Koncocoo

Best Southeast Asian Cooking, Food & Wine

Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand
In this much-anticipated debut cookbook, Ricker shares seventy of the most popular recipes from Thailand and his Pok Pok restaurants—ranging from Khao Soi Kai (Northern Thai curry noodle soup with chicken) to Som Tam Thai (Central Thai–style papaya salad) to Pok Pok’s now-classic (and obsessed-over) Fish-Sauce Wings. Sounding like a gourmand Allen Ginsberg, he writes, “I’ve spent the better part of the last twenty years roaming around Thailand, cooking and recooking strange soups, beseeching street vendors for stir-fry tips, and trying to figure out how to reproduce obscure Thai products with American ingredients.” He spills out his acquired knowledge here across 13 chapters and nearly 100 recipes.
Reviews
"2) Thai Style Pork Ribs – p 128 with Jaew (spicy, tart dipping sauce) – p 278. He talks about indirect heat using zones on a big grill or the oven. He doesn’t mention a kamado style grill, so if you’ve got an egg shaped grill, to do low heat slow gilling or smoking, you just need a heat deflector. I tossed a chunk of hickory in mine to exaggerate the smoky taste he talks about. The peanut sauce gave my molcajete and right arm a nice workout. Some others I have flagged to try: Grilled Eggplant Salad – p 59 * Isaan Steak Salad – p 68 * Grilled Pork Neck (or shoulder) with Spicy Dipping Sauce and Iced Greens – p 125 * Northern Thai Style Herbal Sausage – p 132 * Stir Fried Noodles with Shrimp, Tofu, and Peanuts – p 221 * Thai Rice Noodles with Northern Thai Curry – p 235 * Sticky Rice with Mango and Salty Sweet Coconut Cream – p 257. I’ll update this as I play in the book more."
"Received as a gift but have eaten at the restaurant several times. We have made 10-12 recipes from the book in just over 2 weeks and have loved all but one recipe and that one was eaten but won't be made again."
"I've been to the restaurant, and Pok Pok has some of the best Thai-fusion food I have ever had."
"Our favorite dish is the green curry and Som Tom or shredded green papaya salad with shrimp."
"If you have ever been to Pok Pok in Portland, you know how delicious the food is!"
"As someone with multiple trips to Thailand and who has been working on duplicating Thai cuisine in the US for 20 years, this book made me want to be in northern or northeastern Thailand so badly."
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Vietnamese Home Cooking
In his eagerly awaited first cookbook, award-winning chef Charles Phan from San Francisco's Slanted Door restaurant introduces traditional Vietnamese cooking to home cooks by focusing on fundamental techniques and ingredients. But the ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and sambal oelek—a prepared red chile paste that is readily available at most grocery stores—make them different than the standard cucumber pickle. 1 pound English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and cut on the diagonal into -inch-thick slices 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned 1 to 2 fresh Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and julienned 4 cups rice vinegar 1¼ cups sugar 1½ teaspoons sambal chile paste, also known as sambal oelek ½ cup toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns ¼ cup whole dried red chiles, such as árbol. Transfer to a bowl, add the ginger and fresh Thai chiles, and toss to mix.
Reviews
"Interesting book....recipes are easy to follow but cooking Vietnamese food can be complicated."
"Any competent 8 year-old could make it, it keeps for months, and the combination might well stun you: toss it with some shrimp and scallions, and dinner is READY. If you take the time to make the utterly porkalicious stock first, and find really fresh coconuts, jaws will drop. Uniquely for an Asian cookbook, it specifies good-quality, sustainable (pastured, grass-fed, etc) ingredients, even when making stock, and clearly explains why."
"Recently moved to southern Florida from orange county calif."
"great book particularly if you are a novice when it comes to Vietnamese cooking."
"excellent recipes and very good instructions."
"I love that the author shares that he makes his chicken broth for his wife and family and love that he shares about his family."
"This is absolutely the best Vietnamese cookbook and if you follow the recipes it is mich better than eating at The Slanted Door in SAN Francisco which has dumbed down his recipes for the public."
"He made me feel the streets of Vietnam, its rhythms, its soul .I have been reading this like a novel, a history, a love story."
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The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches
A cookbook devoted to the beloved Vietnamese sandwich, featuring 50 recipes ranging from classic fillings to innovative modern combinations. From childhood lunches of silky sausage on toasted baguettes to postmodern banh mi smeared with curried edamame pâté, she sketches the transformation of a sandwich, born of French and Chinese colonization and Vietnamese ingenuity, into a global culinary phenomenon.”. —John T. Edge, author of The. Truck Food Cookbook "Lots of tasty riffs on the meaty, pickly, crunchy, saucy, spicy Vietnamese sandwich." "The banh mi sandwich is itself the product of many miles traveled: the crusty bread brought to Vietnam by French colonists, filled with all the bright, hot, fresh, meaty, intensely tasty elements of the local cuisine. it's a master course in banh mi construction, from the bread to the pickles and condiments to every imaginable filling, whether it's pork meatballs or fried oysters or a lipsmacking citrus-marinated grilled chicken you're hankering for."
Reviews
"Ms Nguyen breaks down the delicious bahn mi sandwich into simple elements - crunch of the crust, softness of the crumb, a bit of fat, a umami blast, unctuous fillings, cool and crisp veggie toppings - in a way that I was able to carry over into my other cooking. I was thinking of her meatball bahn mi as I tweaked my usual spaghetti with meatballs recipe for dinner last night - adding finely chopped cilantro stems to the meat, coating the meatballs with panko, and a dash of anchovy paste to the sauce."
"I have always loved Banh Mi and to find a book that not only has some wonderful ideas for sandwiches, but also how to make the bread to put the stuff into is a distinct plus!"
"This book explains the basic makeup and variations of the Banh Mi sandwich along with easy to follow recipes."
"I would recommend this recipe book to anyone who loves a good sandwich that is actually good for you."
"I bought several of these as Hanukkah gifts sight unseen just because I have always found Andrea Nguyen's books to be wonderful."
"LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these sammies!!!!"
"This book had all the information I needed, with advice on how to be creative and make personal variations to the recipes as well."
"decent book as it taught me the basics of a banh mi."
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Best Vietnamese Cooking, Food & Wine

Vietnamese Home Cooking
In his eagerly awaited first cookbook, award-winning chef Charles Phan from San Francisco's Slanted Door restaurant introduces traditional Vietnamese cooking to home cooks by focusing on fundamental techniques and ingredients. But the ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and sambal oelek—a prepared red chile paste that is readily available at most grocery stores—make them different than the standard cucumber pickle. 1 pound English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and cut on the diagonal into -inch-thick slices 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned 1 to 2 fresh Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and julienned 4 cups rice vinegar 1¼ cups sugar 1½ teaspoons sambal chile paste, also known as sambal oelek ½ cup toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns ¼ cup whole dried red chiles, such as árbol. Transfer to a bowl, add the ginger and fresh Thai chiles, and toss to mix.
Reviews
"Interesting book....recipes are easy to follow but cooking Vietnamese food can be complicated."
"Any competent 8 year-old could make it, it keeps for months, and the combination might well stun you: toss it with some shrimp and scallions, and dinner is READY. If you take the time to make the utterly porkalicious stock first, and find really fresh coconuts, jaws will drop. Uniquely for an Asian cookbook, it specifies good-quality, sustainable (pastured, grass-fed, etc) ingredients, even when making stock, and clearly explains why."
"Recently moved to southern Florida from orange county calif."
"great book particularly if you are a novice when it comes to Vietnamese cooking."
"excellent recipes and very good instructions."
"I love that the author shares that he makes his chicken broth for his wife and family and love that he shares about his family."
"This is absolutely the best Vietnamese cookbook and if you follow the recipes it is mich better than eating at The Slanted Door in SAN Francisco which has dumbed down his recipes for the public."
"He made me feel the streets of Vietnam, its rhythms, its soul .I have been reading this like a novel, a history, a love story."
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Best Southeast Asia Travel Guides

Lonely Planet Thailand (Travel Guide)
Wander through wild orchids in Mae Hong Son, charter a longtail boat on the Andaman Coast or look for tigers and monkeys in national parks; all with your trusted travel companion. Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - current affairs, history, politics, arts, architecture, environment, food & drink, responsible travel Free, convenient pull-out Bangkok map (included in print version), plus over 100 maps Covers Bangkok, Central Thailand, Ko Chang, Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand, Hua Hin, Southern Gulf, Ko Samui, Lower Gulf, Phuket, Andaman Coast and more. Check out Southeast Asia on a shoestring, a comprehensive guide to stretching money for an extended trip across the region. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.
Reviews
"We truly enjoyed using this guide while visiting Thailand."
"Another informative and accurate Lonely Planet Guide."
"It turned out to be full of a LOT of information - some of which we will use, and some we won't."
"Lots of info, but the E-version is not as user friendly."
"I won't make it to visit Thailand until next year so I can't compare this books accuracy yet; but it seems to be very detailed and honest."
"Basically unusable in practical and practice."
"The flowery writing, lack of pictures and slightly outdated information made me quickly switch from scrolling through its pages to (free) sources like wiki travel."
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Best Thai Cooking, Food & Wine

Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand
In this much-anticipated debut cookbook, Ricker shares seventy of the most popular recipes from Thailand and his Pok Pok restaurants—ranging from Khao Soi Kai (Northern Thai curry noodle soup with chicken) to Som Tam Thai (Central Thai–style papaya salad) to Pok Pok’s now-classic (and obsessed-over) Fish-Sauce Wings. Sounding like a gourmand Allen Ginsberg, he writes, “I’ve spent the better part of the last twenty years roaming around Thailand, cooking and recooking strange soups, beseeching street vendors for stir-fry tips, and trying to figure out how to reproduce obscure Thai products with American ingredients.” He spills out his acquired knowledge here across 13 chapters and nearly 100 recipes.
Reviews
"2) Thai Style Pork Ribs – p 128 with Jaew (spicy, tart dipping sauce) – p 278. He talks about indirect heat using zones on a big grill or the oven. He doesn’t mention a kamado style grill, so if you’ve got an egg shaped grill, to do low heat slow gilling or smoking, you just need a heat deflector. I tossed a chunk of hickory in mine to exaggerate the smoky taste he talks about. The peanut sauce gave my molcajete and right arm a nice workout. Some others I have flagged to try: Grilled Eggplant Salad – p 59 * Isaan Steak Salad – p 68 * Grilled Pork Neck (or shoulder) with Spicy Dipping Sauce and Iced Greens – p 125 * Northern Thai Style Herbal Sausage – p 132 * Stir Fried Noodles with Shrimp, Tofu, and Peanuts – p 221 * Thai Rice Noodles with Northern Thai Curry – p 235 * Sticky Rice with Mango and Salty Sweet Coconut Cream – p 257. I’ll update this as I play in the book more."
"Received as a gift but have eaten at the restaurant several times. We have made 10-12 recipes from the book in just over 2 weeks and have loved all but one recipe and that one was eaten but won't be made again."
"I've been to the restaurant, and Pok Pok has some of the best Thai-fusion food I have ever had."
"Our favorite dish is the green curry and Som Tom or shredded green papaya salad with shrimp."
"If you have ever been to Pok Pok in Portland, you know how delicious the food is!"
"As someone with multiple trips to Thailand and who has been working on duplicating Thai cuisine in the US for 20 years, this book made me want to be in northern or northeastern Thailand so badly."
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Best Pacific Rim Cooking, Food & Wine

Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki
Whether you’re looking for a new favorite cocktail, tips on how to trick out your home tiki grotto, help stocking your bar with great rums, or inspiration for your next tiki party, Smuggler’s Cove has everything you need to transform your world into a Polynesian Pop fantasia. But in the end, tiki’s essence is based on captivating stories and exotic drinks, and Martin Cate’s Smuggler’s Cove is a tour de force in both.” —Jordan Mackay, wine and spirits writer, and coauthor of Secrets of the Sommeliers “Martin Cate understands tiki like few others do. The old guard of Donn, Vic, and Steve can rest easy now that they have this champion of their tradition bringing tiki into the new millennium.” —Sven Kirsten, author of The Book of Tiki, Tiki Modern, and Tiki Pop “Here at last are the secrets behind one of the world’s best bars. The Cates have written an engaging, knowing, and personal book that is sure to please tiki lovers, cocktail lovers, and especially tiki-cocktail lovers. Abandon angst, all ye who enter here: like Smuggler’s Cove itself, these pages take leisure time very seriously.” —Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, author of Potions of the Caribbean “Martin Cate is an authority on rum, and this book will take your level of understanding of this noble yet complex spirit to a new level. An absolute must-have for rum enthusiasts.” —Richard Seale, master distiller, Foursquare Rum Distillery, Barbados “The twenty-first-century revival of tiki cocktails was spearheaded by a handful of passionate tiki-geeks, Martin Cate among them. With Smuggler’s Cove , Martin and Rebecca teach you everything you need to know to become a tiki-geek in your own right—and to see the world with their Polynesian passion.” –Gaz Regan, author of The Joy of Mixology and The Negron i “Tiki culture is enmeshed with rum, and the authors offer a master class on it, covering its history and many varieties, as well as digressions on coring pineapples for cocktails and where to score cocktail umbrellas. It’s a terrifically fun and informative read, and the definitive resource on the topic.”. – Publishers Weekly , Starred Review “The book walks readers through the history of tiki, as well as 100 recipes for cocktails. A primer on essential tiki techniques as well as a thorough, authoritative guide to rum take you further than the typical booze book." The book works equally well as a cocktail how-to, a rum guide, tiki party inspiration or must-do itinerary."
Reviews
"History behind the rise of the tiki movement, history behind their bars, rum!, tiki cocktail technique, doing your own tiki parties, resources (where to buy tiki stuff, great tiki bars, etc.)."
"It has everything from the history of tiki, to drink recipes, to how to make your own syrups, to how to decorate your bar."
"Outstanding book, very detailed beautifully photographed, laid out and with easy to follow and comprehend recipes."
"This is a GREAT book from one of the pre-eminent scholars of mixology, tiki revival and overall good aesthetics!"
"Great stuff, a beautiful looking book too, and loaded with great photos and recipes which makes me want to bring out the rum at home, and to return soon to San Francisco's Smuggler's Cove!"
"Whether you are interested in exotic drink mixology or the history of tiki culture or wanting to learn about the current scene, there's something for everyone in this book!"
"A must for any tiki collector or tiki bar hopper."
"This book is everything I wanted it to be."
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Best Asian Cooking

Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast
50 Easy, Authentic Recipes that are ready in 60 min or less and require minimal ingredients Tried and Tested Guidance from Indian cuisine experts and Instant Pot pros alike Useful Tips for substituting ingredients and stocking your kitchen with the right tools and spices. “The recipes [in Indian Instant Pot Cookbook ] are simple to prepare and average about 10-15 minutes prep time. An Instant Pot evangelist, she loves to share how the appliance has changed the way she cooks for herself and her family, providing ingredient shortcuts and how-to advice for all types of Indian dishes to enjoy streamlined, easy, and delicious recipes for everything from weeknights to family gatherings.
Reviews
"I devoured Chapters 1 and 2 of the Kindle version of this “Indian Instant Pot Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast” within hours of it being electronically delivered. Within just the first Chapter there is more useful and detailed -- yet easy to understand -- Instant Pot specific information than any other IP cookbook that I own. It is rich with helpful information some of which I’ve seen before, some which I haven't -- but what I have seen is spread out across multiple cookbooks and IP websites. Nowhere else have I _ever_ seen an IP cookbook or recipe website address this problem! ANY other cookbook would list this as “Prep: 20 minutes; Cook: 15 minutes; Total: 35 minutes”. THIS cookbook is the first one I’ve seen to actually acknowledge reality for cooking with an Instant Pot. One of the earlier reviewers stated that many of the recipes included in this cookbook are already available on the author’s website -- as if that was a bad thing. If it were the other-way-around (cookbook first, then website) the author would likely be praised for providing such a rich supply of free “supplemental materials” to her recipes. Knowing that that I can go to the website and get detailed photos and descriptions, and then come to the cookbook to get just the bare-basic recipe details -- in a nice printed and bound cookbook, instead of a binder of loose-leaf printouts! Cookbooks are just that most of the time: bare-basic recipe details, where we’re lucky to get a few photos here or there, and almost never get a large-format good-quality photo to go with every recipe. Introduction. Chapter 1 : Indian Food, Easy & Fast. * The Pressure Cooking Tradition (in Indian Cooking). * Instant (Pot) Love. * Rethinking the “Instant” in Instant Pot. * The Indian Pantry. * * Spices. * * Dals & Beans. * * Herbs. * * Packages, Bottles, Cans. * Instant Pot Terminology. * Essential Equipment. * Frequently Asked Questions. * Pressure Cooking at High Altitude. Chapter 2 : Kitchen Staples. * Garam Masala. * Punjabi Garam Masala. * Goda Masala. * Onion Masala. * Ghee. * Ginger-Garlic Paste. * Paneer. * Greek Yogurt. * Meyer Lemon Chutney. * Coconut Green Chutney. * Mango Chutney. Chapter 3 : Rice, Dals & Beans. * Basmati Pilau. * Masale Bhat (Marathi Spiced Rice). * Khichadi (Rice with Lentils). * Dal Fry (Lentils with Fried Onions). * Dal Makhani (Creamy Lentils). * Langar Ki Dal (Creamy Mixed Lentils). * Chana Masala. * Chana Salaad (Chickpea Salad). * Punjabi Lobia (Black-Eyed Peas with Spinach). * Matki Chi Ussal (Spiced Sprouted Beans). * Punjabi Rajma (Red Kidney Beans). Chapter 4 : Vegetables & Vegetarian. * Aloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower). * Aloo Jeera (Cumin-Spiced Potatoes). * Beet Koshimbir (Beetroot Salad). * Buhdh Gobi Mutter (Cabbage and Peas). * Baingan Bharta (Eggpland with Onions). * Coconut-Tomato Soup. * Marathi Kadhi (Tango Yogurt Soup). * Marathi Rassa (Mixed Vegetables with Coconut). * Sindhi Sai Bhaji (Sindhi-Style Mixed Vegetables). * Paneer Biryani. * Palak Paneer. Chapter 5 : Fish, Chicken & Meat. * Patra Ni Macchi (Fish with Green Chutney). * Jhinga Nariyl Wala (Shrimp Coconut Curry). * Chicken Biryani. * Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken). * Punjabi Chicken Curry. * Chicken Vindaloo. * Chicken Korma. * Chicken Tikka Masala. * Beef Curry. * Kheema Nariyal Saag (Ground Beef Coconut Curry & Spinach). * Kheema Matar (Spiced Ground Beef). * Pork Saag. * Lamb Rogan Josh (Lamb Curry). * Lamb Dum Biryani (Lamb & Rice Casserole). Chapter 6 : Drinks & Desserts. * Aam Panha (Raw Mango Drink). * Gulabi Doodh (Rose Milk). * Masala Chai (Spiced Tea). * Caramel Custard. * Elaichi Dahi (Creamy Cardamom Yogurt). * Mitha Dahi (Steamed Yogurt Custard). * Gajjar Halva (Carrot with Raisins). * Chawal Ki Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding). * Narali Bhat (Sweet Coconut Rice). Pressure Cooking Time Charts. * Beans and Legumes. * Grains. * Meat. * Poultry. * Fish & Seafood. * Vegetables. Measurement Conversions. Acknowledgements. About the Author."
"This is a wonderful cookbook, full of interesting yet simple to make Indian Food for your Instant Pot."
"We seek out weeknight dishes that remind us of our younger NYC years and eating out but with Urvashi's recipes, we can enjoy bring cuisine at home without hassle and cost of going out."
"WASP who loves Indian food here, and have been trying for a while to learn how to cook Indian food from well-known cookbooks by the likes of Julie Sahni and Madhur Jaffrey. I thought I might have made a mistake when I saw the following couplet in the first proper chapter: "Do we really need all those spices and ingredients to cook Indian food? Thankfully, Dr. Pitre alleviated my fears by immediately going on to catalog the core spices of Indian cooking, addresses the importance of having a spice grinder and preferably making your own garam masala, and offers a couple of solid-looking recipes for common spice blends (which don't necessarily involve the IP). But a lot of Sahni's recipes from _Classic Indian Cooking_-- great as they are!-- take multiple hours to make, and often require a trip to the Indian grocery to pick up something I don't have."
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Best Herbs, Spices & Condiments in Cooking

Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies That Heal
Imagine being prepared for that next cold, scrape, headache, digestive issue, stressful day, or sleepless night with simple ingredients from your cupboard. Alchemy of Herbs will show you how to transform common ingredients into foods and remedies that heal. While using herbs can often seem complicated or costly, this book offers a way to learn that’s as simple and inexpensive as cooking dinner. With the guidance of herbalist Rosalee de la Forêt , you’ll understand how to match the properties of each plant to your own unique needs, for a truly personalized approach to health for you and your family. In addition to offering dozens of inspiring recipes, Rosalee examines the history and modern-day use of 29 popular herbs, supporting their healing properties with both scientific studies and in-depth research into herbal energetics. Drawn in by the abundant, delicious recipes, you may come to this book as a home chef, but you will leave as an herbalist, transformed by the power of Rosalee’s alchemy.” — Guido Masé , author of The Wild Medicine Solution and DIY Bitters. And now, by combining ancient wisdom with modern scientific understanding, Rosalee de la Forêt helps you put nature’s pharmacy to work. “It’s rare to find a writer who can describe complex ideas with such clarity and skill that anyone can grasp their subject— Rosalee de la Forêt is one of those souls. “I first met Rosalee de la Forêt several years ago and was immediately impressed with her knowledge, passion for herbal medicine, and ability to clearly communicate this information. “So many books geared toward those just beginning to explore the world of medicinal plants offer very basic ‘take this herb for that problem’ information, under the assumption that the foundational underpinnings of herbalism are somehow ‘too hard’ for beginners to grasp. Here, in plain English, Rosalee de la Forêt shows us that the way that herbalists choose herbs for individual people with particular imbalances isn’t some magical power or a skill attainable only by those who can devote their lives to intense study. As an experienced educator and practitioner, she weaves together tradition, experience, and science to present a holistic view of each of the plants, while providing specific and practical advice for how you can bring them into your home and life. This is a book you will want to leave sitting out on your desk, coffee table, and kitchen counter, all at the same time.” — Kristine Brown, RH(AHG) , herbalist and author/illustrator of Herbal Roots Zine. Rosalee de la Forêt 's sophisticated approach and her personal experience with herbs comes through in her beautiful recipes, which eloquently combine food and herbal medicine. She unveils the enchanting, yet readily accessible world of herbalism that makes me fall right back in love with the plant kingdom; and you will too!” — Dina Falconi , herbalist and author of Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook. “In her wonderfully written book, Alchemy of Herbs , Rosalee de la Forêt encourages the reader to 'break free from the insanity of the One-Solution Syndrome' by choosing personalized herbal formulations based on what our own senses tell us our bodies need. Self-empowerment begins in the kitchen as Rosalee tempts us with dozens of mouth-watering recipes and encourages us to ‘move forward with the mind-set of an explorer.’ Those new to plant-based healing as well as experienced herbalists will find that this beautifully illustrated book exemplifies the heart and soul of herbal healing through delicious food as powerful medicine.” — Jeff Carpenter , author of The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: The Ultimate Guide to Producing High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale. Rosalee de la Forêt shares concepts like energetics and taste in such a way that makes it easier for people to understand them, and how to find which herbs are best for them as individuals. Her book is unique in that it explains both the chemistry and the energetics of medicinal herbs and at the same time introduces their use in a friendly and inviting way.” — Holly Bellebuono , author of The Healing Kitchen and The Essential Herbal for Natural Health. “ Rosalee de la Forêt 's book is an excellent introduction to the energetics and science behind the use of our most common culinary and medicinal herbs, providing the reader with a solid foundation for further learning and exploration.” — Todd Caldecott, Dip.
Reviews
"The foundational content includes an explanation about how herbs serve individuals unlike our current system of One Solution Syndrome for everyone (take a pill for this and then take a pill for that), a well-explained overview of the energetics of herbs and deep dive into the tastes of herbs - which is my favorite part. Another aspect I like about the recipes is that they are all very doable: no specialized equipment, no huge orders of exotic herbs and spices and no tricky culinary skills required. She also employs safety and caution and gives specific examples of what some herbs can do (because yes, they really work!)."
"And of course that "new book smell" Just knowing some Herbs and ID'ing them is one thing, but learning ways to actually USE them (aside from plain old tisanes, tinctures and salves) is a real treasure!"
"This is an awesome, thorough book on herbs, health, natural remedies, healthy recipes and foods that heal. If you suffer from a chronic health condition like inflammation or diabetes, this book covers those issues as well as helpful natural remedies for treating them. I love that the book is so current, and it really gives insight into the actions of different herbs and foods on our minds amd bodies."
"Love Love Love this book!!"
"I started adding more pepper to my meals knowing I was increasing the availability and absorption of vital nutrients from my foods, I put cinnamon in my tea."
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Best Wok Cookery

Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories
In Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, award-winning author Grace Young shares more than 100 classic stir-fry recipes that sizzle with heat and pop with flavor, from the great Cantonese stir-fry masters to the culinary customs of Sichuan, Hunan, Shanghai, Beijing, Fujian, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, as well as other countries around the world. Stir-frying may have been pedestrianized by generations of vegetarian college students, but this beautiful, comprehensive cookbook restores it to its rightful place among the most elegant cookery techniques. The virtues of stir-frying, Young writes, are many: it makes bounty out of small amounts of meat and oil; it emphasizes healthful vegetables; and most importantly, it creates 'alchemic flavor out of raw ingredients.
Reviews
"has a lot of common recipes and stories which makes for fun and informative reading."
"This is a must-have book, and must-give book."
"Chinese Chef Grace Young, author of "The Wisdom Of The Chinese Kitchen", & "The Breath Of A Wok", has another Jade Jewel in her cookbook offerings, with "Stir-Frying To The Sky's Edge"!"
"Warm, accessible approach make this a book that is both enjoyable to read and practical to use."
"Haven't tried the recipes yet, however I have read through the book and the recipes look delicious."
"Probably the best thing for me is the narrative about how Chinese cooks who live outside China have adapted their ingredients to match what's available in their area, turning out jerk chicken stir-fry dishes, Malaysian stir-fries, and assorted other twists. This is a revelation to me, a girl who grew up on the 50s with ChunKing chop suey and chow mein, a girl whose favorite vegetable was tomato juice with corn and potatoes coming in second and third."
"The instructions are easy to follow, the ingredients are easy to find (staples like chinkiang vinegar and shaoxing wine can be picked up at the Asian grocery or substituted), and the recipes are relatively simple and delicious."
"The stories and background information is invaluable to understanding the basic skills used to create the methods and recipes."
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