From Bangkok to Bali in 30 Minutes: 175 Fast and Easy Recipes with the Lush, Tropical Flavors of Southeast Asia [Paperback]

Therese Volpe Laursen (Author), Byron Laursen Author (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2003

The authors present 165 fabulous recipes that use ingredients now found in supermarkets everywhere to create home-cooked southeast Asian meals in less than half an hour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this tour through such countries as Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, the authors present recipes perfect for a hot summer. Home cooks will be pleased to see the many recipes, including the familiar standbys that make Southeast Asian cuisine so popular: Rendang-Style Beef Curry, for example, and Thai-Style Stir-Fried Rice Noodles, as well as instructions for creating popular condiments, such as sweet vegetable pickles and Sweet Hot Thai Chilli Sauce. The Laursens (Theresa is a food writer and cooking teacher; Byron is a freelance writer) offer subtle twists on such recipes as Cambodian Steamed Mussels with Pineapple and Thai Basil; Pan-seared Tuna Steaks Au Poivre; and Chicken and Fennel with Thai Green Curry and Basil. Less certain to appeal are recipes with a Western spin, such as the Philly-Style Vietnamese Hoagies with BBQ Pork and the Bangkok-to-Bali Burgers with Grilled Onions. Rounding out these heat-inspired recipes are beverages (Vietnamese-Style Iced Coffee; Lychee Bellinis), appetizers (Spicy Stir-Fried Cashews; Fried Spring Rolls Filippino Style) and salads (Seared Scallops and Fresh Orange Salad with Mint Leaves and Crisp-Fried Shallots). The result is a mixed bag. While the sheer number of dishes may overwhelm some readers, those looking to expand their regional cooking repertoire will find much of what they need in these easy-to-follow recipes.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558322353
• ISBN-13: 978-1558322356
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,475,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best $15 spent, if you like to cook, and enjoy Thai food, etc., September 4, 2007

By 

K. Ogawa (lakewood, ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Bangkok to Bali in 30 Minutes: 175 Fast and Easy Recipes with the Lush, Tropical Flavors of Southeast Asia (Paperback)

Have you ever purchased a colorful asian cook book from the discount bin at the local bookstore, to find it's all pretty photos, but otherwise filled with aimless, unremarkable yet needlessly complicated or unclear recipes? I have.. to the point that most of my cooking involves going online, to find at least 3 recipes for whatever I have in mind that evening, and to use the best parts of each found recipe to come up with my own.. Well, I need to do so no more so far as Southeast Asia is concerned, thanks to the Laursens wonderful, concise, yet roomy-enough-to-allow-me-to-experiment recipes. As my wife knows, i HATE following recipes, as most 'exotic' recipes usually call for at least ONE vital mystery ingredient I will never stock, so I usually end up chucking the recipe and instead blaze thru my own rebellious trail. Well, the Laursens allow me the breathing room to make substitutions, letting me know which ingredients are key, and why, and how to make do when you don't have them all, and it's all very reassuring, aiming primarily at providing a basic, straightforward foundation for south east Asian cooking. Food the locals eat, yet with just the right amount of westernization, this book was written for me.. No wild look-at-me recipes that you will either make once and never again or not dare to make at all.... I was such a geek I took the book to my local asian supermarket and was found in the sauces/spices aisle thumbing thru pages to make sure I knew which soy sauces/fish sauces/chilli pastes to weed thru... Enough of my quirks.. the recipes? I've had this book but two days, and have made 2 meals, that will make my local thai/vietnamese restaurants sadly miss a good chunk of my business, as they came out flawless; amazingly so, given the simplicity and conciseness of the recipes...Again, best $15 spent.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book with simple, straightforward recipes, October 18, 2006

By 

Michelle (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Bangkok to Bali in 30 Minutes: 175 Fast and Easy Recipes with the Lush, Tropical Flavors of Southeast Asia (Paperback)

I find myself reaching for this book quite a bit. I've made quite a few recipes from here with great success; the flavors are fresh, bright and bold, and many of the recipes are inherently healthy. There's great stuff here for weeknight meals, but some of them are still nice enough for casual company dinners. This is not an entirely authentic cookbook, but it's still all very tasty. If you don't have an Asian market locally (or large Asian section at your local mega-mart) you might find some of the ingredients hard to source, although that's not a problem for me being in the Seattle metropolitan area. Make sure you try their recipe for Saigon cinnamon ice cream - it's foolproof and to die for.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Southern Girl in Colorado, March 30, 2006

By 

Alisa Finney (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Bangkok to Bali in 30 Minutes: 175 Fast and Easy Recipes with the Lush, Tropical Flavors of Southeast Asia (Paperback)

This book is fantastic. It is practicle and easy to use. It convinced me to make my first attempt at homemade Thai and it was contagious. Our friends loved the recipes (they usually eat Mexican) and now love thai dishes. I need MORE receipes, please do another cookbook, and thanks!