Customer Reviews

Complete Asian Cookbook

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have owned and loved this cookbook for 20 years. It is a MUST for anyone who wishes to become conversant in Asian food. I have lived in Indonesia for 7 years and traveled extensively in the region, and find her recipes to always be authentic. My one complaint is that a few years ago the book was republished with "revised" in big letters on the front, and I bought a second copy thinking it would be updated inside. In fact, it is absolutely criminal that they refer to it as "revised." IF YOU OWN AN OLDER VERSION OF THIS BOOK DO NOT BUY A NEW ONE. Virtually the only noticeable difference is that the photos are smaller and the list of where to buy ingredients is replaced by a forward saying that ingredients are now more readily available and food processors are useful (duh). Although she mentions changes to one recipe, Singaporean laksa, I have not seen a single change to the rest of book - including corrections of the rare typo or mistake, or instructions for a food processor where it clearly would make sense. Solomon and the publisher should be ashamed that they called the new edition "revised" and thereby caused loyal fans like me to waste money on a new book.

I received this cookbook over the holidays, after noticing it in a bookstore and making it expressly
clear I really wanted it. It's sheer size got my attention when sitting on the shelf, and simply looking at
the table of contents, and the huge list of types of cuisine covered in the book, made me realize this
was definitely something that I would love to have, as it would be a wonderful chance to try new
types of food, and expand my cooking horizons.

Each country is divided into a seperate section, with the exception of Indian and Pakistani cuisine
being grouped together, as she states they are too similar to really be able to seperate. The
beginning of each section takes a little time to describe the country, and to show the author's
connection to the cuisine from that area - she's spent time working with people from every area,
watching and talking to them, to learn their ingredients and cooking methods. And it shows, as after
the description, she gets into information on those methods of cooking, how the food is presented,
and how it is eaten. She'll also give a list of ingredients very common to the cuisines from that area,
things you'll want to keep on hand if you make that type of cuisine often.

Each recipe is presented in both it's native name (or English transliteration), along with the English
equivalent underneath. The instructions are also nice and clear, making it less likely that there will be
confusion during cooking.

As Ms Solomon lives in Australia, and the book originates there, there are a number of minor
differences in names of ingredients, utensils, and other items. There is a handly little chart in the back
of the book to give a "translation" between American and Australian names. Usually this can be
figured out quickly, as most of them are not that different.

She also states substitutions for certain ingredients. The book tries to balance out the ingredients
used in the dishes, sticking as much as possible to authentic ingredients, but listing others for some
hard to find items. Those are listed in the book, so if you are able to find them, you can use them
instead - and if you're in an area where some of the other ingredients are not available, you'll also
see other choices to approximate the flavor and texture of the missing ingredients.

First off, let me confess - I am the author of this book. However, I have only recently dared to "surf the net" and have been delighted to discover several 5-star reviews of this book which was written 25 years ago. I would like to thank all those who have given it such high praise, and assure them that the reason the recipes work so well is because I tested them all and then made sure that I relayed the information in easy-to-understand language. It was lots of hard but enjoyable work, and when I read the reviews it makes me feel it was certainly worth while. I have thanked those who included an email address, and just wish they all did. I have written many books since then, but this one is probably the most used in my kitchen too. If anyone thinks their copy is dog-eared and has stains on it, they should see mine! Before the internet, I would get letters from places I have never been, but where someone has cooked from my book and found it rewarding. Considering the way Asian ingredients have become widely available in the intervening years, the introduction to the revised edition covers the subject for those who live in big cities and can buy the fresh herbs, roots and leaves which are now sold even in "western" societies. The publisher keeps reminding me that there are folks out in woop-woop (Australian slang for back of beyond), who would still have to rely on dried or canned ingredients, so we didn't re-write the recipes, knowing that any keen cook would make their own adjustments. Meanwhile, I have been making my own adjustments - there's always something to learn, and in the past five years I've taken to making curry pastes and marinades which cut time in the kitchen by half. These were mostly to save myself and my cooking pupils time and effort. Soon it became impossible to keep it so exclusive, and now the Charmaine Solomon range of curry pastes, marinades and spice mixes are sold in specialist food stores throughout Australia, in Sainsbury in UK and Dean & Deluca in U.S. To all those who enjoy my work, a big, heart-felt thank you. Happy cooking and eating!

I have owned the original copy of this book since 1984. I also lived on the Pacific Rim for 12 years. This book is without a doubt the most authentic Asian cookbook I own, and I own several. I have found Ms. Solomon's directions always clear and informative. Yes, some ingredients may be a bit out of date and you can use shortcuts (i.e. canned Thai sauces), but I find I still go back to the original recipes for the best taste. I have never had a failure using this book. My Maylaysian/Indian friend uses the Malay and Indian recipes all the time (because they're so good), the Thai section is better than in the restaurants, I re-create Indonesian food that tastes the same as in Indonesia, and everyone asks me for my Chinese and Indian recipes. The Japanese food tastes just like in the Japanese restaurant in San Francisco where I ate If you really get into Asian cooking I also recommend Ms. Solomon's Encyclopedia of Asian food, and another book called simply "Southeast Asian Cooking," by a German publisher (no author listed).

I got this book after seeing a couple of "Charmaines" at friends' houses. This book has an astonishing range, starting in India/Pakistan and heading all the way to Japan, including pretty much everything in between, including the Phillipines and Malay/Indonesia.

Things I did not like : in order to cover all countries, she of course could not go into a huge amount of depth in all countries ... I would have liked to see more Thai recipes for example. Another thing was that many recipes seemed to be difficult, one can't fault the book on this though, I suppose that's what happens when you cook authentic. I have tried a couple of the more adventurous ones and they came out fantastic, so if you have the time, well worth the effort.

Things I *did* like : the glossary in the back totally rocks! I am an American living in the Netherlands and I regularly travel to Switzerland for work, and here in the Netherlands (and in Switzerland) I get my ingredients at a number of different stores, some chinese, some japanese, many european, and some indonesian. The glossary has the spelling of each ingredient in as many as ten different languages, so it doesn't matter what store you go to, you can find your shrimp paste as kapi or as trassi ... Also there are some very good recipes from countries that I otherwise never would have tried ... one of the burmese curries is really great, and the korean recipes I have tried rock too.

There is also lots of information on how to cook the things right ... what order to add the ingredients, how long to cook the coconut milk before adding the spice paste in order to get the right consistency ...

Bottom line: excellent reference work on ingredients and techniques : wide range of excellent recipes, many of which you would not easily find elsewhere; not for casual cook who wants to make a quick, easy meal ... but detailed enough for an adventurous beginner to find his/her way. Recommended!!!

I myself come from asia, and EVERY single asian relative of mine owns this wonderful book, which must say something. Thank goodness it is available through Amazon; for some strange reason, it has been impossible to get hold of in Europe for the past five years at least. This really is the clearest and most inspiring asian cookbook I have ever read, and includes recipes from smaller countries such as Sri Lanka and Burma, which many other books do not have. Thank you Charmaine!

It is hard to be more complementary than the previous reviewers. Before I bought this book I searched for the most comprehensive asian cook book. It was better than I expected. There are not only over 800 recipes, but there are an incredible amount of full color pictures that show many of the recipes... very helpful for the cook that likes experimenting with new and authentic foods! Also, the recipes are explicit and have ingredients that you can find in the local chinese grocer (or indian, etc.) Excellent explanations of cooking techniques and ingredients. If you could get just one book on asian cooking (which includes chinese, indian, sri lankan, vietnamese, etc.) this would be it!

I highly recommend this book.

I was given this book in 1985 as a new American bride living in Australia and it has become my bible for Asian cooking. Other reviewers have spoken more thoroughly about Solomon's book so I don't need to here, but I will say this: I learned to cook good Asian food by thoroughly reading the chapter I was interested in, then getting out and trying the recipe. When I started using this book I was not an accomplished cook but was competent. The recipes here are authentic and not trendy. Since receiving this book I've traveled a bit in Asia and was happily surprised that the food I ate in restaurants tasted just like the recipes I'd been making at home out of this book. These recipes are thankfully not "adjusted for the western cook," (that is bland and boring) but every bit as spicy and flavorful as what one would eat in Thailand, China, India and elsewhere. The criticism that some recipes are too involved or too hard can be justified in some cases, but really, if you're going to cook Asian, don't settle for lesser bottled sauces and pastes when by using Solomon's book you can eat the tastier real deal. For over 30 years now I've been serving delighted consumers Asian food made from this book. I recommend it to everyone who wants to cook real, varied Asian cuisine and not just the few popular dishes one finds in a restaurant. My last word on the subject: I have hosted nine foreign exchange students and countless international visitors to my home over the years. The one thing they all miss is food from their countries. Whenever Asians visit I try to cook something that will remind them of home. Virtually all of them have commented on how wonderful it is to taste "real" food and they are pleasantly surprised that an American can actually cook it. Many things I learned about Asian food and cooking I learned from this cookbook.

In 1973 I acquired Charmaine Solomon's "South East Asian Cookbook", and I still have it, even if it is falling apart. At the time it was a revelation; although Chinese restaurants were everywhere and popular, few Australians had essayed cooking Asian dishes at home, and finding authentic ingredients could be a battle.

I remember as a know-nothing cook being inspired to use Charmaine's recipe for Beef Smoore, and not having Sri Lankan curry powder to hand or fully appreciating the difference, using the Indian variety instead. Some time later I made the real thing, but then decided that the first version (perversion?) tasted better, and that's how I cook it to this day. Worse, I used slices of chuck steak, rather than the big piece of topside stipulated (you get to use more ghee that way). I can only hope that Charmaine, Sri Lankan by birth, will forgive my sin.

This is by way of illustrating how long Charmaine Solomon has been introducing people like me to the richness and diversity of Asian cuisines, and for all I know her efforts have now touched millions of people, directly or indirectly. In my view she deserves a lifetime achievement award, and it's great to see her getting the international recognition she deserves. She really doesn't have any serious competitors. The content of her "South East Asian Cookbook" has been mostly absorbed into the encyclopaedic "Complete Asian Cookbook", which now stands as a culinary bible. As the man said, "No home should be without one!"

My family came from a background in Britain's Asian colonies - especially Malaya and Ceylon. Although the family came to Australia before I was born I was raised on dishes cooked by my grandmother using the same dishes she had cooked in the 'old country'. I had despaired of ever being able to recreate the dishes I knew in my early days - as Ms Solomon so accurately points out, measures were "a little of this and a handful of that", and of course actually disclosing a recipe to someone was considered only one step down from treason. And then after my despair I came across Charmaine Solomon's abolutely delightful book. Sensibly arranged, with accurate instructions a Westerner can actually follow, I'd be lost without it. And those recipes - especially the Sri Lankan ones I thought I would never be able to taste again - are fantastic. They don't just remind me of what my Grandma used to cook, they are (with all due respect to Grandma) 100 times more tasty!