(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best asian cooking, food & wine books

I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie, so I have a bunch to recommend. I'm interpreting this as "good cookbooks from cuisines in Asia" so there are some that are native and others that are from specific restaurants in the US, but I would consider these legit both in terms of the food and the recipes/techniques. Here are a few of my favorites:


Pan-Asian

• Asian Dumplings - the masterpiece on all things dumpling
  
• Asian American - Dale Talde's (Top Chef) book with lots of Asian cultures' food in the US
  
• Asian Pickles - pickles and fermented foods from throughout Asia
  
• Lucky Rice - recipes from the Asian festival of the same name
  
• The Asian Grandmother's Cookbook - traditional cooking passed down to American cooks
  
  Burmese
  
  
• Burma:Rivers of Flavor - good focus on difference in Burmese cuisine from other regional
  
  Cambodian
  
  
• Num Pang - Cambodian sandwich restaurant in NYC
  
• Cambodian Cooking - GREAT book on Cambodian cuisine, supporting refugees
  
  Chinese
  
  
• Ken Hom Complete Chinese Cookbook - great primer for cooking Chinese food using ingredients commonly available in US
  
• China Moon - classic SF Chinese restaurant food
  
• Feeding the Dragon - modern culinary journey through all of China
  
• Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking - omnibus focused on the home chef
  
• Breath of a Wok - focus on wok technique at home
  
• Every Grain of Rice - wonderful Sichuan food for home cooks
  
  Indian
  
  
• Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking - actually, any of her cookbooks are wonderful for Indian cooking
  
• Savour Mumbai - looks at Indian cuisine as a melting pot in Mumbai
  
• The Indian Family Cookbook - modern South Indian food
  
• Indian Harvest - Vikas Khanna's family cookbook
  
• Made in India - classic Indian food, from street to home
  
  Indonesia
  
  
• The Food of Indonesia - everything you need for a rijstaffel!
  
  Japanese
  
  
• Japanese Farm Food - authentic rural Japanese cooking
  
• Preserving the Japanese Way - how to make awesome Japanese pickled vegetables
  
• Sushi Chef - not strictly speaking a cookbook, but "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" book in English
  
• The Japanese Grill - authentic hibachi and Japanese grill recipes
  
• Japanese Comfort Food - lots of traditional Japanese recipes
  
• Nanban - Japanese "soul food"
  
• Tokyo Cult Recipes - hip modern urban food from Tokyo
  
• Yum Yum Bento Boxes - updated modern take on bento boxes
  
• Ivan Ramen - traditional ramen for a Western audience
  
• Izakaya - traditional Japanese pub food & small plates
  
• Nikkei - emigrant Japanese food culture in South America
  
• Donabe - traditional Japanese hot pot recipes
  
• Kyotofu - very unique Japanese dessert cookbook
  
  Korean
  
  
• K Food - modern take on Korean street food
  
• Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking - great resource for Korean cooking in a non-pro kitchen
  
• Traditional Food - omnibus of four regions of Korean food
  
• Koreatown - authentic, approachable guide to Korean food in a US context
  
• Smoke & Pickles - Edward Lee's fusion of his Korean heritage and southern barbeque
  
• The Kimchi Cookbook - many, many recipes for kimchi...
  
  Malaysian
  
  
• Malaysian Cooking - good overview of Malay cooking
  
  Middle Eastern
  
  
• The New Persian Kitchen - modern Iranian food
  
• Ottolenghi - Israeli-Palestinian collaboration
  
• Persiana - dynamic modern recipes from throughout the Middle East
  
• Zahav - modern Israeli food
  
• Sweet Middle East - traditional and modern desserts
  
  Philippine
  
  
• Filipino Homestyle Dishes - good intro to classic Filipino dishes
  
  Russian
  
  
• Mamushka - focus on Ukraine
  
  Sri Lankan
  
  
• Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka - beautiful photo-cookbook on Sri Lankan cuisine
  
  Taiwanese
  
  
• The Food of Taiwan - um... food... from Taiwan
  
  Thailand
  
  
• Nong's Thai Kitchen - she beat Bobby Flay in pad thai
  
• Pok Pok - Portland's most AWESOME Asian restaurant
  
  Turkish
  
  
• Istanbul:Recipes from the Heart of Turkey - lovely focus on urban Turkish food
  
• Anatolia - wonderful approachable approach to Turkish cuisine
  
• Essential Turkish Cuisine - focus on history and evolution of Turkish food
  
  Vietnamese
  
  
• The Slanted Door - great Vietnamese restaurant cookbook
  
• Vietnamese Market Cookbook - focus on simple Vietnamese from fresh ingredients
  
• Into the Vietnamese Kitchen - traditional Vietnamese home cooking
  
• The Banh Mi Cookbook - the greatest sandwich in the world!
  
• Vietnamese Home Cooking - another great overview
  
  (edit: screwed up a couple links)

> I'm using that, it's wonderful! The extension on my browser purely a reading aid. I'm what they call a 文盲 but as long as I hear it, I know what it means. It also has definitions on it. It's actually a really great tool. If your on Chrome, the extension is called "Zhongwen Chinese Pop Up Dictionary."

Yea I was going to recommend that as well, it must be perfect for you! I should probably do that more (play the sound of a text) to help improve my listening comprehension...

> 礼物 refers to the actual object, but 送礼 is usually used to refer to the act.

oh interesting, never heard that before...

> Wow. Not going to pretend to understand that. My dictionary is telling me it means "property, justice, integrity, and honor" (the four social bonds) when put together. You can read that?!

well, I just know about 禮 and 儀 from confucius, I studied 論語 (analects) for a short time and these are common themes and used as individual words. 廉I'm actually not too clear on. 恥就是「恥辱」的恥。I think it means 面子

> C'est l'internet. Si on n'utilise pas une dictionnaire, c'est un peu fou! et il y a beaucoup des personnes mechants qui l'utilise. And nope!

tu as raison! personnes méchants? qu'est-ce que ça veut dire!?

> 哈哈我也打错字了。我也没建构哪个”褴“。我想写"烂"。对不起啊！自己的中文这么差，还想帮别人。其实，我对中国城不是特别收。我妈等我上大学以后才搬到城市里。大部分得时间，我在学校呆。我只去过一两个餐馆。好像老城的吃的比新城的更地道。您能不能提出几个好饭馆？

呵呵，没关係， 我们都是从声音大出来的，至少妳的语言很流利，我在两个方面都很差。 你太谦虚了！嗯中国城没有那麽特别，但是那里有真宗中国菜，所以我常常去买东西或吃一顿饭。对於老城新城，我觉得两个都可以，depends what kind of food you want and how good the chef is... 比如说香港点心，万寿宫、名轩还好。两个都在“新城”（新城表示chinatown square 那个地方对吧？）的附近。。

你喜欢吃什麽菜？北方菜， 有一家叫「北国饭店」，by 31st and halsted, 那里的小笼包不错，週末有豆浆油条。在郊区有一些好的，都在Westmont 的附近，那边有些台湾饭店，也很便宜的。Also the new Korean place in "old chinatown" is actually quite good!


> Haha why do you think I quit. I have some old textbooks from Chinese school. Also, I'm going to try and qualify for the Chinese for Chinese speakers class at my university, and I'm taking some of my mom's old cookbooks with me and attempting to translate (I have to do it if I'm hungry, right?) Apparently once you learn 3000 words in Chinese, the language becomes very easy. Did you take formal classes or self taught?

I didnt think you quit, just wondered what resources you use to learn .. chinese school, that makes sense...

yes, you will starve if you don't finish the translation! I bought a really good chinese cookbook (in english) once but i never use it... it's much easier to pay someone else to make the food for me, I guess I'm lazy... this is the one i got: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394496388/ref=wms_ohs_product_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1


> Did you take formal classes or self taught?

I took classes with private tutors at first, which I think was very important. I had one teacher from mainland china and my current teacher is from HK (yes, part of the reason i use traditional characters, but I prefer to use them regardless as i study ancient culture and I find the system to be better). currently I don't have a chinese language class, but I study chinese calligraphy and other such courses wherein we use mandarin as a primary language, so this is greatly helping improve my vocabulary and conversational skills...

> Jealous, you can claim true loyalty. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be hard to label me as a bandwagoner since I didn't start watching until 2010, but in all fairness, I didn't know hockey existed until then. And yes. Very epic. Very amazing. Also very frustrating. That's pretty unfortunate that you don't have time :(

I watched the game last night. I chose a good one to watch !

Asia's a big, ancient place. Even within each nation there are unique styles of regional and ethnic fare.

With that in mind, I'd love to see some recommendations here for awesome Indian, Filipino, Hmong, Uzbek, etc. cookbooks.

Japanese

Lets get beyond sushi and hibatchi.

Shizuo Tsuji's Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art is a great starting point. If you want to get technical you should check out Ando's Washoku or Hachisu's Preserving the Japanese Way.

If you want to start simple, Hachisu also has a great book on Japanese Farm Food. Ono and Salat have written a great noodle slurping opus in Japanese Soul Cooking.

Chinese

What we've come to think of as Chinese food in the US is a natural part of human appropriation of food styles, but with all due respect to Trader Vic's, crab rangoon and other buffet staples really aren't the real deal. Food in China is extremely regional. You don't have to go very deep to see the vast differentiation in spicy Schezwan recipes and Cantonese Dim Sum culture.

For your reading pleasure:

Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking Eileen Yin-Fei Lo.

Breath of the Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson.

Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees by Kian Lam Kho and Jody Horton.

All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China by Carolyn Phillips.

Some people might freak out that I'm placing Erway's The Food of Taiwan under the Chinese category, but I'm not going to get into a political debate here. Taiwan has had a lot of different culinary influences due to migration / occupation and that is really the take away here.

Go forth, make bao.

Korean

Korea is having it's moment right now and if you want the classics, Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall's Growing up in a Korean Kitchen is a good baseline. It has all the greatest hits.

You also can't cook Korean food without kimchi. The only book I've read is Lauryn Chun's The Kimchi Cookbook which is kind of underwhelming considering the hundreds of styles of Kimchi that have been documented. The process of making kimchi (kimjang) even has a UNESCO world heritage designation. With that in mind, I think it's only a matter of time before we see a English book on the subject that has depth.

Given the cuisine's popularity, there are several other cookbooks on Korean food that have recently been published within the last year or so, I just haven't gotten around to reading them yet, so I won't recommend them here.

Thai

David Thompson's Thai Food and Thai Street Food are both excellent. /u/Empath1999 's recommendation of Andy Ricker's Pok Pok is excellent but it focuses on Northern Thai cuisine, so if you want to venture into central and southern Thai fare, Thompson's the other farang of note.

Vietnamese

Nguyen's Into the Vietnamese Kitchen provides a nice survey to Vietnamese cooking. Charles Phan also has a couple of cookbooks that are quite good but I'm sure that there are zealots out there who would bemoan authenticity in either Vietnamese Home Cooking or The Slanted Door, but seriously, who gives a shit, the dude has Beard Awards under his belt for fuck's sake.

TL;DR OP means well but its long past time to bury "Asian" as a catch-all for such a large and diverse part of a continent, no?

Fuschia Dunlop is a good source for Chinese food. Her published recipe for Kung Pao Chicken is pretty killer. Eileen Yin-Fi Lo is also a well respected Chinese recipe author, check out My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen.

For Thai Food, Andy Ricker's Pok Pok is pretty interesting (and the restaurants are pretty awesome). There's also a tome, simply called Thai Food from David Thompson, as an outsider, looks complete and exhaustive (it's also daunting to me, but nice to have).

Hot Sour Salty Sweet also features Thai (as well as other SE Asian flavors). And I really like Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges as a more upscale cookbook.

Also, I find this little, unsung book to be a great resource. It has fairly simple recipes that can yield some nice flavors, great for weeknight dishes.

And, Momofuku is a fun contemporary twist with some good basics, but it's not a beginner book by any stretch!

Finally, The Slanted Door is on my wishlist. Looks divine.

>廉I'm actually not too clear on. 恥就是「恥辱」的恥。I think it means 面子

I don't think 面子 by itself means embarrassment. Perhaps "respect" or "face." I usually hear it used negatively, but it can also be used to mean "save face" or "preserve self-respect." ”保存面子“或者”保持面子“ as opposed to “没面子” or “丢面子” meaning "no shame" or "loose face." To my understanding, 恥辱is more like "defeat" (KIND OF LIKE HOW THE BRUINS FEEL BURN. sorry had to), but that might just be modern colloquial?

> 我在两个方面都很差。你太谦虚了！

才不！好多你用的词儿，我连想都想不起来。像“谦虚”这种词儿，我连听都没听过。

>嗯中国城没有那麽特别，但是那里有真宗中国菜，所以我常常去买东西或吃一顿饭。对於老城新城，我觉得两个都可以，depends what kind of food you want and how good the chef is... 比如说香港点心，万寿宫、名轩还好。两个都在“新城”（新城表示chinatown square 那个地方对吧？）的附近。。

我也没觉得中国诚有什么特别的饭馆，但是老诚有个小点心店叫“Chui Quo Bakery“。我最喜欢是它们的肉松包（当然，它们的点心都好吃极了）。这个店以外，我也没有很深得印象对那里的饭馆。只有些随随便便吃饭的地方。我说的“新诚”是Chinatown Square.

>你喜欢吃什麽菜？北方菜， 有一家叫「北国饭店」，by 31st and halsted, 那里的小笼包不错，週末有豆浆油条。在郊区有一些好的，都在Westmont 的附近，那边有些台湾饭店，也很便宜的。Also the new Korean place in "old chinatown" is actually quite good!

我喜欢山东湖南菜（北京菜应该算是山东菜吧？）你去没去过“Katy's Dumpling's" in Westmont? 我对韩国和台湾的菜不是特别的熟悉。


>I didnt think you quit

Sorry forgot I never mentioned I went to Chinese school. I hated it. As a 7 year old I never understood why I had to sit in a hot class room on Saturday while all my friends were chilling in their backyards.

>it's much easier to pay someone else to make the food for me, I guess I'm lazy... this is the one i got: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394496388/ref=wms_ohs_product_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1[1]

Damn no preview. Oh well. I am looking into an English one. Understandable though, Chinese food can be obnoxious to make. Some families cook in the garage because it's so messy. Learning is a must for me though because I'm horribly picky.

>I took classes with private tutors at first, which I think was very important. I had one teacher from mainland china and my current teacher is from HK (yes, part of the reason i use traditional characters, but I prefer to use them regardless as i study ancient culture and I find the system to be better). currently I don't have a chinese language class, but I study chinese calligraphy and other such courses wherein we use mandarin as a primary language, so this is greatly helping improve my vocabulary and conversational skills

Wow. Dedication. It's nice that your teachers are from China and HK though. Taiwanese instructors tend to have accents. Since your studying ancient culture, do you learn how to interpret ancient Chinese? Or is the class English based? Haha you're going to end up more eloquent than the majority of the population.


>I watched the game last night. I chose a good one to watch !

What are you a good luck charm?


>tu as raison! personnes méchants? qu'est-ce que ça veut dire!?

J'ai parlee de les "trolls" et les "grammar nazis" et les autres personalites ennuyeuse de l'internet

I LOVE Burmese food. One of my favorite restaurants finally published their cookbook - Burma Superstar: Addictive Recipes from the Crossroads of Southeast Asia. It's kinda windy and cold in SF this weekend, so I figured it was a good time to try some comfort-food soup.

This took me about 3 hours, but only because there's a lot of chopping and I take my time when trying a new recipe. A full hour was just letting the soup simmer while I watched episodes of The Office at my kitchen table. :D Now that I've run through the recipe once, I'll bring my boyfriend in to help with the chopping while I focus on the soup.

The recipe is fairly straightforward and it was INCREDIBLY flavorful. I used some flat rice noodles for this batch, but next time I'll try it with egg noodles. Almost all of the ingredients are easy to find (limes, chicken, ginger, etc). My chickpea flour is made by Bob's Red Mill, which is a brand carried in a lot of health food stores and supermarkets. In addition to the usual toppings (cilantro, red onions, lime juice) I tried to recreate the topping used by my other favorite Burmese restaurant (what up, Burmese Kitchen!), which is fried chickpeas crumbled on top as a sort of crouton. I tried this Serious Eats recipe and it's way too thick - if I reduced the amount of chickpea flour and added more liquid to thin it out, I think it would be perfect and crispy.

I apologize for not typing out the full recipe - it's two pages long (though it's not hard; simply very descriptive). Please let me know if you have any questions, though!

This is vegetarian and does the no-onion and no-garlic thing, but it's quite big and covers a lot of material - a good starting point. It really teaches a lot about the what and the whys of Indian food. It was written by the (American) personal cook of the Hare Krishna founder, she followed him around all over India when he travelled there, learning recipes from his hosts.

• http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Krishnas-Cuisine-Vegetarian-Cooking/dp/0525245642
  
  Some easy to get into books
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Home-Cooking-Introduction-Recipes/dp/0609611011
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Indian-Cooking-Recipes/dp/0778801705
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Street-Food-India-Greatest-Complete/dp/184885420X
  
  This is a classic Indian cookery books that grannies used to have
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Balbir-Singhs-Indian-Cookery/dp/0263700194
  
  Tarla Daral was a popular food writer in India
  
  
• https://www.youtube.com/user/TarlaDalalsKitchen
  
  Something from Punjab
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Punjabi-Khana-Tarla-Dalal/dp/8189491547
  
  This is not a beginners book, but very interesting
  
  
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Grand-Trunk-Anirudh-Arora/dp/1847739687
  
  These Kerala restaurants do lovely modern cookbooks
  
  
• http://www.rasarestaurants.com/rasa_books.html
  
  More from South India
  
  
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dakshin-Vegetarian-Cuisine-South-India/dp/9625935274/
  
• http://www.nimmypaul.com/html/nmy_recp_01.html
  
• http://www.kamalascorner.com/
  
  SOURCE: have been collecting books and shared cooking tips with Indian friends for a while

Get yourself a copy of Rick Stein's "far eastern odyssey" there are some great recipes for spice lovers

Also Anjum Anand has some great books.

If you can't wait to cook a great Chicken Tikka Masala, I can definitely recommend this video.

If you're just using it for miso, you don't need to marinade or even really cook it. You could cut a block into about 8 pieces and freeze it for maximum use (though that will change the texture a lot). Just slice into small cubes and simmer in the dashi or broth before you add the miso paste (stir a spoonful in a bowl with a little dashi, and add it right before you turn off the heat).

You might be able to buy dried shiitake online. Probably more expensive in the UK, but I got a huge jar of sliced and dried mushrooms from Amazon and the whole thing lives in the freezer. I soak about 6 pieces in water for half an hour to make a basic base for miso.

If you're in a large city, look for Asian grocery stores. Most cities will have at least one, and you'll probably find tofu much cheaper.

And yes, that's the konbu you want (that you linked). It lasts for ever, and expands a ton. You probably only need about a square inch per bowl of soup.

Check out this book. It's incredibly simple, all vegan Japanese cooking which doesn't rely too heavily on obscure ingredients. You can figure out some substitutions for lots of the veggies she suggests, but I found it an easy way to understand the typical flavors of a meal without too much effort.

Ninja edit: one of the awesome things about miso paste (I love the white variety) is that it lasts for bloody ages in the fridge (like a year or more if you store it in a zip lock bag). So many of these ingredients that look pricey are actually extremely cheap considering how much use you'll get out of them.

Big fan of Aarti Paarti, a definite mix of recipes with some nice fusions. You get the best of traditional Indian and delicious new dishes! Certainly won't get bored, best of all there's great info on spices, cooking techniques, and the works. https://smile.amazon.com/Aarti-Paarti-American-Kitchen-Indian/dp/1455545414/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483194802&sr=8-1&keywords=aarti+paarti

They aren't publicly available, but I'm following the recipes from Dumplings All Day Wong. It's been a dumpling bootcamp that I'm thoroughly enjoying! Lots of clear instructions and great illustrations for technique. 10/10, would recommend.

Honestly there are so many amazing cookbooks out there that I think you'd have better luck with something else. I don't eat dairy either, and although you can substitute stuff, and some of her recipes don't rely on a lot of dairy, you're honestly going to be missing out. Butter or cream play a huge role in so many of her dishes that you'll basically always have to make worse versions of the stuff in the cookbook. At that point it's a little ridiculous to be working from that cookbook rather than just picking a more suitable cookbook in the first place. Like, I know she's famous, but she fucking loves butter, and you're not going to be eating any butter.

So, unless you're the world's biggest fan of margarine, just go for something else. I would suggest something like Thai food, Burmese food, Ethiopian food, Japanese food, more Indian or Chinese (Fuchsia Dunlop's cookbooks are great) since those two categories encompass like eight million different cuisines, or something else that is not likely to be very dairy-centric (Indonesian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan, Korean, etc.).

I have both Wagamama cookbooks and use them all the time. Also, if you scroll down the page to the list of books others bought, there are quite a few good, basic japanese cookbooks for the beginner. Also have a google. This is a pretty handy site for beginners. Good luck and enjoy. (It also helps to find a local asian food shop for things like panko breadcrumbs, miso, wasabe, pickled ginger, and shoyu.)

Hmmm interesting. Whatever I stated is from Indian Food: A Historical Companion by K T Achaya. It is a very detailed and well researched book.

I cannot vouch for the 100% veracity of all facts in the book, and I am not a historian, rather someone who is interested in food, food history, and food culture. It seems you are knowledgeable about ancient Indian history. You could very well be right about AIT/AIM multi-wave theory or perhaps this theory (and the DNA analysis) got debunked after the book was published.

If you are interested in history and its intersection with food, I would highly recommend reading this book. Review/summary here. It really is a goldmine of a ton of interesting facts and also appears to be very well researched and most facts/assertions are backed with references of which historic texts it was picked up from.

I'm curious to know how you managed to make it to 2017 w/o being exposed to Thai food...but congratulations! One of the world's truly great cuisines. I highly recommend Buddha's Table: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570671613/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Curry roughly means 'sauce' - it is just stuff cooked in sauce, but in the Uk we take it to mean a vast array of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi dishes of meat, vegetables and pulses in spices sauces (and we also use it for similar dishes from SE asia etc).

Curry powder is an abomination the Brits took to, a generic and almost always stale blend of identikit spices people put in such dishes. If you want to learn this set of dishes, go buy a bunch of whole spices and a cheap coffee grinder to grind them up.

There are many 'real' curries as well as many anglicized versions that are common in the UK (famously, Tikka Masala is a Brit thing not an Indian one). There are also things like Rajma Chawal (probably mispelled) which are common in india.

In terms of commonalities - toasted or tempered spices, an onion base and probably cumin/coriander/turmeric as the most basic spices, with some more liquid ingredient (tomato, coconut milk etc) and some meat or veg is the basic makeup.

If you want to learn how to make curries i can suggest some books. Indian Vegetarian Cookery by Jack Santa Maria is one i liked and he has oen on non veg cookery too. Madhur Jaffrey is well known in the Uk for popularising hoem cooked indian food. More modern, Anjum's New Indian is not bad (based on a BBC series I think) though i find her a bit annoying on TV.

I was gifted Charmaine Solomon's The Complete Asian Cookbook a few years ago, and I love it.

She gives you tons of recipes, but she also tells you what you might need in your cupboards. I would heartily recommend the book.

Edit: She does encompass most of Asia, so she is more inclusive than just "Chinese" cooking. Her chapters are listed by Asian country, so whether you feel like cooking an authentic Indian meal, or a Vietnamese desert, it is easy to find what you are looking for.

I've been cooking recently from Kian Lam Kho's Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees. Super delicious recipes, lots of basic instruction and techniques - a great intro to Chinese cooking.

I came here to recommend the same, and link to it on amazon. Unfortunately, it's out of print and used copies are too expensive. So, I'd recommend her China Moon Cookbook. It's almost as good. Her very detailed recipes may be intimidating, but their well worth the time.

Chinese Cuisine is also excellent and as authentic as it gets, though it's a bit spare on explaining technique.

I highly recommend this Coconut Chicken Curry recipe (it's from Burma Superstar, a Burmese restaurant in San Francisco. They've published an excellent cookbook too). The ingredients aren't that expensive or hard to find. It's pretty easy to make, but somewhat time-consuming because of all the prep work. Then you have to cook the curry for an hour, and let the curry sit for awhile to let the flavors meld. Definitely worth it in the end though. It's literally a restaurant-quality dish that is very approachable for home cooks!

I like recipes, so may I recommend a great book: http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Home-Cooking-Introduction-Recipes/dp/0609611011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290208811&sr=8-1

Most recipes use whole spices. I've had the book for several years and have made lots of the dishes in it -- all absolutely yummy. Latest was southern-spiced lahori chicken curry (although I used cornish hens instead)

You're welcome! Happy to help.

In the UK they sell it in the restaurants, failing that [Amazon](The Wagamama Cookbook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1856266494/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_QikkybZEVJW6S) or any reputable bookseller.

It's great. Lots of recipes in there.

This. I have this version: http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cuisine-Wei-Chuans-Cookbook-Huang/dp/0941676080/ref=pd_sim_b_1 and it is a great book with traditional recipes. You'll definitely enjoy this book.

Somebody already mentioned 'Raja, Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan'. There's also Lost Recipes. 'Raja, Rasoi..' is available on Netflix. It's very informative. Brilliant stuff!

I found a blog which mentioned some books about ancient Indian cooking.

This book looks good. A blog summarising the author's work.

Some interesting links I found:

http://southindianfoods.in/ancient_recipes.html

http://www.thehindu.com/seta/2004/10/21/stories/2004102100111600.htm
http://www.thehindu.com/seta/2004/11/04/stories/2004110400061500.htm

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/ajeats/2016/01/chronicler-indian-food-160104113715853.html

http://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/the-dead-recipes-society-111040200021_1.html

https://mumbai-magic.blogspot.in/2014/12/the-archaeology-of-food-ancient-indian.html

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/idli-saga-a-study-into-the-origin-of-the-south-indian-dish/articleshow/1969178.cms?intenttarget=no

This is a direct copy from a post elsewhere on the thread, but I'll repeat it here (sorry folks!).

I make this Roast Chicken Dinner Ramen Soup. I've made it with leftover turkey and homemade turkey stock, and chicken. Both ways are excellent.

It's sort of an Asian Twist on Chicken Noodle Soup. Both my husband and I are obsessed with it. I bought the Hondashi powder at a local Asian Grocery Store. The recipe calls for 1 TBLS of Hondashi powder, but I cut it down to slightly more than half TBLS. Otherwise, I find it a bit overpowering.

The recipe is from my favourite cookbook Asian-American: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn by Dale Talde from Top Chef (can't remember which season).

The only cookbook I can find is Kansha. I have no idea of the quality but amazon reviews say its pretty good.

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1. BB Cream
   
   
2. Pikachu
   
   
3. Chopsticks
   
   
4. Foods
   
   
5. I really love Knick Knacks like this

I was fortunate to receive some awesome stuff on my wishlist: a mandoline, Thermapen, and a 7 1/4 quart enameled Dutch oven.

I also got some cookbooks:
Persiana,
Food of Life, and
Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen

Edit: formatting

> I know, I probably sound like a ridiculous hypocrite

It's not silly or ridiculous. Our bodies habituate themselves to the things we eat, our brains remember foods that taste good (aren't bitter or poisonous, have high fat content, salt content, etc). It's completely legitimate to miss the sensations or the emotional response (comfort) you once associated with them. It just may take some time to change, that's all.

> The vegan cheeses I've tried have frankly been extremely off-putting, and while I've been getting by on coconut and almond milks, I really dislike them.
Every time I step into a grocery store or restaurant, I feel sad and limited

Why don't you try not replacing them for a while? Looking into other vegan recipes, cuisines, and styles of cooking that have nothing to do with dairy? Lots of Asian food doesn't use dairy because of lactose intolerance.

Instead of feeling stifled, maybe try to explore something new. That can help make things feel interesting and different.

Is there an Asian cuisine like

Chinese food, Korean food (some of these are vegan), Japanese food (1, 2), Thai (ingredients for Thai food are less commonly available, but it's an incredibly interesting cuisine if you can find them)

or maybe something else you've wanted to explore?

I checked out this book from the library a few years back and really enjoyed the few recipes I made from it. The "calamari" is amazing!

I've heard good things about Kansha as well but have yet to read it.

I picked up this book, which taught me a bunch about different methods for stir frying. It's a good read and every recipe I've made from it had been delicious.

David Thompson is the God of Thai food. This is the book you want to buy http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thai-Street-Food-David-Thompson/dp/1840915587/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1292805685&sr=8-2 Also this Rick Stein book is amazing if you want to explore more South East Asian cuisine - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rick-Steins-Far-Eastern-Odyssey/dp/1846077168/ref=pd_cp_d_h__1

I have recently discovered cooking is really relaxing and I love dumplings, so I think the effort it would take to make them would be relaxing and keep me busy and away from my anxiety.

Also, I find this cd ethereal and relaxing but not all might.

Relax!

All indian curries that I cook have to be cooked on the stove for an additional 30 minutes or so to remove the water and concentrate the flavors. You could try to take out some of the water, but sometimes the water is needed to prepare the ingredients.

For instance, in punjabi chicken curry, you cook the curry, then add water, stir and boil the rest of the water off.

I would get a book that has recipes that are meant to be cooked on the stove top. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/Anjums-New-Indian-Anjum-Anand/dp/0470928123

If you don't want to get a new book, try taking out some of the water and see how it goes. :)

Yeah. Shoot me your email and I’ll send some photos out of the cookbook I have. My parents suffer from there’s-no-written-recipe-itis, but I found an excellent Cantonese style cookbook. Every recipe I’ve tried is solid and some have been vetted by my folks (with a few personal tweaks).

https://www.amazon.com/My-Grandmothers-Chinese-Kitchen-Recipes/dp/1557885052

I got this japanese one and this thai one for my mum a month ago and she absolutely loved them! Maybe they'll suit your fancy?

https://www.amazon.com/Aarti-Paarti-American-Kitchen-Indian/dp/1455545414 is to be more chances of security / son

If you want to continue it past 30 days, I highly recommend this book!

https://www.amazon.co.jp/Kansha-Celebrating-Japans-Vegetarian-Traditions/dp/1580089550/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505363078&sr=8-1&keywords=kansha

You're welcome.

//thread

https://www.amazon.com/Aarti-Paarti-American-Kitchen-Indian/dp/1455545414 is a good book too..

I'm sure you can use this as a guide/inspiration

I ended up getting Gran Cocina Latina. So far seems like exactly what I was looking for - a little bit from each region. The author seems to have quite a bit of experience with the various areas (or at least to my inexperienced eye). My only complaint is that she calls for very specific ingredients that are not readily available where I currently live, and doesn't often mention more accessible substitutes.

The one I have for Asia is The Complete Asian Cookbook, which doesn't address 'Asian' cooking as a whole, but has a chapter for each country, each with an intro about the style and ingredients of the area.

There are 2 Wagamama cookbooks. Recipe is probably in there.

I've been having a blast lately with Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees. It focuses a lot on technique and has few enough recipes you could probably make it through in a reasonable amount of time.

Just picked up this book, it might be what you're looking for: Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking

You might try books published by Wei-Chuan Publishing, they have several bilingual, English-Chinese, editions. Chinese Cuisine features dishes from several regions, and Chinese Snacks has many of the goodies you find on the street or at a dim sum restaurant.

This?

This is a recent Burmese cookbook by the co-author of Hot Sour Salty Sweet which is probably the cookbook I've cooked more things from than any other.

is this the correct book???

My mom's Chinese and we've always had this one in our family Chinese Cuisine (Wei-Chuan's Cookbook) (English and Traditional Chinese Edition)

Since it's from a cookbook, I don't think it's OK for me to post the recipe. It came from Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees. https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Claws-Jade-Trees-Techniques/dp/0385344686/

I found this recipe, which is extremely close.
https://omnivorescookbook.com/lions-head-pork-meatballs

Hello is it this?

https://www.amazon.com/Kansha-Celebrating-Japans-Vegetarian-Traditions/dp/1580089550

What level difficulty would you say the recipes are?