I would imagine that, due to the ease of internet access, people are no longer buying as many cookbooks as they used to. After all, why buy a cookbook with 300 recipes when all you want is to reproduce the really delicious Pad Thai that you recently had at your favorite Thai restaurant?
I still buy cookbooks and tend to read them like novels, sitting up in bed at night before bedtime. I find them curiously comforting. Though I rarely actually cook from them, I find them inspiring in terms of discovering more about a place, as recipe framework or for inspiration for my own inventions.
Below are my go-to cookbooks for the Asian food that I like to cook. I have attached links to Amazon for those of you who are interested in purchasing your own copy. Please know that, since I would never recommend anything that I did not believe in, I will not receive any fee should you purchase from Amazon via my website. I really do cook from these books and love them.
My Singapore cooking books seem to have vanished and I will add a couple of titles to this list when I find them. Last but not least, there are obviously many other countries in the region whose cooking style I need to explore. And probably will. Once I do, and should I find a gem of a cookbook, I will also add to this list.
P.S. Apologies for the glitches in formatting. Try as I might this blog post took against me and refused to cooperate despite my many attempts to make a cohesive looking post.
Chinese:
The Art of Chinese Cooking
The Benedictine Sisters of Peking - 1956
When we lived in Hong Kong when I was tiny, my parents took a cooking class with the Benedictine sisters there and came home with this cookbook. My mom (very kindly and a bit reluctantly) gave me her copy a few years ago. It is absolutely charming and the recipes are comprehensive and delicious.
Land of Plenty - A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
Fuchsia Dunlop - 2003
I discovered Fuchsia Dunlop through her memoir, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, which I thought was an absolutely beautiful book - it is so well written that you feel that you are right there in Sichuan Province with her. Based on my enjoyment, I branched out and bought this cookbook which is truly fantastic if you like Chinese food on the fragrant/spicy side.
The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking - Techniques and Recipes
Barbara Tropp - 1982
Can be purchased here.
I discovered Barbara Tropp through The China Moon Cookbook, based on dishes from her restaurant in San Francisco. I have read it again and again and get hungry and sad that I never got to eat there every single time. This cookbook is a tad more traditional but full of insights and explanations that really give me a good base from which to make Chinese/Taiwanese food.
Japanese:
Japanese Cooking - A Simple Art
Shizuo Tsuji - 1980
Shizuo Tsuji was the founder of the Ecole Technique Hôtelière Tsuji in Osaka whose cookery program is apparently responsible for producing 40% of the chefs and owners of Japanese Michelin starred restaurants. This cookbook is excellent - it covers all the basics of Japanese cuisine in detail and gives the home cook a whole slew of meticulous recipes to cook at home. I am told that there is an updated version but I have linked to the version that I know and trust.
Washoku - Recipes From the Japanese Home Kitchen
Elizabeth Andoh - 2005
As well as being a lovely lady in person, Elizabeth Andoh has lived in Japan for many years. Not only is her prose very accessible, she knows what she is talking about. She has written many books; this one is my favorite. You can also sign up and receive her newsletter here.
Rice Paddy Gourmet
Joan Itoh - 1976
Can be purchased here.
Joan Itoh wrote a cooking column in the Japan Times newspaper in the 1970s. I met her a few times when I was growing up and I remember that she was very funny; she also is on paper. The recipes in this book get your imagination going but I mostly read this every few years for the wonderful anecdotes that make me nostalgic for the Japan of my childhood. Such a good writer.
Ma Petite Cuisine Japonaise
Laure Kié - 2009
Can be purchased here.
This has not been translated into English yet but hopefully will be at some point as I see on Amazon that the author has some English language books. What I like most about this one is that the author uses traditional Japanese ingredients to make very modern dishes, including a seaweed tapenade that has been very popular everytime I have made it and a really nice wasabi and avocado custard with smoked salmon. Laure also has a website with videos and a blog which is quite fun, here.
Thai:
Thai Food
David Thompson - 2002
Can be purchased here.
I think that there is probably no non-Thai who likes Thai food who doesn't own this book but I included it because I refer to it whenever I am working with Thai flavors. To me it is THE compendium of anything Thai cooking related and so informative as to culture and history as well as cookery. Also, the photographs by Earl Carter are simply amazing.
It Rains Fishes - Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking
Kasma Loha- Unchit - 1995
Can be purchased here.
There are under 30 recipes in this cookbook but the prose is so charming and the author loves the country so much that you fall under a Thai spell as you peruse this book. The recipes are very comprehensive and the author does a good job of explaining technique and ingredients. admittedly more recipes-less pretty pictures would have made for a better book.
Simply Thai Cooking
Wandee Young and Byron Ayanoglu - 2011 (I have the 3rd edition)
Can be purchased here.
The antithesis of It Rains Fishes, this book has tons of recipes and is short on art and food porn; just the way I mostly like it. The recipes are really detailed and easy to execute; a definite go-to of mine when I feel like Thai food.
Comments