Reddit mentions: The best soul food cooking 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 have no problem with swearing in general. It is not to my taste, but it is not something I am against. This particular book is not just full of swears, it is specifically imitating the cadence and language that it supposes urban black people use. And that is the sole "joke" of it, the juxtaposition of fancy vegan food and "hood" language. The authors concealed their identities for a long time allowing readers to think they were something other than who they are.

I never said that white people should not be allowed to cook whatever they want to or that it wouldn't be good food. In fact, I recommended Thug Kitchen as a book that I have heard good things about and that my friends really enjoy, with the caveat that I have never personally tried it for those reasons.

Yes, I do know that many restaurants hire chefs and cooks that are of varying ethnicities and I did say appropriation is not about any individual person cooking food, but is about profiting and power dynamics. I would rather support a vegan cookbook by an actual black person like Bryant Terry or Makini Howell than Thug Kitchen. Similarly I would rather financially support PoC owned restaurants rather than white owned restaurants that get more recognition and praise and are able to charge higher prices. I say white because white people are the majority where I live and are in a position of power over people of color. That doesn't mean that the white restaurants don't serve good food, it means I recognize that they aren't operating on an even playing field.

You can call me a SJW, it doesn't bother me. My passion for social justice lead me to veganism because I believe all living beings deserve respect, consideration, opportunities and just treatment. Veganism should be intersectional.

Welcome!!

If soul food is what you know & want, look into Bryant Terry's cookbooks. Vegan Soul Kitchen has gotten some amazing reviews. I've actually been thinking of picking up his most recent one, Afro-Vegan which is African, Southern, & Caribbean inspired recipes. Plus it looks like some good food porn for my coffee table book collection!

This subreddit is what inspired me to go vegan myself so I can attest that there are a lot of great resources around here. The people are friendly and helpful so never hesitate to ask questions!

My one piece of advice is this: patience. I know you've experienced this revelation of sorts and it's exciting and you want to share it with the world! I know I did. But sometimes the world is a few paces behind. My friends and family are still slowly coming around to the idea about a year and a half after the fact. So don't be discouraged if they don't hop on the vegan train with you right away. Have no expectations, don't take it personally, and enjoy the small victories.

Good luck! You're doing a great thing :)

Find a good vegan cookbook. Heck, find three or four of them. I like the Veganomicon, which is a great general reference, but you can find one for everything, from pies to soul food to sandwiches.

Cookbooks will do two things for you. First, they'll provide a resource if you start to feel cravings for food you used to rely on: if you get desperate for burgers, or chicken parmesan, or mousakka, you'll find a great alternative that scratches that itch. Second, they'll provide an excellent resource to browse through and find recipes you'd never have thought of on your own. Expanding your palate is a surefire way to improve your diet.

I'll be honest, this is sort of off the wall, but I read Edward Lee's Smoke & Pickles a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was outstanding. It's a combination Southern cookbook and memoir about the child of Korean immigrants who grew up in the Bronx, was briefly an annoying Brooklyn hipster, but ended up being a chef in Kentucky. It's basically a cookbook (and not one for entry-level cooks either), but each section starts with a long, thoughtful, engaging essay about how his life journey ended up with him being a good old boy who works buttermilk and bourbon into every dish and occasionally hangs out at slaughterhouses or goes pheasant hunting. I dunno, it's just cool and really, really well-written.

Man it sounds like you have what I have. It's pretty far out there, but this guy is who helped me: book. You'll be skeptical, I was too and didn't read it for a while after my mom got it for me, but just read at least 100 pages. Make sure you take several different antivirals, like thyme tea, licorice root extract, cats claw, and lobelia (especially if your skin is on fire) in addition to the other stuff he recommends. He has a bunch of helpful supplement recommendations in terms of good brands with no additives on his site. Lmk if you ever have any questions, here to help.

That's a relevant quote, thanks.

Since you happened to mention the (supposed) date of 2500 years ago again, I've included a quote which discusses that question. Of course this is only a scholarly, academic point as far as the content itself and what it is pointing at.

This is an excerpt from the introduction to Byrom's translation of the Gita. The excerpt is available in that same linked book preview, on page xxiii.
> Sanskrit is so static, especially after Panini's account of it became prescriptive, a little before Christ, that its literature is hard to date on linguistic evidence alone. Since we have only the slimmest literary, historical, or philosophical evidence, besides, it is very hard to date the Ashtavakra Gita with any accuracy. Indian editors usually argue, with some sentimentality, that it was written in the same age as or just before the Bhagavad Gita, which they date to the fifth or fourth century B.C.E. Western editors not only place the Bhagavad Gita much later, probably in the first or second century C.E., but they generally agree that the Ashtavakra Gita comes a good deal later still. Without rehearsing the arguments, we may safely guess that it was written either in the eighth century by a follower of Shankara, or in the fourteenth century during a resurgence of Shankara's teaching. As a distillation of monistic Vedanta, it certainly has all the marks of Shankara's purification of ancient Shaivism.

Everything you need to know you'll learn at the invisible school, sooner or later.

There are lots of authors I've learned from, but none wrote books specifically about the invisible school.

So if you like, I would be more than happy to recommend a few books. Have you read these?

https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Faces-Collected-Joseph-Campbell/dp/1577315936

https://www.amazon.com/Comparing-Religions-Jeffrey-J-Kripal/dp/1405184582

https://www.amazon.com/Wonders-Sky-Unexplained-Objects-Antiquity/dp/1585428205

As a vegetarian, not a vegan, my current favorite cookbook is actually a vegan cookbook. Vegan soul food by Bryant Terry is a fantastic read with phenomenal recipes. I've worked my through a significant number of the recipes and I have been amazed by the complexity of the flavors and the deep unami taste of many of the recipes. Worth every cent - http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Soul-Kitchen-Creative-African-American/dp/0738212288/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

You said Southern Style but I really like Ed Lee's collards + kimchi served at MilkWood which is technically Korean-Southern fusion. I love it so much so that I quit using my grandmother's recipe and adopted his. Recipe here: http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/collards-kimchi/ basically the entire restaurants menu is in this cookbook https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Pickles-Recipes-Stories-Southern/dp/1579654924

I read “Nothing in this book is true but it’s exactly how things are” back in 1997. It explains how there are microscopic inter dimensional space ships inside a chamber in the Sphinx which can be activated using star tetrahedron technology which is some sort of interior mechanism anyone is capable of activating through meditation. I think I’m going to read the book again. It’s excellent in my opinion.

https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-This-Exactly-Things-Anniversary/dp/1556438311

i recently got hooked on Roasted Rosemary Tofu (recipe) (picture) from the Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook. it's really easy to make, has wonderful flavor & a perfect texture. the only note that the posted recipe & the photos miss is that the rosemary should be very finely chopped, not left whole.

My favourite cookbook which turns out is vegetarian: Thug Kitchen

My favourite slow cooker recipes for when I work all day and want delicious food when I come home: Slow Cooker Recipes

And a great book my mom got me when she thought I said I was going vegan not vegetarian, so many good recipes: Vegan Recipes

I recently donated away about 100 cookbooks I had collected over the years (I organize virtually everything digitally now) but I kept these 5:

Child et al, Mastering the Art of French Cooking (well-used, next to the stove)

Hazan, Essentials of Italian Cooking (carried to Italy and used there twice)

Lewis, The Taste of Country Cooking (such a good read)

Rombauer. An older than I am edition (with how-to-skin-a-squirrel recipes) of the Joy of Cooking (falling apart, kept for sentimental reasons)

Fox, On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen (for the porn)

When he said “you wouldn’t believe me” reminded me of a great book that changed my outlook on life “Nothing in This Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are” by Bob Frissell. Here is an amazon link: it will tell you all the secrets
https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-This-Exactly-Things-Anniversary/dp/1556438311/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JHG0BDXT4WLO&keywords=nothing+in+this+book+is+true+but+it%27s+exactly+how+things+are&qid=1556244776&s=gateway&sprefix=Nothing+in+this%2Caps%2C220&sr=8-1

I started reading Liquor: A novel. Pretty good book from the start.

http://www.amazon.com/Liquor-Novel-Poppy-Z-Brite/dp/1400050073

On a more contemporary note, I ran into this vegan soul food cookbook in my library. I had never heard of vegan soul food, despite being vegetarian for 15 years. I picked it up and only had the chance to make the collard greens but they were awesome.

I recommend you read "Nothing in this Book is True...But it's Exactly How Things Are" by Bob Frissell. It talks about all kinds of things from Grey Aliens to Sacred Geometry. Just finished it and it's a great book.
http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Exactly-Things-Anniversary-Edition/dp/1556438311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331748774&sr=8-1

A few of these are vegetarian, not vegan, but they have lots of great vegan stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/Teff-Love-Adventures-Ethiopian-Cooking/dp/157067311X

www.amazon.com/Alternative-Vegan-International-Straight-Produce/dp/1604865083/

http://www.lotusartichoke.com

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517581671/

https://www.amazon.com/Decolonize-Your-Diet-Plant-Based-Mexican-American/dp/1551525925

https://www.amazon.com/Afro-Vegan-Farm-Fresh-African-Caribbean-Southern/dp/1607745313

https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Soul-Kitchen-Creative-African-American/dp/0738212288/

https://www.amazon.com/Food52-Vegan-Vegetable-Driven-Recipes-Kitchen/dp/1607747995

He figures prominently in this doosie of a read. Pretty entertaining stuff: Link

I've always really liked this book by Edna Lewis: it's written seasonally and it gives a good sense of the history of many Southern ingredients and dishes.

Favorite recents:

-

Smoke and Pickles by Edward Lee.

Black Barbecue Sauce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NGNmwjO534

▬▬▬

Charred and Scruffed by Adam Perry Lang.

Rib Roast Cooked Like a Steak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo18GdOgdXw

▬▬▬

The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez-Alt. The chapter on fried foods alone is worth the price of the ebook.

Cacio e Pepe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sap5IKEGHDA

I’ll give you three, just in case you’ve read the one I was gonna give you.

Good luck.

https://www.amazon.com/Comparing-Religions-Jeffrey-J-Kripal/dp/1405184582

https://www.amazon.com/Western-Esotericism-Guide-Perplexed-Guides/dp/1441136460

https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Goddess-Complete-Birrell-Hughes/dp/B002C3UTM2

Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin

or possibly

Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen

they both look like a lot of fun.

African-Americans aren’t “immigrants” in the traditional sense of the word. Most popular forms of American music (Jazz, Rock, Hip-Hop) started out as just an African-American thing. Soul Food is an American thing. You obviously don’t know about the Harlem Renaissance, and have never read the works of Langston Hughs or Zora Neal Hurston. The Nation of Islam, has a very unorthodox interpretation of the Quran that is really only found with black folks in America. I could go on, but you get my point.

Edit: Just read the rest of the thread and realized you were just talking about these white folks. Lol.

If you had the fortitude to read for longer periods of time maybe you wouldn't have to feign knowledge. Here's a nice introduction to advaita if you're interested. https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Teaching-Ramana-Maharshi/dp/1590301390

The best chicken and waffles I've ever had was at Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland, CA. I bought Tanya Holland's cookbook immediately after eating there.

You'd love The Vegan Soul Kitchen

> Do you guys have any sources of really high quality vegan meals by like high level chefs and shit.

Take your pick! What cuisines does she like to make? What do you like to eat? Choose something that fits both.

Gourmet Stuff (youtube channels, blogs, and/or cookbooks. Some are all three):

• Hot For Food
  
• Sweet Potato Soul
  
• Edgy Veg
  
• AvantGardeVegan
  
• Exceedingly Vegan
  
• Mr. Vegan
  
• VeganLovlie
  
• Peaceful Cuisine
  
• Vegan Soul Kitchen
  
• Oh She Glows
  
• Minimalist Baker
  
  For direct recreations of dairy, meat, and condiments/sauces.
  
  
• Seitan and Beyond by Skye Michael Conroy
  
• The Non-Dairy Evolution Cookbook by Skye Michael Conroy
  
• The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples by Miyoko Schinner
  
• Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner
  
  For recreations of eggs:
  
  
• Baking substitutes
  
• For straight eggs
  
  For a general cookbook: Veganomicon
  
  ---------
  
  My list of substitutions, taken from another comment:
  
  "
  Another thing you can do is learn or find vegan substitutes to things, then you can look up recipes that are as complex or authentic as you want, and simply use the substitutions. For gourmet vegan cooking, some are:
  
  
• Beef, sausage: seitan, commercial vegan meat substitutes
  
• Bacon: Coconut bacon or Bac'n bits
  
• Heavy Cream: Cashew Cream
  
• Butter: Vegan Butter, margarine, vegetable oil or coconut oil in baking
  
• Cheese: blended up nuts or other things with flavorings or gelling agents, different for different ones. Mozzarella, Ricotta, Feta, Parmesan, Fancy Cookbooks: 1, 2
  
• Eggs: For cooking, Tofu or Commercial Egg Replacers. For baking, a bunch of different things depending on what you're making.
  
• Crab cakes: hearts of palm
  
• Tuna salad: mashed chickpeas
  
• Merangues: aquafaba
  
  "

this book: http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Teaching-Ramana-Maharshi/dp/1590301390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323705001&sr=8-1

regarding Ramana Maharshi...this is a fantastic introduction to his self-enquiry from the Advaita Vedanta school of thought.

The bourbon jalapenos and caraway pickles were both from Edward Lee's Smoke and Pickles book. I found a lot of inspiration in it.

Okay I'll bite "Awful Truth" loaded to kindle.

I really hope its as bastshit as this one

I am not sure if 'vegan' qualifies automatically as 'diabetic' but this cookbook is rockstar....and healthy.

"Vegan Soul Kitchen"

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Soul-Kitchen-Creative-African-American/dp/0738212288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450929368&sr=8-1&keywords=vegan+soul+kitchen

I think you'd enjoy this book: https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-This-Exactly-Things-Anniversary/dp/1556438311

One method that makes amazing BBQ seitan:

take the raw gluten (the wheat gluten + liquid + whatever seasoning) and fry it in very hot oil. The heat will break down the gluten a little, and then you attempt not to burn yourself while you twist in peanut butter (or tahini). Then lay the twists out on a pan and slather in whatever sauce you want and bake. The real recipe is in the Soul Veg cookbook, but I think it might do really well with these seasonings.

Vegan Soul Kitchen - soul food made vegan and healthy (and tasty!)

Her most famous cookbook is The Taste of Country Cooking, which is still in print. You may also be interested in this book of essays and remembrances about her.

Photo found here, it was one of several taken by John T. Hill.

Relevant. And cheap. And yes, there's a recipe for Chocolate Salty Balls in there.

I'll just leave this here Nothing in This Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are

There’s a really good bourbon brown sugar carrot recipe in this cookbook. On mobile now but will try to find the recipe later.

Any of the Thomas Keller books, French Laundry, Ad Hoc at Home, Bouchon, and Bouchon Bakery. The only one you'd probably want to avoid is Under Pressure.

Also, Heston at Home and In Search of Perfection are great books.

If you're into southern food, check out Sean Brock's Heritage and Ed Lee's Smoke & Pickles.

Finally, I'd suggest Modernist Cuisine at Home if you're up for splurging.

This one is I believe. It's an interesting read, if a little bizarre.

Reminds me of that bonkers book by Bob Frissell. Frissell strings together every new age belief without the slightest bit of legitimate evidence or critical thought. I only picked it up because of a recommendation in a Tool newsletter from over two decades ago, and I somehow got through the whole thing. I feel like the claims in each - these videos and Bob's book - are very similar.

Building Houses out of Chicken Legs perhaps?

Maybe this book for some familiar flavors (that guy does have a couple other books out).

An iconic old American cookbook is The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis. It was published in 1976, has 300+ pages - exact page count depending on the edition. Older edition here.

If we are talking about American food history viewed through cookbooks, this book (and Edna's other cookbooks) would probably be in the top 3 list. I dislike using over the top adjectives, but this book is really an iconic book. Here's a seriouseats review.

Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry Amazon Link

Need audio book for the following: (Paying $2 each)

https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Medium-Liver-Rescue-Gallstones/dp/B07JDSJYSP/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1550116743&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Medium-Anthony-William-ebook/dp/B012EI538Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550116743&sr=8-3&keywords=healing+medium

https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Thyroid-Healing-Anthony-William-ebook/dp/B0746P1LGV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550116743&sr=8-2&keywords=healing+medium

Chitlin's Cookbook

This is actually why I've never gone out of my way to buy this book. I got Vegan Soul Kitchen. I hate when a recipe requires me to get a ton of dishes dirty or measure too many things. I like minimal prep & cleanup, and my recipes amount to: one starch, one vegetable, one bean, varying spices, and varying oils. Tada!

> Back to my original question, what is wrong with desires?

It halts action. That can be a problem since your OP stated "I desire to stop watching porn."

Your desire to stop is getting in the way of you stopping. Act, don't intellectualize.

>So if you know the cure to weightloss, why don't you write a book and make a billion dollars.

Because plus sized women are my fetish.

And, it has already been done. Twice. Thrice? A thousand years ago?

>It would still take him effort to lose the weight.

'Time' does not equal 'effort'. The radical detachment from mental cravings is instantaneous.

It's a shifting of perspective, from 'food as an intoxicant' to 'food as nourishment'.

The new perspective is the breaking of the buried seed; the weight loss is the growth of the tree.

First recognize who you are, what you are, what food is. After recognizing, let weight loss happen.

If you don't trust that weight loss will happen by itself, then you have recognized nothing at all.