The Lhasa Moon Tibetan Cookbook (Paperback)

~ (Author)

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

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Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Snow Lion Publications; illustrated edition edition (November 25, 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: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #684,655 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and Delicious.........., May 6, 2002

By	Margaret "fugirl" (NYC) - See all my reviews

............this cookbook opens with an introduction to Tibetan cooking that explains Tibetan cooking traditions, holidays, daily meals, common ingredients and the typical Tibetan kitchen, welcoming us to this wonderful and unique cuisine that Americans are so unfamiliar with. The cookbooks also contains several black and white photos of people in and around Tibet and quite a few drawings. The recipes are a pleasure to make and, if you get together with friends or family that enjoy cooking, spend a day making Tibetan momos (stuffed dumplings) together! There are recipes for chicken, beef, vegetable, spinach and spinach/cheese fillings. I can personally vouch for the chicken and vegetable fillings. Hubby and I really liked Tibetan momos!

This cookbook contains chapters on Soups, Appetizers, Momos, Noodles, Meat Dishes, Vegetable Dishes, Breads and Tsampa, Sweets and Desserts, Beverages, Cheeses and Chili Sauces and Pickles. We've enjoyed: Roasted Potato Soup, Egg Noodles in Beef Soup, Himalayan Chicken, Lamb Curry, Cabbage Stir-Fry, Eggplant with Potatoes, Steamed Bread, Sweet Yogurt Shake, and Spiced Tea. There are many more recipes that look very appealing in this cookbook and we are eager to try more, especially from the chapters we haven't delved into yet.

Honestly, this book has a few drawbacks, though. For my personal tastes, there are too many recipes that involve deep frying. Also, the authors make it clear that a fair number of recipes are either largely American inventions or American adaptations of Tibetan dishes. I wanted something a bit more authentic, but at least the authors seem scrupulously honest to tell us at each point in the cookbook where traditional Tibetan cooking has been violated. Overall though, I have enjoyed this cookbook and would recommend it despite its flaws.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Randy Smith (Pineville, La United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!