Customer Reviews

The Food & Cooking of Cambodia: Over 60 authentic classic recipes from an undiscovered cuisine, shown step-by-step in over 250 stunning photographs; ... using ingredients, equipment and techniques

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

 

 

I already have their first book: Food & Cooking of Vietnam & Cambodia, which I love!, so when I heard there was a new one of straight up Cambodian dishes, I was thrilled to add it to my collection. To my disappointment, though, it is exactly the same book, just minus the Vietnamese portion. Yep, very same photos and exactly the same recipes. Can't believe they made money off o' me all over again, and for the very same product! I'm a SUCKA! :)

The recipes are really good, the layout of the book is easy to follow and there are tons of great photos of the dishes and ingredients. BUT...the recipes are exactly the same as the book I already own called 'Vietnamese Food & Cooking' by the same author. I wish I had known this before ordering the book (which I am now returning). That's why I only give three stars.

The Vietnamese cookbook has more background information in the front section, including many pages describing ingredients (with photos) and some tips on preparation. This Cambodian version has much less. There are two things that are included in the Cambodian cookbook that are not in the Vietnamese one: how to prepare bottled prahok for use in cooking and a recipe for Tuk Trey sauce. I just don't want other people to be disappointed for the same reasons (especially when I was looking forward to this "new" book).

Having recently returned from Cambodia and like most other visitors to this stunning country, been seduced by its wonderful cuisine, one of my first tasks, upon returning home, was to trawl Amazon for something to help me to banish the British winter blues. And boy, does this book do that!

Covering everything from soups and snacks to main dishes to desserts, this terrific book has all the recipes that you will need to reconjure memories of your trip. If you haven't already visited Cambodia, after trying some of the recipes in this book, you will certainly want to.

Contrary to what one of the previous reviewers states, this book does include the most popular recipes but the heading has often been anglicised. For example 'Amok' is listed as 'Fish in Coconut Custard', Khmer Curry is listed under various guises (e.g. 'Aubergine Curry with Coconut Milk'). It is also worth noting that the ingredients for many popular Cambodian dishes are often variable, depending upon the region or personal taste, so just because a recipe in the book uses chicken, for example, does not mean that the same dish cannot be made with fish, beef, pork, vegetables, etc. The important thing is to get the spices right.

My only slight criticism of the book is that it fails to highlight the difficulty in securing 'Prahoc', a fish-based condiment that is an essential component of cambodian cuisine. The author suggests that it is available in Asian stores but I have definitely not found this to be the case, nor did it appear to be available via retailers on the internet. However, I simply substituted it with the Thai or Vietnamese fish pastes, which are available in Asian supermarkets and this has proved to be effective.

Unlike many cook books, which promise to deliver authentic examples of local food but then fail to do so, when one attempts to follow the instructions, all of the attempts that I have made have been exactly as I remembered them during my trip. Surely this is the best recommendation that anybody can make about such a work. In addition, the instructions are easy to follow and the ingredients used (aside from that already noted)are easy to obtain, either online or at Asian supermarkets.

Do not hesitate to purchase this. I promise you that you will not be disappointed!

Although not an exhaustive compilation of recipes, the dishes chosen are wide ranging enough to get a full taste of Cambodian cooking. I especially like the basic recipes in case an Asian supermarket isn't nearby, and the full descriptions of pantry items, for confidence when in the Asian supermarket. Also, the author has not assumed unavailability of ingredients, substituting without explanation. The author/chef's sense of taste is sublime. I don't feel the need to reduce the sugar or increase the sour flavors, as I do with some other recipe collections. There are a good number of vegetable & vegetarian recipes. One of the best cookbooks I own.

I ordered this book recently, but have yet to try anything. Just flipping through I immediatley noticed it's missing just about everything my boyfriends mom makes! Even the basics like green papaya salad are not included. The book has great pictures and I am sure I'll get a lot of use out of it as my bf loves his mom's cooking and I am still learning Khmer cuisine, but I wish it had more of the recipes I am familiar with.

My wife thought the wheat noodles with stir-fried pork the second best meal she had ever eaten. And I hadn't even prepared it properly.
Love the photographer!