The Food of Asia: Authentic Recipes from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam

by Kong Foong Ling (Editor), Heinz Von Holzen (Photographer)

More than 300 recipes from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam cover the gamut of Asian cuisine--from spicy satays to fragrant spring rolls. 250 color photos.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Japan

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Lorrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a cookbook with authentic Asian recipes (instead of bastardized North American versions) then this is going to be a good addition to your bookshelf. There are a fair few recipes you won't see anywhere else. It also sorts them by region, which is helpful.

But what this book does differently than other recipe books is it also gives you a culinary tour of the countries, giving their culinary history as well as the differences in regional cuisines and their influences on each other. Unfortunately, I found these sections a little dry, and found myself skipping them near the end of the book.

What it also does well is explain all the different ingredients, in a nice glossary in the beginning of the book, so novices know what to look for and what to expect from each different component.

What it doesn't do well, however, is provide pictures of each recipe (maybe half are included). This is something that I almost demand of a cookbook, because I'm sure I'm sure I'm not the only person who judges their success of failure not just on the finished taste of the product, but the way it looks as well.

[Eli Goh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well illustrated book on the various recipes across Asian countries.

[Robert Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very nice cookbook, compiling authentic Recipes from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. There are many fine photographs, overviews and descriptions of the various regions, their different cultures and peoples, and splendid recipes, helpful hints and menu ideas. This is actually a quite fine introduction to a very diverse, exotic and colorful culinary land.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well illustrated and colorful collection of Asian recipes from several countries. At the beginning of each country's chapter the cuisine, and its background is discussed along with the cultural seasonings. The recipes are fairly simple.