Asian Cookbook for my daughter for Xmas?
December 8, 2004 10:52 AM   Subscribe

I am wanting to purchase an Asian Cookbook for my daughter for Xmas, any suggestions
posted by slew to Food & Drink (17 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I got lots of great ideas from Keo's Thai Cuisine.
posted by majick at 11:04 AM on December 8, 2004


Take a look at Nobu: The Cookbook -- it's got really good customer reviews on Amazon. // I was introduced to Nobu watching an episode of Emeril Live. I tried a couple of the recipes and they turned out impressively well. Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, this is the only way to cook rice.
posted by fourstar at 11:13 AM on December 8, 2004 [1 favorite]


By "Asian" do you mean "South Asian" (India, Pakistan, etc.) or "East Asian" (China, Japan, etc.)? Your profile doesn't say where you are, so I can't infer which you intend.

For Indian, etc., food I like Madhur Jaffrey; for Chinese, etc., food, I like Essentials of Asian Cuisine by Corrine Trang.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:25 AM on December 8, 2004


The Food of China by by Hsiung, Deh-Ta & Nina Simonds is so nice it could be a coffee table book.

Highly recommended.
posted by orange clock at 11:36 AM on December 8, 2004


What's her skill level? Does she want a proper "chef's book" or just "intro to xyz" style book?

I have a huge library of Asian cookbooks (see profile) but until you tell me which cuisines you're interested in (Indian food is quite different from Vietnamese food, for instance), I can't make reliable suggestions.
posted by madman at 11:59 AM on December 8, 2004


Hot Sour Salty Sweet would be a good gift book -- tons of good recipes and beautiful photography.
posted by transient at 12:05 PM on December 8, 2004


Modern Art of Chinese Cooking by Barbara Tropp.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:13 PM on December 8, 2004


I love my copy of Modern Art of Chinese Cooking by Barbara Tropp, but please... that is emphatically not a book for the casual cook. If you're serious about learning Chinese cooking and devoting a lot of time to studying it, then sure. But if the thought of having recipes run to 3-4 pages frightens you (because they often do), keep away.

David Thompson's Thai Food also falls into the same category.

Perhaps Charmaine Solomon's Complete Asian Coobook might fit the bill?
posted by madman at 12:35 PM on December 8, 2004


Where in the question does it state "casual cook"?
posted by five fresh fish at 1:34 PM on December 8, 2004


It doesn't. I'm just giving fair warning. ;)

I lent it to a couple of friends who freaked out over the very in-depth treatment of the topic.

(And I did ask for a clarification earlier. Some people do want to seriously study a cuisine seriously. Some just want a "Pad Thai in 10 minutes" type book.)
posted by madman at 2:34 PM on December 8, 2004


Response by poster: sorry about that I am looking for East Asian cooking. She is 20 and is mostly a beginner. Thanks for the ideas, there are so many out there hard to find that one that fits best. I am wanting to present it with a wok and other items.
posted by slew at 2:54 PM on December 8, 2004


Kasma Loha-unchit's It Raines Fishes is a fabulous introduction to Thai cooking. She explains the culture and philosophy of their food beautifully, and also does an excellent job of explaining the flavours of food.

Get it.

You might also want to get this for your daughter.
posted by madman at 4:16 PM on December 8, 2004


Blue Ginger rocks
posted by matteo at 4:18 PM on December 8, 2004


Listen to Madman! I made his larb tonight and am still savoring it, and it's making me really annoyed that I'm full, because I want more! Anthing he recommends about cookbooks, must be good.

I second the Madhur Jeffrey recommendations and also suggest The Vietnamese Collection by Jackum Brown. I've made about half of it and it's all been spectacular.
posted by mimi at 6:13 PM on December 8, 2004


I think the Charmaine Soloman suggestion is a good one.

Among my Asian cookbooks, I also have Rosemary Brissenden's "South East Asian Food" which is excellent but hasn't been released in the US recently (a 2004 edition has been released in Australia, might not help you, but someone else might like it). Reading it reminds me of lots of things I have tried in my travels that don't always make it to the pretty glossy cookbooks.
posted by AnnaRat at 6:52 PM on December 8, 2004


It's not a traditional cookbook, but everyone at the cookware store my g/f works at sings the praises of Breath of a Wok.
posted by mkultra at 7:37 AM on December 9, 2004


I'm late to respond, but I love Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds.
posted by picklebird at 8:30 AM on December 17, 2004


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