The Complete Asian Cookbook (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I cherish and refer to often because it is so thorough going and authoritative in its subject matter, and the recipes are uncommonly well written and authentic."—Craig Claiborne, the New York Times

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

More than 800 recipes from 16 countries are clearly presented in step-by-step instructions. This cookbook is about real Asian food, created with a minimum of fuss in a Western kitchen from readily available ingredients. Full color.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 511 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Revised edition (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080481791X
• ISBN-13: 978-0804817912
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #171,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential - but you only need one copy, May 28, 2002

By	Carol Walker (Cairo, Egypt) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Complete Asian Cookbook (Hardcover)

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.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definately A Good Cookbook for Anyone's Collection, December 28, 2001

By	A. Stefanski "just someone" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE only Asian cookbook to own, March 7, 2000

By A Customer

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).