R E L A T E D
I N F O

Viet Cookbooks in English

Viet Cookbooks in Vietnamese

Chinese and other Southeast Asian Cookbooks

Useful Reference Books

Magazine and Newspaper Articles

Noteworthy
Websites

Chinese

The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore (2004)
Grace Young
If you want to master wok cooking, let Grace be your guide. This book has all the details (e.g., about a dozen ways to season a wok!) and tons of well written recipes. Grace and photographer Alan Richardson went all over the world to document how different cooks use this ancient cooking tool. Like Grace's previous work, this one has won numerous prestigious awards. For more information on Grace, visit her website: www.graceyoung.com.

Land of Plenty (2003)
Fushia Dunlop
Hot, numbing, and sublime are a few words for describing Sichuan cooking. Dunlop's book is a great gateway for exploring authentic Sichuan cooking. She's a Brit but fluent in Chinese and well versed in the cuisine of that region. The recipe ingredient lists and instructions can be off at times so read carefully before you cook. The ma po dofu, a classic preparation, is terrific when made with beef, just as she suggests. Thank goodness Sichuan peppercorns are now legal in the U.S.

The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing (1999)
Grace Young
Grace's first book is a tribute to her mother and father's zealous efforts to preserve Chinese food traditions in the U.S. It's an amazing work that teaches on many levels -- culinarily and culturally. The medicinal discussions are terrific. Grace's instructions are precise without being overbearing. This is a perfect for the home cook.

Every Grain of Rice: A Taste of Our Chinese Childhood in America (1998)
Ellen Blonder, Annabel Low
These two sisters have written and illustrated a beautiful book that illustrates Chinese-American life. The homey recipes are well developed, reflecting the marriage of tastes that reflect the multiethnic core of America. Some recipes call for ketchup, a mark of authenticity according to my finicky friend Victor Fong, who was born and raised in Los Angeles' Chinatown.

Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine (1995)
Susanna Foo
Restaurateur Susanna Foo offers you her visceral knowledge of Chinese cooking in this book. She bridges Taiwanese sensibilities with American palates to create innovative and flavorful foods. Her instructions are very well written.

Chinese Cooking for Pleasure (1987)
Yong Yap Cotterel
Find this book if you're into traditional, authentic, regional Chinese food. I bought it for the moon cake recipe (a tough find), to compare to how my mother makes hers. What I discovered was a book chock full of wild recipes that are not usually published in western books. For example, cucumber in milk sauce, steamed lamb buns and pancakes stuffed with red bean paste. The text on Chinese traditions is great.

The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking (1982)
Barbara Tropp
Infused with knowledge and enthusiasm, this book explains in great detail how to prepare authentic Chinese food in your kitchen. Tropp, who recently passed away, studied Chinese language and cultural traditions. Her carefully penned text makes you feel like she's in the kitchen with you, cheering you on. Many modern cookbooks offer fancy full color photos. Tropp's book is all text and a few hand-drawn illustrations. Who needs photos when you've got first-rate instructions? The recipe for Chinese Islamic scallion bread is terrific. Explanations of fundamental cooking techniques are excellent.

Dim Sum and Other Chinese Street Food (1979)
Mai Leung
If you're lucky, you live near a Chinese dim sum restaurant and don't need this book. If you're curious like me, this is a fun cookbook to read and experiment from. Leung gives you tons of information on the cultural context surrounding these types of foods. The recipe instructions are not completely tight, but if you're an experienced cook, you can negotiate around such obstacles just fine.

The Key to Chinese Cooking (1977)
Irene Kuo
One of the best Chinese cookbooks written. Clearly stated and explained, the recipes work every time. A cooking instructor in New York City, Kuo's instructions are right on. She never messes around and hits the mark. Reprinted in 1996, you can sometimes find it in used bookstores or on closeout. I own two copies, just in case my dog-eared one falls apart. The explanations of basic Chinese/Asian cooking techniques are fabulous.

Southeast Asian

Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia (2006)
James Oseland
There's very little written in English about the cuisines of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malasia. That's why you need Oseland's excellent work, which has been carefully and lovingly prepared. Prepare some of the foods from these cultures to make better connections with Viet cooking. They're all interconnected. For more information, visit James's site: jamesoseland.com

Thai Food (2002)
David Thompson
A massive, heavy book, this work contains beautiful photography and fantastic background information on ingredients and traditions. However, the recipes can be a bit hard to follow, as Thompson is a professional chef in Australia and not a food writer. If you're a skilled cook who knows about Asian cooking, this is a must for your collection.

Cracking the Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking (2000)
Su-Mei Yu
A terrific book that will help you master Thai cooking. A San Diego based restaurateur, Yu is an excellent teacher and writer. She is of Chinese descent but was born and raised in Bangkok. Her website is at: www.sumeiyu.com

Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood (2000)
Kasma Loha-Unchit
Buy this book for the glossary of ingredients alone! Loha-Unchit thoroughly does her research and presents the information in a comprehensive manner. The recipes are to die for. This is her second book. Check her out at www.thaifoodandtravel.com.

Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia (2000)
Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
This big beautiful book is a favorite of many Southeast Asian food lovers and cooks. Loaded with photographs, the recipes are terrific too! Naomi and Jeffrey's work capture the essences of Southeast Asian cooking. Visit their site: www.hotsoursaltysweet.com

The Elephant Walk Cookbook: Cambodian Cuisine from the Nationally Acclaimed Restaurant (1998)
Longteine De Monteiro, Katherine Neustadt
Books on Cambodian cooking are rare. This one happens to be a terrific find too! Reading it yields a greater understanding of Southeast Asian cooking. The authors aim to bring authentic Cambodian cooking to America and they succeed.

Real Thai: The Best of Thailand's Regional Cooking (1992)
Nancie McDermott
Before Thai cookbooks were popular, there was McDermott's book, a thoroughly written work that guides you through making authentic dishes. McDermott was a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand. This book reflects her interest in the Thai culture, passion for food and ability to write recipes. What more do you want? As the name suggests, this is the real thing. For more on McDermott, visit her site at www.nanciemcdermott.com.

Indonesian and Thai Cookery (1988)
Sri Owen
In this nice little book, Owen gives you just enough information for cultural context without boring you. The recipes are tantalizing and they work. I purchased this book in Hong Kong in the early 1990s and have never seen it in the U.S. Because the author is based in London, it most probably was distributed in England and English colonies.

Thai Home Cooking from Kamolmal's Kitchen (1985)
William Crawford, Kamolmal Pootaraska
Full of authentic recipes and instruction, this is out of print but worth the search. It was written to persuade non-Thai people to try the food out. However, this was not done at the expense of the recipes. They retain their ethnic integrity. Coconut ice cream with corn and peanuts was probably out there for most gourmet cooks in 1985. Nowadays, it would delight many people's palates.