Nice pictures but very lacking in recipes compared the other Culinaria issues that I have read. Also, how can you talk about Indonesian food with no mention of kecap manis? The Indonesian fruit section didn't even include mangosteen.
I picked this up at a used bookstore because I collect cookbooks, and I'm always trying to recreate foods from my time in Southeast Asia. This one is more than a cookbook, though! It's a fascinating mix of history, culture, and food. It delves into traditional medicines, beliefs, spices, fruits, beverages, farming techniques, preparation methods, celebrations, and recipes, all with color photos. It definitely made me want to travel there again and try all of the things (well, most, a few may be beyond even my level of adventurousness) that I didn't get to before, and also experience things again with more background knowledge.
A very nice cookbook that has a couple of salient strengths. Although it covers a wide geographical area, which is often the downfall of similar books, this one give good attention to each region. of particular note is the in depth look at flavors, spices, prepared ingredients of the regions as well as celebratory and holiday culinary cuisines. Well worth reading.
There is so much to love about this book... and I don't know much about the cuisines and culture of Malaysia and Indonesia. Most of the recipes seem to be pretty simple. Wonderful pictures of seafood, fruits and vegetables (cherish the picture of the Surinam cherry), condiments, and side dishes. Love the honest photographs of the people who grow, prepare, and sell, food.
I love the entire series of Culinaria books, but this one stands out as much more than a collection of recipes. More than a cook book, it's a history lesson and a wonderful travel experience. Excellent.
This is something between a travel book and a cooking book. Also helpful because it provides priceless information on many ingredients used in asian recipes.