The Elephant Walk Cookbook: The Exciting World of Cambodian Cuisine from the Nationally Acclaimed Restaurant [Hardcover]

Longteine de Monteiro (Author), Katherine Neustadt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

Written by the chef-owner of Boston's renowned The Elephant Walk, which has been praised for its unique cuisine by such publications as Esquire, the New York Times, USA Today, and Travel & Leisure, The Elephant Walk Cookbook is a fascinating introduction to the lively and sophisticated flavors of Cambodia. In addition to showcasing Cambodia's foods, this cookbook tells the inspiring story of Longteine De Monteiro. The wife of a diplomat who was forced into exile after Pol Pot invaded Cambodia, De Monteiro escaped to France, where she established what may have been the first Cambodian restaurant in the Western world. She then moved to the United States and opened The Elephant Walk. Less salty than Vietnamese food, less sweet than Thai, and subtler than both, Cambodian dishes feature a rich interweaving of cultural influences and fresh, light flavors. Some of the recipes in the book, like Catfish with Coconut Milk and Red Chilies, were created in the kitchens of Cambodian aristocrats, while others, like Stuffed Cabbage with Lemongrass, have simpler origins.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Elephant Walk Cookbook, the first volume of traditional Cambodian cooking published in the U.S., is a cultural as well as a culinary adventure. It's also the story of author Longteine De Monteiro and how she and her husband were forced into exile in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia and eventually came to own three restaurants and a market in and around Boston. An important reason she wrote this book--with Katherine Neustadt--was to preserve traditional dishes that now may no longer be served in Cambodia because everyone who knew how to make them was exterminated by the Khmer Rouge, or fled elsewhere.

Cambodian cooking blends influences from Asia and the West, including China, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Spain, and France. It is a balancing act of colors, textures, and most of all, salty, sour, sweet, hot, and bitter flavors. Rice and fish are important, particularly freshwater-lake fish and a fermented fish paste, prahok. So are coconut milk, lemongrass, and a list of other ingredients that are becoming more readily available outside of Southwest Asia. Still, ordering by mail from sources provided in the book--or a special shopping trip--will be necessary to make most of the dishes in The Elephant Walk Cookbook.

The most accessible dishes are the salads (many of which contain chicken or pork), including Tomato Salad and Pineapple Salad, and the pickles, such as Mixed Vegetable Pickles. Loc Lac--beef marinated in mushroom soy sauce, sautéed, and served on crisp lettuce with lime juice--is another easy choice. Loving, lively descriptions and alluring photos will keep you reading about all of the 150 dishes, which are aromatic with basil and cilantro, galangal, kaffir lime and curry leaves, tamarind, fiery chiles, garlic, pungent fish sauce, and the like. --Dana Jacobi

From Publishers Weekly

Boston restaurateur De Monteiro, who fled her native Cambodia in the mid-1970s, aims to both introduce and preserve traditional Cambodian cuisine in this appealingly unusual cookbook. Less sweet than Thai and not as salty as Vietnamese fare, Cambodian dishes make frequent use of lemongrass, fish sauce, shrimp paste, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves and other local specialties. Classic Noodle Soup achieves part of its unique taste with preserved cabbage and dried shrimp. Dishes are as simple as Grilled Marinated Pork Ribs, made savory with mushroom soy sauce and garlic, and as complexly flavored as Caramelized White Fish with Fried Garlic. De Monteiro also tells how to make Crispy Rice, the deep-fried appetizer popular at her restaurant. Although many ingredients can be found in ethnic groceriesAgalangal, dried lily buds and the preserved fish paste, prahokAothers, such as banana blossoms for Banana Blossom Salad, will be difficult for Americans to locate. Less exotic, a dessert such as Sweet Sliced Corn puts a twist on a familiar U.S. food by slicing steamed corn off the cob, drizzling it with honey and garnishing with coconut, while New Year's Rice Treats with glutinous rice, coconut and bananas steamed inside banana leaves is an annually popular Cambodian sweet. Cooks wishing to explore new territory will be drawn to this attractive introduction.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 362 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395892538
• ISBN-13: 978-0395892534
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #764,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Pacific Rim

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book - very complete September 25, 2002

By Roel Leus

Format:Hardcover

As my girlfriend is from Cambodia, I have looked for a source to learn to prepare some of the dishes her mother also makes, and I've managed to surprise her a couple of times with the mostly very authentic recipes that are in this book (not ALL dishes are perhaps uniquely or typically Khmer, but that does not change the merits of the book! (cfr. the other reader reviews)). The book is very complete, and a pleasure not only to use for cooking but also simply to browse and admire the pictures. For those who wish some extra sources of "authentic" khmer cuisine, I can recommend that they look for the book by Nusara Thaitawat (The Cuisine of Cambodia - I don't think it's on Amazon, but can be found on the internet) - they will find a great second book that also lists a large number of marvellous recipes, with equally exquisite pictures, but does presuppose some more familiarity with the ingredients and measures - which can be acquired by reading and using "The Elephant Walk" first.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent in every way December 12, 2005

By N. Jacobs

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you love exotic cuisine and preparing it at home, then I would suggest that this book should be on the top of your list.

Just for starters, Cambodian cuisine is probably the tastiest of the SE Asian cuisines that I have tried. And what's more, the recipies are usually quite simple to prepare. I was surprised that some barely required anything beyond my neighborhood grocery store. Even for a back woods person like myself, getting some of the exotic ingredients required only a few stops on the web, and I was ready to cook anything from this book.

The cookbook is expertly laid out. It begins with a lengthy introduction, including everything from information on the history of Cambodia to the art of shopping in an Asian grocery store. The recipies are arranged in a pretty logical fashion: appetizers, meat type, noodles, and deserts. The last section covers the basic ingredients of Cambodian cooking which may be new to the western eyes. For someone coming from a small town, I had never used a lot of these ingredients. Even more handy about this book is the fact that there are many coloured pictures of the dishes and the exotic ingredients. If you've never shopped at an Asian grocery store, it's very useful to know what the product looks like, and Longteine de Monteiro also tells what exactly to look for when purchasing said items. Of course, the pictures really help so you know what type of result you want.

I'm really impressed by the amount of work that Longteine put into this book. Not only are the recipies great and it's loaded with information, it looks good too! The research was a bit exhaustive and the commentaries on each dish gave me some background or at least, entertainment.

Weaknesses of the book?... Well, sorry to say, but I can't think of anything off the top of my head without really asking for too much (pictures of EVERY dish, for example). All around, this is a great cookbook, if not my favourite from my collection. Read more ›

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book! Buying one for my sisters! July 26, 2004

By Chanthy S. Carey

Format:Hardcover

I was very excited to recieve this book in the mail. I tried a few recipes and love them! I, like others have never been able to mimick my mothers Khmer dishes and my mother wasn't able to teach me well enough. I go by measurements and my mother goes by taste and experience. So this book made it easier for me to learn how to prepare Khmer meals for my growing family. I wanted to be able to serve my children meals that I grew up loving and this book helps me in every way. True it is a bit "Americanized" but it is better than what I haven't seen published out there. This is a must have for anyone who wants to learn how to cook these delicious dishes. I plan on purchasing a copy for my two sisters, who as well have been struggling to learn how to prepare our mothers meals.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best cookbooks I've ever used October 17, 2001

By Mark

Format:Hardcover

Being an avid cook and having visited Cambodia, I was thrilled to find this book. It is rare to find a cookbook (especially such a specialized one) where every recipe works as expected, where every ingredient is either available or has reasonable substitutes (and is fully documented in the glossary), and where the technique is described precisely. I cannot comment on authenticity, but the results are as I remember from Cambodia - the books has found the balance between authentic results and the limitations on available ingredients. This is one of the top 3 cookbooks I have ever used (the other two are Madhur Jaffrey's "Indian Cooking" and Julia Child's "The Way to Cook"). It is rare for me to find a recipe - let alone a whole book where I have no desire or need to make my own adjustments. This is one.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Even a white guy can cook like a Cambodian with this. December 5, 2004

By Bill

Format:Hardcover

Even a white guy can cook like a Cambodian with this.

The books very well laid out, easy to follow and could even be a coffee table book. It has a good cross reference to explanations of ingredients that even allow a Texan like myself to impress my Cambodian wife by cooking some dishes as well as her mother. It's a lot of fun trying anyway.

The people who wrote it are real nice. I couldn't find Prahok here in Miami, so I emailed them and they sold me a couple of jars from their store and took the time to ship it to me (at cost).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book ... too short! August 14, 2002

By Vuthy

Format:Hardcover

My family hails from Cambodia, and although I grew up near Boston and now live in Los Angeles, I have had a lot of experience with Cambodian cusine from my parents' cooking. I regret that I never took the time as I child to learn from my mother all the dishes I loved and gobbled up, but this book has many of my favorites and I few I didn't know about. I recently bought it, and although I have tried out only one recipe, I highly recommend this book. The meals are not EXACTLY the same as my mother's, but each family has there own ways of making things and their own little secret ingredients. I wish there were more pictures of the dishes, and more recipes for that matter, but for the price and this rarely covered subject, this book is a treasure. If you love food, especially the tasty kind, get this book.