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Avatar: The Last Airbender Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Official Cookbook: Recipes from the Four Nations
Feast on delicacies unique to the Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe, Air Nomads, and the Fire Nation with the Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Official Cookbook.
From the shores of Kyoshi Island to the crowded streets of Ba Sing Se, this official cookbook collects signature dishes from all four nations, like vegetarian plates of the Air Nomads, fiery entrees from the Fire Nation, seafood from the North and South Poles, and delectable cuisine from the Earth Kingdom.
Featuring enticing color photography, step-by-step instructions, and tips for adapting dishes to specific diets, this book includes sixty authentic food and beverage recipes inspired by the beloved series. Enjoy this diverse compendium of delicacies from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
From the shores of Kyoshi Island to the crowded streets of Ba Sing Se, this official cookbook collects signature dishes from all four nations, like vegetarian plates of the Air Nomads, fiery entrees from the Fire Nation, seafood from the North and South Poles, and delectable cuisine from the Earth Kingdom.
Featuring enticing color photography, step-by-step instructions, and tips for adapting dishes to specific diets, this book includes sixty authentic food and beverage recipes inspired by the beloved series. Enjoy this diverse compendium of delicacies from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published November 23, 2021
9 people are currently reading
719 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Dorsey
8 books13 followersJenny is a professional chef, author, and speaker who focuses on food as a source of human meaning-making and identity formation. She holds a Master of Education from Harvard University and leads a nonprofit food think tank, Studio ATAO. As a Fulbright-National Geographic Explorer 2024, she is currently researching hawker centres in Singapore.
Jenny is a James Beard Awards-nominated writer who publishes a newsletter titled Way Too Complicated and has bylines in outlets such as The Washington Post, Eater, The Counter, and Food & Wine. In pre-pandemic 2020, Jenny gave her first TEDx Talk titled How Food Can Be A Source of Identity, Intimacy, and Vulnerability. In 2022, she was named to Food & Wine's industry Changemakers list, as well as the World's 50 "50 Next" list. Her full biography, food portfolio, awards, and bylines are at www.jennydorsey.co.
Jenny is a James Beard Awards-nominated writer who publishes a newsletter titled Way Too Complicated and has bylines in outlets such as The Washington Post, Eater, The Counter, and Food & Wine. In pre-pandemic 2020, Jenny gave her first TEDx Talk titled How Food Can Be A Source of Identity, Intimacy, and Vulnerability. In 2022, she was named to Food & Wine's industry Changemakers list, as well as the World's 50 "50 Next" list. Her full biography, food portfolio, awards, and bylines are at www.jennydorsey.co.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
December 14, 2021
Oh, this is just PERFECT for any of you Avatar: The Last Airbender lovers out there! When I put this book on hold at my library, my husband and I were curious about what recipes they would put in it. Surely they would have Cactus Juice (“It’s the quenchiest!”) and SOMETHING with cabbage in it. (“My cabbages!!!!”)
When the book finally went on hold for me, it did not disappoint. Turns out there is more than just one recipe that includes cabbage, and Cactus Juice IS one of the recipes! 😂 😂😂 And there are dozens of other great ones from the TV series as well! Monk Gyatso’s Fruit Pies, Momo’s Moon Peaches, Stewed Sea Prune Soup, Avatar Day Unfried Dough, Flaming Fire Flakes, Fresh Ginseng Tea (compliments of Uncle Iroh), and SO many others!
They are all divided into 5 sections: Air Nomads, Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, The Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop, and Fire Nation. There are also pictures of the characters on almost every page as well as commentary on every recipe from Aang, Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Iroh, and many other characters.
I can’t wait to try some of these recipes!
** JUST SO YOU KNOW…. These recipes are not for the faint of heart. They are NOT recipes kids can make. They are INVOLVED and include ingredients you will probably need to go to your local Asian market for. Besides that little fact, it looks like an awesome cookbook! Flameo, Hotman!
When the book finally went on hold for me, it did not disappoint. Turns out there is more than just one recipe that includes cabbage, and Cactus Juice IS one of the recipes! 😂 😂😂 And there are dozens of other great ones from the TV series as well! Monk Gyatso’s Fruit Pies, Momo’s Moon Peaches, Stewed Sea Prune Soup, Avatar Day Unfried Dough, Flaming Fire Flakes, Fresh Ginseng Tea (compliments of Uncle Iroh), and SO many others!
They are all divided into 5 sections: Air Nomads, Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, The Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop, and Fire Nation. There are also pictures of the characters on almost every page as well as commentary on every recipe from Aang, Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Iroh, and many other characters.
I can’t wait to try some of these recipes!
** JUST SO YOU KNOW…. These recipes are not for the faint of heart. They are NOT recipes kids can make. They are INVOLVED and include ingredients you will probably need to go to your local Asian market for. Besides that little fact, it looks like an awesome cookbook! Flameo, Hotman!
November 14, 2022
Another great official cookbook! We had an Avatar day when we came to the last episodes of The Legend of Korra and this book did not disappoint. We did breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, and dessert in one day. So much fun! The recipes perfectly fit each tribe. The stories totally fit the recipes. The food is delicious. Since it is pretty much all Asian dishes, it might be hard for some people to find the ingredients for some recipes. Some of the recipes also require a lot more work like the ramen. Over all, just great!
Disclaimer: Sometimes I will review cookbooks we haven't finished or even tried, but it's because we have a system for checking if a cookbook is worth owning or even trying. It started with a Star Wars cookbook my brother-in-law gave us the first Christmas after my husband and I got married. When May 4th rolled around, my husband and I decided to do a whole day of recipes from the Star Wars book and we were hooked. We started cooking our way through the cookbooks we owned and analyzing and rating recipes as we go. We especially love nerdy cookbooks. This is what we look for in a good nerd cookbook:
-Should Taste good
-Hopefully looks appealing
-Not too many exotic foods or unique equipment
-Must fit the theme by delving deeper into the world than just cookies in the shape or characters. It has to make us believe it’s food that characters from that world would actually eat. Typically this looks like taking a known recipe and makes it special to the theme.
-Bonus if it has notes and stories that connect it with the world.
-We have found that official books are typically better than unofficial books.
Disclaimer: Sometimes I will review cookbooks we haven't finished or even tried, but it's because we have a system for checking if a cookbook is worth owning or even trying. It started with a Star Wars cookbook my brother-in-law gave us the first Christmas after my husband and I got married. When May 4th rolled around, my husband and I decided to do a whole day of recipes from the Star Wars book and we were hooked. We started cooking our way through the cookbooks we owned and analyzing and rating recipes as we go. We especially love nerdy cookbooks. This is what we look for in a good nerd cookbook:
-Should Taste good
-Hopefully looks appealing
-Not too many exotic foods or unique equipment
-Must fit the theme by delving deeper into the world than just cookies in the shape or characters. It has to make us believe it’s food that characters from that world would actually eat. Typically this looks like taking a known recipe and makes it special to the theme.
-Bonus if it has notes and stories that connect it with the world.
-We have found that official books are typically better than unofficial books.
December 14, 2021
I'm going to state a few things to begin.
The first: I understand that the ingredients listed are not easily accessible for you. However, the dishes in this cookbook are based on different cultures and regions where the ingredients are more common and easily accessible. If you would like, the internet usually has a multitude of sites you can use that teach you how to supplement these ingredients (or, often times, they are ingredients you could leave out). In addition, Amazon, as much as I dislike supporting them, has many of these ingredients easily accessible, or the majority of International markets. I apologize for getting a little heated, that was the fire bender in me destined to be released when things get frustrating. Going back to my genuine review.
The Second: I do agree the recipes could have been a bit better showcased around the four nations, as some of the added recipes did feel a bit forced and like they didn't fit in (hence the one less star).
Overall, I loved this book as it showcases how to make the recipes showcased in the show, that also looked appetizing, and even creates fun twists on them which I have always found enjoyable. Overall, it's a delicious book I cannot wait to delve further into.
The first: I understand that the ingredients listed are not easily accessible for you. However, the dishes in this cookbook are based on different cultures and regions where the ingredients are more common and easily accessible. If you would like, the internet usually has a multitude of sites you can use that teach you how to supplement these ingredients (or, often times, they are ingredients you could leave out). In addition, Amazon, as much as I dislike supporting them, has many of these ingredients easily accessible, or the majority of International markets. I apologize for getting a little heated, that was the fire bender in me destined to be released when things get frustrating. Going back to my genuine review.
The Second: I do agree the recipes could have been a bit better showcased around the four nations, as some of the added recipes did feel a bit forced and like they didn't fit in (hence the one less star).
Overall, I loved this book as it showcases how to make the recipes showcased in the show, that also looked appetizing, and even creates fun twists on them which I have always found enjoyable. Overall, it's a delicious book I cannot wait to delve further into.
February 15, 2022
For how inventive and adventurous many of these recipes are, they're incredibly easy to make (there is some riffing on classics such as tea eggs, egg tarts, shrimp chips, etc). Majority of the ingredients I found at my local Chinese supermarket and the introductions of each recipe kept with the Avatar theme broken up into 4 nations with varying levels of difficulty, but none massively time-intensive. There are many vegetarian, omnivorous, drink and sweets recipes to choose from depending on your mood and energy level. Recommended for fans of the show as well as cooks simply interested in the food aspect.
October 30, 2021
2.75
greatly inspired by the show
I just felt that many of the dishes where difficult to get some of the ingredients
but if you are a fan of the show you will enjoy this cook book
greatly inspired by the show
I just felt that many of the dishes where difficult to get some of the ingredients
but if you are a fan of the show you will enjoy this cook book
December 5, 2021
I was pretty excited about this book. I mean, who wouldn't want to try different recipes from Avatar? But upon opening the book, I was very disappointed by what I found. While the little blurbs at the top of each recipe was cute, and it had beautiful image of each recipe, the recipes themselves weren't all that impressive.
The book tells you what the prep time, cook time and the yield is, but they don't have a difficulty meter, which is something I really enjoy from other cook books. Taking a look at each of the different foods you could make, leaves a lot to be desired, and every section fails to really capture the spirit of each nation.
Angs section did have a few nice vegetarian options, but there wasn't really anything that caught my eye as being special except for the fruit pie's made by monk Gyatso.
The water tribe was mostly fish based, but what raised an eyebrow was the fact that one soup called for lye water (I had to google it, and yes, some asian and african cuisines do use a small amount of it for making noodles, but who just keeps lye water around?) They also had blueberry cookies, because apparently the water tribes had ample blueberries, but it just felt like a waste, as there was only one recipe that used that ingredient. Plus, the swamp benders only had one recipe, and I feel like I would like to have seen more from them.
The earth kingdom, while it had the most interesting amount of cuisines and drinks (cabbage guy had some great recipes), it all felt ether too simple or too complicated.
Uncle Iroh's tea shop is also very disappointing, because it's just kind of basic tea's, with a few variations thrown around. But I wanted more. The matcha recipe is literally just telling you how to brew Matcha and to add some ice cubes.
The fire nation was by far the biggest waste, all of their foods is spicy (get it? Because their fire benders.) And they do nothing with the Japanese inspiration. They also have the shortest section, and it feels like the writer ether ran out of time, or inspiration for that part of the book.
But the biggest crime is the ingredient list. I already mentioned the Lye water, but every ingredient used in the book isn't easily accessible. Not everyone has access to an Asian grocery story or a whole foods/fancy grocery story, and some of the veggies it calls for, I have never heard of in my life. It's just not usable for me, and going to the city just to pick up ingredients to try the recipes is incredibly difficult, and not worth the time/effort.
I would only recommend the book to ether die hard Avatar the Last Airbender fans, or people who not only have the money to buy fancy ingredients, but easy access to them as well (so city people.)
The book tells you what the prep time, cook time and the yield is, but they don't have a difficulty meter, which is something I really enjoy from other cook books. Taking a look at each of the different foods you could make, leaves a lot to be desired, and every section fails to really capture the spirit of each nation.
Angs section did have a few nice vegetarian options, but there wasn't really anything that caught my eye as being special except for the fruit pie's made by monk Gyatso.
The water tribe was mostly fish based, but what raised an eyebrow was the fact that one soup called for lye water (I had to google it, and yes, some asian and african cuisines do use a small amount of it for making noodles, but who just keeps lye water around?) They also had blueberry cookies, because apparently the water tribes had ample blueberries, but it just felt like a waste, as there was only one recipe that used that ingredient. Plus, the swamp benders only had one recipe, and I feel like I would like to have seen more from them.
The earth kingdom, while it had the most interesting amount of cuisines and drinks (cabbage guy had some great recipes), it all felt ether too simple or too complicated.
Uncle Iroh's tea shop is also very disappointing, because it's just kind of basic tea's, with a few variations thrown around. But I wanted more. The matcha recipe is literally just telling you how to brew Matcha and to add some ice cubes.
The fire nation was by far the biggest waste, all of their foods is spicy (get it? Because their fire benders.) And they do nothing with the Japanese inspiration. They also have the shortest section, and it feels like the writer ether ran out of time, or inspiration for that part of the book.
But the biggest crime is the ingredient list. I already mentioned the Lye water, but every ingredient used in the book isn't easily accessible. Not everyone has access to an Asian grocery story or a whole foods/fancy grocery story, and some of the veggies it calls for, I have never heard of in my life. It's just not usable for me, and going to the city just to pick up ingredients to try the recipes is incredibly difficult, and not worth the time/effort.
I would only recommend the book to ether die hard Avatar the Last Airbender fans, or people who not only have the money to buy fancy ingredients, but easy access to them as well (so city people.)
February 22, 2022
these kinds of cookbooks are always a gamble, but this is one of those that seems confused as to who it's advertising to. the first person entries from different characters in the series makes it seem like the cookbook is for kids (the writing is pretty juvenile), but the recipes aren't necessarily easy. the nations aren't evenly divided on how many recipes each gets, and there's no real sense of organization to the sections or the book as a whole beyond the different nations.
i also can't help but wonder if the barrier to making these recipes is a little high for people not familiar with the ingredients, and then for people who are, is it oversimplified? either way, this was a pretty but confused book.
i also can't help but wonder if the barrier to making these recipes is a little high for people not familiar with the ingredients, and then for people who are, is it oversimplified? either way, this was a pretty but confused book.
March 19, 2023
A cookbook inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender sounded interesting but once I started reading the recipes I gave up on cooking most of them.
A lot of these ingredients would be hard to find for the majority of people and some may not even know what they are! Things like ube flavoring, duck carcass, galangal (substitute ginger), might be possible for most people to find, but things like rice paddy herb, bamboo leaves, barley flour, chrysanthemum greens, lye water, green spirulina, osmanthus syrup...I've been to multiple asian groceries many times because I love to cook and I can't recall ever seeing any of this there. I'd have to order all of it online which is a little ridiculous.
I feel like there wasn't much thought put into what kind of recipes would be featured, because a lot of these feel very inaccessible to the average person. You'd be better off looking through asian cookbooks instead, they tend to be more realistic.
Two stars for being very impractical.
A lot of these ingredients would be hard to find for the majority of people and some may not even know what they are! Things like ube flavoring, duck carcass, galangal (substitute ginger), might be possible for most people to find, but things like rice paddy herb, bamboo leaves, barley flour, chrysanthemum greens, lye water, green spirulina, osmanthus syrup...I've been to multiple asian groceries many times because I love to cook and I can't recall ever seeing any of this there. I'd have to order all of it online which is a little ridiculous.
I feel like there wasn't much thought put into what kind of recipes would be featured, because a lot of these feel very inaccessible to the average person. You'd be better off looking through asian cookbooks instead, they tend to be more realistic.
Two stars for being very impractical.
December 26, 2022
This is an ambitious cookbook and really tries to capture the feeling of the show and the characters. The recipes are varied and creative and really try to evoke their home nations, such as it were.
However, the home chef using this cookbook needs to live near a well-stocked Asian supermarket to make sure they have access to the variety of ingredients presented. Some culinary choices felt very true to character but will make the actual cooking process more difficult (hazelnut flour for Aang’s pie crust for instance).
All said it’s a great cookbook, but I don’t know how often I’ll be preparing some of these recipes.
However, the home chef using this cookbook needs to live near a well-stocked Asian supermarket to make sure they have access to the variety of ingredients presented. Some culinary choices felt very true to character but will make the actual cooking process more difficult (hazelnut flour for Aang’s pie crust for instance).
All said it’s a great cookbook, but I don’t know how often I’ll be preparing some of these recipes.
April 21, 2023
I received this cookbook for my birthday and I was so excited to peruse the recipes! The recipes themselves are clear and straightforward, and the little character blurbs that precede each recipe elevates it and draws you back into the world of ATLA. I loved how every recipe had a little story to go with it, and the pictures were gorgeous. My only drawback is that quite a few of the recipes require ingredients that would need to be special ordered (or wouldn't be readily available without a specialty market). Otherwise, I look forward to trying the recipes and I'm excited to cook my way through Avatar the Last Airbender!
July 5, 2023
Not all of the recipes are the best for taste, but I love how it feels true to the Avatar world. Would highly recommend it to any fan of AtlA.
Note: My partner and I's favorite recipes so far are the kabobs and komodo chicken from the fire nation in the back—the most simple yet stellar dishes.
Note: I think due to the coconut oil, the blueberry bookies get a kind of blubbery texture after cooling down, so I'd recommend eating them fresh. They are wonderful that way! Not as much afterward. My partner and I thought so anyway.
Note: My partner and I's favorite recipes so far are the kabobs and komodo chicken from the fire nation in the back—the most simple yet stellar dishes.
Note: I think due to the coconut oil, the blueberry bookies get a kind of blubbery texture after cooling down, so I'd recommend eating them fresh. They are wonderful that way! Not as much afterward. My partner and I thought so anyway.
March 16, 2022
This was a fun cookbook full of Asian-inspired recipes, sorted by the four nations. It's definitely not a kid's cookbook; these recipes are somewhat involved and require specialty ingredients that I'm not sure someone who cooks Asian foods often would even have (lye water?).
It would've been nice to have a difficulty rating on each recipe, as well as an index that sorts the recipes by entree, dessert, side, etc.
It would've been nice to have a difficulty rating on each recipe, as well as an index that sorts the recipes by entree, dessert, side, etc.
cookbooks
September 4, 2022This cookbook is fun for fans of the show, but I do not know how practical/useful it would actually be for cooking. Some of the air bender recipes seem okay, but a lot of the others seem like they are designed more to reflect the show, rather than to actually be made and consumed.
I enjoyed flipping through a copy from the library and reading the commentary for each recipe, but I do not think I will bother to make any of the recipes.
I enjoyed flipping through a copy from the library and reading the commentary for each recipe, but I do not think I will bother to make any of the recipes.
Read
December 31, 2022PROS: The majority of the recipes include a full size picture! Some of the ones that don't are for tea. Each recipe includes a vignette from the point of view of one of one of the main character regarding the ingredients or why the recipe is special to them.
CONS: Many of the recipes include ingredients I wouldn't know where to find. I think there's maybe 1 or 2 recipes I could see myself making.
CONS: Many of the recipes include ingredients I wouldn't know where to find. I think there's maybe 1 or 2 recipes I could see myself making.
October 28, 2023
This is a good cookbook for those who enjoy Chinese style food! Cute illustrations on majority of the pages also! Every tea recipe I want to try because I love tea! But as a vegetarian there were not many meatless options! That’s okay though because the dessert section is something I look forward to the most! The recipe I look forward to trying the most is “Momo’s Moon Peaches” it look delicious! I also want to try the mango smoothie the most regarding drinks!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2022
This book was meant for the adult fans of the series for sure. So amazing how it builds on the world of avatar years after the war is done. The little blurbs for each recipe could be taken as 100% canonical. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
I will need to put in some extra effort to get these ingredients and it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t!
I will need to put in some extra effort to get these ingredients and it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t!
September 2, 2022
This cookbook truly immerses you in the realm of Avatar the Last Airbender. Some highlights are the sizzle crips, warming ginger tea, and uncle Iroh's jook. These recipes are easy to follow and super tasty. If you are looking for your next nerdy meal this book has it. Recipes are best when eaten while watching Avatar the Last Airbender.
Read
January 30, 2023It was fun to read through all the recipes in here. However this isn’t for the faint of heart. I do like to cook, but I am by no means a good cook. And I don’t know how to get a lot of the ingredients listed in here. If you don’t have an international market nearby, just focus on the tea and smoothie recipes in this book.
January 15, 2025
I love this cookbook. All the recipes are separated into sections of air, water, earth and fire with a special section for the Jasmine Dragon tea shop. Each recipe has a paragraph from who added it to the cookbook and why they think it's an important dish. It's a little story on its own and I think thats lovely
March 30, 2022
Cute, but did I spot a continuity error? Toph mentions the cabbage man being around since their first time in Omashu but Toph wasn't in that episode, let alone that whole season. Minor detail. Still love the concept of preserving each nation's foods and explaining how they melded together during and after the war into new concoctions and flavors!
December 21, 2022
Some really interesting recipes, I wish there were more in the fire nation section. The book feels very authentic to the show and remembers all the small details that even I had forgotten. Overall quite happy with it and excited to try many of the recipes.
Want to read
November 21, 2021Definitively going to be reading this one! Especially since I found out that its supposed to be written in the POV's of the characters xD
January 13, 2022
Definitely inspired by the show...some of the recipes were exact! And a little hard. But I LOVED this Avatar-inspired recipe book (make the food + watch??? Win).
January 18, 2022
Was so curious to find out the recipes in this and it didn't disappoint. From Fire flakes to salmon jerky. It was cute an informative
July 1, 2022
Fun to look at and read the blurbs. Nothing I'd actually want to make.
July 22, 2022
Good, some interesting recipes to try.
July 25, 2022
The recipes are easy to follow and are delicious! We haven’t had a bad one yet! The character text on each recipe is really corny but you know, for kids.
September 23, 2022
This cookbook is divided by elements. I loved the many yummy photo's of the dishes. It's pretty cool for a themed book and would definitely recommend it for Avatar fans.
February 9, 2023
Love the in universe foods, and in general very enjoyable cookbook (Rtc). The beifong beef is our favorite
June 3, 2023
Amazing Recipes and some good stories
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews