hawaiian-themed dishes are unusual, tasty, and quick. Yes, there are some Spam recipes (Corum has written Spam cookbooks too, since it is a mainstay of the Islands) so if you are prejudiced against the canned pork product, just skip those.

   I first purchased this book on the Big Island in the summer of 1985. When my oldest daughter got her first apartment at college, I let her take it since it's a wonderful source of advice for kids new to the kitchen. Somehow it got lost over the intervening years so I was as pleased as Hawaiian punch to find it in Amazon z-shops, even though it's out of print.

   Corum is a librarian in Hawaii who has published several other cookbooks. "Easy Cooking:The Island Way" is a good way to try out some of her recipes and to enjoy her easy Island style. Highly recommended!

No comments about Don the Beachcomber's Little Hawaiian Tropical Drink Cookbook.

2 comments about Tasting Paradise III: Restaurants & Recipes of the Hawaiian Islands, Third Edition.

1. Just got back from Hawaii and had to have an Hawaiian cookbook.
   We had eaten at several of the restaurants that provided recipes for the book while there and wanted to extend our island visit with island food at home. Great addtion to my cookbook collection and the eating is pure enjoyment.



2. The recipes seemed easy enough to follow(can't wait to make more of them) and the book is quite beautiful..also, everything sounds delicious and takes me back to the Islands!

1 comments about A DASH of Aloha - Healthy Hawaiian Cuisine and Lifestyle.

1. A showcase compendium of recipes from the islands of Hawaii, "A Dash Of Aloha: Healthy Hawai'i Cuisine And Lifestyle" is a collaborative project of the University of Hawai'i's Kapi'olani Community College and based on the DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) program. Beautifully illustrated with full-color photography, "A Dash Of Aloha" has a spiral binding enabling it to be laid open on a kitchen counter, and features healthy eating tips from the American Heart Association, food nutrition and seasonality charts, as well as exercise and lifestyle advice. The seventy 'kitchen cook' recipes are 'kitchen cook friendly' as they are delicious and nutritious. Ranging from Ginger-Bran Cake; Spanish Rice with Napa Cabbage Rolls; and Loco Moco Fried Rice; to Tofu Burgers with Mango Chutney; Curried Sweet Potato Chowder; and Forbidden Black Rice Salad, every recipe comprising this outstanding collection comes with serving size information, a brief commentary and a Nutrition Facts chart about the dish. Especially recommended for personal and community ethnic cookbook collections, "A Dash Of Aloha" is particularly appropriate as a culinary reference for anyone having to deal with weight loss, cardiopulmonary, or general health and fitness improvement issues.

3 comments about Sam Choy's Cooking.

1. Back in March 1997, I met the author of this week's cookbook review. Sam Choy a Hawaiian native and down-to-earth chef is the author of The Choy of Cooking published by Mutual Publishing. Choy lives in Kona where he has one of his Sam Choy's Restaurant (others are in Tokyo, Honolulu and Oahu ). This the second book by this author who has many ties to the Philadelphia region. No expense has been spared for this cookbook, with full color pictures on almost every page and printed on a high gloss paper. When I met Sam, I had a few minutes to talk to him and he truly loves what he does. During the dinner that he had prepared, I had an opportunity to sample three of the dishes from this book. Bella Mushroom Salad that featured Arugula and lettuce mounded high with roasted red pepper and scattered slices of Portobello mushrooms. Circling the salad was a dressing based on plum tomatoes and garlic. Topping the entire salad was fresh grated cheese. Then I tried a fabulous Ginger, Ginger Steamed Mussels. The mussels were tender and almost sweet. The juice had flavors of ginger, cilantro and onion giving the soup an almost lime twang, making this an outstanding dish. The last item was a dessert listed in the book as Macadamia Nut Dried Papaya Bread Pudding, a work of art offering a dense but mostly moist piece of bread pudding surrounded by a medley of pineapple and mango chunks as well as strawberry halves with whipped cream almost offering three separate desserts to create one masterpiece. Other items in the cookbook include: Summer 'Ahi (yellowfin tuna) Tartare, Wok Barbecue Shrimp with Pepper-Papaya-Pineapple Chutney, Crab and Shrimp Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms with Béarnaise Sauce, Korean-Style Tako Poke, Bella Mushroom Salad, Gingered Scallops with Colorful Soba Noodles, Sesame Ginger Snap Peas, Pan-Fried Spicy Eggplant, Beef or Pork Lu'au Stew, Baked Whole Opakapaka with Coconut Milk, and Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cheese Pie. The Choy of Cooking truly is a joy to cook with. The recipes are marvelous and tasty bring some flavors that are designed to tempt the palate. In what appears to be an attempt to improve upon his first book, Cooking from the Heart, Sam Choy brought in a new co-writer and book designer while bringing back his incredible photographer and food stylist to create the well conceived and though out cookbook. If you are into Oriental foods and want a unique cookbook on your shelf, this may be another one that you may want on that shelf



2. This is the best cook book I have ever used. It not only has many good tasting reciepts, but teaches cooking techniques and fat reduction ideas. Everyone should own this one!!!



3. I ordered this book after having one of the best meals of my life at Sam Choy's restaurant in Honolulu. The very day that I got the book in the mail, I had made Asian Fajitas that had my wife praising my cooking skills. I mention the Asian Fajitas because it is a good example of what sets this book apart from others. Hawaii, situated halfway between East and West, surrounded by ocean,is the backdrop for exciting new recipies that will leave your family and friends impressed. I highly recommend this book. It is well worth both the price and the 2 week special order wait!

2 comments about Ethnic Foods of Hawaii.

1. Ann Kondo Corum, is a librarian who decided kids had a tough time researching the various ethnic foods of Hawaii. What did the early Hawaiian eat? What cultures influenced what is now known as modern Hawaiian cooking?

   Fascinating, and easily devoured tidbits on Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portugeuse, Samoan, Filipino and other eating habits, taboos and cultural heritage that make up the delicious melange that represent ethnic foods of Hawaii.

   The recipes are simple, and representative of each group's classic dishes. Find your favorites from among kahlua pork, chicken long rice, haupia, malassadas, Portuguese Bean Soup, adobo, Kal Bi Ribs, Kim Chee, and more.

   An amazing little book that is sure to be the beginning of adventures in cooking foods like those found in the drive-ins, the coffee shops and the places locals like to eat. The author's chatty and laid back style help to decrease the intimidation factor and demystify plenty of delicious ingredients and culture so germane to each group's cuisine.




2. When I ordered this book I was expecting mostly foods of Hawaii and ethnic foods of other nations Hawaiian-ized. It took me a while to figure out that I had gotten a bit more than I had bargined for. At first I was a bit dissapointed as I was looking forward to the Hawaiian versions of the different ethnic cuisines but as I got into the different chapters I was very pleased with what was included in this book.

   The first chapter is a nod to strictly Hawaiian cuisine that has limited seasonings and strictly fresh ingredients. Chapters that follow are :
   Chinese
   Japanese
   Okinawan
   Portuguese
   Puerto rican
   Korean
   Filipino
   Samonoan
   Thai
   Vietnamese

   Each chapter talks about cooking methods, ingredients and styles of that cuisine as well as how that cuisine came to the islands....and is very interesting. The recipes seem authentic to each area. They could have come out of a collection of ethnic recipes from that area. Some of the recipes I have come across similar versions of before...like the wonton recipe in the Chinese section (altho this one called for fish cake or shrimp and I have usually seen it call for pork only). there is a japanese pickle recipe that is quite good and very easy. There is a very good recipe for chicken or pork adobo in the Philipine section (calling for a few more ingredients than the usual vinegar, and the additions are very welcome).

   Some things were new to me. I don't think I have ever come across Samoan Recipes. The Samoan recipes were very interesting but there were alot of uncommon ingredients (breadfruit, taro leaves, octopus (fresh), green papayas, etc. Clearly I would have trouble finding some of these items but I really enjoyed reading these...As well as the Okinaowan recipes (thought by some to be the healthiest in the world.

   The book is a paperback book with a wipeable cover that will not lie flat, unfortately. The pages arent cleanable and the paper is a bit thin. The drawings are attractive enough, if a bit mixed in sytles.

   While this book wasn't what I was expecting, it turned out to be a very nice surprise. The recipes were true to their ethnic roots. The ones I tried had *clear* tastes and while some ingredients could be hard to find, many were not. The additional information seemd to be well researched and I enjoyed reading the *extra* info as much as the recipes.

No comments about Pupus to da Max.

3 comments about Sam Choy's Little Hawaiian Poke Cookbook.

1. I hosted a wedding shower with a Hawaiian theme and gave these books as gifts. They were a big hit.



2. We so enjoyed the food dish poke and its many variations on Kauai that we truly missed it when we came home. With this book, we were able to savory our favorite recipes for poke and also try so many new ones. This is a complete book that will have you turning the page and trying a new style everyday.



3. Some of the best poke recipe's anywhere. I've been looking for Sam's Fried A'u poke recipe ever since he closed his restuarant in Kaloko, and the grill at the Kona Bowl. These take me back to happier times before I had to leave Kona.

3 comments about Chefs of Aloha: Favorite Recipes from the Top Chefs of Hawai'i.

1. When you purchase a cookbook like this, most people are hoping that the recipes would be written so that someone with a fair amount of cooking experience can follow the instructions and make the recipes. Not in this cookbook. The chefs often leave out important details so that only experienced cooks can follow and make the recipes. The worst one in the book is Eric Favre. His directions are so unclear it's as if he is being intentionally snobby and put his recipes in the book just for the royalties, not so you can make them. I'm sure there are many good recipes in this cookbook, you're not a chef, I'd strongly recommend buying another book.



2. I've been an avid home chef for years, and the recipes seem complicated to me.



3. I did not find all the recipes in this book difficult to follow, and I have made a number of them. I don't consider complexity to be a valid criticism. After all, we're talking about A-list Hawaiian chefs here, not Rachel Ray. But these recipes do assume a fairly high level of knowledge on the part of the reader. For example, the "Lemongrass Coconut Cream" recipe has as one of the ingredients "1 cup thick bechamel sauce". I hope you know how to make that, because the cookbook doesn't say. Similarly, some recipes call for demi-glace without further explanation.
   
   The editing of this book was sloppy and could have been better, and it would have avoided some rather ridiculous snafus like the "Rotisserie Island Chicken" that has "Huli-Huli Sauce" as an ingredient. Not so helpfully, the recipe is immediately followed by something called "Huli-Huli Style Sauce", one of the ingredients of which is 1/2 cup of Huli-Huli sauce! I'm still wondering what the hell Huli-Huli sauce is.
   
   My number one criticism of this book is that many chefs include unusual, local-to-Hawaii, and hard-to-find ingredients in the recipes. Even those of us who live in an area with many Asian markets may have a hard time finding some of the ingredients like sambal olek, or ogo seaweed. It would have been good if the chefs would give the reader who does not have a lot of experience with this particular style of cuisine just what it is about these ingredients that make them special, and what one might substitute when the preferred ingredients are unavailable.
   
   I do give this book 4 stars, because many of the preparations are indeed delicious.

1 comments about By Request: The Search for Hawaii's Greatest Recipes.

1. Brings back many great recipes we enjoyed growing up in Hawai'i nei. A top of the line resource for any kitchen.