Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey

by Rick Stein

Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey is an ambitious journey, avoiding the beaten track and tourist hot-spots, in search of the authentic food of Southeast Asia. In this accompanying book to the major BBC series, Rick shares his favourite recipes and some well-known classic dishes inspired by the fragrant ingredients and recipes he sampled from local chefs, family-run restaurants, street vendors and market stalls.

In Cambodia, Rick learns how to make a national dish Samlor kako, a stir-fried pork and vegetable soup flavoured with an array of spices; in Vietnam he is shown the best recipe for Pho Bo, a Vietnamese beef noodle soup; and in Thailand, Rick tries Geng Leuong Sai Gung Lai Sai Bua, a yellow curry made with prawns and lotus shoots that you won't find outside the country.

Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey includes over 150 new recipes from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Bali each complemented by Rick's colourful anecdotes from the trip and beautiful on-location photography. This is a visually-stunning culinary tribute to Southeast Asian cooking that evokes the magic of bustling markets, the sizzle of oil and the aromatic steam from a Far Eastern kitchen.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Travel, Reference

571 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 23, 2009

About the author

Christopher Richard "Rick" Stein OBE (born 4 January 1947) is an English chef, restaurateur and television presenter. He is currently the head chef and co-owner of "Rick Stein at Bannisters" at Mollymook, New South Wales, Australia,[1] owns four restaurants in Padstow, a fish and chip shop in Falmouth, Cornwall and has written or presented a number cookery books and television programmes.

Reviews

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/11 - I've been 'reading' this for nearly 3 months now, but it's not a hard read, it's really interesting and appetite building and there are plenty of pictures. It's so appetite building, in fact, that I've been writing down most of the recipes in a work book of my own (the photocopier died recently, otherwise this process would go much faster). I like Stein's style of writing a page or two of introduction at the beginning of each chapter (each chapter details a different country that he visited on his Far Eastern Odyssey show), tying the book to the tv show of the same name by talking about the filming of the show, his crew and why he loved the specific country of that chapter etc. I've seen the show as well and I think that they complement each other - in the book you get the proper ingredient amounts and method, on the show you get to SEE how the recipe is cooked, maybe learn a new process while watching him do it.

[Riley M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the dishes might be complex for a beginner, and can appear to have a lot of ingredients (though looking deeper many of them are usually spices). Nontheless, I'm up for the challenge, and everything I've made has been delicious and very authentic tasting. If you are a big fan of Southeast Asian food this is a gem. You'll need a lot of south east asian ingredients to hand, though some substitutions can always be made.
Some recipes are pretty time consuming, though if you eat like this often you could prepare batches of your fave spice pastes ahead of time, and some things could be frozen for later.
I love the flavours but I am frustrated with how most recipes are based on meat and seafood. There are few vegetarian options and they're not always easily tweaked to make them so, despite the fact that these regions do have plenty of veg options and are often the places where many veg protein favourites come from originally (tempeh, tofu, etc.) I have made some substitutions with success though.
The gado gado peanut sauce is outstanding and I make big batches and use it over other salads or as a dip for vietnamese summer rolls. The som tam dressing is also a fave.

[Gary Scothern · Rating 4 out of 5]

overall a good recipe book but can prove a little complex, defiantly for the more experienced cook.

[Phee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended. Upside is some really unusual recipes from Malysian Nyonya cuisine. The Green Papaya salad is stunning. The downside is that the book is expensive but if you have family/ friends to buy for who'd like an introduction to the cooking traditions of South East Asia this is a good choice. But please note that it's not suitable for strict vegetarian as shrimp paste is often used in otherwise vegetarian recipes.

[Justin Walshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

After convalescing in the Mediterranean, our hero, Mr Stein, seeks to demolish the entire fish population of the Far East in a somewhat mad and bloody campaign of terror, whilst wearing a decidedly unbuttoned shirt.

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes another great book from Rick Stein
I have now got this on my Tablet as well, great recipes to try out when away in the CamperVan

[Crazy Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an experienced home cook I am a fan of Rick Stein for his showcasing of non-British cuisine for UK audiences (ingredients are modified based on product availability, or have flavours based on ‘memories of’). I actually enjoy Stein’s BBC program that this book accompanies. (Re the program- there are inherent colonial/racist issues, although Stein tries to portray a people & their culture for BBC audiences at a particular time when tiki masala was rocking British tastebuds).

This cookbook has lovely photographs & is a joy to page through; great accompaniment to the TV program.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own a lot of eastern asian book books and tend to go for those by authors with deep experience of a particular country. That said, Rick Stein’s book is a great intro to classic flavour combinations from the wider region. The five spice ribs are just delicious and the khmer pork and pineapple curry is so fresh and flavourful. I’ve tried a range of dishes and enjoyed them all.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is not all about curry, I love a good curry and I've made a few dishes so far, and all very tasty. I'm really looking forward to checking out his book on India which will be released later this yearRick Stein's India: In Search of the Perfect Curry: Recipes from my Indian Odyssey

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok, but somehow didn't inspire me to cook. Also not very many recipes can be adapted for vegetarians.

[Anwen Garston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great south east Asia recipes.

[Liz Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with loads of useful recipes and information.

[Myriam Cops · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favourite when it comes to SEAsian cuisine. Fun, interesting, understandable!

[Flossy Sparkles]

Great recipes. Pity no time to cook

[Henriette Strydom · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it