The Lhasa Moon Tibetan Cookbook [Paperback]

Tsering Wangmo (Author), Zara Houshmand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 1998

The Lhasa Moon is one of the finest Tibetan restaurants in the West.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

It's probably safe to say that few libraries?or cooks?have a Tibetan cookbook on their shelves. Lhasa Moon is a Tibetan restaurant in San Francisco, and Wangmo, its owner, and writer Houshmand have put together a collection of 80 recipes that will serve as an introduction to Tibetan food for most readers. Chiles (lots of them), garlic, ginger, Szechuan peppercorns, and cilantro are favorite flavorings. Wangmo has modified some dishes for American tastes, created more vegetarian dishes than one typically finds in Tibetan cooking, and adapted recipes as necessary to Western ingredients. However, sidebars are careful to describe the authentic versions, and chapter introductions?and photographs and line drawings throughout?provide more context. For specialized international cookery collections and larger libraries.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"One of San Francisco's top 100 restaurants!" --San Francisco Chronicle

"The recipes in this book show how Tibetan food is sustenance for survival, but the author's stories tell how Tibetan food is a metaphor for nourishment of the body, soul and mind. Following the recipes is probably the most interesting part of the book - the culture of Tibet including instructions on how to serve a lama. This means if the Dalai Lama should stop in for tea, you can be ready" - Culinaria Libris -- Culinaria Libris, July 2010

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Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Snow Lion Publications (January 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559391049
• ISBN-13: 978-1559391047
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,271 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully different recipes, very easy to follow!, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lhasa Moon Tibetan Cookbook (Paperback)

Tsering Wangmo has written down recipes that are both simple to follow and delightful to create and enjoy. These are very traditional types of recipes from Tibet that I would venture to say would be difficult to find in any other cookbook. She includes interesting trivia and ways of life of the Tibetan people. Even if I wasn't that interested in the food, the knowledge I gained about the customs, likes and dislikes, and attitude of the Tibetan people was well worth the price of the book. The Paley (flat bread) is quite good and goes well with any dish that requires a side bread to dip with...I like it with chili. The Chicken Curry is cooked with tomatoes and is exceptional! The Stuffed Dumplings (Momo) are addictive and the Tukpa broth (meat broth Tibetan-style) brings a whole new taste to soup! I was delighted to find recipes for such things as Butter Tea, Tsampa (parched barley flour), Dried Cheese and even Chang (barley beer). This book is a jewel!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Repast, May 27, 2003

By 

Jessie R. Smith Jr. "Redlegs" (Pineville, La United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lhasa Moon Tibetan Cookbook (Paperback)

I purchased this book about 3 years ago, and really enjoyed it. Being somewhat of a self-taught chef I readily buy new cookbooks. The book is well written and reads top-notch. The recipes are simple and DELICIOUS. The authoress includes a few personal ruminations from her past while a refugee in India. It doesn't take up a lot of shelf space and has a lot of practical tips. I was recently in San Francisco and had the chance to eat at the Lhasa Moon Tibetan Restaurant and meet the authoress. She is a delightful hostess and the food was fabulous and very affordable (and this was in San Francisco). Take my advice, buy the book, cook the food, and visit the restaurant!

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A way of learning about Tibet, September 16, 2000

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lhasa Moon Tibetan Cookbook (Paperback)

To an armchair traveler like me, reading this cookbook was a very
special way of learning about Tibet and its people. And even though
I'm not planning or recreating the dishes, I can almost taste them in
my mind by reading this book.

The authors, Tsering Wangmo and Zara
Houshmand not only bring recipes from The Lhasa Mood Tibetan
restaurant in San Francisco on to the printed page. They also give the
reader a feeling of the role that food plays in the way of life of the
Tibetan people.

For example, in the Tibetan diet, butter and is much
more than food. It is accepted as currency for trade or taxes, burned
for light in butter lamps, smeared on the face as an ointment for
protection against wind and cold, and consumed medicinally. And the
salted and buttered tea, known as Poecha, is consumed in large amounts
as people sip it all day to keep warm and avoid dehydration in the
high altitude.

Another interesting insight about Tibetan food is
appreciation for the Buddhist belief that all lives are equal, so
larger animals are preferred as food. In his writings, His Holiness
the Dalai Lama has expressed his utter dismay at the loss of lives in
a whole plateful of shrimp making a meal for a single person.

I'm
lucky to have several Tibetan restaurants to enjoy in New York City,
but if I ever get to San Francisco I would definitely check out the
Lhasa Moon.